Criminal Lives
Stories from the prison archives – part 2
In this second part of our ‘stories from the prison archives’ feature, which gives you a flavour of the rich history that can be found in the documents held at Dartmoor Prison Museum, we take a look a three more interesting characters who were incarcerated at this famous institution.
Find out moreStories from the prison archives
As the Dartmoor Prison Museum opens its doors again, we present three stories from its archives, revealing some of the interesting characters who passed through the doors of this famous prison.
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Thorborg Ireland: Arson with intent to defraud insurance
In 1866, Thorborg Ireland, a Norwegian widow and mother of four, was charged with arson after setting fire to her house. Personal circumstances may have driven her to commit what was deemed to have been a case of insurance fraud.
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Thomas Sweeting: Ripon Borough’s first policeman
In 1836, Ripon Borough set up a watch committee and recruited Thomas Sweeting, a local tailor, as its first policeman. He received £30 per annum and a uniform. But his tenure was not without incident or controversy.
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The story of Ursula Lofthouse
Using contemporary press reports, this is the story of Ursula Lofthouse who was found guilty of poisoning her husband and became the last woman to be publicly executed in York.
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The life of Gerald Brazill: musician, soldier, bigamist
He was a gifted musician and fought in the First World War. But Gerald Brazill had a family secret.
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The Story of Esther Dyson
The tragic tale of a young woman from Sheffield who was sent to a lunatic asylum after murdering her newborn baby.
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Criminals in the asylum – part 2
In the second part of our ‘Criminals in the asylum’ feature, we take a look at three more offenders who found themselves serving time in the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum in the 19th century.
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A burning injustice? Criminality in the age of respectability
Read about 17-year-old servant girl Edith Jennings, whose background and family connections appear to have helped her escape the long prison sentence she received for arson.
Find out moreCriminals in the asylum
Read about those 19th century criminals who found themselves serving time in a lunatic asylum.
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Arthur Lockey
The Hull businessman who got into trouble with the law in a perfect example of a 20th century white-collar crime.
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Ethel Major
The life of Ethel Major, who was convicted of poisoning and executed at Hull Prison in 1934.
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