One way or another, we are all fascinated by crime. Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths Around Huddersfield delves into our local history, revcealing a variety of cases from aspects of everyday life. Find out how Jeremiah Wharam reacted to being called 'Old Shoddy'; or why Rachel Crossley was thrown down a pit shaft and why William Duke should have stayed in Hull. Marsh Roebuck, John Herbert Cooke, John Furness and James Henry Stephenson were all children: young lives suddenly and prematurely ended, and two killers placed at the mercy on the Victorian judicial system. All the cases discussed here reflect changes in social history, the influence of alcohol, the prevalence of violent crimes (especially involving knives), differing attitudes to crime and the treatment of criminals over the past two hundred years; but they also show the remarkable similarity between crimes committed during that time and those in the newspapers of today. AUTHOR: Vivien Teasdale lives in Huddersfield and has always been fascinated by its history. Her previous books include Huddersfield Mills and Huddersfield Mill Memories. She has published widely on local and family history, particularly in Practical Family History and Family Tree Magazine and is editor of the Pontefract Family History Society Journal.
