Local Histories

By Tim Lambert Henri Landru persuaded rich women to marry him. He took their money then killed them and disposed of the bodies. He was called Bluebeard because he was like a character in a French fairy tale.  Henri Landru was born in Paris on 12 April 1869. Like other murderers he had a history… Continue reading Henri Landru – Bluebeard

By Tim Lambert  Louisa Merrifield poisoned a woman with phosphorus. She was born in Wigan, Lancashire, on 3 December 1906. She married her third husband, Alfred Merrifield in 1950. In 1951 they moved to Blackpool. In March 1953, she was employed as a housekeeper to a 79-year-old woman named Sarah Ann Ricketts, who lived in… Continue reading Louisa Merrifield

By Tim Lambert Franz Muller, a German, was the first person to murder someone on a train in Britain. Muller was born on 31 October 1840. He became a tailor. In 1864, he was living in England but he struggled to make a living. At that time, trains were divided into carriages, without connecting corridors.… Continue reading Franz Muller

By Tim Lambert Alfred Rouse was hanged for the murder of an unknown man. Rouse was born in London on 6 April 1894. In 1914 he joined the army but he married Lily May Watkins before he departed for France. In 1915 he was wounded. He suffered head injuries and as well as injuries to… Continue reading Alfred Rouse

By Tim Lambert Havant has a connection with Jack the Ripper. At the time of the murders, in 1888 a letter with a Portsmouth postmark was sent to a magistrate claiming to be from Jack the Ripper. The writer said not to look for him in London because ‘I’m not there’. Shortly afterwards a boy… Continue reading Jack the Ripper in Havant?

By Tim Lambert John George Haigh murdered people for money, then dissolved the bodies in acid. He was born on 24 July 1909 in Lincolnshire, but his family moved to Yorkshire.  Haigh’s parents belonged to the Plymouth Brethren, a strict religious sect, although whether it had any bearing on his later behaviour is unknown. Haigh… Continue reading John George Haigh

By Tim Lambert  Gordon Cummins was a serial killer in Britain in 1942. He was known as the Blackout Ripper because he killed women during blackouts. During the Second World War, all lights had to be hidden to avoid helping enemy bombers.  Windows were covered to prevent lights in buildings from shining out, and the… Continue reading Gordon Cummins

By Tim Lambert Jack the Ripper was a serial killer of women in the East End of London in 1888. The murderer was never caught and the case remains a mystery. The Victims Martha Tabram? Nobody is certain how many women Jack the Ripper killed. Most people think there were 5 victims but there may… Continue reading A Biography of Jack the Ripper