Tag: History of Crime
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Aqua Tofana: Bottled Revenge of the 17th Century Wife
What is this notorious poison, and who are the women responsible for its creation? Lila Winstanley explores the use of the poison Aqua Tofana, first used in Rome in the 1650s.
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Dead and Buried? Finding Edinburgh’s last hanged woman in oral history
Charged with a most heinous crime, Jessie King would come to sit in the annals of Scottish history as the last woman hanged in Edinburgh. Chloe Bramwell explores the story of a woman who may have been as much a victim of circumstance as a villain for commercial tours to exploit.
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Tudor True Crime: The Bizarre Death of Amy Dudley
On 8 September 1560, the body of Amy Dudley, the first wife of Robert Dudley, was discovered at the foot of a staircase. Naomi Wallace examines the scandal and suspicion surrounding her tragic demise.
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Double Deviant: Criminalisation of and Attitudes Towards Female ‘Sin’ in Nineteenth Century Britain
Written by Sophie Whitehead. The history of female crime is largely dominated by stories of sex workers and infanticide. But how does the theory of female crime contribute to the history of crimes associated by women? Sophie Whitehead explores the history of women in crime literature.
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Eastern State Penitentiary and the Punishment of Isolation in Nineteenth-Century Penal Imprisonment
Written by Melissa Kane. Eastern State Penitentiary is probably best known for holding Al Capone. The prison has a longer history, playing a key role in the emergence of the so-called “Pennsylvania System” of punishment and reform.
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Mercury Murder Mystery: An Analysis of the Demise of Tycho Brahe
Written by Kat Jivkova. The death of Tycho Brahe has been discussed for centuries, with recent forensic advancements allowing for a re-examination of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his demise.
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A Case of Confabulation? The Psychology Behind the Reykjavik Confessions
Written by Kat Jivkova. Two disappearances in the 1970s sparked what would become known as the Reykjavik Confessions. The investigation was problematic from the start, with the interrogation methods creating problems of confabulation.
Retrospect Journal 