Old News

40 posts

Birmingham Trip in Stolen Motor Lorry – 1945

Birmingham Trip in Stolen Motor Lorry – 1945

Coventry Evening Telegraph – Wednesday 30 May 1945 Birmingham Trip in Stolen Motor Lorry Receiving a telephone message from the Birmingham police that a lorry from Coventry had collided with a trolley-bus pole there, and they were detaining a youth who was in the lorry at the time, Detective Dickens […]

Battersea Boys Charged with ‘Highway Robbery’ – 1923

Battersea Boys Charged with ‘Highway Robbery’ – 1923

South Western Star – Friday 11 May 1923 “THAT’S ROBBERY—HIGHWAY ROBBERY.” Two Battersea boys, Percy Newcombe (11), 98 Livingstone-road, and John Johnson (9), 91 Livingstone-road, were charged on remand with stealing a £1 note belonging to Mrs. Taylor, of Peter’s-place, Battersea, from her son. Last week Detective Bond stated that […]

Drunken Injury, Burglaries, and Brawls: Crime and Conflict in Sheffield and Doncaster – 1874

Drunken Injury, Burglaries, and Brawls: Crime and Conflict in Sheffield and Doncaster – 1874

Sheffield Independent, Monday, 5 January 1874: Critical Condition of a Drunken Man About eight o’clock on Saturday evening, Police-constable Stone found a man named William Keddy of Arthur Street lying in Bridge Street. He was drunk and bleeding profusely from a wound on the back of his head. The officer […]

The West End Scandals: Courtroom Intrigue, Conspiracy, and the Cleveland Street Saga – 1890

The West End Scandals: Courtroom Intrigue, Conspiracy, and the Cleveland Street Saga – 1890

Illustrated Police News – Saturday 18 January 1890 THE WEST END SCANDALS. [WITH GROUP OF PORTRAITS SKETCHED IN COURT.] At Bow-street Police-court, on Friday, before Mr. Vaughan, Arthur Newton, solicitor, of Great Marlborough-street; Frederick Taylerson, his articled clerk; and Adolphus De Galla, interpreter, again appeared on an adjourned summons, charging […]

Worthing Police Court – 1892

Worthing Police Court – 1892

Worthing Gazette – Wednesday 28 December 1892 Worthing Police Court Petty Sessions, This Day—Before Mr. T. Gaisford (Chairman), the Mayor (Alderman E. C. Patching), Lieut.-Colonel Wisden, Major A. Henty, Mr. H. H. Hargood, and Mr. C. L. M. Teesdale. Captain Drummond, the Chief Constable, occupied a seat on the Bench. […]

Stray Cattle at Winslow – 1892

WINSLOW PETTY SESSIONS, DECEMBER 14 1892 Before Geo. R. Greaves, Esq., and the Hon. C. Fremantle. STRAY CATTLE AT LITTLE HORWOOD William King, farmer, was charged with allowing his cows to stray on the highway at Little Horwood on the 19th Nov. P.C. Tredway said shortly after one o’clock in […]

Rogue Stockbroker – 1905

Rogue Stockbroker – 1905

Morning Post – Wednesday 20 December 1905 [Stanley Gardner, a rogue stockbroker, was charged with obtaining money by false pretences in a high-profile fraud case. Victims across the UK lost hundreds of pounds in fake share schemes. #OnThisDay #History #TrueCrime] Stanley Gardner, 35, described as an outside stock and share […]

Forging, Tampering with Family History – 1898

Forging, Tampering with Family History – 1898

October 26, 1898 | ST. JAMES’S GAZETTE THE ANTIQUARIAN ROMANCE. MORE REMARKABLE EVIDENCE. Mr. Lushington sat again specially at Bow-street yesterday for the further hearing of the charges against Herbert Davies, twenty-five, “private surgeon,” of Castlenau-gardens, Barnes, of forging entries in Mangotsfield parish register, tampering with monuments and coffins, forging […]

Rare and Short-Lived Newspapers

Rare and Short-Lived Newspapers

Throughout history, many newspapers have had fleeting existences, often created in response to specific events, movements, or ambitions that were unsustainable in the long term. These rare and short-lived publications offer unique insights into the moments they captured, often serving niche audiences or addressing radical ideas. Their limited runs and […]

Forgery Case, Cheltenham – 1862

Forgery Case, Cheltenham – 1862

Gloucester Journal – Saturday 23 August 1862 FORGERY. Herbert Cresswell, a young man, was charged with obtaining money by means of a forged instrument, on the 31st of March, at Cheltenham. The prisoner pleaded guilty. Mr. Sawyer, who appeared for the prisoner, said he could not struggle against a verdict […]

Bad Meat – 1867

The handling of meat in Britain during the 1800s was an area of significant concern due to the lack of comprehensive food safety regulations, leading to widespread public health issues and increasing media coverage of scandals and legal cases. Thame Gazette – Tuesday 17 September 1867 A butcher in Walworth […]

Protecting the ‘unknown’

Protecting the ‘unknown’

Since auction websites like eBay entered the online arena the success of moneymaking ventures by some has in a way caused serious social and devastating historic damage. I am referring here to the thousands who have unwittingly taken advantage of these websites by selling off literally tons of “family junk”, […]

Old British News

Unexploded shell – in a fish – 1948

The job of clearing Britain’s cities and towns of unexploded devices after the war has taken many years.  Indeed even today we see still hear of exploded bombs more than 70 years on.  There have been many, dangerous, weird and wonderful stories of the discovery of such devices –but this […]

Emily Cave (née: Windebank) 1892

Emily Cave (née: Windebank) 1892

Whilst doing more family research I sadly discovered that my great, great grandmother (Emily Cave (nee Windebank)) committed suicide in 1892 after drinking the contents of a bottle of Carbolic Acid. I found out about this after conducting routine research through the London newspapers. London Evening Standard – Wednesday 14 […]

Television Starts – Where Will It End? 1936

2nd November 1936 – regular television broadcasting commenced from make-do BBC studios at Alexander Palace in North London.  The corporation had already tackled the question of whether to employ the mechanical system invented by John Logie Baird or the fast progressing EMI electronic system. By 1936 it became clear that […]

Diseased Meat – Birmingham 1882

Food safety, the manner it was manufactured, stored, prepared and sold was never out of the news. Despite crude guidelines and basic regulations enforced in law, purveyors of every range of food were endlessly reported with crimes and methods to turn the strongest stomachs. The law finally caught up with […]

Fraudster John Salmon – Old Bailey 1894

A solicitors clerk working Bethnal Green is at the Old Bailey charged with deception, forgery, theft and embezzlement, 30th April 1894. Here’s the report from the London Evening Standard – Tuesday 01 May 1894. “John Salmon, a 31, clerk, pleaded guilty to stealing three cheques, of the value of £448, […]

Valletta Stampede – 1823

The Times of Malta are reporting today the dreadful case of about 100 children who died during a stampede at a Valletta convent during carnival 192 years ago (here). I have found two articles from 1823 describing the scene (click the images to read the article, then click again to […]

Princetown Prison – 1845

The horrors and cruelty that prisoners of war endured at the original Princetown Prison on Dartmoor are recalled in this brief item in the Western Times – Saturday 30 August 1845. “Dartmoor – It is reported that the Prince-town Prison – those fearful dungeons which proved the grave of so […]

Illegal Weights and Measures – 1872

Illegal Weights and Measures – 1872

Retailers in Victorian Britain, much like today, faced a range of rules and regulations.  Many shopkeepers were good honest people and an equal amount were to say the least somewhat dubious not only with the content of the products they would sell but also the dubious manner in which the […]

Birth of a child in a balloon

Birth of a child in a balloon

This is one of those stories that made me chuckle. It is regarding a balloon flight over Paris in October 1878 when a lady, one of the passengers, in “an interesting condition”, gave birth and then tipped a doctor who just happened to be on board! Here is the editorial […]