Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths Around Portsmouth takes the reader on a sinister journey through centuries of local crime and conspiracy, meeting villains of all sorts along the way - cut-throats and poisoners, arsonists and assassins, mutineers, duellists and marauders, prostitutes and thieves, and the brawling seamen and common murderers who moved through the cruel underworld of this historic town. Sarah Quail has selected over 20 notorious episodes that give a fascinating insight into criminal acts and the criminal mind. She recalls intriguing and shocking cases dating from medieval times to the present day. In the process she uncovers an extraordinary variety of misdeeds, some motivated by brutal impulse or despair, others by malice, which taint the history of every age. Most of the cases she recounts involve ill-fated individuals who are only known to us because they were caught up in crime, but she also reconsiders more famous episodes like the murder of the Duke of Buckingham and the disappearance of the Cold War frogman Buster Crabb. The human dramas that are played out in these pages often take place in the most commonplace of circumstances, but others are so odd as to be stranger than fiction.

The criminal cases vividly described by Bernard Lewis in this gripping book take the reader on a journey into the dark secret side of Swanseas long history. The city has been the setting for a series of horrific, bloody, sometimes bizarre incidents over the centuries. From crimes of brutal premeditation to those born of rage or despair, the whole range of human weakness and wickedness is represented here. There are tales of secret passion and betrayal, robbery, murder and suicide, deadly fever and mutiny, executions, and instances of extraordinary domestic cruelty and malice that ended in death. The human dramas the author describes are often played out in the most commonplace of circumstances, but others are so odd as to be stranger than fiction. This grisly chronicle of the hidden history of Swansea will be compelling reading for anyone who is interested in the dark side of human nature.

This cathedral and university city in southern Wales hides a long and violent history—from Roman gladiators to current crimes of passion. This book contains twenty-one separate stories all based in the Newport and district area. Anyone fascinated by the mindset of a murderer will enjoy this book. Whether you are a budding Miss Marple or an aspiring Inspector Morse, here is a look inside the criminal mind, the unmasking of means and motives, and the struggles and successes of detective work. From the Roman citizens who used Newport’s countryside as their dumping ground to a sword-fencing duel in the 1650s, from a mass murder in Westgate Square to a man found shot dead in his office, author Terry Underwood tackles the centuries-old criminal history of this city on the River Usk. “The man known for his books about Newport . . . has turned his hand to chronicling the city’s notorious murders.” —South Wales Argus

This social and political history of women’s suffrage in Portsmouth, England, covers a century of struggle from the mid-nineteenth century into the twentieth. The women of Portsmouth had to be tough. Many of them kept their families together during wartime, others worked in domestic service or in nearby stay factories. The local suffrage movement was driven as much by the lack of opportunity as by ruinously unjust laws. This volume shines a light on the women of Portsmouth who struggled for change. In the Victorian Era, women had few rights, and faced being thrown into an asylum thanks to the Contagious Diseases Acts. But in the First World War, they proved their ability to work effectively in the male workforce. And in World War II, women persevered as Portsmouth was destroyed by enemy bombing. Through this long, tumultuous period, a gathering chorus of pioneering women raised their voices. Those voices are now collected here, allowing the women of Portsmouth to tell their own stories of the fight for equality.

True tales of betrayal, robbery, and murder across Worcestershire, from Redditch to Upton-on-Severn—includes illustrations and photographs! Though the Battle of Worcester brought an end to the English Civil War in 1651, it was not the end of the bloodshed for the West Midland county of Worcestershire. Known for its rolling hills and abundant farmland, it has also been fertile ground for thieves, murderers, and scoundrals of all sorts. Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths Around Worcester takes readers on a journey through centuries of sinister crimes, from the infamous to the stuff of local legend. Worcester’s dark past goes back to the seventeenth century, when highwaymen haunted the surrounding forests. In this chilling volume, crime historian and Worcestershire resident Anne Bradford chronicles the county’s history of forgery and betrayal, highway robbery and murder, riots and public executions. She also uncovers instances of domestic cruelty that resulted in death. From premediated crimes to desperate acts of passion, a range of human drama is covered in stories such as “The Gentleman who Murdered his Mother,” “The Lovers’ Pact,” and “Death of a Hop-picker,” among others.

Geoffrey Howse explores the darker and sinister side of South Yorkshire's past in this diverse collection of crimes and foul deeds, taken from Victorian to modern times. Read about a shooting and 'mob rule' in Doncaster, sensational murder in Darfield, Mexborough, and Attercliffe; trade outrages in Sheffield and Rotherham, highway robbery at Wentworth, embezzlement in Barnsley and arson at Thorne. Unusual cases include a Doncaster elopement and robbery, burglaries by girls in Rotherham, the shocking killing of a police constable at Swinton and 'coal' riots and lawlessness in Wath-upon-Dearne and Hoyland. A dramatic event in Thurnscoe, a Wombwell stabbing affray and a variety of long forgotten tragedies and crimes are also explored in some detail.

“A grim catalogue of killings and suspicious deaths that have darkened 130 years of Southport history is laid bare” (Southport Visitor). Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths Around Southport takes the reader on a sinister journey through centuries of local crime and conspiracy, meeting villains of all sorts along the way—cutthroats and poisoners, murderous lovers, baby-farmers and baby-killers, burglars, fraudsters, and the so-called “doctor of death.” The book records crime and punishment in Southport in all its shocking variety. Among the many acts of wickedness Geoff Wright describes are the unsolved murder of Nigel Bostock, the double-slaying of two friends, a fatal brawl at the Shakespeare pub, the wife-killing Dr. Clements, and the baffling murder of businessman Harry Baker. His chronicle of Southport’s hidden history—the history this Victorian seaside resort would prefer to forget—will be compelling reading for anyone who is interested in the dark side of human nature.