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Before the Acid Bath Killer: Death in a Victorian Workhouse

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Manage episode 502251106 series 3373673
Content provided by Robin Coles. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Robin Coles or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Before the Acid Bath Killer: Death in a Victorian Workhouse
News of the Times | Episode 538 |1842
Long before the notorious Acid Bath Killer horrified Britain, one quiet town faced its own chilling tragedy — not in some alleyway, but inside the walls of a Victorian workhouse. In Bromsgrove, 1842, a surgeon prescribed a sulphur bath to treat "the itch" among impoverished children. Nineteen were immersed. One never came out alive.
Was it a medical miscalculation? Or did neglect tip into something darker?
Join us as we revisit the original inquest and the harrowing details of a chemical treatment so potent, it scalded the skin from a child’s body. This is Victorian medicine at its most dangerous — a haunting echo of how society treated its most vulnerable.
🔍 Featuring original newspaper reports, inquest testimony, and expert accounts, this episode dives into one of the most shocking workhouse deaths of the 19th century — and the doctor who walked away unpunished.
🚨 Further Particulars: The Donkey Who Refused to Go
Meanwhile, in Worcester, a separate scandal unfolds. A four-legged escapee, impounded for the grievous offence of wandering into town, becomes the centre of a bureaucratic standoff — by simply refusing to move. Officials plead, owners disclaim, and hay disappears at a remarkable rate. Only the donkey emerges unbothered and well-fed.
If you enjoy chilling true crime, Victorian absurdity, and a dash of the surreal, subscribe for more. And if you'd like to keep us in tea and donkey feed, you’ll find the Patreon link just below.
👤 Narrated by Robin Coles
📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday
🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month
📚 Related cases from the archive:
1766 - 1848: Shocking Dark Crime Tales of Britain | EP373 https://youtu.be/WIvzA4DAwUA
1849: The Curious Case of the Harvard Murder | EP378
https://youtu.be/n23PlQFqhlw
1836 & 1843: The Trouble with Harriet | EP398
https://youtu.be/BrZh10eMQ0s
❤️ Support Independent History
If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit:
👉 **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent):
https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime
☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We t

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
Our YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimes
Our Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405
Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at [email protected]
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

  continue reading

710 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 502251106 series 3373673
Content provided by Robin Coles. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Robin Coles or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Before the Acid Bath Killer: Death in a Victorian Workhouse
News of the Times | Episode 538 |1842
Long before the notorious Acid Bath Killer horrified Britain, one quiet town faced its own chilling tragedy — not in some alleyway, but inside the walls of a Victorian workhouse. In Bromsgrove, 1842, a surgeon prescribed a sulphur bath to treat "the itch" among impoverished children. Nineteen were immersed. One never came out alive.
Was it a medical miscalculation? Or did neglect tip into something darker?
Join us as we revisit the original inquest and the harrowing details of a chemical treatment so potent, it scalded the skin from a child’s body. This is Victorian medicine at its most dangerous — a haunting echo of how society treated its most vulnerable.
🔍 Featuring original newspaper reports, inquest testimony, and expert accounts, this episode dives into one of the most shocking workhouse deaths of the 19th century — and the doctor who walked away unpunished.
🚨 Further Particulars: The Donkey Who Refused to Go
Meanwhile, in Worcester, a separate scandal unfolds. A four-legged escapee, impounded for the grievous offence of wandering into town, becomes the centre of a bureaucratic standoff — by simply refusing to move. Officials plead, owners disclaim, and hay disappears at a remarkable rate. Only the donkey emerges unbothered and well-fed.
If you enjoy chilling true crime, Victorian absurdity, and a dash of the surreal, subscribe for more. And if you'd like to keep us in tea and donkey feed, you’ll find the Patreon link just below.
👤 Narrated by Robin Coles
📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday
🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month
📚 Related cases from the archive:
1766 - 1848: Shocking Dark Crime Tales of Britain | EP373 https://youtu.be/WIvzA4DAwUA
1849: The Curious Case of the Harvard Murder | EP378
https://youtu.be/n23PlQFqhlw
1836 & 1843: The Trouble with Harriet | EP398
https://youtu.be/BrZh10eMQ0s
❤️ Support Independent History
If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit:
👉 **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent):
https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime
☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We t

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
Our YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimes
Our Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405
Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at [email protected]
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

  continue reading

710 episodes

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