The New Newgate Calendar

Domestic violence was rife in late Victorian London but even given that this case is horrific. William Meades was young, ‘able-bodied’ and... read more »

On this date in 1391, the condottiero tyrant of Mantua, Francisco Gonzaga, removed his consort from his right arm by removing her head. Daughter of the... read more »

[Editor’s note: Guest writer, Peter Dickson, lives in West Sussex, England and has been working with microfilm copies of The Duncan Campbell... read more »

The NSPCC was founded in 1884 (notably a lot later than the charity for the protection of animals) with the mission to force society to take much more... read more »

Crime reporting has been a staple of the newspapers for centuries; but even if there’s no crime taking place, that can still be news in itself. In... read more »

On this date in 1952, poultry farmer and burglar Alfred Moore hanged at Leeds (Armley) Prison for shooting two Huddersfield policemen dead. Many believe... read more »

Just occasionally the reports from the Police courts of the Metropolis don’t report a crime – a theft, stabbing, fraud or domestic abuse –... read more »

Antonio Lavagnini, impiccato e squartato in Zagarola li 5 febbraio 1803, per aver grassato un uomo avendogli levato 27 paoli. Antonio Lavagnini hanged... read more »

The Blewcoat School in Caxton Street William Gillman had managed to secure a solid position for himself at a merchant’s offices in Mansion House... read more »

On this date in 1926, a man went to the gallows over his headwear. An Islamic religious scholar, Iskilipli Mehmed Atif Hoca (English Wikipedia entry |... read more »

Ratcliffe Highway in the late 1800s Robert Mace was a former solider, discharged from the army in 1853 having previously served in India. He was 31 years... read more »

From The Covenanter, vol. 5. The footnote appears in the original. Paisley — Its Antiquities, Manufactories, Martyrs, Theological Seminary, Social... read more »

Theft by domestic servants was a common enough occurrence in the nineteenth or indeed any century. There were constant complaints about staff who pilfered,... read more »

On this date in 1610* a Genevan official named Pierre Canal was twice capitally punished — broken on the wheel (for treason) and burned (for sodomy).... read more »

I have often wondered what the Victorians would make of our society should a character like H G Wells’ ‘time traveller’ actually manage... read more »

On this date in 1944, the Nazi governor of Warsaw was “executed” by assassination. The Austrian Sudeten German Franz Kutschera had parlayed... read more »

I thought I knew what a fire escape was. A long ladder or staircase attached to a building that allowed those inside to escape down it should there be... read more »