About this episode
A Most Inconvenient Pregnancy: Class, Murder, and the Doddinghurst Tragedy of 1850News of the Times | Episode 577 | 1850Step into the shadows of rural England, where a quiet field near a stile becomes the setting for a grim discovery.A young woman is found face-down in the grass. She was pregnant. And someone wanted her silence — permanent.As whispers ripple through the small 1850s community of Doddinghurst, a troubling picture emerges: a man with much to lose, a secret love affair, and the desperate measures taken to protect a fragile reputation.This haunting case from the Victorian era unfolds through inquest records, witness accounts, and a telling web of circumstantial evidence — revealing how reputation could be deadlier than truth.? Join us as we delve into the social pressure, forensic limitations, and moral contradictions of 19th-century England in a case that shocked its time.And in today’s “further particulars”…Where the Doddinghurst tragedy gave us scandal and sorrow, our next tale offers no secret liaisons, no blackmail, and no lace-bound arsenic.Just one man.One mousehttps://youtu.be/VFjhBenGoZw.And a coroner’s report that should really come with a lunchtime warning.? From the Manchester Evening News, we bring you a story quite literally swallowed whole… and still squeaking.? Hosted by Robin Coles? New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday ?? Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month ? Related cases from the archive: 1856: The Murder of George Samuel Little - A Locked Room Mystery | EP469 https://youtu.be/UeoyQsJtEbU1854: He Brought a Gun to His Own Arrest: The Shocking Case of James Tucker | EP530 https://youtu.be/nGWHRjedwgE ?? Support Independent History If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit: ? **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent): https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime ? Prefer a one-off thank-you? We LOVE a posh coffee indulgence! We tip our top hats: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd? About the Channel We’re an independent team of historical researchers and narrators specialising in 18th to early 20th century British t Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! ? https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs. Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f
