Facing probable redundancy in his mid-fifties, South Elmsall miner Arthur Wakefield, fought for jobs and communities throughout the great strike of 1984/85. He also kept a marvellous diary, recording his experiences, impressions and events in considerable detail. The diary is a unique personal day by day account of the most bitter industrial dispute of the 20th century. Armed with nothing more than determination and a camera, he by-passed countless blockades and in the early hours of the m...

In the period that we now call the Industrial Revolution mining disasters wrecked the lives of thousands of South Yorkshire families and devastated entire communities. The Husker pit flooding of 1838 in which 26 young girls and boys were killed shocked Victorian society and and was a significant factor in the 1842 Report on Employment of Women and Children in Mines; but earlier, long forgotten disasters are also explored. The Barnsley area was particularly hard-hit during the middle decade...

The Aspects series takes the readers on a voyage of nostalgic discovery through their town, city or area. Following on from the success of Aspects of Barnsley 6, the series continues with Aspects of Barnsley 7. Brian Elliott offers the reader a chance to become re-acquainted with the forgotten by-ways of the social history in the Barnsley area. Aspects of Barnsley 7 contains a well researched and readable history from a variety of experienced and new authors. The topics include personal ac...

Upminster: The Story of a Garden Suburb is the story of how Upminster grew from a small village, regarded as an Essex beauty spot, to a thriving London suburb. It builds on previous histories and tells the story of the people and events that helped to shape Upminster into the vibrant place it is today. This book covers Upminster's development as a suburb from the early Edwardian period at the start of the century through to the major changes in the interwar period and offers an engaging ac...

The People of Ormskirk traces the fortunes of the townsfolk of Ormskirk from the beginning of the sixteenth century up to the present day. Several families are found in each century while others make a very brief appearance before moving away from the town to find work in the city. Nevertheless, their achievements, or crimes, were recorded for posterity and the author has resurrected them and their activities from the dusty archives so that their lives can be appreciated by a much later ge...

"The Executioner's Bible" tells the story of these working-class men who carried out this gruesome profession until its abolition in the late 1960's. Despite often being unassuming and quiet professionals, men like Albert Pierrepoint, William Billington and many other Chief and Assistant executioners made a name for themselves in a world hungry for salacious and gruesome news. Read about the bungling hangmen sacked for incompetence; drunken executioners dismissed for brawling; one hangman ...

From an acclaimed popular historian comes a masterly recreation of Victorian London, whose raucous streets and teeming denizens inspired and permeated the works of one of the world's greatest novelists: Charles DickensThe 19th century was a time of unprecedented transformation, and nowhere was this more apparent than on the streets of London. In only a few decades, London grew from a Regency town to the biggest city the world had ever seen, with more than 6.5 millio...

The grim history of England's bodysnatching trade: "Lennox's thorough exploration is riveting" (Naomi Clifford, author of The Disappearance of Maria Glenn).From the string of murders committed by Burke and Hare, a pair of ghouls who are still the stuff of pop culture legend, to the lesser-known but equally gruesome grave-robbing exploits of Henry Gillies, William Patrick, and Joseph Grainger, here is the fascinating true chronicle of England's "Resurrectio...

A fascinating tour of London's strangest and most intriguing locations. Ranging from architectural evidence of past incidents and stories of life beneath the city, to anecdotes of magic, mystery and murder, this is a perfect companion for the curious Londoner.It includes:A Museum of Magical Curiosities; The City's Lost Tunnels and Citadels; The Ghost of a "She-Wolf; The Bawdy House Riots; The Story of 'Jack the Stripper'; The Atmospheric Railway; The Thames Ringway Bicycle ...

Dark and foggy Victorian streets, the murderous madman, the arsenic-laced evening meal - we all think we know the realities of Victorian crime. Adrian Gray's thrilling book recounts the classic murders, by knife and poison, but it also covers much more, taking the reader into less familiar parts of Victorian life, uncovering the wicked, the vengeful, the foolish and the hopeless amongst the criminal world of the nineteenth century. Here you will encounter the women who sold their children,...

Criminal incidents, accidents, whippings, beatings, jail escapes and hangings were all part of Dublin's 'brilliant parade' in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, including actors, clergymen, scientists, politicians and rogues and rascals of every hue. Hopkins describes the poverty, soup kitchens, food riots, street beggars and workhouses that were all a feature of Dublin life. He also introduces us to the weird, wonderful, and often downright strange customs and pastimes of Dubliners st...

Stylish and dark, the BBC series the ‘Peaky Blinders’ is set in the backstreets of Birmingham after the First World War and tells of the rise to power of Thomas Shelby and his criminal gang. Yet the real stories behind these fictional characters are just as dramatic, bloody and compelling as the TV series.Thomas Shelby’s arch enemy Billy Kimber was in real life a Brummie from Summer Lane. He was a feared fighter with an astute mind and magnetic personality which earned him the lead...