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 …
Eynsham’s History of Robbers, Rabbles and Riots
“As regards Eynsham I can only confirm that poor old town is the most Godforsaken hole in England”. A wandering churchman, Oxford Times 28th October 1876 That does seem a little harsh doesn’t it? He’d obviously never been to Carterton! I suppose he could have just been having a bad day when he visited, but perhaps he was offended by Eynsham’s …
Abingdon’s History of Madness, Murder and Mayhem
“Abingdon is a typical country town of the smaller order — quiet, eminently respectable, clean, and desperately dull.” – Jerome K Jerome in Three Men in a Boat, 1889. Three Men in a Boat may be a brilliant read, but it’s amazing how wrong Jerome K Jerome was when he wrote that down. Abingdon, dull? Sure people might just associate …
Ghost Special: Witney’s Murders, Suicides and Vanishing Hitchhikers
Something fairly unique to Britain is our strangely unquestioning acceptance that places are haunted. Even people who aren’t superstitious in the slightest occasionally mention that their local pub toilet is frequented by a ghost, or that they think an angry poltergeist lives in their shed. It’s hard to know how seriously you’re supposed to take ghost stories, but I’ve decided it doesn’t actually matter …