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Explore - Murder & Mayhem

The highwayman Dick Turpin, on horseback, sees a phantom riding next to him. Lithograph by W. Clerk, ca. 1839.

Horace Wright, Oxfordshire's least successful highwayman

18 April 2023

Near Henley-on-Thames

Highwayman-obsessed Horace Wright was described by some as 'the modern Dick Turpin', but by others as 'a candidate for an asylum'!

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Filkins village lock-up

Village Lock-up at Filkins

27 March 2023

4 Burford Rd, Filkins, Lechlade

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Map of Gallowstree Common circa 1897

Lost Gibbet at Gallowstree Common

13 March 2023

Gallowstree Common, South Oxfordshire

The name of this village in South Oxfordshire is a reminder of its history as a place where executed criminals were gibbeted.

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A map showing the junction between the Botley turnpike and Binsey Lane where Betsy was killed

Brutal murder of a match girl

9 March 2023

Botley Road/Binsey Lane, Oxford

The murder of Betsy Richards in 1871 was described by Oxford Coroner William Brunner as the worst crime he had seen in his 28 year career.

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Culham station

Infanticide at Culham Station

17 February 2023

Culham Station, Abingdon Rd, Culham

In 1873, Culham stationmaster William Bradshaw made a grisly discovery in the station toilets that saw passenger Jane Haines on trial for infanticide.

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Caudwell's Castle

Shot students at Caudwell's Castle

14 February 2023

5 Folly Bridge, Abingdon Road

Just two years after it was built, the owner of Caudwell's Castle found himself on trial for shooting a student who had been tampering with his ornamental cannons!

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St. Kenelm's Church, Enstone

A body-snatching hoax at Enstone church

9 February 2023

St Kenelm's Church, Enstone

In February 1832, the peaceful village of Enstone was suddenly alive with stories of grave-robbing. But were these rumours true?

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Stonelands map

Baby-farming and ghosts at Stonelands

3 February 2023

Stonelands, Burford Road, Brize Norton

The Stonelands area in between Brize Norton and Burford had a dark reputation in the 18th and 19th centuries as a location for 'baby-farming,'. Is Stonelands haunted by the ghost of a child-murderer?

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