A History of the Witch Trials in Europe

By Tim Lambert The Background to the Witch Trials From the late 15th century to the late 18th century a wave of persecution washed across parts of Europe. Tens of thousands of people were executed for witchcraft. So what happened? Belief in magic was almost universal in the past. Almost all cultures believed that you… Continue reading A History of the Witch Trials in Europe

A Timeline of Capital Punishment

By Tim Lambert 1307 A mechanical beheading device is recorded in Dublin 1608 The first execution takes place in the North American colonies 1685 Alice Lisle becomes the last woman beheaded in Britain 1747 Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat becomes the last person beheaded on Tower Hill by the Tower of London 1790 In Britain, death… Continue reading A Timeline of Capital Punishment

An Unsolved Murder in Portsmouth, 1923

By Tim Lambert An unsolved murder happened in Portsea, Portsmouth in 1923. The victim was Mary Frances Pelham, aged 37. According to newspaper reports she was born in ‘the north of England’. During the First World War, she moved to Brighton and later to Portsmouth. She was separated from her husband. Mary was a kind… Continue reading An Unsolved Murder in Portsmouth, 1923