My thanks to Pen and Sword publishers and NetGalley for a copy of “ Crime In The Victorian Black Country “ for an honest review
I love Pen and Sword and have found many of their publications essential reading when carrying out my family history .As I live in the Black Country this title seemed of particular interest to me, but although I thought it was interesting, It was more academic than entertaining and It didn’t help that the formatting wasn’t really set up for a kindle..
Nevertheless I appreciate the opportunity to get a copy to review

Thank you to Pen & Sword | Pen & Sword True Crime, the author and NetGalley for a DRC in return for an honest review

This book is a blend of true crime and social history, with the author focusing on criminal behaviour in the Black Country during the years 1870-1890 of Victorian Britain and the examination of the records of criminal behaviour.

The author, Tracey Blundell bases this work on research from her Master’s dissertation and unfortunately, that is exactly how it reads in places. While the content is interesting and well-researched, the presentation can be somewhat dry. When it engages, it really engages, but there are sections where the narrative feels weighed down by its academic roots.

The inclusion of photographs is welcome, though placing them within the relevant chapters rather than grouping them all at the end would have made them more impactful.

The book is split into five sections -

~ Where and what is The Black Country?
~ Petty crimes and misdemeanours
~ Anti social behaviour or challenge to authority?
~ Felonies and misdemeanours
~ Final Thoughts


An example of misogyny in Victorian Britain - Women who had paid work outside the home, were said to be to blame for the criminal behaviour, and in particular the drunkenness, of their Husbands, since they were not creating a civilised home life for them! One Factory Inspector actually made the assumption that 'because women preferred paid work, it must mean that they had an inherent dislike for domestic labour and maintaining domestic order'!

Another gem is the observation that fighting in The Black Country was a 'traditional way to settle disputes', with the authorities only getting involved when assaults were 'unprovoked or particularly brutal' as this saved the cost of bringing a prosecution.

Blundell cites evidence of a direct correlation between the number of thefts and the amount of Pawnbrokers in Walsall in this particular time period. People were not stealing items they needed but were instead taking items (like boots, clothing, fishing nets and brushes) that they could easily pawn, in order to then purchase food. January 1881 saw 47 Pawnbrokers recorded in Walsall alone - working out as one per 1,195 residents. Eleven years earlier in 1870, Walsall had only 15 - one per 3,750 people. Which means there was an astonishing 214% increase in Walsall pawnbrokers per capita between 1870 and 1881.

Another contributory factor to the crime rate during this period was, unsurprisingly. alcohol. Questions were raised how people who barely had enough money to get by still managed to acquire the funds to become inebriated on a regular basis. The answer, in the 1880s, is two fold. In the Black Country, it was traditional for part of the men's wages to be paid in beer and that 'any householder who contributed to the Poor Rate, could open their home as a beer shop, without need of a licence or the control of the excise officer'.

As a result of the Beerhouse Act 1830, if you were a householder (meaning you rented or owned a house) and you paid the local Poor Rate (a local tax used to support the poor), you could legally sell beer from your home as a beerhouse. Residents took advantage of a legal loophole designed to make beer cheaper and more accessible (to undercut gin), but it massively increased the number of these small beerhouses (more often than not, just someone’s front room) with minimal oversight. These informal Beerhouses proliferated, becoming hubs for drunkenness, disorder and sometimes criminal networking.

On the whole, this book is a fascinating and well-researched look at late Victorian working-class crime and its social context. It could perhaps benefit from a proof reader's eye to ensure the information is delivered in a more engaging way, but the historical nuggets it uncovers - some genuinely jaw-dropping - make it worth the read.

#CrimeintheVictorianBlackCountry #NetGalley

This is a title which borders on academic. It’s packed with statistics and it’s clear that the author has undertaken extensive research. I found the stats interesting, but I prefer to read about people and events rather than numbers, although I appreciate that with attention, they can be revealing. The firsts part if the book sets out the background to an area known as the Black Country. I lived for some years in the edge of the area, Sutton Coldfield, and I was always fascinated by the remarkable difference in landscape, language and industry despite towns like Lichfield, Walsall and Wolverhampton being only a few miles away. In reality, even in the 1960s when industry survived, but was in decline, the Black Country was another world, mainly distinguished by dialect which could be impenetrable. In that context, it is a unique area and the author’s explanation about the area at the beginning is useful and relevant.
I was surprised by the variation in sentencing and it’s disturbing to realise the way in which middle and upper class mores were influencing justice with little or no understanding of the social context of many of the crimes. Sad to say, I suspect little has changed in many ways. This is an interesting title which shoukd appeal to anyone with an interest in the area, crime or social history, It’s a unique area of the UK and Tracey Blundell gives the reader an insight into this fiercely independent and different society, shaped by hardworking people often battling against the odds and controlled by outsiders. I enjoyed it and my thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for a review copy

The author states that this book is formed through her work writing a Master's dissertation and I am sorry to say that this was what it read like. I found it somewhat dull in its format and aa struggle to complete. Not sure how it was made into a book - wish I'd tried with my dissertation! Sorry, just not for me.
However, my thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

An interesting insight into a short period of crime in the Black Country - 1870 to 1890.

I think the most striking thing about this research is that crimes and their punishments were very variable depending on who was judging them.

With ancestors from this area in this period it was fascinating to see what was happening on the streets around them. thankfully I didn't find any family names mentioned!

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for granting my wish and giving me access to this ARC !

As soon as I saw this book i knew I needed to read it. Being born and raised in the black country this was a very interesting read. I love our unique little history and I rate it 4 🌟

This was an interesting read.

The author, Tracey Blundell, divides the book into chapters and introduces certain crimes in these chapters. This made things easier to read and I believe the categorization system was well made. Blundell uses tables as well for their arguments which is helpful to understand. I believe the author did their research very well.

I liked that Blundell has introduced Black Country at the beginning of the book as I am not that familiar with the term. As a part of my research, I sometimes have to check crime cases so I understand the frustration with the lack of sources very well. However, just like how Blundell clarifies, that by no means the book is not enough to cover the crimes of the Victorian Black Country.

My problems were usually with the writing. Blundell states at the beginning of the book that this book was based on their master’s degree research. Maybe it is because of that or not but I believe Blundell did not clarify some things well. For example, when Blundell was talking about the historians in “What the Historians Have to Say” I realized there were only surnames without first names. This is common throughout the book and while some people are clearly easier to understand whom they are referred to such as “Hobsbawm”, I believe only last names is not enough for people who are not familiar with this research area. Similar thing happens later on in Chapter 3 where Blundell mentions historians. Since Blundell only speaks of historians but does not give examples from them, we only have to believe in these words.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and I believe the author did their research well but I am not sure who the audience for this book is. The reader can still understand the arguments in this book and Blundell clarifies many things regarding to Victorian Black Country. However, the tone is quite academic and while Blundell explains many things, we are expected to know some of the arguments too, so it makes it a bit confusing.

Thanks to Netgalley, Pen & Sword and Tracey Blundell for this advanced reader copy.

This may seem like a fairly narrow or niche topic but it is actually far more encompassing than the title suggests, offering analysis and insights into the wider English society of the time. There is a lot of useful information about laws and policing of the era, which makes for a great read. It’s written in quite an academic style, but there are plenty of case studies to keep any reader engaged. Unfortunately, the tables don’t translate across to kindle format, which is a shame.