Truro is unique. I mean, where else in Cornwall can you go shopping at a large number of well-known chain stores? Yet there’s far more to Truro than just its concentration of conveniences — this city has a rich history bedecked with events both weird and wonderful, and I think it’s time for us to dive in and see what …
The Untold Story of ‘Doctor Dick’ — The Quack who Scandalised Cornwall (Part 2)
In January 1889 Emma Manley was in trouble. She was pregnant, you see — but in no position to carry that burden. Unmarried. A servant girl. And without the sort of support network that might have made the situation bearable. She was, quite understandably, a desperate person, facing as she was such an uncertain future. What would her employers do …
The Untold Story of ‘Doctor Dick’ — The Quack who Scandalised Cornwall (Part 1)
In February 1889 a man named Richard Pascoe, known locally as ‘Doctor Dick’, was put on trial in Truro, accused of undertaking abortions for two young women. The ‘respectable’ classes keenly wanted to see him convicted, but the working classes felt very differently. Indeed, the common people of the city were so committed to ‘Doctor Dick’ that vast crowds turned …
Falmouth’s History of Sex, Murder and Piracy
Falmouth is an almost absurdly interesting place. Although the streets are now largely filled with passive-looking tourists and arty-looking students, it doesn’t take much investigating to tap into a history overflowing with spicy human drama.