Victorian Britain's most-wanted man

Victorian Britain's most-wanted man: Incredible life of crime of Charles Peace who killed his neighbour, a police officer and was the scourge of homeowners across the country

Victorian Britain's most-wanted man: Incredible life of crime of Charles Peace who killed his neighbour, a police officer and was the scourge of homeowners

He was one of the most prolific and wanted criminals of the Victorian age whose infamy was recorded in newspapers from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands.

Now, the life of Charles Peace, prolific cat burglar, escape artist, murderer and master of disguise, has been laid bare by researchers, using crime records as well as the numerous newspaper stories about him at the time.

Over 25-years Charles Peace, the son of a one-legged lion tamer, carried out a series of burglaries across Sheffield, Manchester and London, shot at several police officers, killing one, as well as a neighbour. He also managed to escape from prison.

He is believed to have avoided detection for many years with an ability to alter the shape of his face. He also used a fake arm to hide the fact he had a missing finger.

By the time the law finally caught up with him in 1879, when he was hanged at Armley Goal in Leeds, there was a reward of £100 on his head – the equivalent of around £8,785 today.

Peace was first arrested for house breaking in 1854. Over the next 20 years he was arrested and convicted several times.

After one prison stint he moved to Manchester but, in August 1859, was caught in the act of committing a burglary and arrested, though not before shooting and nearly killing his arresting officer. He was sentenced to six years' penal servitude.

Having served his sentence at various prisons across the country he went straight back to his bad ways and shortly after his release in 1866 was again caught in the act of burglary. He was given a sentence of eight years penal servitude at Manchester Assizes on December 3, 1866.

But while at Wakefield Prison he made a daring escape bid. Entrusted with repair work, he smuggled a small ladder into his cell and made a hole in his cell’s ceiling with a hand-made tin saw

He was spotted climbing onto the roof and he then ran along the wall of the prison before slipping into the governor's house, where he changed his clothes and waited for 90 minutes for an opportunity to escape. He was finally recaptured hiding in the governor's bedroom.

Following his release, Peace moved back to Sheffield and became infatuated with Katherine Dyson, the wife of his neighbour Arthur Dyson

She fled in terror and Mr Dyson, hearing the disturbance, began to chase Peace who continually fired at him as he ran, eventually hitting him in the head and killing him.

Peace ran straight to his wife and when two detectives arrived at his home she told them she had not seen her husband for months. As she kept them talking, Peace climbed onto an adjoining roof and hid behind a chimney-stack until detectives had finished an exhaustive search of the property.

There was a price of £100 on his head and a description of him was circulated, but Peace shaved his beard, dyed his hair, put on a pair of spectacles and used a strange ability to contort his features in such a way as to change the shape of his face. He also wore a fake arm to conceal a missing finger that had been shot off.

Peace went on the run and eventually settled in Peckham, south east London, using the name Thompson. He drove his pony and trap by day and burgled houses by night.

He conducted a series of daring burglaries in the affluent suburb of Blackheath. At 2am on October 10, 1878, Peace was disturbed while burgling a house by PC Edward Robinson and jumped out of a window. The officer gave chase and, despite being shot at five times and badly wounded, he gallantly held on to Peace until help arrived.

Peace gave his name as John Ward and was convicted at the Old Bailey on November 10, 1878, of attempting to murder PC Robinson. He was sentenced to a life of penal servitude and PC Robinson was given a £25 reward on the recommendation of the jury.

Living in Peckham with Peace had been a 'Mrs Thompson', his widowed mistress Susan, who eventually admitted John Ward’s true identity.

Peace was taken from Pentonville prison to Sheffield, where he stood trial for the murder of Arthur Dyson, but not before engaging in a violent struggle with his guards and throwing himself from a train in an unsuccessful bid to escape justice.

On February 4, 1879, Peace's trial began at Leeds Assizes, the jury convicted him after deliberating for 12 minutes, and he was sentenced to death.

Before his execution on February 25, 1879, however, Peace made a confession to a priest and admitted the shooting of another police officer, PC Nicholas Cock in Manchester in 1876, who had also disturbed him during a burglary. William Habron, 18, had been convicted and sentenced to death for this murder. Peace had even attended the trial but had said nothing.

Peace was defiant to the end and was sure of his place in heaven.  His execution was carried out by the famous hangman William Marwood.

Debra Chatfield, a family historian at findmypast.co.uk said: 'Charles Peace’s story is one of real fascination and he is without doubt one of the nastiest and most interesting villains from Victorian Britain.

We’ve brought his total disregard for human life and law and order to light through our crime records and the thousands of pages of newspaper articles available to search online at findmypast.co.uk.'

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