The detective branch of the Metropolitan Police was still a fairly new body of men when they were called upon to help solve a murder that both horrified and fascinated the British public, and caused a media frenzy evidenced by the newspapers of the time. This was in 1860 and the case became one of the Victorian era’s most intriguing murder mysteries – parts of which are still unsolved to this day. What shocked the Victorian public most were the secrets and lies in an outwardly respectable Victorian home where the murder occurred, and the fact that the victim was a child. The public were alarmed at how an outwardly respectable family could conceal so many secrets.
The case also turned many of the British population into amateur detectives and popularised the use of detectives in the literature of the time. Charles Dickens, amongst other novelists, was one who took advantage of the public interest in the work of these professional detectives, modelling some of his characters on them.
Margaret is a part-time adult education lecturer, having taught in further, higher and adult education for many years. She also gives talks to various different organisations, her degree subjects and specialisms being History and English Literature, (mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries). Margaret also broadcasts a book review slot and a local history slot on community radio, and has contributed to newsletters, magazines and journals of both the Bronte Society and the Jane Austen Centre.
She is always happy to answer questions after the talk, which aims to be informative, entertaining and with a touch of humour.