Rutherford, Helen and Sandford-Couch, Clare (2017) "Deep mystery surrounds the trial of Archibald Bolam": a microhistorical study of a most peculiar case. In: Criminal Heritage: Crime, Fiction, and History, 4th - 5th September 2017, Leeds, UK.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Connections may be drawn between ‘microhistory’ - which takes a specific focus on a place, person or event to illustrate or explore larger themes - and its possible antecedents in nineteenth-century compilations of crimes, trials and other ‘strange-but-true stories’. These factors make it an appropriate methodology for addressing the case of Archibald Bolam.
On 7th December 1838, Bolam was found unconscious, alongside a dead body, in a burning room at the Savings Bank, Newcastle upon Tyne. Bolam claimed he had been attacked by an intruder, yet the room showed no evidence of a struggle. Bolam’s story was doubted and he was tried for Wilful Murder in Spring of 1839. Bolam’s arrest and trial captured the public imagination; pamphlets were published, and wild speculation in the press led to the editor of a London newspaper being imprisoned and newspaper publishers fined the huge sum of £10,000. Bolam’s case was included as a precedent in legal manuals addressing the role of circumstantial evidence and contempt of court and the highly unusual circumstances in which a trial may be postponed.
Our paper draws on contemporary newspaper accounts and images to explore this peculiar case, which could be mistaken for high Victorian crime fiction.
| Item Type: | Conference or Workshop Item (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | M900 Other in Law V300 History by topic |
| Department: | Faculties > Business and Law > Northumbria Law School |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | Helen Rutherford |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Sep 2017 13:02 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Oct 2019 12:16 |
| URI: | http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/31762 |
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