Jack the Ripper's First Victim

 Mary Ann 'Polly' Nichols was murdered on 31 August 1888. Many people believe she was the first victim of the Whitechapel murderer.

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Maartje Tamboezer

 I wrote about Maartje Tamboezer, a Dutch girl living in England. In 1986 she was the victim of a horrific murder in Surrey. The two men who killed her are still in prison.

Maartje Tamboezer (1971-1986) - Find a Grave Memorial 

John Duffy and David Mulcahy

 This article by Courtroom News discusses two men, John Duffy and David Mulcahy who raped a number of women and murdered three of them.

Ed Gein

 Infamous murderer Ed Gein was born on 27 August 1906. He is supposed to have been the inspiration for Norman Bates.

Polly Nichols

 Mary Ann (Polly) Nichols, who many believe was the first victim of Jack the Ripper, was born on 26 August 1845. She died in 1888.

The Pillory

Billie-Jo Jenkins

 This is an interesting video about the tragic murder of a 13 year old girl, Billie-Jo Jenkins 

William Wallace

King Edward I of England tried to rule Scotland. However many small landowners rose in a rebellion led by William Wallace. In 1297 Wallace severely defeated the English at Stirling Bridge. However the won a victory at Falkirk in July 1298. Yet the Scots continued to resist and the English only really controlled the southeast. But Wallace was captured in 1305. William Wallace was hung, drawn, and quartered on 23 August 1305. His limbs were put on display in Stirling, Perth, Berwick, and Newcastle.

A Dangerous Place

 I purchased this book from Amazon. It's a horrific case about two depraved and fiendish men who raped and murdered young girls in the 1980s. They were called the Railway Murders because of their location near railway stations. However it's a good read. I recommend it to anyone interested in true crime. A Dangerous Place by Simon Farquhar is published by History Press.

Thumbscrews

In 1684 William Carstares became the last man in Britain to be tortured with thumbscrews. He was tortured because he was suspected of being involved in a plot against the king.

The Devils

On 18 August 1634 a French Catholic priest named Urbain Grandier was burned to death after being convicted of witchcraft. He was supposed to have caused a group of nuns to become demon posessed. In 1971 a movie called The Devils was made about it.

The Berlin Wall

 On 17 August 1962 Peter Fechter became the first person shot by East German guards at the Berlin Wall.

Mary Blandy

 Mary Blandy was convicted of murdering her father and was hanged for the crime. Mary was born in 1720 into a middle-class family. Her father, Francis Blandy, was a well-to-do lawyer and the town clerk of Henley on Thames in Oxfordshire. Mary was, by all accounts, intelligent and well educated.

Keen to see his daughter marry well, Francis offered a dowry of £10,000 (a huge sum at that time). However, Blandy's entire estate was only worth about £4,000, and he could not have honoured the bargain. Still, the offer attracted a man named Captain William Cranstoun in 1746. Cranstoun was the son of a Scottish nobleman. In 1747, he asked to marry Mary. Francis agreed, and even invited him to move into the Blandy home. 

However, Cranstoun was already married. When Francis Blandy found out, he was naturally enraged. However, Cranstoun managed to persuade Mary and her mother that his marriage was invalid and would soon be annulled by the Scottish courts.

Cranstoun moved to London to await the court's decision. However, the Scottish court ruled that his marriage was legal.

Cranstoun persuaded Mary that he had a 'love powder' that, if she mixed it with her father's food and drink, it would change his attitude. He would start to like Cranstoun. The 'love powder' was actually arsenic. It's not clear if Mary naively believed Cranstoun or if she realised what the powder actually was. In any case, her father fell ill and gradually worsened. He died on 14 August 1751.

Nevertheless, Mary was not arrested till the following year, 1752. Cranstoun heard of the arrest, and he fled to France. Mary Blandy was convicted of murder, and she was hanged on 6 April 1752. 

The Peterloo Massacre

 On 16 August 1819 the Peterloo Massacre took place. A big crowd held a peaceful political meeting at St Peters Fields in Manchester, England. The magistrates sent in troops who killed 11 and injured about 400.

Last Execution in the Tower of London

The last person to be executed in the Tower of London was German spy Josef Jakobs on 15 August 1941. He was shot by a firing squad. This is a video about the case.

The Last Hangings in Britain

 On 13 August 1964 Gwynne Evans and Peter Allen were hanged in separate prisons. They were the last people to be hanged in Britain for murder. The death sentence for murder was abolished for a trial period of 5 years in 1965. It was permanently abolished for murder in 1969. This is a YouTube video about the case.

The Railway Killers

 I found an interesting video about two evil rapists and murderers, John Duffy and David Mulcahy. They were known as the Railway Killers. They struck near railway stations or railway lines in London and Surrey during the 1980s. It's a horrific case. Duffy was convicted of murder in 1988. Mulcahy was convicted in 2001.

He Killed His Parents

 I found this interesting video about a charming individual who killed his parents.

Derek Bentley

 Derek Bentley was hanged in 1953. The unfortunate man was granted a posthumous pardon in 1998. It was a tragic case. This YouTube video forensically examines the statement supposedly made by Mr Bentley to the police. 

Haigh is hanged

 On 10 August the murderer John George Haigh was hanged in Wandsworth prison in London. Haigh killed 6 people and dissolved the bodies in acid. Haigh asked for a trial hanging, to make sure everything went OK. The request was refused but Haigh need not have worried, his execution proceeded without fault. 

The Great Train Robbery

 The Great Train Robbery took place on 8 August 1963. It was a notorious crime where the robbers held up a train and stole a vast amount of money. This YouTube video explains it all. 

Martha Tabram

 On 7 August 1888 Martha Tabram was murdered in the East End of London. The unfortunate woman was stabbed repeatedly. Some people think she was the first victim of the notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper. 

Last woman executed in Sweden

 On 7 August 1890, Anna Mansdotter became the last woman to be executed in Sweden. She was convicted of killing her daughter-in-law. She was beheaded with an axe.

The First Man Executed in the Electric Chair

 On 6 August 1890, William Kemmler became the first man to be executed in the electric chair. The first woman executed in the electric chair was Martha Place in 1899.

Dr William Palmer

 The famous Staffordshire poisoner William Palmer was born on 6 August 1824. In 1856 Palmer was convicted of poisoning his friend with strychnine and sentenced to death. On the gallows, he is supposed to have said 'are you sure this damn thing's safe?' (a very doubtful story!) Palmer was dubbed 'The Prince of Poisoners' and is believed to have poisoned up to 15 people.

The Narborough Murders

 I found a good video about the infamous child killer Colin Pitchfork. It's a horrific case.