Murder, Misadventure and Miserable Ends: Tales from a Colonial Coroner's Court

Murder, manslaughter, suicide, mishap - the very public business of determining death in colonial Sydney.
Murder in colonial Sydney was a surprisingly rare occurrence, so when it did happen it caused a great sensation. People flocked to the scene of the crime, to the coroner's court and to the criminal courts to catch a glimpse of the accused.

Most of us today rarely see a dead body. In nineteenth century Sydney, when health was precarious and workplaces and the busy city streets were often...