Before Road there was Frome . . . before Whicher there was Smith . . . before the heartless slaughter of four year old Saville Kent there was the brutal rape and murder of fourteen year old Sarah Watts. Taking place nine years earlier than the Road Hill case, made famous by the best-selling book The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and subsequent television adaptation, The Awful Killing of Sarah Watts: A Story of Confessions, Acquittals and Jailbreaks recounts the shocking details of this 1851 murder, on an isolated farm near Frome, and the incredible events that transpired from it. On Wednesday 24th September 1851, with her parents at market, Sarah Watts was alone at Battle Farm. Sometime during the afternoon, an intruder battered, raped and brutally murdered her. As the case gripped the nation, a London Detective was sent to investigate. The result was three local men - all notorious felons with previous convictions - were arrested and charged; but with a huge reward on offer, were they really guilty or just hapless victims of others' greed? When they did stand trial, it set in motion a series of riveting events that culminated a decade later in a sensational confession; but was this confessor's sanity to be questioned and were they even in the country at the time of the murder? For the very first time, this sensational story is told in full-length book form, with the authors having meticulously researched newspaper accounts, court transcripts, prison records and eyewitness accounts.

A true crime account of a murdered teen in Victorian-era England, the Scotland Yard sergeant sent to investigate, and the gripping events that followed. Before Road there was Frome . . . before Whicher there was Smith . . . before the heartless slaughter of four-year-old Saville Kent, there was the brutal rape and murder of fourteen-year-old Sarah Watts. Taking place nine years earlier than the Road Hill case, made famous by the bestselling book The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and a subsequent television adaptation, The Awful Killing of Sarah Watts recounts the shocking details of this 1851 murder on an isolated farm near Frome and the incredible events that transpired from it. On Wednesday 24th September 1851, with her parents at market, Sarah Watts was alone at Battle Farm. Sometime during the afternoon, an intruder battered, raped and brutally murdered her. As the case gripped the nation, a London Detective was sent to investigate. The result was three local men—all notorious felons with previous convictions—were arrested and charged; but with a huge reward on offer, were they really guilty or just hapless victims of others’ greed? When they did stand trial, it set in motion a series of riveting events that culminated a decade later in a sensational confession; but was this confessor’s sanity to be questioned and were they even in the country at the time of the murder? For the very first time, this sensational story is told in full-length book form, with the authors having meticulously researched newspaper accounts, court transcripts, prison records and eyewitness accounts. Praise for The Awful Killing of Sarah Watts “A fascinating account of the murder and the subsequent arrest of three men who might not have had anything to do with the crimes against the little girl; this is a cold case that deserves this attention, and the authors have done the little girl proud!” —Books Monthly

Every inch of legendary Somerset is steeped in history, from the towns of Dunster and Taunton in the west, to those of Shepton Mallet and Frome in the east; while also contained within its county boundaries are the cities of Bath and Wells and the mystical and magical Isle of Avalon: Glastonbury. The county, located in southwest England and part of the Ancient Kingdom of Wessex, has played a significant role in many of the nation’s most formative events. These include the Roman occupation, Alfred the Great’s rise to power, the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. And all this epoch-making activity has been played out against a landscape of dramatic and breath-taking beauty, from vast tracts of land such as Exmoor, hill ranges such as Mendip and Blackdown and an abundance of incredible rivers, lakes and streams; many situated within the famous Somerset Levels. Wordsworth, Coleridge and Austen, among many others, have immortalised the county in literature, while everyone from the Celts, Cavaliers and Saxons, to the Roundheads, Romans and rebels have fought over its sought-after resources. The authors, both living in Somerset, guide you on a fascinating and illuminating trip into the past of this most historical and legendary of counties, which boasts among its attractions the last battle fought upon English soil, the scene of the Bloody Assizes and the final resting place of King Arthur.

The Somerset town of Frome might top national polls as a great place to live and enjoy a reputation as the epitome of cool, with Hollywood A-listers regularly spotted on its street and global rock-stars playing its venues, but the place hasnt always been so chic and behind this modern-day faade lies a more sinister and foul past; full of murder, kidnapping, rioting, witchcraft and rebellion, among the other nefarious activities that have taken place over the centuries in the town and surrounding areas.Indeed, the very existence of Frome is down to acts of criminality; as it has been said the reason Saint Aldhelm built his Saxon church in the first place, thus bringing the market town into being, was to civilise the outlaws and bandits who roamed the interior of Selwood Forest; the huge tract of woodland which encircled the land that became the original settlement.Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in and Around Frome chronicles fourteen foul but fascinating stories that includes the Frome vicar who wrote the most significant book on witchcraft, influencing everyone from The Great Beast himself, Aleister Crowley, to the perpetrators of the Salem witch trials; the key turning point in the Monmouth Rebellion; the last person to be publicly hanged outside Taunton gaol; a war veterans triple tragedy; and the violent and brutal pitched battle that was the culmination of a long-running feud between the local populace and the Salvation Army.You will never look at Frome the same way again.

An informative springboard from which to dive deep into the rich and illustrious heritage of the county steeped in the legend of King Arthur. Every inch of legendary Somerset is imbued with history, from the towns of Dunster and Taunton in the west, to those of Shepton Mallet and Frome in the east; while also contained within its county boundaries are the cities of Bath and Wells and the mystical and magical Isle of Avalon: Glastonbury. The county, located in southwest England and part of the Ancient Kingdom of Wessex, has played a significant role in many of the nation’s most formative events. These include the Roman occupation, Alfred the Great’s rise to power, the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. And all this epoch-making activity has been played out against a landscape of dramatic and breathtaking beauty, from vast tracts of land such as Exmoor, hill ranges such as Mendip and Blackdown and an abundance of incredible rivers, lakes and streams; many situated within the famous Somerset Levels. Wordsworth, Coleridge and Austen, among many others, have immortalized the county in literature, while everyone from the Celts, Cavaliers and Saxons, to the Roundheads, Romans and rebels have fought over its sought-after resources. The authors, both living in Somerset, guide you on a fascinating and illuminating trip into the past of this most historical and legendary of counties, which boasts among its attractions the last battle fought upon English soil, the scene of the Bloody Assizes and the final resting place of King Arthur.

A look at the dark side of life in Bath in centuries past. This book will fascinate anyone with an interest in the history of crime as well as those who want to know more about the history of Bath and the South West of England.

Frome at War 1939-1945 is a comprehensive account of this Somerset market town’s experience of the conflict, covering in detail life on the Home Front set against the background of the wider theatres of war. The narrative of that global struggle is given with a focus on the ordeals endured by the people of Frome, as they cheered their men and women fighters off to war, welcomed hundreds of evacuated men, women and children to the town, and contributed their part to the fight against Hitler and the Nazi threat. Rare insights into the life of the town are included, along with seldom told stories from the footnotes of history; from Frome’s part within the secret underground resistance movement and the national fight for women’s equality, to the gradual influx of American GIs and Field-Marshall Montgomery's stay in the aftermath of Dunkirk. The book incorporates memoirs and memories, along with in depth research from official records and newspaper accounts, which allow the reader to see the war not only from ordinary people’s perceptive, but the military experiences of Frome’s heroic men and women - and in many cases their tragic sacrifices – as well. More controversial aspects are also touched on, including injustice, espionage, racism and politics, to give a full and fascinating picture of a town facing profound trials of endurance and courage, but at the same time revealing the characteristics that have sustained Frome throughout its illustrious and turbulent history.