News of the Times - Unlocking the vaults of historical crime

The Christmas Execution No One Tried to Stop | True Crime 1898News of the Times | Episode 591 | 1898In today’s episode, we travel to Bugsworth, Derbyshire, where the brutal murder of Hannah Cotton shocked Victorian reporters… but what stunned them even more was this:When her husband John Cotton was sentenced to hang — just four days before Christmas — no one asked for clemency.No neighbours.No friends.No anti-capital-punishment campaigners.Not even the canal community who had known him for decades.Victorian newspapers called him “friendless,” a man whose violence had driven away every human tie long before the gallows claimed him. Tonight, we examine how a life shaped by hardship, jealousy, and cruelty ended with an execution that the public accepted without hesitation.Along the way, we uncover:• the shadowy world of Victorian canal-boat life• allegations surrounding two previous wives• the testimony of three schoolgirls who saw the murder• why even at Christmastime, no voice rose to save him• shifting attitudes toward capital punishment in 1890s BritainAnd in a lighter Further Particulars: a wedding at St John’s, Hammersmith, collapses spectacularly when someone stands mid-ceremony to announce, “Stop! That man has a wife already!”👤 Narrated by Robin Coles  📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday  🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month  📚 Related cases from the archive:  1843 - 1898: Favourite Victorian Cases 2024 |  EP428 https://youtu.be/K-6i26HYCgI1898: The Case of the St Neots Murder |  EP448 https://youtu.be/4qvv0FZ36g81898: The Nolagh House of Horror: Ireland’s 1898 Family Massacre |  EP556https://youtu.be/jLFY8LtgtZk❤️ Support Independent History  If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit:  👉 **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent):  https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime  ☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We LOVE a posh coffee indulgence! We tip our top hats:  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd🕯 About the Channel  We’re an independent team of historical researchers and narrators specialising in 18th to early 20th century Brit Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs. Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrimeSupport the showThanks for listening! You can also connect with us onOur YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimesOur Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at [email protected] If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

The Clergyman Who Hid His Wife’s Murder: The Shocking Case of Rev. Selby Watson | True Crime 1871News of the Times | Episode 590 |1871 London 1871A quiet Stockwell street.A respected clergyman.A locked room… and a truth no one wished to imagine.In October 1871, Reverend John Selby Watson — scholar, headmaster, and a man thought incapable of violence — calmly told his servant that his wife had “gone out of town.” What followed was one of the most chilling domestic murders of the Victorian era: a brutal killing, a body hidden behind a library door, and a carefully written confession that raised as many questions as it answered.Was this a momentary lapse?A lifetime of strain erupting all at once?Or a premeditated act disguised as madness?Tonight, we walk through the investigation as it unfolded — from the servant’s first suspicions, to Dr Rugg’s devastating discovery, to the courtroom debate that divided Victorian London.This is the case of a clergyman whose life unravelled in a single, terrible momentAnd in today’s lighter end-of-episode Further Particular's tale:Three cats, two furious ladies, and one judge who absolutely did not sign up for any of this.A “Persian stud” turns out to be more “Camden wanderer,” and Victorian justice must decide which whiskers are genuine.👤 Hosted by Robin Coles  📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday  🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month  📚 Related cases from the archive:  1871 - 1910: Scorned: Jilted Partners and Vengeance |  Ep264 https://youtu.be/IyU0PpewCD01870-1871: Stories of in-law Issues |  EP319 https://youtu.be/NTNGLpFdOmU1871-1873: Murder in Uniform: The Death of William Glass and the Hanging of Inspector Montgomery |  EP580 https://youtu.be/mPgfbM-2fGw❤️ Support Independent History  If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit:  👉 **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent):  https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime  ☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We LOVE a posh coffee indulgence! We tip our top hats:  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd🕯 About the Channel  We’re an independent team of historical Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs. Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrimeSupport the showThanks for listening! You can also connect with us onOur YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimesOur Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at [email protected] If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

Two Killers, One Scaffold: The December Double Hanging of 1911News of the Times | Episode 589 | 1911On a cold December morning in 1911, the bell at Strangeways Gaol tolled across Manchester.Inside, two very different men walked the same final corridor — strangers in life, now bound together by the narrow platform of a double scaffold. One was a jealous, violent husband; the other a quiet young labourer who claimed he never meant to kill. Their crimes were months apart, their tempers and histories worlds away — yet both met the same fate on a winter morning the city never forgot. In today’s episode, we trace the paths that brought them there. From the cramped terraces of Royton and the busy mills of Manchester, to the quiet footpaths of Plumpton Wood, we follow the investigations, witness accounts, court proceedings, and newspaper reports that shaped two capital convictions. This is the story of Two Killers, One Scaffold: The December Double Hanging of 1911. Manchester in 1911 was a city of contrasts — electric trams, cinemas and industry, but also long shifts, low pay, overcrowded homes and tempers stretched thin. Through these two tragedies we glimpse Edwardian life as it was lived by ordinary families: relentless labour, domestic pressures, and communities shocked by sudden violence. And in today’s Further Particulars: a festive tale from New York in 1921, where the Christmas shopping rush produced not just queues but an entire court-room of shoplifters — ages sixteen to eighty-two — all caught in the season’s light-fingered spirit. .  👤 Hosted by Robin Coles  📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday  🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month  ❤️ Support Independent History  If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit:  👉 **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent):  https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime  ☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We LOVE a posh coffee indulgence! We tip our top hats:  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd🕯 About the Channel  We’re an independent team of historical researchers and narrators specialising in 18th to early 20th century British true crime. Each episode is based entirely on archival material — from coroners’ inquests to forgotten newspaper columns.  If you like your true crime thoughtful, atmospheric, and rooted in real records Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs. Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrimeSupport the showThanks for listening! You can also connect with us onOur YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimesOur Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at [email protected] If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

The Ivy Inn Murder: A Single Wound and a Vanishing Killer | True Crime 1891 News of the Times | Episode 588 | 1891 A shocking Victorian crime in which a trusted 16-year-old servant was killed in broad daylight… and her killer vanished into the hills of Huddersfield. What followed was a frantic manhunt, a wrongful arrest, mass public hysteria, and finally, a confession overheard in a prison infirmary.This episode unravels the full story — from the moment Catherine Dennis was found on the landing, to the dramatic return of the chief suspect James Stockwell, who evaded police for 17 days before creeping into his mother’s house at dawn.  Did she give her son up to police? Yes, she did.Based entirely on detailed period reporting and inquest testimony, this case reveals:• The discovery of Catherine’s body at the Ivy Inn• The suspected outrage committed upon her• The tiny but deadly wound that puzzled doctors• Two innocent strangers arrested amid public fury• A missing local man whose behaviour grew increasingly suspicious• The relentless police search through Linthwaite, Slaithwaite & Crosland Hill• And the confession that finally sealed the caseThis is one of Huddersfield’s most haunting Victorian tragedies — a story of fear, misjudgement, and a community shaken to its core.And in today’s Further Particulars:A second fugitive — entirely naked — hiding on a ship for more than a month after stabbing a crewman off the Cape of Good Hope. Victorian journalism truly never disappointed. Settle in with a cup of tea as we return to Yorkshire in 1891, where quiet afternoons could turn extraordinary in an instant.👤 Hosted by Robin Coles  📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday  🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month  ❤️ Support Independent History  If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit:  👉 **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent):  https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime  ☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We LOVE a posh coffee indulgence! We tip our top hats:  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd🕯 About the Channel  We’re an independent team of historical researchers and narrators specialising in 18th to early 20th century British true crime. Each episode is based entirely on archival material — from coroners’ inquests to for Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs. Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrimeSupport the showThanks for listening! You can also connect with us onOur YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimesOur Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at [email protected] If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

The Essex Poisoner: Mary May & the Five-Year Hunt for Britain’s Husband KillersNews of the Times | Episode 587 | 1848One quiet Essex village. One determined woman. And a trail of death so shocking it forced Victorian police to investigate an entire county.Today we uncover the chilling case of Mary May, the Essex wife whose actions in 1848 sparked Britain’s first major hunt for domestic poisoners. What began as a single suspicious death soon expanded into rumours of a murder ring, burial-club schemes, and a series of sudden “illnesses” that looked far too similar to be coincidence.In this episode we explore:🔸 The sudden death of Mary May’s half-brother — and why villagers accepted her explanation… until they didn’t.🔸 How Victorian burial clubs created a deadly financial loophole.🔸 The growing panic across Essex as husbands and children linked to Mary May or her close friends began dying in identical ways.🔸 Professor Alfred Swaine Taylor — the era’s leading toxicologist — and the forensic breakthrough that exposed the truth.🔸 Fears of a female “death club” operating across Tendring, Wix, Bradfield, and Ramsay.🔸 The extraordinary five-year government investigation into suspected poisonings across the county.Was Mary May a lone murderer?A catalyst?Or the central figure in a network of women using arsenic to rid themselves of inconvenient husbands?Victorian Britain had never seen anything like it.And in today’s Further Particulars, meet the fortune-teller who could predict everyone’s future except his own — including his arrest and three months’ hard labour.👤 Hosted by Robin Coles  📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday  🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month  ❤️ Support Independent History  If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit:  👉 **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent):  https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime  ☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We LOVE a posh coffee indulgence! We tip our top hats:  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd🕯 About the Channel  We’re an independent team of historical researchers and narrators specialising in 18th to early 20th century British true crime. Each episode is based entirely on archival material — from coroners’ inquests to forgotten newspaper columns.  If you like yo Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs. Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrimeSupport the showThanks for listening! You can also connect with us onOur YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimesOur Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at [email protected] If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd