Margaret Drinkall – författare

Discover the darker side of Yorkshire with this remarkable collection of true-life crimes from across the county. Featuring tales of highwaymen, cut throats, poachers, poisoners, thieves and murderers, all factions of the criminal underworld are included in this macabre selection of tales. Drawing on a wide variety of historical sources and containing many cases which have never before been published, Yorkshire Villains will fascinate everyone interested in true crime and the history of Yorkshire.

Discover the darker side of Leeds with this remarkable collection of true-life crimes from across the city. Featuring all factions of the criminal underworld, this macabre selection of tales includes the case of Mary Bateman, known as the Yorkshire Witch, and that tale of a man so determined to kill his wife that he tried five times, before finally succeeding with his sixth attempt. Drawing on a wide variety of historical sources and containing many cases which have never before been published, Leeds: Murder & Crime will fascinate everyone interested in true crime and the history of the city.

This is a unique account of the impact that the Second World War had on the city of Sheffield. Soon after the declaration of war, the government and the people of Sheffield realised that the Germans would make the city one of their prime targets, due to the importance of the steel industry. Also, for the first eighteen months of the war Sheffield had the only drop hammer in the country, which was capable of producing Rolls Royce crankshafts for Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft. Using contemporary diaries, letters, police accounts and other archive material, this book reveals how, despite heavy bombing, the people of Sheffield refused to be intimidated. It looks at the events that were happening in the city during the countdown to the war, such as the evacuation of the children not only to other safer districts, but to the Dominions, and the development of the Sheffield Home Guard, who started out as 'Dads Army' but were sent to London to relieve its Home Guard when the capital was under heavy fire from German rockets. Also included is a description of the protection of the dams above Sheffield and how the Ladybower reservoir was used as a training ground for the 'Dambusters'.Finally, there are accounts not only of Sheffield men who were taken as prisoners of war, but how the police dealt with the German and Italian prisoners at Lodge Moor Camp.

This volume collects together the most shocking criminal cases from Sheffield's Victorian newspapers. These grisly cases will transport the horrified reader back to a time where horse-drawn carriages clattered through the streets of the city, and the town's gin palaces and music halls teemed with thieves, drunkards and fallen women. In an age where the gap between rich and poor was enormous, crime was understandably rife - and the penalties for it dreadful. Filled with infamous historical cases - including grave robbing, murder, poisoning, bigamy, and daring jewel and garrotte robberies - and richly illustrated with photographs from private collections and from the local archives, Sheffield Crimes will fascinate residents, visitors and historians alike.