DURHAM EXECUTIONS. From 1700 to 1900

Softcover. The ancient monuments and idyllic villages that now make up the County of Durham mask a dark and murderous past. From the 18th century industrialisation in the form of coal-mining, ironmaking and shipbuilding transformed much of the area. Associated with this was a good deal of povetty for workers who lived in cramped courts and crowded dwellings. Increasingly harsh social conditions drove some to drink which impacted on violence, especially against a so-called friend or loved-one. Justice was harsh, swift and often unyielding. In an age when the hangman was a celebrity, those found guilty of murder were hanged in public until 1869, and then within the sombre confines of Durham gaol. This is the untold story of the men, and women, who faced a short or long drop at the end of a rope, sometimes instantly but occasionally with inexcusable suffering. The author describes the events and circumstances surrounding several well-known as well as many long forgotten murders, set within the social context of everyday 18th and 19th century life. Illus., Chronology of Executions, Sources and Index. 175pp. softcover. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. F.