A bloody case from Ely’s past features in a new book which provides a guide to historic crimes in Britain’s pubs and hotels.
Murder at The Inn: A History of Crime in Britain’s Pubs and Hotels reveals where to find more than 250 hostelries across the country linked to historic cases of murder and mayhem, some of which date back hundreds of years.
As well as featuring well known criminals like the Krays, Dick Turpin and Jack the Ripper the book also reveals the details of criminal cases relating to Ely including that of Thomas Kidderminster.
In 1654, Kidderminster, a farmer, from Ely, was travelling to London and happened to stay at the White Horse in Chelmsford, Essex. Here he was robbed of the £600 he was carrying and killed by a Mr Sewell, who subsequently gave up running the inn.
The murder did not come to light until 1663 when some remains were dug up in the inn’s yard by its new owner.
Author James Moore, a former journalist, said: “The history of Britain’s pubs, inns and hotels has gone hand in hand with the history of crime. Now, for the first time we link pubs that can still be found today with captivating and sometimes horrifying tales from their past.”
Murder at the Inn by James Moore is published by The History Press and priced at £9.99.
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