The New Newgate Calendar

On this date in 1812, the German bandit Hölzerlips — that’s just “Philip of the Woods”, despite what your dirty mind was thinking... read more »

(Thanks to Meaghan Good of the Charley Project for the guest post. -ed.) On this date in 1888, a 76-pound Newfoundland was electrocuted before a crowd... read more »

85 years ago today, the fourth instalment of Beatrice Pace's post-acquittal series in the Sunday Express was published, combining a continuation of her... read more »

  The Mill (Channel 4, Sunday 28th July) made a promising start. It is very good to see TV history turning away from the rose-tinted soapiness of... read more »

(Thanks to Richard Clark of Capital Punishment U.K. for the guest post, a reprint of an article originally published on that site. (I’ve added some... read more »

The Poor Relief Act of 1601 determined that every individual parish of England and Wales was responsible for the provision and administration of poor relief... read more »

On this date in 1976, Christian Ranucci, 22, was guillotined in Marseilles … with the last words addressed to his attorneys, “Réhabilitez-moi”.... read more »

On this date in history, the French spy Francois Henri de la Motte was hanged at Tyburn — and, only after hanging, his head was cut off and his heart... read more »

  Lesley Hulonce recently wrote a very good and interesting blog about workhouse inmates. http://lesleyhulonce.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/a-d_m-cock-eyed-b_-wayward-workhouse-women/... read more »

During the Dutch Revolt — a proto-nationalist conflict pitting the Low Countries against the Habsburg Empire, overlaid with a religious conflict... read more »

It’s a big day today in the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela, because the twenty-fifth of July is the feast of its patron and namesake* St.... read more »

Muscovy’s long march to supremacy among the early Russian polities reached a decisive turn on 14 July 1471 when it defeated longtime rival Novgorod... read more »

Agricultural workers made up the greater part of the working population of eighteenth-century England. They were employed in seasonal tasks, remunerated... read more »

Reblogged from English Legal History: Detectives have had a special niche in popular culture for many years. Beginning in the nineteenth century with the... read more »

On this date in 1635,* the German aristocrat and general Hans Ulrich [von] Schaffgotsch Schaffgotsch (German Wikipedia entry: most information about him... read more »

Sunday, 22 July 1928: the second instalment of Beatrice Pace's life story appears in the Sunday Express.Sunday Express, 22 July 1928, p. 11 (Click for... read more »

On this date in 1979, Saddam Hussein executed a terrifying purge of the Ba’ath party. Hussein had come to power just six days before by forcing... read more »

By the ancient world’s tradition, it was on July 21, 356 — the night of Alexander the Great‘s birth* — that an obscure man set... read more »

Two centuries ago today, Johann Christian Claudius Devaranne got himself shot for resisting Napoleon’s draft in Germany. The Corsican had fallen... read more »

EXECUTIONS IN CONSTANTINOPLE (From our own correspondent.) CONSTANTINOPLE July 19. Cherkess Mehmet Pasha, popularly known as Kaba Sakal — i.e., “twisted... read more »

Ten years ago today, Botswana controversially hanged a South African national named Lehlohonolo Bernard Kobedi. Kobedi was one of three men in a vehicle... read more »

On this date in 1903, Dora Wright was hanged at McAlester in Indian Territory — the present-day U.S. state of Oklahoma. Wright beat and tortured... read more »

From the later part of the seventeenth century and throughout the following century, legislation concerning the regulation of people claiming a 'right'... read more »

On this date in 1793, Joseph Chalier was guillotined in Lyon(s). Chalier (English Wikipedia entry | French*), a knockabout silk merchants’ agent... read more »

Sunday, 15 July 1928: The second part of Beatrice's serialised memoir appears in the Sunday Express.Beatrice had many things to say in this lengthy, front-page... read more »

As my previous post on European police suggested, many Britons equated centralized policing with government tyranny and espionage. To avoid such criticisms,... read more »

On this date in 1883, Leoncio Prado Gutierrez (English Wikipedia entry | the very much more extensive Spanish) was shot by the Chileans during the War... read more »

“If you succeed in your enterprise, the King will fulfill all his promises, and you will gain an immortal name besides.” – Christoffel... read more »

On this date in 1955, Albert Pierrepoint escorted the alluringly tragic Ruth Ellis to the gallows at Holloway Prison — the last woman ever hanged... read more »

On this date in 1960, Manfred Smolka was guillotined in Leipzig. Smolka was among three million East Germans or more who escaped over the border to West... read more »

On this date in 1644, Joost Schouten, the able merchant and diplomat of the Dutch East India Company, “was strangled and burned to ashes in my presence... read more »

(Salt Lake (Utah) Telegram, Dec. 31, 1916) On this date in 1917, someone was electrocuted in Rockview, Pennsylvania. “John Nelson”, the cipher... read more »

(Thanks to Meaghan Good of the Charley Project for the guest post. -ed.) On this day in 1920, Lee Monroe Betterton (addressed by his middle name) was electrocuted... read more »

On this date in 1771, Henry Stroud and Robert Campbell were hanged at Bethnal Green Road — a pointed message to the Spitalfield working class. Their... read more »

The relief system operating prior to 1834 (the 'old poor law') positioned each civil parish as a self-contained unit of administration responsible for... read more »

On this date in 1584, Nuremberg executioner Franz Schmidt beheaded Anna Peihelsteinin (Peyelstainin) for “lewdness and harlotry.” (Despite... read more »

An editorial from the Daily Mirror comments on the events of the Pace case:'The Strange Case of Mrs. Pace'Mrs. Pace was acquitted yesterday after an ordeal... read more »

After her resounding acquittal in the closely watched murder trial, images of Beatrice and her children appeared in many British newspapers.Here are only... read more »

On this date in 1631, Giles Broadway and Lawrence Fitzpatrick hanged at Tyburn. Although the evidence against them was extremely questionable, their trial... read more »

A dramatic moment from the end of Beatrice Pace's trial for murder: an excerpt from The Most Remarkable Woman in England.  In the dock, Beatrice remained... read more »

On this date in 1655, Grete Adrian heard her final condemnation as a witch, then was ushered to the marketplace of Ruethen where she was beheaded and burned.... read more »

Excerpts from the coverage of the trial of Beatrice Pace for the alleged murder of her husband Harry from the Daily Mirror.Inside the courtroom:The greater... read more »

On this date in 1762, the Korean king Yeongjo had his son and heir Crown Prince Sado immured in a rice chest — where he would die after eight excrutiating... read more »

Excerpts from the coverage of the trial of Beatrice Pace for the alleged murder of her husband Harry from the Daily Mirror.One of the Pace jury members... read more »

Excerpts from the coverage of the trial of Beatrice Pace for the alleged murder of her husband Harry from the Daily Mirror.A short excerpt from the cross-examination... read more »

On this date in 1969, alleged North Korean operative Lee Soogeun (other transliterations exist for his given name, such as Soo Keun or Soo-geun) was hanged... read more »

Review by Guy Woolnough, Keele University. Time Team Specials, Channel Four, 30th June 2013. The excellent 'Secret of Lincoln Jail' showed how history... read more »

An image of the crowds gathered in Gloucester on 3 July 1928 to witness the Pace murder trial.The photo in context:I find the advertising slogan 'Where... read more »

Reblogged from WaywardWomen: When I started WaywardWomen in April 2012, I wanted to create a space where I could explore the themes and points of interest... read more »

Monday, 2 July 1928: At the Shire Hall in Gloucester, Beatrice's trial for murder (Rex v. Beatrice Annie Pace) begins.Excerpts from the coverage of the... read more »