{"title":"Crime","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eLearn more about the history of crime and punishment with our specially curated selection of books based on historical records\u003cbr\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"a-very-british-murder","title":"A Very British Murder: The curious story of how crime was turned into art","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of a national obsession. Ever since the Ratcliffe Highway Murders caused a nation-wide panic in Regency England, the British have taken an almost ghoulish pleasure in 'a good murder'. This fascination helped create a whole new world of entertainment, inspiring novels, plays and films, puppet shows, paintings and true-crime journalism - as well as an army of fictional detectives who still enthral us today. A Very British Murder is Lucy Worsley's captivating account of this curious national obsession. It is a tale of dark deeds and guilty pleasures, a riveting investigation into the British soul by one of our finest historians.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ebury","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34074184155267,"sku":"9781849906517","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/products\/9781849906517.jpg?v=1610103984"},{"product_id":"five","title":"The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper","description":"\u003cp\u003e Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers. What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888. Their murderer was never identified, but the name created for him by the press has become far more famous than any of these five women. Now, in this devastating narrative of five lives, historian Hallie Rubenhold finally sets the record straight, and gives these women back their stories. Five devastating human stories and a dark and moving portrait of Victorian London - the untold lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper. 'At last, the Ripper's victims get a voice...\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Transworld","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34074249298051,"sku":"9781784162344","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/products\/9781784162344.jpg?v=1610372207"},{"product_id":"my-ancestor-was-a-lawyer","title":"My Ancestor was a Lawyer: A Guide to Sources for Family Historians","description":"\u003cp\u003eMy Ancestor was a Lawyer by Brian Brooks and Mark Herber gives an overview of the legal profession in England and Wales and its records. Chapters include lawyers and their societies, institutions and records, published records of lawyers, records of the courts and much more. There is also a section on lawyers in Scotland, Ireland and English lawyers overseas.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Society of Genealogists","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34074312441987,"sku":"9781903462942","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/products\/9781903462942.jpg?v=1610359049"},{"product_id":"tracing-villains-victims","title":"Tracing Villains \u0026 Their Victims: A Guide to Criminal Ancestors for Family Historians","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this practical handbook Jonathan Oates introduces the fascinating subject of criminal history and he gives readers all the information they need to investigate the life stories of criminals and their victims. He traces the development of the justice system and policing, and gives an insight into the criminal world of the times and the individuals who populated it. In a series of concise chapters he covers all the important aspects of the subject. At every stage, he guides readers towards the national and local sources that researchers can consult the libraries, archives, books and internet sites that reveal so much about the criminal past. Sections focus on the criminal courts, trial records, the police and police reports, and on punishments transportation, execution and prison sentences. Details of the most useful and rewarding sources are provided, among them national and local newspapers, books, the Newgate Calendar, coroners records, photographs, diaries, letters, monuments and the many internet sites which can open up for researchers the criminal side of history. Tracing Villains and Their Victims is essential reading and reference for anyone who seeks to trace an ancestor who had a criminal record or was the victim of crime.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pen \u0026 Sword","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34074397704323,"sku":"9781473892569","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/products\/9781473892569.jpg?v=1610377929"},{"product_id":"tracing-your-criminal-ancestor","title":"Tracing Your Criminal Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians","description":"\u003cp\u003eDid you have a criminal in the family, an ancestor who was caught on the wrong side of the law? If you have ever had any suspicions about the illicit activities of your relatives, or are fascinated by the history of crime and punishment, this is the book for you. Stephen Wade’s useful introduction to this fascinating subject will help you discover and investigate the life stories of individuals who had a criminal past. The crimes they committed, the conditions in which they lived, the policing and justice system that dealt with them all these aspects of criminal history are covered as are the many types of crime they were guilty of murder, robbery, fraud, sexual offences, poaching, protest and public disorder. Graphic case studies featuring each type of crime are included, dating from the Georgian period up until the present day. All of these cases are reconstructed using information gleaned from the many sources available to researchers libraries, archives, books and the internet among them.Tracing Your Criminal Ancestors is essential reading for anyone who wishes to explore the criminal past and seeks to trace an ancestor who had a criminal record.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pen \u0026 Sword","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34074398392451,"sku":"9781848840577","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/products\/9781848840577.jpg?v=1610378319"},{"product_id":"tracing-your-legal-ancestors","title":"Tracing Your Legal Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians","description":"\u003cp\u003eStephen Wade provides an accessible and authoritative introduction to the legal profession aimed at family historians. Assuming that the reader has little prior knowledge of how or where to look for such information, he traces the evolution of the law and the legal professions. He describes the parts played in the system by solicitors, officers of the High Court, registrars, recorders, town clerks, clerks of the peace, proctors, coroners, notaries, parliamentary agents, judges, barristers and magistrates. Also he identifies the various archives, records and books that the family researcher can turn to, and discusses other sources including the internet. Stephen Wade’s concise account of legal history and research resources will be an invaluable guide for anyone who is studying the subject or seeking an ancestor who was associated with it. Stephen Wade is a freelance writer specializing in the history of crime and the law in Britain and Ireland..\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pen \u0026 Sword","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34074399047811,"sku":"9781848842267","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/products\/9781848842267.jpg?v=1610378657"},{"product_id":"tracing-your-police-ancestors","title":"Tracing Your Police Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians","description":"\u003cp\u003eTracing Your Police Ancestors will help you locate and research officers who served in any of the police forces of England and Wales from the creation of the Metropolitan Police by Sir Robert Peel in 1829. Assuming that the reader has no prior knowledge of how or where to look for such information, Stephen Wade explains and describes the various archives and records and provides a discussion of other sources. Case studies are used to show how an individual officer's career may be traced and understood from this research. He also explains the range of secondary sources open to the family or local historian, many of which offer a broader account of the social and cultural history of the British police forces.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pen \u0026 Sword","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34074399375491,"sku":"9781844158782","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/products\/9781844158782.jpg?v=1610378781"},{"product_id":"tracing-your-prisoner-ancestors-a-guide-for-family-historians","title":"Tracing Your Prisoner Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe history of the British prison system only had systematic records from the middle of the nineteenth century. Before that, material on prisoners in local gaols and houses of correction was patchy and minimal. In more recent times, many prison records have been destroyed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn Tracing Your Prisoner Ancestors, crime historian Stephen Wade attempts to provide information and guidance to family and social history researchers in this difficult area of criminal records. His book covers the span of time from medieval to modern, and includes some Scottish and Irish sources. The sources explained range broadly from central calendars of prisoners, court records and gaol returns, through to memoirs and periodicals.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe chapters also include case studies and short biographies of some individuals who experienced our prisons and left some records.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pen \u0026 Sword","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34177639055491,"sku":"9781526778529","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/products\/9781526778529.jpg?v=1613492092"},{"product_id":"criminal-women-1850-1920-researching-the-lives-of-britains-female-offenders","title":"Criminal Women 1850-1920: Researching the Lives of Britain's Female Offenders","description":"\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWomen are among the hardest individuals to trace through the historical record and this is especially true of female offenders who had a vested interest in not wanting to be found. That is why this thought-provoking and accessible handbook by Lucy Williams and Barry Godfrey is of such value. It looks beyond the crimes and the newspaper reports of women criminals in the Victorian era in order to reveal the reality of their personal and penal journeys, and it provides a guide for researchers who are keen to explore this intriguing and neglected subject.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe book is split into three sections. There is an introduction outlining the historical context for the study of female crime and punishment, then a series of real-life case studies which show in a vivid way the complexity of female offenders' lives and follows them through the penal system. The third section is a detailed guide to archival and online sources that readers can consult in order to explore the life-histories of criminal women.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe result is a rare combination of academic guide and how-to-do-it manual. It introduces readers to the latest research in the field and it gives them all the information they need to carry out their own research.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Pen \u0026 Sword","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39324875128963,"sku":"9781526718617","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/products\/9781526718617_1.jpg?v=1618916557"},{"product_id":"a-is-for-arsenic-the-poisons-of-agatha-christie","title":"A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie","description":"\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFourteen novels. Fourteen poisons. Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it's all made-up.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAgatha Christie revelled in the use of poison to kill off unfortunate victims in her books; indeed, she employed it more than any other murder method, with the poison itself often being a central part of the novel. Her choice of deadly substances was far from random - the characteristics of each often provide vital clues to the discovery of the murderer. With gunshots or stabbings the cause of death is obvious, but this is not the case with poisons.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHow is it that some compounds prove so deadly, and in such tiny amounts? Christie's extensive chemical knowledge provides the backdrop for A is for Arsenic, in which Kathryn Harkup investigates the poisons used by the murderer in fourteen classic Agatha Christie mysteries. It looks at why certain chemicals kill, how they interact with the body, the cases that may have inspired Christie, and the feasibility of obtaining, administering and detecting these poisons, both at the time the novel was written and today. A is for Arsenic is a celebration of the use of science by the undisputed Queen of Crime.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39637082996867,"sku":"9781472911322","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/products\/9781472911322.jpg?v=1641144903"},{"product_id":"poison-the-history-of-potions-powders-and-murderous-practioners","title":"Poison: The History of Potions, Powders and Murderous Practitioners","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"As every amateur toxicologist knows, the difference between a poison and medicine is often simply the dose.\" There is no weapon as insidious, as seductive or as mysterious as poison. In this terrifying account of history's silent assassin, discover the gripping tales of users, abusers and victims of these mysterious substances, from Cleopatra and Catherine de' Medici to contemporary secret service agents and terrorists. Documenting royal scandal, political upheaval and personal tragedies, Poison details a gruesome thread that runs often undetected through human history.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Welbeck","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43244759187587,"sku":"9781802796940","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/files\/9781802796940.jpg?v=1686912966"},{"product_id":"a-history-of-treason-the-bloody-history-of-britain-through-the-stories-of-its-most-notorious-traitors-1","title":"A History of Treason","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe bloody history of Britain through the stories of its most notorious traitors A History of Treason details British history from 1352 to 1946, covering major historical moments in a fascinating and innovative way, using the history of high treason and deception as its theme. Appealing to a range of audiences, it covers more than 650 years of momentous history through the use of both famous and lesser known events which shaped Britain. Using original documents and detailed research undertaken by The National Archives' record specialists, it covers moments in history which led to fundamental changes in eras.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIt includes unique discoveries from the archives, uncovering mysteries and stories of how dealing with treason have brought about the changes which have influenced and shaped Britain throughout the centuries. Among these are: the trial and execution of Anne Boleyn on the orders of her husband, Henry VIII several major acts of sedition, including the Gunpowder Plot and the revolution plotted in the Cato Street conspiracy, the evidence brought against Sir Roger Casement, executed at Pentonville and his remains later exhumed and given a state funeral in Ireland, the trial and execution of the William Joyce who, as 'Lord Haw-Haw', broadcast Nazi propaganda from Berlin during the Second World War. The book covers many stories that explore the nature of treason and how the crown and state reacted to it - from the introduction of the Treason Act in 1352 right through to the twentieth century. 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These intensely personal stories portray the lives of real people as they confronted the extraordinary crises of murder, infanticide, miscarriage and suicide.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMany historical laws and attitudes concerning death and murder may strike us as exceptionally cruel, and yet many still remind us that some things never change: we are still fascinated by narratives of murder and true crime, murder trials today continue to be grand public spectacles, female killers are frequently cast as aberrant objects of public hatred and sexual desire, and suicide remains a sin within many religious organisations and was a crime in England until the 1960s. Great and Horrible News! explores the strange history of death and murder in early modern England, yet the stories within may appear shockingly familiar.","brand":"Harper Collins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43825070833795,"sku":"9780008500269","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/files\/9780008500269.jpg?v=1711457773"},{"product_id":"story-of-a-murder-the-wives-the-mistress-and-dr-crippen","title":"Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen","description":"\u003cp\u003ePage-turning true crime story of infamous wife-murderer Dr Crippen in Edwardian England, brought to justice by an extraordinary group of strong women.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo murderer should ever be the keeper of their victim's story …On 1 February, 1910, vivacious music hall performer, Belle Elmore, suddenly vanished from her north London home, causing alarm among her circle of female friends, the entertainers of the Music Hall Ladies’ Guild who demanded an immediate investigation. They could not have known what they would provoke: the unearthing of a gruesome secret, followed by a fevered manhunt for the prime suspect: Belle’s husband, medical fraudster, Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHiding in the shadows of this evergreen tale is Crippen’s typist and lover, Ethel Le Neve – was she really just ‘an innocent young girl’ in thrall to a powerful older man as so many people have since reported? In this epic examination of one of the most infamous murders of the twentieth century, prizewinning social historian Hallie Rubenhold gives voice to those who have never properly been heard – the women. Featuring a carnival cast of eccentric entertainers, glamorous lawyers, zealous detectives, medics and liars, Story of a Murder is meticulously researched and multi-layered, offering the reader an electrifying snapshot of Britain and America at the dawn of the modern era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Aptos; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;\"\u003e\u003c!-- [if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--\u003e\u003cbr style=\"mso-special-character: line-break;\"\u003e\u003c!--[endif]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Transworld","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55803952857472,"sku":"9780857527318","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/files\/9780857527318.jpg?v=1742829557"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0364\/6285\/4275\/collections\/BOOKS_dfaae737-c814-4367-881a-e017b52642cb.jpg?v=1622647202","url":"https:\/\/shop.nationalarchives.gov.uk\/collections\/crime\/tracing.oembed","provider":"The National Archives Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}