Crime in Victorian London
Bonneting, Letterboxing, and Garrotting
Crime on the streets of Dickens London usually brings the mind the run-of-the-mill criminals. You’ve got your pickpockets, your ladies of ill repute, and your average pub brawls. So instead, let’s talk about some unique felonies that you may not have ever heard about.
Bonneting
In Victorian London, crime was abundant, particularly mugging. There were many ways thieves went about preying on the unsuspecting, but one way was called bonneting. This was accomplished by a handkerchief dipped in chloroform. The attacker came from behind, pressed the cloth to the victim’s nose, and once the poor fellow fainted, he robbed him blind.
Letterboxing
This is a form of theft that involves stealing letters from public mailboxes. Criminals would pilfer letters looking for valuable items, information, or even cash.
Garrotting
This is a particularly violent crime. Garrotting was a method of attacking and robbing someone by strangling them from behind. It gained notoriety in the mid-nineteenth century and led to increased public concern about street crime.
So, why all the focus on crime today? Because in my new release, The Sleuth of Blackfriars Lane, heroine Kit Forge and her retired police sergeant father open a new investigative agency in order to sweep the London streets clean of corruption.
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