The Wharncliffe A–Z of Yorkshire Murder

Book excerpt: The history of the old county of Yorkshire has been concerned with the great and the good, the ambitious and the downright unscrupulous. Its broad acres has had more than its fair share of highprofile murders, especially though not exclusively in its burgeoning urban centres. Now there is a reference work to bring together most of the principal murders, from the mid-eighteenth century when Dick Turpin went to the York gallows, through to the end of hanging in 1964.In a time-span of two centuries, Yorkshire has witnessed a range of tragic narratives including husbands killing their wives, homicidal attacks in the night alleys and courts, gangs at work looking for vulnerable victims on dark streets and country lanes.Many of these tales are from the countryside too. Revenge and jealousy on and around farms, clashes between poachers and gamekeepers and shootings in rolling hills and valleys.Other factors in the social scene are also recounted, including legal and historical features, definitions, explanations, even short accounts of lives of murderers and of course the enigmatic hangmen.STEPHEN WADE specialises in writing criminal and military history. He hasauthored several volumes in Wharncliffes Foul Deeds Series as well as Unsolved Yorkshire Murders. He teaches courses in crime writing and crime history at the University of Hull and also works as a writer in prisons.