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Overview
This chilling volume brings together more murderous tales that shocked not only the county but made headline news throughout the nation. Covering the length and breadth of Buckinghamshire, the featured cases include the brutal slaying of a family of seven in Denham in 1870, the killing of a butcher's wife in Victorian Slough for which no one was ever found guilty, a double shooting at Little Kimble and a killing near Haddenham in 1828, in which a letter written a year later sealed the killers' fate, and the doctor who disappeared in 1933 and whose decomposed corpse was found in Buckinghamshire woods the following year. This well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in true-crime history and the shadier side of Buckinghamshire's past.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780752482156 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The History Press |
| Publication date: | 01/31/2012 |
| Series: | Sutton True Crime History |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 160 |
| File size: | 6 MB |
| Age Range: | 12 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Buckinghamshire Murders
By Jonathan Oates
The History Press
Copyright © 2012 Dr Jonathan OatesAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7524-8215-6
CHAPTER 1
THE TOLL HOUSE MURDERS
Aston Clinton, 1822
During the eighteenth century, the introduction of turnpike trusts ensured the improvement of the roads in Britain. Work was financed by payments levied on horse-drawn traffic, and these monies were collected by toll-house keepers, who were accommodated in houses by the sides of roads. Initially, these new tolls were met with hostility, and on occasion toll-house keepers and their houses were attacked. By the nineteenth century they had become less novel and were more accepted by travellers. Yet, for one couple who collected tolls in Buckinghamshire, there was another danger – not irate travellers or angry mobs, but a more universal and deadly foe – itinerant thieves who were prepared to use violence in the pursuit of what they wanted. Toll houses were very attractive for thieves, as, quite often, they were isolated from other dwellings and contained substantial amounts of money which had been collected from travellers. Theft and murder were both punishable by death at this time, and, more often than not, the thieves would kill anyone who might be able to identify them.
On Tuesday, 19 November 1822, an aged couple, Rachel and Edward Needle, were killed at their toll house at Aston Clinton, a couple of miles outside of Aylesbury. Little is known about the couple, but they were rumoured to have amassed some considerable savings. They had been quite well earlier on in the day, for Mrs Fanny Norris had had tea with them between three and five o'clock that afternoon, and later, Charles White recalled conversing with Mr Needle. Joseph Davies was the first to discover the crime. At just before quarter past six the following morning, he was on his way to fetch his master's horse, which was in the field adjoining the toll house. He passed the gate and saw that the door was open. He thought this was odd, because he passed the door every day and usually saw Mr Needle there. He took a quick look in and saw Rachel's body lying in the first room. Shocked and scared, he raised the alarm immediately. The first person he saw was the proprietor of the Aylesbury coach, James Wyatt, who was stopping by the toll gate. Wyatt went into the house and found Rachel's body on the floor of the sitting room and her husband's body in their bed, covered with a sheet.
William Hayward, an Aylesbury surgeon, was summoned to the scene. He arrived between nine and ten that morning, along with John Blissett, his assistant. Rachel's body was bruised and bloody. He thought that she and her husband, who was unclothed, had been killed by the edge of a blunt instrument or bludgeon, as they had both suffered severe injuries to the head. In detail, Mr Needle had a fracture on the right side of his skull, and over his right eye a wound that was an inch long and half-an-inch deep. His right ear was lacerated and torn and there were marks on his right hand, as though he had tried to ward off the blows. In both cases, the blows to the head had been the likely cause of death. Joseph Hill, an Aylesbury shoemaker, arrived not long after Joseph Davies, and raised the alarm, and located the bludgeons used to commit the murder – one of which was under the bed. They were bloody and one was almost broken in the middle.
The day after the bodies were discovered, the Magistrates' Marylebone Office received details of the murders. The principal investigator was a Mr Minshull, a Bow Street Runner who lived in Aylesbury. On being told of the murders, he went to the crime scene accompanied by many countrymen, who he had sworn in as special constables. They were sent in all directions from the murder scene, with instructions to apprehend any suspicious person they might meet. Minshull also sent messages to all resident magistrates in the neighbourhood, asking for their co-operation. These included the Earl of Bridgewater, whose seat was near Berkhamsted, and because he was absent, the message arrived in the hands of his secretary, Mr Atty, who went to the nearest village, Gaddesden, to inform the residents of the contents of the message.
Meanwhile, at about eight in the evening, some of the men despatched by Minshull arrived at the Bridgewater Arms in Little Gaddesden, around the same time as those summoned by Atty. Mr Bennett, the publican, upon being told the cause of alarm, said that there were three strangers in his tap room – two men and a woman – whom he believed were acting suspiciously. Joseph Impey, an ostler at the pub, noted that they were exhausted on arrival. They then ate beef steaks, recently purchased from a butcher in the village, which they had paid for with half pennies. They also carried bundles with them and on being observed, the woman retired to the toilets. The three were apprehended and detained by William Clarke and William Martin, the two constables for Tring. It was now half past nine at night.
They found bloodstains on the elbow and cuffs of one of the men's jackets, which was wet and dirty, as if attempts had been recently made to wash the blood off. Clay and dirt had been used to try and conceal other incriminating marks. There was also blood on a handkerchief and one of the bags they had with them.
Unbeknown to the constables, the first man arrested on suspicion of the crime was James Richards, described as a stout athletic countryman, and who had been detained on the day after the murder. Earlier that day he had been in The Sign of the Lord Thorley pub, in London, when a man was reading an account of the murders. Richards' face blanched and he appeared agitated. In a very hurried manner he asked where the crime had been committed, and soon afterwards asked directions to Fleet Street. Another customer in the pub thought that his behaviour was suspicious and reported it to the magistrates, with the result that Richards was taken into custody and questioned.
Richards said that he was from Oxfordshire. He had travelled from North Wales to Salisbury, then to Southampton and to Guildford, and then arrived in London. He claimed ignorance of the murders prior to hearing about them being read aloud in the pub. He added that he had two brothers living in London, but had not seen them since last spring and did not know where they lived. He was then detained until further enquiries into the case were made, but, presumably, was released as soon as news came from Minshull.
Meanwhile, the rector of Little Gaddesden, Revd James Horseman, the Earl of Bridgewater and Revd Mr Robert Jenks of Berkhamsted, all of whom were magistrates, arrived in Little Gaddesden. They examined the prisoners separately. Their suspicions surrounding the murder were confirmed when all three of the prisoners' stories contradicted the others. Proclaiming his innocence, the first prisoner told them that he was a shoemaker from Leicester who had been traipsing the country for work, and that he had only just met his companion on that very day. However, when the keeper of the county gaol at Aylesbury, James Sheriff, arrived, he said that he recognised the three prisoners after he had seen them lurking around the locality for some days. This led to the magistrates' suspicions being lent additional weight.
The prisoners gave their names as James Croker, Thomas Randall and Martha Barnacle. Their bundles were examined and found to contain items which had been stolen from the toll house, including a pair of worsted stockings, a pair of leather braces, a large clasp knife, a pair of leather gloves, a pair of shoes, a tobacco stopper, 12s 6d in silver and four pence. There had been little physical evidence left in the toll house, but some nails, which matched those on the prisoners' boots, were found there.
The following day, Martha was questioned alone. She said that she had known Thomas Randall for about a year but had only known the other for only a short while. On the night of the murder, all three had been together at Berkhamsted. The men left at eight that night, telling her that they were going to do a job which would fetch a hundred pounds. She claimed that she then exhorted them to not commit murder, before arranging to meet the next day at an appointed place, before stating to the magistrates that she had been told not 'to tell all she knew, lest she be murdered herself,' so she said no more.
Further investigations continued on the Friday following the murder, at the King's Arms at Berkhamsted. At four that afternoon, the prisoners were taken to Aylesbury. En route they stopped at the toll house where the murders had been committed. The two men were taken separately into the rooms where the bodies had been found; Croker was first to enter and once they were both inside they were shown the corpses, which were in their coffins. Croker patently did not want to view them and remained silent. Randall, however, did look and said that it was a dreadful spectacle, before thanking God that he had had no hand in their deaths. From their reactions, the investigators believed that it had been Croker who had inflicted the fatal wounds.
It was later discovered that a horse had been taken from an adjoining field and brought to the gate. Mrs Needle, believing this was a traveller arriving at the gate, went to the door of the toll house and then went into the road. Although her body had been found inside the house, the amount of mud attached to her clothes suggested that she had been killed outside and dragged inside afterwards, to delay the discovery of the crime.
Earlier that day, the inquest had been opened at The White Hart in Aylesbury, before John Chersley, the county coroner. Reverend Messrs Ashfield and Revd Thomas Archer, vicar of Whitchurch (both of whom were magistrates) were present, and the jury was composed of a dozen respectable farmers and inhabitants of the town of Aylesbury.
After Hayward gave evidence regarding the method of the murders, and hearing Davies' evidence of finding the bodies, Charles Finch gave a rather more lengthy statement. He was a labourer who lived in Aston Clinton, and at 10.30 on the Monday night he was working near to the Aston turnpike. He saw two men on the road nearby (later identified as Croker and Randall). One was a short, thick man carrying a bundle under his arm. He was wearing a light-coloured, drab cloth coat, with light, worsted cord breeches which came over the calves of his legs, and a single-breasted coat. He said that the man had had a pale face. The other was a tall, slightly lame man who was wearing a light-coloured fustian frock coat and carrying a black thorn stick. He wore ankle boots and was dark-looking. Finch thought they were behaving oddly as they left the road and moved through a field towards the toll house. At five o'clock the next morning he saw the two men again, and once more that night, at about half past ten. On the second occasion they were wearing the same clothes as before, and this time they had a woman with them. Finch thought that they looked like ruffians and said to his companion, 'I should not like to meet them on a dark night.' They were walking towards Aston Clinton at this time.
Mrs Norris, a friend of the Needles, was shown items which had been found on the three suspects. This included a pipe-stopper, which was made of copper and plated with silver. Mrs Norris was convinced that this had belonged to the Needles. There were shoes and stockings among the stolen items, which she believed may have been owned by the elderly couple, but she could not be entirely sure about those. The inquest was adjourned until Saturday evening.
William Wood of Aston Clinton, a cobbler and an old friend of the Needles, was examined next. He was shown the shoes that the prisoners claimed belonged to them, but Wood was convinced that they had belonged to his late friend and stated that he had examined the shoes on the Sunday before the murders. Thomas Wyatt, a Tring constable, recalled meeting the prisoners on the road, walking rapidly towards Tring in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The coroner summed up the proceedings with great perspicuity. At half past nine he concluded, and the jury only took a short time to decide their verdict. They declared that Thomas Randall and James Croker were guilty of wilful murder, and that they were to stand trial at the next assizes.
In the meantime, the Needles were buried at St Michael's Church, with the funeral expenses being met by their former employers, the trustees of the turnpike.
Later that month, a man named Rowe, who lived near Tring, was examined by the magistrates. He claimed that he had seen the three prisoners together on the evening of the murder. According to him, Croker had said that they had a job to do, and were afraid they would be too late, before leaving the pub. On the Thursday following the crime, Rowe had found two bundles under a hedge on the road from Tring to Little Gaddesden. In these were a pistol – identified as belonging to Mr Needle – some of Mrs Needle's clothing, two silver spoons and other items belonging to the murdered couple. Some suspected Rowe of being involved with the murders, as he had been drinking with the accused prior to the crime. He was questioned regarding his movements on the fatal night, and how it was that he had made the discovery of the bundles – fortunately for him, he was able to satisfactorily defend himself against both accusations and was discharged.
Randall and Croker stood trial at the Spring Assizes, held at Aylesbury on 4 March 1823. Such was the interest in the case, that people started gathering at half past eight in the morning and, by nine o'clock, the courtroom was crowded. Randall pleaded not guilty, whereas Croker pleaded guilty. Croker was told by the judge that he should withdraw his plea and change it to that of his associate; otherwise he would not receive a trial but an automatic verdict of guilty. Croker did not change his mind and only Randall was tried, with Croker sitting through it.
Charles White was the first witness to be called. He stated that he had passed through the turnpike gates at between nine and ten on Tuesday night, and at that time Needle was alive and well. He then said that he had found the corpses the following morning.
Mrs Todd, a lodging-house keeper in Walton Green, Aylesbury, said that Randall had stayed with her on the Saturday preceding the murders. Croker had arrived on Sunday and all three stayed there on the Sunday night. They stayed on Monday night, too, but all left at nine o'clock the following morning. Francis Cook of Berkhamsted, another lodging-house keeper, recalled Randall arriving there on Tuesday afternoon and said that Martha Barnacle had slept there alone. Randall arrived to collect her the following morning at seven, telling her that Croker had gone on to Hunton Bridge, about nine miles away, and that they should follow him and breakfast on the road.
Mary Tomkins, landlady of The Green Man in Tring, recalled the three drinking there between ten and eleven on the morning before the murders. Croker remained there all day, but the other two left. After they had returned, and before they headed out again, she recalled one of them saying, 'It is a quarter past – half past eight is our time, and that will be soon enough.' Thomas Monk then told the court that he saw the two on the road to Aylesbury after leaving the pub.
Martha Barnacle, a single woman from Cubbington, Warwickshire, then gave her evidence. She and Randall had been traipsing the countryside during November 1822, selling cottons and laces. She had met him at Foster's Booth, near Towcester in Northamptonshire. He was on his way to London and promised he would marry her on arrival. They travelled to Buckinghamshire and met Croker. Once they had arrived in Aylesbury, Croker said he was going to Oxford, but Martha begged Randall not to accompany him as she thought he was bad company. Randall replied that he was off to Tring instead, to sell a greatcoat. The two men returned that evening, with food and four gowns – the latter had been 'found' between Tring and Aylesbury. Randall told her that he knew a girl with £100 who wanted to run away with him. He said he was not in love with her, but that they could relieve her of her money, though Martha begged him not to do so.
On the following day, the three left Aylesbury for Berkhamsted, and along the way they retrieved some goods that Randall had hidden behind a hedge. They then went to The Green Man at Tring. Randall and Martha left to go to a lodging house in Berkhamsted, where he left her. He returned on the Wednesday morning, and, despite Martha urging that they eat breakfast there, insisted on leaving immediately. She thought they would be travelling to London but he said they would not, as there were bundles they had to collect, which he had hidden near Berkhamsted. She asked if they had the £100 he had spoken of, to which he replied, 'No, we have had a very bad night of it,' but he did confirm that they had enough to get them to London. They eventually met Croker and ate breakfast, before proceeding to Gaddesden.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Buckinghamshire Murders by Jonathan Oates. Copyright © 2012 Dr Jonathan Oates. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page,Dedication,
Acknowledgements,
Introduction,
1. The Toll House Murders Aston Clinton, 1822,
2. Accident or Murder? Tingewick, 1822,
3. Justice Delayed Aylesbury, 1828–1830,
4. Dreadful Murder at Dorney Dorney, 1853,
5. Massacre at Denham Denham, 1870,
6. A Domestic Murder Olney, 1873,
7. Dreadful Murder at Slough Slough, 1881,
8. Lucky Escape? Bledlow, 1893,
9. Child Murder at Colnbrook Colnbrook, 1900,
10. The Second Slough Murder Slough, 1910,
11. An Eton Murder Eton, 1912,
12. A Double Murder Little Kimble, 1914,
13. 'I have been a source of worry and trouble' Little Marlow, 1921,
14. A Pub Shooting High Wycombe, 1937,
Afterword,
Bibliography,
Copyright,