Download or read book A Ghostly Almanac of Devon and Cornwall written by Nicola Sly and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2009-08-03 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Ghostly Almanac of Devon & Cornwall is a month-by-month catalogue of reported spectral sightings and paranormal phenomena from around the South West of England. Contained within the pages of this book are strange tales of restless spirits appearing in streets, buildings and churchyards across the region, including a haunted German U-Boat wrecked off Padstow during the First World War; the 'Grey Lady' at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, so-named because of her grey nurse's uniform; the ghost of a Dartmoor Prison inmate seen herding sheep in the prison grounds and out on the moor itself; a shade with a penchant for horror films at Plymouth's Reel Cinema; and the infamous 'Hairy Hands of Dartmoor', which forces drivers off the road. Richly illustrated with 100 photographs and postcards, this chilling collection of stories will appeal to everyone with an interest in the West Country's haunted heritage, and is guaranteed to make your blood run cold.
Download or read book The English Civil War written by Charles J Esdaile and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2024-08-30 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cavaliers and Roundheads are figures who appear in hundreds of English ghost stories. In this innovative account, Charles Esdaile argues that such tales are in reality folk memories of an episode of English history that was second only to the Black Death in terms of individual and collective suffering alike, and, further, that they reveal important truths about the way in which the conflict was represented: it is no surprise, then, to find that spectral Cavaliers are often romantic figures and revenant Roundheads grim ones full of menace. Yet, the book is no mere catalogue. On the contrary, rather than being discussed in a vacuum, the tales of haunting are rather set within a detailed regional history of the conflicts of 1642-1651 of a sort that has never yet been attempted, but is, for all that, badly needed.
Download or read book Devon Ghost Tales written by Janet Dowling and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2018-10-05 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These spooky ghost tales from one of Britain's most ancient counties are vividly retold by local storyteller Janet Dowling. Their origins lost in the oral tradition, these stories are as eerie and mysterious as the windswept moorland, wild shorelines and rugged landscapes from which they derive. Here you will find stories of a voice beyond the grave, a ghost on the pivot between heaven and hell, and the spectres of Viking princes on moonlit roads. Richly illustrated by Vicky Jocher with original drawings, these atmospheric tales are perfect for reading aloud in front of a roaring fire or alone under the covers on dark, stormy nights.
Download or read book A Grim Almanac of Leicestershire written by Nicola Sly and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-05-01 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Grim Almanac of Leicestershire is a day-by-day catalogue of 366 macabre moments from the county's past. Featured here are such diverse tales as mining disasters, freak weather conditions, industrial catastrophes, train crashes and tragic accidents, including the Oadby woman who was killed by a wasp sting in 1925 and Dorothy Cain, who performed her first ever parachute jump in 1926 — without her parachute. Among the murders detailed in this volume are the assisted suicide of the vicar of Hungerton in 1925, and the unsolved 'Green Bicycle Murder' of 1919 at Little Stretton. Generously illustrated with 100 pictures, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of Leicestershire's grim past. Read on... if you dare!
Download or read book A Grim Almanac of Oxfordshire written by Nicola Sly and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-02-01 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Grim Almanac of Oxfordshire is a day-by-day catalogue of 366 ghastly tales from the county’s past.There are murders and manslaughters, including the killing by Mrs Barber of her entire family in 1909 while temporarily insane, and the brutal murder of four-year-old Edward Busby in 1871, killed by his mother to prevent his father ill-treating him. There are bizarre deaths, including those of four-year-old Charles Taylor, who was accidentally kicked clean through a top storey window in 1844 by a child playing on a swing, George Sheppard, who was struck by a cricket ball during a match in 1905, and of the vicar of Bucknell, who starved himself to death in 1935.There is an assortment of calamities which include strange and unusual crimes, devastating fires, rail crashes, explosions, disasters, mysteries, freak weather and a plethora of uncanny accidents.Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of Oxfordshire’s grim past. Delve into the dreadful deeds of Oxford’s past, if you dare...
Download or read book A Grim Almanac of the Black Country written by Nicola Sly and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Grim Almanac of the Black Country is a day-by-day catalogue of 366 ghastly tales from around the area. Full of dreadful deeds, strange disappearances and a multitude of mysteries, this almanac explores the darker side of the Black Country's past. Here are stories of tragedy, torment and the truly unfortunate with diverse tales of mining disasters, freak weather, bizarre deaths and tragic accidents, including the gunpowder explosion at a factory in Tipton which claimed nineteen lives in 1922. Also featured is the corpse in West Bromwich that was twice wrongly identified in 1929, the collapse of a concert hall roof in Walsall in 1921, and the two labourers buried in molten glass near Stourbridge in 1893. All these, plus tales of fires, catastrophes, mysteries and executions, are here. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of the Black Country's grim past. Read on ... if you dare!
Download or read book A Grim Almanac of Herefordshire written by Nicola Sly and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2012-01-31 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Grim Almanac of Herefordshire is a day-by-day catalogue of 365 ghastly tales from around the county. Full of dreadful deeds, strange disappearances and a multitude of mysteries, this almanac explores the darker side of Herefordshire's past. Here are stories of tragedy, torment and the truly unfortunate with diverse tales of murderers, bodysnatchers, duelists, poachers, rioters and rebels. Joining them are accounts of tragic suicides, accidents and bizarre deaths, including William Prosser, who died in Clodock in 1893 as the result of a practical joke; the farmer bitten to death by his horse in 1887; and the young man from Colwall who allegedly sat on a spike. Also here is the case of a Yorkshire tramp, whose body was found in Weobley in 1894, and the murders and suicide of Charles Hankins and his two young children in Ledbury in 1896. Some killers were lucky to get away with charges of manslaughter, such as Thomas Carlyle, who shot a coachman near Leominster in 1871, and George Hatton, who rid himself of a nagging wife near Ross in 1893. All these, plus tales of fires, catastrophes, explosions and disasters, are here. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of Herefordshire's grim past. Read on... if you dare!
Download or read book Haunted Bodmin Moor written by Jason Higgs and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2012-01-31 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The wild sweep of Bodmin moor is home to countless ghosts, spirits and ghouls as well as hundreds of inhabitants in the towns and villages dotted across this ancient, windswept moorland.Containing a chilling range of spooky tales, from the ghost of a murdered sailor at the ancient Jamaica Inn to the White Lady that wanders Altarnun village, and featuring eyewitness accounts and previously unpublished investigations carried out by the author and the Supernatural Investigations team, Haunted Bodmin Moor is guaranteed to make your blood run cold.
Download or read book Channel Island Murders written by Nicola Sly and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-05-15 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although an idyllic setting, where violent crime is thankfully rare, the Channel Islands have a shadier side. Contained within the pages of this book are twenty-five historic cases of murder committed in the Channel Islands. They include a fatal assault on John Francis in 1894, which remains unsolved; the murder by Philippe Jolin of his father in 1829; and the murder and suicide committed by Eugenie Toupin in 1881, all of which occurred in Jersey. In Guernsey, elderly widow Elizabeth Saujon was murdered during the course of a robbery in 1853, Edward Hooper drunkenly beat his wife to death in 1890, and housekeeper Elizabeth de la Mare murdered her elderly employer in 1935, wanting to hasten his demise on the understanding that she was the sole beneficiary of his will.Nicola Sly’s carefully researched and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in true crime and the shady side of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney’s history.
Download or read book In Hot Blood written by Nicola Sly and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-11-01 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This chilling compendium of historic crimes features 28 cases that shocked the nation during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Among the cases featured here are the shooting of Bessie Cross, after she fell pregnant while her husband was away serving his country in 1917, and the 1869 murders of Maria Death and her alleged lover by Maria's partner, Frederick Hinson. It also recalls the tragic stories of Elvira Barney and Ruth Ellis, who shot and killed their lovers in 1932 and 1955 respectively, with very different consequences. Along with the most notorious cases, this book also features many that did not make national headlines, examining not only the methods and motives but also the real stories of the perpetrators and their victims. This book is a must for true-crime fans everywhere.
Download or read book A Horrid History of Christmas written by Nicola Sly and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2012-09-01 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This grisly collection of historic, horrid happenings from across the country demonstrates that Christmas is not necessarily a time of peace, joy and goodwill to all men. The holiday season has witnessed a plethora of almost unbelievable accidents, such as the amateur mechanic who died with his head stuck in a car engine, the footballer who leaped into a quarry to retrieve a lost ball, and the Christmas party guest who fell down a flight of stairs and broke his neck. There are fatal rail crashes in Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Cumbria and Scotland; freak weather conditions and devastating fires, such as the Christmas Eve fire in Glasgow that cost the lives of four firemen in 1927. Among the chilling crimes featured here is that of Nottinghamshire man Edward Kesteven, who killed his wife on Christmas Day 1894, and the murder of Thirza Kelly in Norfolk by a local teenager on Christmas Eve 1900. Full of merry madness and hearty heartache, A Horrid History of Christmas will make you want to bypass the festivities altogether!
Download or read book West Country Murders written by Nicola Sly and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2012-02-29 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hidden behind the picturesque facade of country lanes and rugged coastlines, quaint villages and busy market towns, the South West counties of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset have witnessed some of the most shocking murder cases in British history. West Country Murders brings together over 30 cases from the authors' previous collections here in one volume. They include stories of those who killed for greed, jealousy and lust, as well as those who committed murder in what a well-known judge once described as 'a gust of passion'. Some of the killers were undoubtedly insane at the time of their crimes; others were almost certainly innocent, yet paid the ultimate price for a murder they did not commit. Some remain unsolved to this day, despite the best efforts of the local constabularies. This book is sure to appeal to all those interested in the shady side of the West Country's history.
Download or read book Hampshire Murders written by Nicola Sly and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2012-02-29 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life in the historic county of Hampshire has not always been peaceful, for over the years it has experienced numerous murders, some of which are little known outside the county borders, others that have shocked the nation. These include the killing of 'Sweet Fanny Adams' in 1867; the horrific murder committed by the postmaster at Grayshott in 1901; the mysterious poisoning of Hubert Chevis in 1943; and the gun battle in the village of Kingsclere in 1944, which resulted in the deaths of three people. Nicola Sly's carefully researched, well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in the shady side of Hampshire's history, and should give much food for thought.
Download or read book Murder by Poison written by Nicola Sly and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2011-10-30 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Murder by poison is often thought of as a crime mainly committed by women, usually to despatch an unwanted spouse or children. While there are indeed many infamous female poisoners, such as Mary Ann Cotton, who is believed to have claimed at least twenty victims between 1860 and 1872, and Mary Wilson, who killed her husbands and lovers in the 1950s for the proceeds of their insurance policies, there are also many men who chose poison as their preferred means to a deadly end. Dr. Thomas Neil Cream poisoned five people between 1881 and 1892 and was connected with several earlier suspicious deaths, while Staffordshire doctor William Palmer murdered at least ten victims between 1842 and 1856. Readily obtainable and almost undetectable prior to advances in forensic science during the twentieth century, poison was considered the ideal method of murder and many of its exponents failed to stop at just one victim. Along with the most notorious cases of murder by poison in the country, this book also features many of the cases that did not make national headlines, examining not only the methods and motives but also the real stories of the perpetrators and their victims.
Download or read book Peter Underwood s Guide to Ghosts and Haunted Places written by Peter Underwood and published by Peter Underwood. This book was released on 1996 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Peter Underwood's Guide to Ghosts and Haunted Places is based on 50 years' expert study and investigation. The result is a unique exploration of the world go ghosts, apparitions and psychic phenomena which draws on a wealth of cases personally investigated by the author. Illustrated with photographs, this fascinating book examines the enormous variety of ghostly activity from both sides of the Atlantic and discusses all the available evidence. Included are chilling tales of numerous haunted places including castles, stately homes, churches, theatres, pubs, prisons, hospitals, battlefields, even trees and roads. There are bizarre cases of unexplained aerial phenomena and strange happenings surrounding inanimate objects. Also examined are stories of ghost animals and the extraordinary accounts of time-slips, cyclic ghosts and poltergeists. If you want to satisfy your curiosity about the subject or simply enjoy a riveting read, Peter Underwood's Guide to Ghosts and Haunted Places is the book for you.
Download or read book Nights in Haunted Houses written by Peter Underwood and published by Peter Underwood. This book was released on 1994 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The eerie quiet and disorientating darkness of the night have long been associated with the terror of the unknown. In the cold light of day it is all too easy for sceptics to dismiss apparently inexplicable events but in the dead of night, when faced with the evidence of their senses and those of other perfectly rational people, it is far more difficult to ignore the facts - however disturbing they may be. Peter Underwood is Britain's leading ghost hunter. For over thirty years, in his position as President and Chief Investigator of the Ghost Club of Great Britain, he was actively involved in undertaking night vigils and carrying out research into ghosts and paranormal activity in controlled, scientific conditions. In this unique volume of largely unpublished accounts of nocturnal investigations, he guides son a chilling tour of the most haunted houses in Great Britain. Among others, we encounter the headless Blue Lady and disturbing inexplicable odour of lavender of Bovey House in Devon; the happy spirits monk of Bromfield Manor, Shropshire, who chuckles with delight when noticed; and the strange disembodied voices, footsteps and unnatural coldness of Newark Park, Gloucestershire. In Nights in Haunted Houses Peter Underwood vividly records terrifying accounts of ghostly encounters in locations as diverse as a farmhouse, a church, a castle and a council house, and builds a convincing catalogue of evidence for the existence of ghosts.
Download or read book Bloody British History Plymouth written by Laura Quigley and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2012-01-31 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bread riots and bodysnatchers! Pirates and privateers! Hell holes for Boney! The disgusting true story of Plymouth’s Napoleonic prison ships! ‘A very daughter of Hell!’ In 1675, a poisonous nursemaid was hanged on Prince Rock – but was she innocent of the crime? Find out inside! Death aboard the Titanic! Blitz, bombs and Plymouth men's battles on Omaha Beach! Plymouth has one of the darkest and most dreadful histories on record. Beginning with the discovery of the bones of cave men and rushing through French attacks, outbreaks of leprosy and the plague, Civil War sieges and deadly Spanish ships, disasters, demolitions and the enormous death tolls of the Plymouth Blitz, it will change the way you see the city forever!
