Tag: Lancashire

As the sound of the slow moving waters in the near distance began to reemerge, the startled birds which had fled to nearby pastures could still be heard in the darkened sky above as the figure of a man stumbled onto his feet.  In the distance, the low rumble of…

Alfred Parker was a man of routine and on the morning of Wednesday, 9th August 1905 he would begin the day as he always did.  Up early, washed, made a relatively small breakfast and after saying his goodbyes to his wife, he would set off to work at nearby Carr…

Situated between the town of Bury and the village of Norden lies the small hamlet of Birtle, nestled away in the North West of England.  Dotted along the rolling fields are many farm buildings and small businesses that have been passed down through many generations, and it’s within this setting…

On the evening of Tuesday, 12th July 1910, Margaret Taylor, proprietor of number 29 Back Bank Terrace, upon noticing a terrible smell coming from somewhere within her house, would make a shocking discovery. After wandering around from room-to-room to find the cause of the smell, Mrs. Taylor would eventually make…

Towards the latter end of the Victorian era, most people were beginning to benefit from cheaper – imported foods, cleaner water, better sanitization, more diversity when it came to entertainment – such as music halls, libraries, museums and art galleries. Working conditions had become much better with shorter working hours…

Today’s story has been recommended to me by Eddie Beetham, a direct descendant of Miss Alice Beetham with whom this next story is all about. Shortly after 8am on Tuesday, July 23rd 1912 – the sound of the tolling bell from inside Stangeways Gaol closed the final chapter of a…

97 years ago, the residents of Burnley were shocked to the core after one of worst tragedies to befall them occurred on a wintery, cold mid-day on the 21st December 1923. Burnley Corporation Tramcar Number 10, which was being driven by 47 year old, William Norris, had been out in…

Just before 6.30am on Sunday, 29th September 1895, the residents of Shakespeare Street in Padiham were awoken from their early morning slumber by the shouts of “murder!” coming from somewhere on the back streets. Inside number 24, 41 year old Mary Ann Marsden was making her way down from her…

Accrington during the mid-to-late 1800’s had managed to find itself immune from murder whilst all around them in places such as Haslingden, Blackburn and Burnley had  for some strange reason found themselves to be hotbeds for crimes that many seemed beyond comprehension. And whilst a serious crime that had resulted…