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.

19th Century Barnsley Murders is a telling account of crimes in the Barnsley area that have remained unpublished for more than a century. The book reveals the dark heart of the town and reflects not only the poverty and squalor in which many people of the time lived, but also the deep-rooted prejudices and double standards of the period. Crimes include poaching in the local area, a serious poisoning of bread and butter pudding at an eating house and the tragic story of a man who was poisoned for a joke. More sinister happenings include a case of body snatching, which brought the whole town of Barnsley to a state of complete panic, the distressing murder of a child, and a woman who was shot down in the street by her former marine boyfriend. The book also charts cases of attempted murder, including the story of a woman who was saved from death by her stays and a brutal attack on an elderly lady, which might so easily have ended in murder. These macabre tales reveal a side of Barnsley that is not visible in the modern town of today. The intriguing narrative and in-depth coverage of Barnsley's criminal past make this essential reading for both local historians and those interested in true crime.

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.

Many Rotherham men had never fired a shot in their lives before they enlisted, to fight in what quickly became known as the Great War. Some of them had never travelled further than Sheffield or Doncaster and had only used lathes and ploughshares, prior to conscription. Now those same men were suddenly thrust into the mayhem of battlefields, trenches, violence and destruction. Whilst fathers, brother and sons were fighting abroad, Rotherham townspeople, found themselves in the midst of anti-German riots which took place on the weekend of Friday 14th May 1915. Violence and revenge was turned towards former neighbours and friends who were of German origin, even though they had lived peaceably in the town for many years. Reports of attacks by zeppelins resulted, not in local people taking shelter as was recommended, but rather taking to the fields and parks, often lifting children out of their beds to view these 'monsters' of the sky. The few lucky men and women who returned back to the town, found that life in Rotherham would never be the same again.

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 realized 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.EPUB3: Reflowable

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.