Murderer???

[Liane Hawes]

Hi don't know if anyone can help.

I am trying to find the details of a supposed axe murderer in the family. He was born c1905 in Cornwall and supposedly murdered his wife with an axe and was sent to a mental hospital. I have tried searching the newspapers but have yet to find anything - where is the best place for court records?

Hope someone can help solve this family story.

Thanks

Liane|banghead||help|

[Astoria]

Can we have a name?

[MarkJ]

The best way to move forward on this would be to search the local papers from the relevant period I think. If you haven't come across anything then perhaps the event took place in a different area or period of time than the one you are looking in?

Because of the timescale, it might be best to avoid being too specific on the forum - there may well be relatives (e.g children) still alive who may find the details distressing.

Was this in Cornwall or elsewhere?

Mark

[Astoria]

Sorry Mark, once again I forgot about the living :o

[Geoffers]

I am trying to find the details of a supposed axe murderer in the family. He was born c1905 in Cornwall and supposedly murdered his wife with an axe and was sent to a mental hospital. I have tried searching the newspapers but have yet to find anything - where is the best place for court records?

First place to try is TNA's catalogue (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/search.asp)

Try these searches

First in the word or phrase field enter his surname followed by - AND murder
(and must be in capitals)
leave other fields blank and search
(If the name is Smith or something really common, try adding a forename).

If you get no hits by that, try just his surname in the field and restrict the year range to the year of his marriage through to the last possible date when he may have committed the offence.

You might try one last search
Again in the word or phrase field.enter his surname
Leave the year range blank
In the department or series code enter - HO

[Procat]

If the story is correct it would have rated a mention in The Times.

The digital archive is online for 1785 - 1985 and you may well be able to access it for free at your local library.

[Chris Doran]

If the story is correct it would have rated a mention in The Times.

The digital archive is online for 1785 - 1985 and you may well be able to access it for free at your local library.A search of The Times index on "devon axe murder" (without the quotes) for dates 1910-1945 finds, inter alia, the issue of 9-Jun-1925 reporting that the Home Secretary has declined to reprieve one H*** E**** D***. Could this be him?

[Liane Hawes]

Hi All

Thanks for your help. Geoffers I will look at TNA today when I get a moment and see what I can find.

Chris thanks for looking but that doesn't appear to be the one I am looking for but thanks for your help.

Liane

[Liane Hawes]

Hi Geoffers

Thanks for your help. I have today had the time to look at the TNA catalogue and have located the persons records which are an open document. I am very excited and will now have another trip to Kew.

Thanks for your help. I'm still finding my way in this fantastic new hobby. My husband thinks I'm strange wanting to find dead people especially when I take him grave hunting (I know how to show a bloke a good time!!).

Thanks again

Liane
xx|hug|

[Geoffers]

Thanks for your help. I have today had the time to look at the TNA catalogue and have located the persons records which are an open document. I am very excited and will now have another trip to Kew.

Having carried out a search you will either have got several hits, or a single hit.

Whichever it is click on the underlined blue bit under 'title/scope and content'

Look across to the right of the screen and you'll see a button 'request this'

Copying the whole document may prove costly, but for £8.50 TNA will copy the first 10 pages to be sent to you via the 'digital express' service.

Just an option to get some information quite quickly in case you can't wait.

[Liane Hawes]

Hi Geoffers

Thanks for that but having been to the National Archives for my first visit recently to find a service record, I can't wait to go back again - sad or what?? So I shall be taking a day trip one Saturday and probably dragging the long suffering hubby with me (with the promise of a pub lunch afterwards!).

Have a good weekend.

Liane
|hug|

[SearchingSadler]

My husband thinks I'm strange wanting to find dead people especially when I take him grave hunting (I know how to show a bloke a good time!!).

Thanks again

Liane
xx|hug|
lolol, snap! Although mine's just glad I don't talk to them anymore lol. Think if I took my hubby grave hunting I'd be too tempted to push him in one. I go with my dad :D