News of the Times - Unlocking the vaults of historical crime

In 1868, a cramped labourer’s cottage in the village of Stickney, Lincolnshire became the centre of one of Victorian Britain’s most dramatic murder cases. When farm labourer Richard Biggadike suddenly fell violently ill after tea and shortcake prepared by his wife Priscilla, suspicion spread through the community with astonishing speed. What followed was a tangle of marital resentment, rumours of impropriety, forensic certainty — and a legal outcome that made national history.
This episode explores the poisoned marriage of Richard and Priscilla Biggadike, the presence of arsenic in overwhelming quantities, and the inquest that relied heavily on the findings of leading forensic toxicologist Dr Alfred Swaine Taylor. His analysis, combined with Priscilla’s own contradictory statements, led to one of the most significant executions of the century: the first private execution carried out in the city of Lincoln, following Britain’s newly passed legislation ending public hangings.
Along the way, we examine Victorian forensic science, rural domestic life, legal practice, and the intense social pressures inside a one-room household shared by a husband, wife, three children, and two lodgers. Was the verdict secure? Was justice served? And how did this case shape the early years of private execution in Britain?
Further Particulars:
We also travel to County Mayo for a remarkable 1867 discovery — a forgotten subterranean chamber, bricked up for nearly a century, containing two mysterious skeletons dressed in the fashions of George II. A true Victorian gothic moment that captured the imagination of readers across the UK.
If you enjoy educational, archival true crime from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, this is an episode rich in atmosphere, forensic detail, and historical insight.
News of the Times
Victorian and Edwardian true crime, brought to life through original archival research and historical storytelling.

The Parcel of Death: How a Handwriting Clue Solved a Victorian Murder (1873)
Horfield, near Bristol, 1873 — a small parcel arrives at a cottage, addressed in a neat feminine hand. Inside: a polite note, a shilling’s worth of stamps, and three teething powders marked Steedman’s. Within minutes of taking one, a healthy ten-month-old child is dead.
What followed became one of Victorian Britain’s most unsettling murder investigations: a case of postal deception, disputed toxicology, forged identities, and a deadly plan undone by the smallest of human details — the choice of stationery, a familiar turn of phrase, and a handwriting expert who spotted what others had missed.
This is the story of how an ordinary envelope unravelled the lives of a Bristol shoemaker and the woman who aided him, ending in one of the last double executions in British history.
If you enjoy these deep dives into Victorian crime, social history, and forensic firsts, you can join us on Patreon for hundreds of extra episodes, early releases, and the full NOTT archive — all while helping keep the research kettle boiling.

The Clerkenwell Explosion: The Outrage That Shocked Victorian Britain (1867)
A quiet December afternoon in 1867 — and then a blast so powerful it shattered windows for half a mile, reduced homes to rubble, and sent shockwaves through Victorian London. What unfolded at Clerkenwell was far more than an attempted prison rescue. It became one of the most notorious tragedies of the era, triggering public panic, political fury, and the final public execution in British history.
In today’s episode, we explore:
• What really happened outside Clerkenwell Prison
• How a rescue attempt by Fenians spiralled into catastrophe
• Why the investigation became frantic, emotional — and deeply flawed
• The trial of Michael Barrett, and the lingering question: was the right man convicted?
We trace the explosion, the crowded neighbourhood it destroyed, the conflicting witness accounts, and the extraordinary political pressure that shaped the outcome.
And in Further Particulars, we leap back to 1814 for the unforgettable tale of a woman who somehow accumulated three husbands simultaneously, leaving a magistrate — and all three gentlemen — thoroughly bewildered.
If you enjoy thoughtful, atmospheric Victorian true crime, you’ll find more episodes, bonus stories, and exclusive content by searching for “News of the Times Patreon” wherever you normally browse online.
Settle in, take a steadying breath… and step with us into the streets of 1867.

The Doctor, The Brothers, And the First Great Failure of Forensic ScienceNews of the Times | Episode 603| 1823 Paris, 1823: Two wealthy brothers die months apart. A respected young doctor attends both deaths. Symptoms point to poison — but toxicology finds nothing at all.In today’s episode, we uncover one of the most unsettling cases in early forensic history — the story of Dr Edmé Castaing and the Ballet brothers, a case that forced Europe to confront a chilling truth:👉 Science, in 1823, was simply not good enough to catch a clever poisoner.Before the era of Marsh tests, Reinsch tests, Victorian toxicologists, and forensic certainty, courts still had to reach verdicts — even when chemistry returned empty-handed. This case became the first major crisis in forensic toxicology, shaping British and French legal thinking for decades.🔍 In this episode we explore:• How two sudden deaths exposed the limits of Georgian forensic science• The rise of arsenic panic across Britain• Why morphine (“morphia”) terrified early toxicologists• The puzzle of a will, missing money, late-night letters, and locked rooms• Orfila’s cautious testimony — and why it shocked British experts• How a man was executed for poisoning with no poison ever found• The legal turning point: Can you convict on circumstances alone?And in Further Particulars, we detour to 1888 for a marvellously absurd tale from the American West — as reported in an East Kent newspaper — featuring:a Pullman carriage, a polite stranger, and a horse thief whose reputation travelled rather farther than he did.🔬Hosted by Robin Coles📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday 🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month 📚 Related cases from the archive: 1824: Murder by Exorcism | EP443 https://www.patreon.com/posts/shocking-1824-120965771?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link 1828: Deadly Betrayal: The 1828 Mother’s Assassination Conspiracy | EP457 https://www.patreon.com/posts/deadly-betrayal-123227277?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link 1827: Sisters, Poison, and Betrayal: The Forfar Murder Case of 1827 | EP540 https://www.patreon.com/posts/sisters-poison-136840522?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link ❤️ 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 — welcome to the vault. 🎩 — RC & Team #HistoricalTrueCrime #ForensicHistory #VictorianCrime #GeorgianEra #Toxicology #EdmeCastaing #BalletBrothers #PoisoningCase #FirstForensicFailure #CrimeHistory #BritishHistory #FrenchHistory #EarlyForensics #NewsOfTheTimes #TrueCrimeDocumentary

The Office Murder That Shocked Edwardian Britain — And the Detective Who Died Investigating It | True Crime 1911News of the Times | Episode 602 | 1911On a quiet September afternoon in 1911, a respected Hastings building society manager sat down to continue his paperwork. Minutes later, gunshots echoed through the office — and one of the town’s most trusted citizens lay dying on the floor. What followed was one of the most baffling cases in Edwardian true crime history: a double tragedy involving financial ruin, contested testimony, early forensic science… and a detective who died while examining the very same revolver used in the killing. Today we uncover a murder that refused to resolve itself, leaving behind shocked witnesses, contradictory accounts, and a police force shaken by the sudden death of their own investigator.• The shooting inside a quiet Hastings office that stunned 1911 Britain• The troubled chemist whose life collapsed under financial strain and hereditary mental illness• Conflicting witness accounts and forensic evidence that transformed the case• The inquest that wrestled with accident vs. intent• The extraordinary twist: the detective found dead while preparing evidence• How uncertainty, stigma, and early-20th-century justice shaped the verdict📰 Further ParticularsWe finish with a remarkable Edwardian society lawsuit involving Lady Dean Paul — a woman for whom the courtroom was practically a hobby. Expect family quarrels, Cairo gossip, theatrical denials, and a damages award so small the judge had to squint at it.🔎Hosted by Robin Coles📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday 🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month 📚 Related cases from the archive: 1911: The Kidsgrove Tragedy: Murder, Madness, and the Man Who Vanished Into Himself” | EP582 https://www.patreon.com/posts/kidsgrove-murder-144289983?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link1875 - 1911: The Poison Files: Britain's Most Chilling Victorian Murder Cases | EP583 https://www.patreon.com/posts/poison-files-144027249?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link1911: Two Killers, One Scaffold: The December Double Hanging of 1911 | EP589 https://www.patreon.com/posts/two-killers-one-145441104?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link1918: Stalked by Her Brother-in-Law: The Christmas Murder That Shook Post-War Britain | 1918 | EP595https://www.patreon.com/posts/stalked-by-her-146402625?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link❤️ 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 — welcome to the vault. 🎩 — RC & Team #TrueCrimeDocumentary #HistoricalCrime #BritishHistory #VictorianCrime #CrimeHistory #CourtroomDrama #Education #NewsoftheTimes