The wicked boy, the mystery of a Victorian child murderer, by Kate Summerscale
Type
Label
The wicked boy, the mystery of a Victorian child murderer, by Kate Summerscale
Language
eng
Form of composition
other
Main title
The wicked boy
Responsibility statement
by Kate Summerscale
Sub title
the mystery of a Victorian child murderer
Summary
In East London in the summer of 1895, Robert Coombes (age thirteen) and his brother Nattie (age twelve) were arrested for matricide and sent for trial at the Old Bailey. Robert confessed to having stabbed his mother, but his lawyers argued that he was insane. The judge sentenced him to detention in Broadmoor, the most infamous criminal lunatic asylum in the land. Shockingly, Broadmoor turned out to be the beginning of a new life for Robert. At a time of great tumult and uncertainty, Robert Coombes's case crystallized contemporary anxieties about the education of the working classes, the dangers of pulp fiction, and evolving theories of criminality, childhood, and insanity. 2016
Target audience
specialized
Classification
Contributor
Creator
Genre
Subject
- True crime stories
- Murder + Investigation -- England -- London -- History -- 19th century
- Coombes, Nathaniel, 1883-1946 -- Trials, litigation, etc
- Coombes, Robert, 1882-1949 -- Childhood and youth
- Coombes, Nathaniel, 1883-1946 -- Childhood and youth
- Coombes, Robert, 1882-1949 -- Trials, litigation, etc
- Juvenile homicide -- England -- London -- History -- 19th century
Author
Narrator
Incoming Resources
- Has instance1
Outgoing Resources
- Classification1
- Contributor1
- Creator1
- Genre1
- Subject7
- True crime stories
- Murder + Investigation -- England -- London -- History -- 19th century
- Coombes, Nathaniel, 1883-1946 -- Trials, litigation, etc
- Coombes, Robert, 1882-1949 -- Childhood and youth
- Coombes, Nathaniel, 1883-1946 -- Childhood and youth
- Coombes, Robert, 1882-1949 -- Trials, litigation, etc
- Juvenile homicide -- England -- London -- History -- 19th century
- Author1
- Narrator1