If it happened, it was in the news.
Meanwhile it’s another day in Clerkenwell County Court for Judge Edge. The Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser (Wednesday 30 November 1898) report an amusing interlude: The Judge and the Carpenter. Amusing Interlude at a County Court. Before Judge Edge, at Clerkenwell County Court, a man named Matthews appeared on a summons for the value of […]
Inquisitions, although a bit gruesome and quite depressing at times, were widely reported in local and national newspapers much as they are today. These reports give us an insight into an aspect of life and the manner in which these proceedings were conducted. The example here is taken from February the 2nd 1827 on a […]
Do you keep your Christmas or birthday cards? Well, if you don’t maybe we should all keep them, just in case! In 1930 The Hull Daily Mail reported a person with relatives in England and America who had died in the United States intestate with a sizeable amount of money in his estate looking for […]
Cheltenham Chronicle – Thursday 07 April 1836 Robberies on tracks and roads were commonplace as we well know. Indeed after dusk the highways were places to avoid where possible. Newspapers were full of stories of highway robberies and many generations later films and television dramas immortalised these violent criminals to almost heroic proportions. In 1836 […]
Some readers may find the following editorial and historic news report disturbing. The acquisition of dead bodies in modern times might well sound quite revolting and hugely inappropriate. But up until the first half of the 19th century, such was the demand by Physicians and doctors to teach students of medicine. The exploration factor of […]
At Llangollen Petty Sessions in late August 1893 local life was being dealt with. Although these really were ‘petty’ sessions they of course are very common throughout the entire British Isles. They do provide the historian with more names and dates. The reporting of localised parish news and what was happening in the community is […]
A phrase we frequently come across is ‘uttering’. Many were found guilty of uttering a forged note or even a coin. Forgery per se is not a crime. The crime is uttering, i.e. using as genuine a fabricated writing falsely intended to pass as genuine the writing of another person. The newspapers are littered with […]
In January 1819 The Morning Post in London reported a particularly unpleasant assault that occurred in Hatton Garden. A chicken seller from *Saffron Hill and an accomplice were found accused of biting the nose off Matthew Donovan (* “In 1850 it was described as a squalid neighbourhood, the home of paupers and thieves“). Although this […]
In May or June 1899 this man appeared on the Dorchester Prison Admission records. He is the only entry in the book who is unidentified. Judging by his dress and appearance he came from a fairly well-to-do background – as such he stands out somewhat compared with the rest of the photographed inmates. So, who […]
By the 1880’s photographic technology was being used in some prisons and then added to criminal admission records. Here, two brothers from Bridport in Dorset are imprisoned for stealing a rabbit in 1887. They are reported in the local press, jailed and photographed for posterity. Both John and Ben Down later married local girls and […]
From the very moment motor vehicles hit the roads of Great Britain the media seem to be hugely cautious of this new invention. The slightest accident would be duly reported and hugely illustrated where possible. Many of its readers were highly sceptical of these dangerous machines on the mainly untreated roads. Although in many ways […]
Its easy to assume that the Workhouse was an ‘essential’ relic of the Victorian era. We all have images in our minds of Charles Dickens and poor old Oliver Twist. Most of us who have been conducting our family history will have discovered that as least one or even more members of our family were […]
August 1st 1914 The Hull Daily Mail is reporting the crushing drama now facing all Europe. “A Reuters Rome message stated this morning: The Messagro semi-officially announces that the German Ambassador last night informed the Italian government that Germany had sent an ultimatum to France and Russia – Press Association. Re: Ultimatum to Russia and […]
The lives of Victorians were, it seems, constantly at risk due to the lack of many safety regulations and health rules that we take for granted today. Even behind closed doors in the relative safety of home was considerable danger, either from the lack of knowledge in regards to food safety, to basic things like […]
On July 26th 1913 Bentfield Charles Hucks (25 October 1884 – 7 November 1918) was promoting his aviation exhibition in the Cheltenham and Gloucester area. Bachelor Hucks was an aviation pioneer in the early 20th century. As well as test flying numerous aircraft types, he was the first Briton to perform a loop in an […]
The Edwardian era that characteristically did not begin and end with the reign of Edward VII is generally regarded as Britain’s calm before the storm. I would say that this much lauded brief spell began a few years before Queen Victoria’s death and ended abruptly at the outbreak of the First World War four years into […]
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 from The Illustrated Police News […]
In the course of doing historic research I generally find I can usually detach myself even from the most appalling events and situations frequently reported over the centuries. It’s only when a direct blood relative suddenly appears in the Victorian news that I get a feeling of genuine sadness. This story is particularly tragic as […]
In the course of conducting my research over many years I have come across some most extraordinary items of news. But what we might find odd and strange today was in a way perfectly normal a couple of hundred years ago. One such example was the rather horrific although seemingly regular practice of attempting to […]
Morning Post – Wednesday 28 December 1831 The case of the John Chapman an occasional body-snatcher. Marlborough Street – Carriage robbery. “John Chapman, a fellow well-dressed, who was a few months since convicted at Kingston for body-snatching, was yesterday placed at the bar for re-examination before J.E. Convant Esq., charged with aiding in the following […]
Last May I found a little piece about a highly confused family history situation that arose in Norfolk in 1811 (here). Just as I thought the genteel and rather pleasant pastime of genealogy could not possibly get any more confusing I have today come across another mind-bending situation published in Leeds (Leeds Times – Saturday […]
As winter approaches we should all take care of our health. Thank goodness ‘The Hereford Journal‘ – Wednesday 17 October 1792 was there with a few timely tips to get us through the rough weather ahead. For the Cure of a Fever, which at this time is very prevalent. Take 3 ounces of the fresh […]
Queenie Newall: Britain’s Golden Archer of 1908 When the White City Stadium opened its gates for the London Olympics of 1908, it was heralded as the greatest sporting spectacle Britain had ever staged. The Games showcased athletes from across the world, but in one quiet corner of the competition grounds, amid arrows, bows, and the […]
Sometimes this researcher accidentally comes across an old British news article that’s really from another world. Illustrated Police News – Saturday 31 October 1896 was reporting the dreadful scene on a London omnibus whereby a lady fell into shock at the sight of the knees of a collection of boys who had just been playing […]
London’s Mayor-Elect of 1890: A Huguenot Heritage in Public Office Today voters across England, Wales, and Scotland head to the polls for local elections, including high-profile mayoral contests in London, Liverpool, and Salford. The noise of campaigns, the scrutiny of manifestos, and the political theatre that now surrounds such events makes a striking contrast with […]
When they write the story of Queen Victoria the picture portrayed is generally that of a slightly stubborn, rather unhappy widowed monarch. In a way she had much to be miserable about. After giving birth to 9 children, the love of her life dying in 1861 and then seemingly spending the next 40 odd years […]
I think we forget how immediate news media is today. Here is an edition of The Western Times – Monday 15 April 1912. The editorial feels quite eerie. Whilst Devonians were having breakfast reading their daily ration of news, meanwhile in the Atlantic the worse shipping disaster in history is taking place.
November 1931 and The Hull Daily Mail were warning its readers of the perils of the dreaded Friday 13th. You have been warned!
As we all know RMS Titanic sank on 15 April 1912 causing the deaths of 1,514 people. However on the 16th April 1912 The Western Times, in a remarkable editorial blunder, was reporting ‘Good News’, Titanic and all on board are safe. “An enormous load of anxiety has been lifted from the public mind by the […]
I found this White Star Line advertisement in The Western Times – exactly 100 years old. Here they are promoting their premium ships, Olympic and Titanic. Three weeks later the sinking of Titanic caused the deaths of 1,517 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. Meanwhile Olympic‘s first major mishap occurred six […]
