Murder, Myth and Mayhem

The story goes that Joram Cox, a cobbler, was both double-jointed and visually ugly - indeed he was invoked by mothers to frighten their wayward…

The Trials and Tribulations of the Enclosure of the Common

Many attempts were made to enclose the common, the first being in 1733, which failed, as did other efforts. However, in 1866 the squire's young son,…

John Hancox Shot and Blinded by Three Burglars at Tunley Farm, 1832

In 1832 when the farm was occupied by H W Hancox, then aged 23 it was the scene of an infamous and violent crime. Tunley Farm was very isolated,…

The Pest House Riots

In 1896 a plan of the Stroud joint hospital board to house smallpox cases in the old parish pest-house at Oakridge angered local people who rioted and…

The 1893 Murder of James Wyndham

James Wyndham, shot dead by his son Frederick, buried 24 Oct 1893, Oakridge.Excerpts from the Gloucester Chronicle 1893Execution of Frederick Wyndham…