@drangelabuckley
Historian and author specialising in true crime, Victorian and Edwardian detectives, and the history of forensic science. Also linguist and genealogist. Rep: Past Preservers. http://drangelabuckley.com
When I was delving in an archival box related to the murder of John Fletcher in Manchester in 1889, I came across a pamphlet written by the perpetrator Charlie Parton about his experiences. I've shared the contents in The Detective's Notebook (paid subs) drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/the-revela...
I am thrilled and I’m so looking forward to it!
I am honoured and very excited to be speaking at this year's @agathafestival.bsky.social – it is one of my favourite annual events and I can't wait to take part in such a fantastic programme. My talk will be on The Golden Age of Detection, on Friday 18 September 🔗 www.iacf-uk.org/festival-202...
🔎 This week in The Detective's Notebook on Substack, I'm revisiting the famous Manchester Cab Mystery with a more in-depth investigation of this fascinating case, in which a killer was brought to justice in record time by a celebrity detective. 🔗 drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/the-manche...
On 26 February 1889 John Fletcher got into a cab at Manchester Cathedral with a young man. An hour later, he was dead and his companion had disappeared. The Manchester Cab Mystery was Detective Caminada's signature case and earned him the nickname, Manchester's Sherlock Holmes 🔗 tinyurl.com/2sfm7duc
I've been researching a 'new' Victorian criminal today: John Lee. He was convicted of the murder of Emma Keyse in 1885 and sentenced to death. Executioner James Berry failed three times to carry out the penalty due to the trap door getting stuck and his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
I had a hilarious morning chatting about Victorian crime with Harry Hill and Sunil Patel, for Harry’s podcast. It was huge fun!
You can’t beat a quiet Sunday evening drink in a cosy historic pub by the Thames in London.
I’ve restarted my Italian studies and I’m aiming to complete beginner level before my next trip to Italy in April. I’m thoroughly enjoying learning my ancestral language.
I’ve just had a walk through the local cemetery. I always like to pass by this memorial at the entrance and think of those whose graves remain unmarked.
On 20 February 1868, Jerome Caminada joined the Manchester City Police. In his 30-year career he became one of the city's finest detectives. But he never forgot his first weeks on the beat and recalled his experiences in both volumes of his memoirs. Find out more 🔗 www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FJB65W2...
Historical crime investigation takes me down some rather unexpected and obscure paths, and this week in The Detective's Notebook (for paid subs), I'm exploring the shady world of public anatomical museums, following a discovery of some unusual evidence 🔗 drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/macabre-ev...
Just to mention that all my books are now available on bookshop.org 🔗 uk.bookshop.org/beta-search?...
🔎This week's post in The Detective's Notebook is about the tragic case of Martha Bilborough, a young barmaid from Manchester, whose desperation led to placing her life in the hands of a fake doctor 🔗https://drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/death-at-the-hands-of-a-fake-doctor
Thanks - it’s such a lovely spot!
First day at the beach hut. Sunshine is glorious but too cold to stay. Fortunately there’s a very cosy café nearby.
🔎 I'm super thrilled to be speaking at this year's Alibis in the Archive event at the fabulous Gladstone's Library in North Wales in June. I'll be sharing my research on The Science of Sleuthing: The Hidden History of Victorian and Edwardian Detectives 🔗 www.gladstoneslibrary.org/event/alibis...
In 1893, Detective Jerome Caminada tackled a group of anarchists in Manchester. A fight ensued and his umbrella (known as a 'gamp') was broken. An 'Anarchist Poet' later memorialised the incident in a song: 'The Scamp who Broke his Gamp at Ardwick'. Find out more 🔗 tinyurl.com/52v3dmf9
I'm relieved to be over halfway through the first draft of my next book, The Mysterious Poisoning of Charles Bravo, and I'm really enjoying my research into this very puzzling real-life historical murder case.
My next talk is The Science of Sleuthing: The Hidden History of Victorian and Edwardian Detectives, hosted online by the Society of Genealogists on Mon 16 Feb at 7 pm. I'm really looking forward to sharing my doctoral research for the first time. All welcome! 🔗 portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/1...
I never know where crime history research will lead me, and today I’ve been studying the macabre world of mid-Victorian public anatomy museums, following a reference in a historical homicide case.
I'm ending the week on a positive note with my first rating for my recently published second anthology of Detective Jerome Caminada's memoirs. It's five stars! tinyurl.com/2sfm7duc
My sister and I love an escape room and we recently did one in a real crypt in Ryde, IOW. It was quite a challenge, with lots of puzzling religious artefacts in the context of a real-life search for a missing tomb. We ‘escaped’ in 49 minutes.
For my paid subs (thank you!) on my Substack, The Detective's Notebook, I publish two additional articles a month on my original and ongoing research into Victorian and Edwardian detectives. This week's post is on the use of identity parades in the past 🔗
drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/identity-p...
Quack doctors were rife in nineteenth-century Manchester, and Detective Jerome Caminada encountered fake medical expert, the Reverend Edward Silverton. Could he stop this convincing con artist and put an end to his nefarious practices? Find out here 🔗 tinyurl.com/52v3dmf9
Today I’m reading about the murder of Lord William Russell, who was killed in his bed in Mayfair in 1840. The case is an interesting example of early detective policing.
🔎 In this week's post from The Detective's Notebook on Substack (for all subs) there is a sneak peek into the exhibition on Scotland Yard's Crime Museum currently at the Metropolitan Police Museum, featuring some of the cases behind the exhibits 🔗 drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/murder-at-...
🎤 I'm looking forward to my first talk of the year next week, which is 'How to Plot a Murder: A Crime HIstorian's Modus Operandi', when I'll be sharing how I investigate historical crime. It's online on Thursday 5 February at 6.30 pm. All welcome! 🔗 portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/2...
When I’m at my desk all day, I like to take a long walk in the afternoon, starting at the church graveyard nearby. I love to watch the changing seasons there, and today it was lovely to see some spring flowers peeking through the soil.
Thanks - Seamus is an interesting suggestion and I’ll check it out…