News of the Times - Unlocking the vaults of historical crime

The Case of the Murder of Mary Ann Weems News of the Times Episode 472 | 1818 Welcome to today’s episode, where we journey back to Cambridgeshire in 1818. Our story follows Thomas Weems, a young man from the lower social class who believed life had dealt him a cruel hand. After a brief affair with Mary Ann Dixon of Wendy, Cambridgeshire, Mary Ann claimed she was pregnant with Thomas’s child. Under...

Exploring The Kingsland Murders Of 1890 In Victorian London News of the Times Episode 471 | 1890 In today's episode, we step back in time to the unforgiving streets of Victorian East End London—a place where crime was a brutal fact of life and gangs ruled with ruthless violence. Long before Jack the Ripper became infamous, the area was already plagued by relentless lawlessness. Newspaper repo...

The Murder of George Samuel Little - A Locked Room Mystery News of the Times Episode 469 | 1856 Welcome to today’s episode, where we travel back to Dublin in 1856. A railway cashier is discovered brutally mutilated in a locked room—with no sign of the key or the grisly tools used to carry out the savage attack. The shocking scene leaves both the police and clairvoyants baffled, unable to explain t...

The Bell Boy Murderer of 1831 News of the Times Episode 468 | 1831 While on his way to a job, a turf cutter loses his bearings and wanders into the dense woods. As he struggles to find his way, he makes a grim discovery—the decaying corpse of a young boy. The body, left to the elements for weeks, is in a horrifying state of decomposition. Police quickly descend on the scene and identify the victim...

What Really Happened to Marie Empress the Missing Actress News of the Times Episode 467 | 1919 Welcome to today’s episode, where we journey back to 1919 to explore the baffling disappearance of Marie Empress – a popular music hall actress and rising cinematic star – aboard a liner bound for New York. Marie, known for her striking presence and dramatic fashion, boarded the ship dressed in her signa...

Mary Maguire, the Ripper & Carrie Brown News of the Times Episode 466 | 1891 In today’s episode, we explore the chilling claim of a 70-year-old woman admitted to an Irish workhouse, who insists she came face-to-face with Jack the Ripper immediately after the murder of Annie Chapman. She describes him as a foreign-looking man with connections to far-off places like America. We then follow this...

The Mysterious Murder of Nellie Rault News of the Times Episode 465 | 1919 In today’s episode, we’re traveling back to Bedford in 1919. Nellie Rault, a bright and beautiful 21-year-old serving in Queen Mary’s Auxiliary Corps in post-World War I England, has mysteriously vanished. She was last seen on Friday evening, mentioning plans to meet her beau—a Sergeant Major. But she never returned. Days l...

Cases of Double Black Widows News of the Times Episode 464 | 1851 & 1875 In today’s episode, we delve into two chilling cases where a wife’s murderous intent wasn’t satisfied with just one husband. Our first case takes us to Newcastle in 1851, where Mrs. Teasdale—well-known for her violent temper—is tending to her ailing husband, a market man who has fallen mysteriously ill. With no one else i...

The 1893 Mysterious Murder at Poplar News of the Times Episode 463 | 1893 In this episode, we travel back to London, 1893, where a shocking crime has stunned the public. Mrs. Ann Darby, a 79-year-old widow, living on welfare in a rented apartment, is found brutally murdered in her bed—her head bludgeoned with the back of an axe. The newspapers are outraged. If an elderly, impoverished widow isn’t...

The Mysterious Manchester Murders News of the Times Episode 462  | 1905-1906 In this epsidoe, we journey back to Manchester in 1905. A rag and bone man, searching for discarded treasures, makes a horrifying discovery in the cellar of an abandoned house—a battered and gagged 15-year-old boy, his life cruelly taken in an apparent act of senseless violence. With no clear motive and the boy’s working-...

The Mysterious Murderer Enabler of Norfolk: Hannah Shorten News of the Times Episode 461 | 1832 & 1835 In today’s episode, we’re traveling back to Norfolk in the 1830s—a place left shaken by not one, but two shocking cases of multiple murder, just a few years apart. And at the center of both? Whispers of a cunning woman—another word for a witch—named Hannah Shorten. In both cases, Hannah is sa...

Exploring The McKay Mother Murder | A Chilling 1927 Scottish Crime News of the Times Episode 460 | 1927 In today’s episode,  we are heading back to 1927 in Glasgow, Scotland. A man rowing along the River Clyde spots what looks like a white bundle on the shore. But when he investigates… what he finds is beyond horrifying. Inside are the dismembered remains of an elderly woman — her head brutally ba...

The Isle of Wight Murder of 1877 News of the Times Episode 459 | 1877 Welcome to today’s episode, where we travel back to 1877 and uncover a shocking crime on the Isle of Wight. Maria Barber, seeking a fresh start, returns to her father’s home on the island with her partner. Her father—living with a partner of his own—doesn’t question their relationship, and life in the house carries on despite wh...

Case of the Harley Street Murder Mystery  of 1880 News of the Times Episode 458 | 1880 Welcome to today’s episode, where we step back in time to 1880 and uncover a chilling mystery in London’s prestigious Harley Street. A newly hired butler, troubled by a terrible stench near the cellar, decides to investigate. Behind the cistern, he discovers a large cask, oddly topped with empty seltzer water bo...

Deadly Betrayal: The 1828 Mother’s Assassination Conspiracy News of the Times Episode 457 | 1828 Welcome to today’s episode, where we dive into a gripping tale from 1828—one that reveals a dark and twisted side of deadly loyalty. Thomas Ellson, a 24-year-old member of a notorious sheep-stealing gang, finds himself at the centre of a shocking case. When fellow gang member James Harrison is caught f...

Exploring a Deadly Case of Jealousy and Murder News of the Times Episode 53 | 1840 Welcome to today’s episode, where we travel back to 1881, to an isolated farm near St Columb. Mrs. Chapman, a mother of six, finds herself at the centre of a deadly confrontation. Accused of having an affair with a farmhand brought in for the harvest, she faces her enraged husband—armed and dangerous. First, he bran...

The 1905 Case of the One-Armed Bigamist Murderer News of the Times Episode 455 | 1905 Today, we take you back to 1905 in Birkenhead, near Liverpool. The community is left reeling when William Hancock, a well-known one-armed bailiff’s assistant, is arrested for a brutal attack on his 15-year-old daughter—an incident that unfolds after his wife narrowly escapes his murderous threats. But this shocki...

The Sinister Plot of Murderous Mary-Anne and Her Paramour News of the Times Episode 453 | 1831 We’re traveling back to Coventry in 1831, where a shocking murder case has captured public attention. Mary Anne and her lover, 21-year-old Edward Clarke, stand accused of poisoning her uncle, William Higgins—the man who took her in as an orphan and raised her as his own daughter. Couples who kill togethe...

The Morton Murder Mystery | What Really Happened at the Farm News of the Times Episode 452 | 1933 In today’s episode, we take you to Towton in 1933, where a devastating fire has reduced a well-known cattle farm to ashes. The barn and sheds are completely destroyed—but the real horror lies in what’s left behind. Amidst the charred remains of a car in the barn, investigators find a body, barely reco...

A Hatchet, A Gunshot & A Widow’s Denial | The Chilling Case of David Buchanan News of the Times Episode 451 | 1881 Step back to 1881 in Derry, where a truly gruesome crime has taken place. 82-year-old ex-soldier David Buchanan is found dead in his bed, his face allegedly shattered by a self-inflicted gunshot. Blood and gore cover the walls, floor, and sheets. But something doesn’t add up. Davi...

Who killed William Swann in 1903? News of the Times Episode 450 | 1903 Today, we take you to Wombwell, near Barnsley in South Yorkshire. The year is 1903. William Swann and his wife, Emily decide to take in a lodger—John Gallagher. But what starts as a financial arrangement soon turns into something far more dangerous. The Swanns' marriage is already volatile, and tensions reach a breaking po...

The Case of the Cambridge Killing News of the Times Episode 449 | 1881 Today, we travel back to Cambridge in 1882, where a shocking and suspicious death has rattled the community. Mrs. Emma Howell, the long-suffering wife of an insurance salesman, has died—but the circumstances suggest it was far from natural. For years, she confided in family about her mistreatment at the hands of her husband. Wi...

Case of the St Neots Murder: A Widow's Secret Romance Leads to Murder News of the Times Episode 448 | 1898 In today's episode from Victorian England, we have a story of scandal, betrayal, and dark secrets in the quiet town of St Neots, Cambridgeshire. Annie Holmes, a widowed mother of three, has been having intimate relations with her cousin, Walter Horsford—a young farmer with his own a...

The Twisted Case of The Stepney Murder News of the Times Episode 447 | 1860 Today, we take you to 1860 Stepney, East London. When wealthy widow Mary Emsley vanishes, concerned neighbours alert the police. Forcing entry, officers uncover a gruesome scene—Mrs Emsley, brutally bludgeoned, her skull shattered. A crime of greed, but with a twist: the cautious landlady would only have opened her door to...

The Case of the Fatal Refusal News of the Times Episode 446 | 1863 In today’s episode, we journey to Derbyshire in 1863. Elizabeth “Bessie” Goodwin, 22, is known for her kindness and remarkable talents. For years, she has shared an understanding of engagement with George Townley—a musically gifted but financially struggling young man. With Townley living miles away in Manchester, their relationshi...