A history of crime (England) Part 1

While researching my history of law enforcement articles I realised I was more fascinated (as I’m sure many of us are) by crimes than by law enforcement, so I have decided to do a series featuring (in)famous crimes and criminals, some of which you may have heard of, and others you may not. The series will focus on English crimes and criminals primarily, because that’s where I’m from, but will also feature other countries as I discover them.

First up is what is known as the Bermondsey Horror, which was one of the earliest cases investigated by the detective branch that was formed in London in 1842.

Bermondsey Horror

The name given to this crime by the media of the time suggests multiple victims, yet that is not the case for there was only one victim, Patrick O’Conner, who was murdered on 9th August 1849.

Patrick O’Conner was a ganger at the London docks and a money-lender who made a significant amount of money through charging excessive interest. He was murdered by Marie Manning, with whom he was involved, both before and after she married, and by her husband Frederick.

The exact nature of the relationship between Marie Manning (born Marie de Roux in Lausanne, Switzerland) and Patrick O’Conner is unknown, but O’Conner was not a stranger at the Mannings’. On the evening of the 9th August 1849 he went to the Mannings’ for dinner, during which he was murdered by Marie and her husband and buried under the kitchen floor.

The details of how O’Conner was murdered, and his body subsequently discovered by the police, are unknown now but his body was found by the police on 17th August. At that time a search was begun for the Mannings, who it transpired had killed O’Conner in order to rob him, of money, railway shares and property holdings; Marie went to his house on both the day of his murder and the day following to steal from him.

Following the theft the Mannings double-crossed one another, with Marie coming away in possession of the greater share, and went their separate ways. Marie was captured in Edinburgh, where she was attempting to exchange some of O’Conner’s properties, while Frederick was caught on Jersey.

The trial was unexceptional, as was the case itself; it’s entirely possible that the
Bermondsey Horror would have slipped out of the public’s, and history’s, notice were it not for the presence of Mr Charles Dickens at the public hanging of the Mannings. Dickens wrote to The Times newspaper following the execution to decry the wickedness and levity of the mob that joined him in bearing witness.

 

2nd challenge

After deciding to challenge myself to read The Telegraph’s top 100 books of all time, I thought I would also challenge myself to read all of Charles Dickens’ books. I’ve read some of these before, before now I’m going to read them all, and in order – it won’t be easy and it won’t be quick, but I’ll get there. I’m looking forward to it actually.

Novels

The Pickwick Papers
Oliver Twist
Nicholas Nickleby
The Old Curiosity Shop
Barnaby Rudge
Martin Chuzzlewit
Dombey and Son
David Copperfield
Bleak House
Hard Times
Little Dorrit
A Tale of Two Cities
Great Expectations
Our Mutual Friend
The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Shorts

American Notes
The Battle of Life
The Chimes: A Goblin Story
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Tree
A Dinner at Poplar Walk
Doctor Marigold’s Prescriptions
A Flight
Frozen Deep
George Silverman’s Explanation
Going into Society
The Haunted Man
Holiday Romance
The Holly-Tree
Hunted Down
The Long Voyage
Master Humphrey’s Clock
A Message from the Sea
Mrs. Lirriper’s Legacy
Public Life of Mr. Trumble, Once Mayor of Mudfog
Sketches by Boz
The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton
Sunday under Three Heads
Tom Tiddler’s Ground
Travelling Abroad – City of London Churches
The Uncommercial Traveller
Wreck of the Golden Mary

 

Oliver Twist – The Book

I’m not sure I really need to give a precis of Oliver Twist, I’d guess that nearly all of you already know what it’s about, but I will for the sake of those few who don’t.

Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist is a young orphan, barely into double figures, who runs away after suffering the tyranny of Mr Bumble the beadle and assorted others for too long. He makes his way to London, where he hopes to find a better life, and falls in with Fagin, The Artful Dodger and their gang of petty criminals and gets into trouble with the law.

He is rescued from that trouble by Mr Brownlow, a kindly old gentleman who takes an interest in him, before long though, Oliver is dragged back into the company of Fagin and the others, who wish to make him a criminal, for reasons you learn later on, and his friends must rescue him.

There’s a reason this book is still popular more than a century and a quarter after it was first released; the writing might be a little convoluted for this modern era, authors, myself included, tend to be a little more direct with their language now, but the characters are all so richly described that it’s a pleasure to read about even the bad guys. The dialogue is exceptional as well, whenever I want a reminder of how dialogue should be written, I take out my Dickens, he is, in my opinion, one  of the greatest – if not the greatest – English authors of all time.

I don’t think I can say a bad word about this novel, it’s only my perverse nature that keeps me from giving it the full five stars, although if I’m honest there are one or two instances where I feel as though Oliver’s encounters with certain people are a little too coincidental.

Overall I can only recommend this book to absolutely everyone who has ever learned to read, even if they only read it the once, so they can see how artful a novel can be.

Just writing this review makes me want to pick up the nearest copy so I can rejoin Oliver, Fagin, The Artful Dodger and even Bill Sykes and Nancy.