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Covering a wide area - from Exmoor, through the Brendon Hills and the Quantocks, the Mendip Hills and Cheddar Gorge, to the Avon Gorge and southern Bristol - the author has unearthed hundreds of strange tales. Can it be that King Arthur's ghost still patr

Who was the murderer who committed an atrocity at an East End brothel in 1691? And was he ever caught? What superstitions lay behind the unfathomable slaughter of three innocent children at a remote farmhouse in County Durham in 1683? When was a parish constable murdered in cold blood by a party of men that allegedly included the illegitimate son of King Charles II? Where did violent, lethal confrontations occur between supporters and opponents of King James II during the so-called Bloodless Revolution of 1688? Why was Dr Clenche ruthlessly garroted in the back of a coach meandering through the darkened London streets? How did the very first killing attributed to the nation's civil wars occur in Manchester? Is there any truth in the legend of Exmoor's lawless Doone clan? These cases, and many more, are explored in depth within this work, and harken back to a time of witchcraft purges, dueling and political assassinations, when the punishment for killing one's fellow man was either more barbaric than the crime itself, or corruptly lenient. Within these pages the story of violent crime in 17th century Britain is told, from sociopathic noblemen and ruthless bandits, to war crimes and judicial assassinations. Illustrated throughout and shedding a unique light on the era, Crimes and Criminals of 17th Century Britain is the first work of its kind to explore the monstrous murders that occurred against the backdrop of a nation that repeatedly imploded.

Explore the secret history of Rutland through a fascinating selection of stories, facts and photographs.

Explore, in depth, the complete range of paranormal phenomena reported throughout Devon in modern times.

Think the world is bad today? Then take a true-crime trip back in time to 1600s England, where violence, robbery, and cold-blooded murder ran amuck. These days, criminals and evildoers are stopped, caught, and punished every day. But how did people deal with crimes before the police, computer records, and a consistent judicial system even existed? Here are the stories of some of the most heinous, shocking, and unbelievable transgressions of the law in seventeenth century England, raising questions such as . . . Which murderer committed an atrocity at an East End brothel in 1691? What superstitions lay behind the unfathomable slaughter of three innocent children at a remote farmhouse in County Durham in 1683? When was a parish constable murdered in cold blood by a party of men that allegedly included the illegitimate son of King Charles II? Where did deadly confrontations occur between supporters and opponents of King James II during the so-called Bloodless Revolution of 1688? These cases, and many more, are explored in depth, harkening back to a time of witch hunts, dueling, and political assassinations, when the punishment for killing one’s fellow man was either more barbaric than the crime itself, or corruptly lenient. Illustrated throughout and shedding a unique light on the era, Crimes & Criminals of 17th Century Britain is the first work of its kind to explore the monstrous murders that occurred at a time when the nation was repeatedly plunged into chaos.

Stepping back in time 300 years to study the murder cases of the era is a strange experience. The trappings of the event can seem familiar on the one hand through street names, locations, landmarks, motives and occasionally still-observable evidences of the event; yet completely unfamiliar from the point of view of the social conditions at the time and 18th century attitudes towards crime prevention in general. Despite the 1700s being the century when Britain burgeoned into a power on the world stage, many places at home - particularly in the metropolis of London - could be dirty, dangerous and semi anarchic places where lawlessness ran to such levels that on occasion it even mirrored rebellion . The 18th century has become notorious as a period when robbery and murder rates reached near epidemic proportions in Britain. Smugglers and pirates engaged the forces of law in battle along Britain's shores, and men of London society were forced to travel in armed company through fear of being attacked by the robbers who infested the dark lanes like a plague. It was also a time when the mobs were willing to take on the regular soldiery - often lending our towns and cities the appearance of battlefields. This work illustrates in detail many of the most infamous murder cases that occurred during these dangerous times, when robbery frequently ended in multiple deaths, the aristocracy were not above murder, and the law responded with a grim and deadly ruthlessness. Part II of Daniel Codd's Tales From The Gibbet Post takes us through forty years of the reign of King George III, comprising a grim chronology of the country's most notorious murder cases between 1760 and 1799. There are many famous crimes here that the reader may recognise: Elizabeth Brownrigg's cruelty, James Hackman's assassination of the actress Martha Ray, the Gordon Riots, London's coal-heaver uprising, murderous Cornish smuggling and shooting attempts upon the king himself. But this book also explores the often gruesome facts behind countless other murders across the British nation during this period, as well as the real-life origins of infamous legends like those of so-called 'murder inns'. The reader can also ponder the instances of supernatural intervention in certain murder cases (a detail that cropped up regularly in the newspapers of the time), as well as the horrific crimes that were destined never to be solved. Daniel Codd's book is the first of its kind in our time to fully explore in-depth the phenomenon of murder during the 18th century. Fully illustrated, this remarkable work shows when, where, why and how many of the most bizarre and gruesome murders of the era took place - and who committed them. Drawn largely from authentic archive sources, these stories display every dimension of soap opera, degeneracy, ruthlessness, violence and inhumanity: and this book at its heart explores a world of killer highwaymen, murdering mistresses, psychopathic housebreakers, armed rioters, fanatical duellists, political assassins, lawless soldiers, ruthless smugglers, lynch mobs and customer-killing innkeepers... Daniel Codd is the recognised author of a number of published works (for Derby Books and Amberley Publishing Ltd) on history, folklore and the supernatural. These cover areas of Britain from Devon and Bristol to Lancashire and Northampton, and include many first-hand accounts concerning ordinary people's experiences with ghosts and ghouls. Daniel has also written articles for the BBC Northamptonshire website's Your Stories section, Paranormal Magazine and appeared on various regional BBC Radio shows.

Stepping back in time 300 years to study the murder cases of the era is a strange experience. The trappings of the event can seem familiar on the one hand through street names, locations, landmarks, motives and occasionally still-observable evidences of the event; yet completely unfamiliar from the point of view of the social conditions at the time and 18th century attitudes towards crime prevention in general. Despite the 1700s being the century when Britain burgeoned into a power on the world stage, many places at home - particularly in the metropolis of London - could be dirty, dangerous and semi anarchic places where lawlessness ran to such levels that on occasion it even mirrored rebellion . The 18th century has become notorious as a period when robbery and murder rates reached near epidemic proportions in Britain. Smugglers and pirates engaged the forces of law in battle along Britain's shores, and men of London society were forced to travel in armed company through fear of being attacked by the robbers who infested the dark lanes like a plague. It was also a time when the mobs were willing to take on the regular soldiery - often lending our towns and cities the appearance of battlefields. This work illustrates in detail many of the most infamous murder cases that occurred during these dangerous times, when robbery frequently ended in multiple deaths, the aristocracy were not above murder, and the law responded with a grim and deadly ruthlessness. Part I of Daniel Codd's Tales From The Gibbet Post takes us through four reigns, comprising a grim chronology of the country's most notorious murder cases between 1700 and 1760. There are many famous names that the reader will recognise: Jack Sheppard, Jonathan Wild, Richard Turpin, Plunket and M'Lean, Mary Blandy and Catherine Hayes among them. But this book also explores the often gruesome facts behind countless other murders across the British nation during this period, as well as the real-life origins of infamous legends like those of Sweeney Todd and the Lady Lovibund disaster. The reader can also ponder the instances of supernatural intervention in certain murder cases (a detail that cropped up regularly in the newspapers of the time), as well as the horrific crimes that were destined never to be solved. Daniel Codd's book is the first of its kind in our time to fully explore in-depth the phenomenon of murder during the 18th century. Fully illustrated, this remarkable work shows when, where, why and how many of the most bizarre and gruesome murders of the era took place - and who committed them. Drawn largely from authentic archive sources, these stories display every dimension of soap opera, degeneracy, ruthlessness, violence and inhumanity: and this book at its heart explores a world of killer highwaymen, murdering mistresses, psychopathic housebreakers, armed rioters, fanatical duellists, political assassins, lawless soldiers, ruthless smugglers, lynch mobs and customer-killing innkeepers... Daniel Codd is the recognised author of a number of published works (for Derby Books and Amberley Publishing Ltd) on history, folklore and the supernatural. These cover areas of Britain from Devon and Bristol to Lancashire and Northampton, and include many first-hand accounts concerning ordinary people's experiences with ghosts and ghouls. Daniel has also written articles for the BBC Northamptonshire website's Your Stories section, Paranormal Magazine and appeared on various regional BBC Radio shows.

A fabulous collection of ghostly hauntings in Lancashire.

Explore, in depth, the complete range of paranormal phenomena reported throughout Devon in modern times.