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Was Justice Served?

The Was Justice Served? podcast sees a panel of experts re-examine the chilling true crimes in Britain's past using Findmypast's vast historical newspaper archive. Join Findmypast's Research Specialist Jen Baldwin, criminologist David Wilson and special guest David Olusoga to take a look at horrifying headlines and tantalising testimonials found in old British newspapers. With exclusive case files for each episode, you can help us to determine whether those responsible were brought to justice.

Meet our hosts

Jen Baldwin

With over two decades of historical research under her belt, no one knows their way around the world of old newspapers better than Research Specialist Jen Baldwin. Jen's research know-how and expert voice bring these forgotten crimes to life.

David Wilson

David Wilson is a criminologist and emeritus professor at Birmingham City University. He's no stranger to the grizzly and the bizarre: he's worked as a prison governor and even advised police forces in notable murder cases. He's written over 15 books on crime and its history.

David Olusoga

British historian, writer, filmmaker, professor and presenter David Olusoga joins Jen and David for the first episode of Was Justice Served?. It's not just his historical insight that he brings to the podcast - he also dives into a story of crime from within his family tree.

British and Irish newspaper pages

History as it really happened

There are billions of untold stories hidden within our archive of old British and Irish newspaper pages. From chilling true crimes to outrageous injustices, there's no better way to discover the past than through the headlines of the time.

Whether they were a pillar of their community or the black sheep of the family, you may uncover a shocking story about one of your ancestors.

Read all about it with the largest collection of British and Irish newspapers online at Findmypast.

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Episode 1: Murder in my family with David Olusoga

In the first episode of Was Justice Served?, Jen and David are joined by historian David Olusoga to discuss a murderous Victorian shooting that involved one of his own ancestors, George Ewart. Discover the context of the crime, the motivations for such violence, and how it played out at trial... After weighing up moving family testimonies, the evidence and more using newspaper clippings, Jen, David and David will judge whether or not justice was served in this deeply personal case.

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Over to you...

Don't just take our word for it - put on your detective cap and examine the evidence for yourself. We've clipped and compiled the case files used in each podcast episode, so you can view key testimonies, photos and more for each crime via Findmypast Collections. Collections allow you to save articles and photos from the Findmypast newspaper archive, and store them within a unique compilation dedicated to an event or topic.

With Episode 1's Collection, trace the decade-long grudge between Daniel Gray and George Ewart that would eventually leave one man dead. Ask yourself, does the pursuit of revenge justify such a violent crime? And what part did mental health play in the perpetrator's actions?

Use this Collection to uncover more details about the case and the jury's verdict.

Explore the Collection

Episode 2: The Camberley Poisoning

For the second episode of Was Justice Served?, Jen and David look at a mysterious double-poisoning that took place in Surrey in 1887. A woman and her stepson suffered violent deaths on the night of 12 September – but who was to blame? Our hosts review the evidence available, and trace how the story played out through newspapers from the time.

Listen now
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Over to you...

With Episode 2's Collection, trace what happened to Henry Bowles at trial. Was he found guilty of the double murder of Hannah and Edward? What could've been his motivation for potentially murdering his wife and nephew?

Read testimonies from the trial, weigh up the evidence for yourself, and ultimately discover who (and what) was responsible for this violent crime.

Explore the Collection

Episode 3: A Murderous Affair in Peasenhall

A young woman is discovered with her throat slit, the morning after an unexpected storm shook the Suffolk village of Peasenhall in the spring of 1902. Jen and David dive into this mysterious case in episode 3 of Was Justice Served?. They’ll unpick the shocking secrets that Rose Harsent’s death revealed, and judge whether or not her murderer was brought to justice.

Episode out 3 July

Episode 4: Sudden Death in Southend

In episode 4, our hosts take a look at the cryptic death of Julia Wood, who died unexpectedly in the summer of 1906. Was it a tragic accident that killed Julia, or were there more sinister factors at play? Jen and David will review the evidence, find out how the case played out at trial, and decide whether or not justice was served.

Episode out 10 July

Episode 5: Shotguns and Slander at Ardlamont

In the last episode of the series, Jen and David take a look at the Ardlamont case of 1893. With extensive newspaper reports in their arsenal, they’ll discuss whether the death of Cecil Hambroughwas a calculated murder or an unfortunate accident, on a gentlemen’s hunting trip gone awry. How did this story play out – and was justice served?

Episode out 17 July

Search for stories in our newspapers and publications

Explore millions of digitised pages of newspapers and other publications from our British and Irish collections, dating as far back as the 1700s.