Underworld London Pa

Catharine Arnold's London #4

by Catharine Arnold

Beginning with an atmospheric account of Tyburn, we are set up for a grisly excursion through London as a city of ne'er do wells, taking in beheadings and brutality at the Tower, Elizabethan street crime, cutpurses and con-men, through to the Gordon Riots and Highway robbery of the 18th century and the rise of prisons, the police and the Victorian era of incarceration. As well as the crimes, Arnold also looks at the grotesque punishments meted out to those who transgressed the law throughout London's history - from the hangings, drawings and quarterings at Tyburn over 500 years to being boiled in oil at Smithfield. This popular historian also investigates the influence of London's criminal classes on the literature of the 19th and 20th centuries, and ends up with our old favourites, the Krays and Soho gangs of the 50s and 60s. London's crimes have changed over the centuries, both in method and execution. Underworld London traces these developments, from the highway robberies of the eighteenth century, made possible by the constant traffic of wealthy merchants in and out of the city, to the beatings, slashings and poisonings of the Victorian era. An interesting read full of gory facts and details about London. This paperback book has 340 pages and measures: 19.7 x 12.9 x 2.2cm.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, London, Crime, Historical, Research

340 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2012

About the author

Catharine Arnold read English at Cambridge and holds a further degree in psychology. A journalist, academic and popular historian, Catharine's previous books include the novel "Lost Time", winner of a Betty Trask award. Her London trilogy for Simon & Schuster comprises of "Necropolis: London and Its Dead", "Bedlam: London and Its Mad" and "City of Sin: London and Its Vices".

Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second Catharine Arnold book I have read and the difference in penmanship, between the two, is incredible. Both books focus on historical London and its grisly past, but this book seems to be written with more of a passion. Parts are recounted with a fiction-style, lyrical prose, which made me both enchanted with the words and engaged in the information provided. Interesting, insightful, but most importantly to me, beautifully penned.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book, it's a great overview of crime and punishment in the city of London starting in the Medieval era. My issues with the book are, the editor could have done a better job of checking spelling and if things were stated correctly, for example drawn, hung and quartered instead of hanging,drawing and quartering. It also seems like the author tried to put too much into too few pages. I know it's a general history but some of it seemed rushed. These are the reasons it did not get a 5 star rating from me. The premise of the book was interesting and I plan on going through the bibliography to find the books the author used in research to find out more about specific topics mentioned in the book. Read this book if you need a basic idea or basic research in crime and punishment in London through the ages. Do not read it if you already have a basic idea of the subject matter, I feel it will frustrate you.

[Vikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should be considered as entertainment rather than non fiction. There are a lot of great stories in this book but several facts are omitted to suit the narrative , and the research methodology is oftentimes extremely poor and lazy.

[Peyton Labiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

i haven’t read a nonfiction book by choice in recent memory, and i’m v glad this was the first! nonfiction criminal history is going to be a frequently read sub-genre for me after this one

going back 800 years ago, Catharine Arnold chronologically takes you through the history of crime and capital punishment in London. she starts with medieval era torture hangings and progresses through history, all the way to modern violence in the city. i also loved the side story of the history and development of the prison system and law enforcement in London

Arnold does a great job focusing both on the general periods of crime and punishment and also dozens of (if not 100+) well-researched case studies of specific criminals and figures in London’s ‘underworld’

each chapter was also a perfect length of around 25ish pages, and the book was somewhat academic but very readable for any audience

5/5 stars from me!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third of Catharine Arnold's microhistories of London I've read, this one focussing on the matters of crime and punishment. Covering the better part of a millenium from medieval times until today, this volume contains a wealth of fascinating tidbits, though a little more depth would at times have been nice. Personally, I was particularly intrigued to learn that one of my favourite obscure movies, 1999's Plunkett & Macleane, was in fact (loosely) based on actual historical figures... guess you really do learn something new every day! (And now if you'll excuse me, I think I might need to go re-watch that.)

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve gotten somewhat behind with my reviewing after taking a week out in incredibly sunny Crete, so please forgive my brain dump whilst I catch up. First up for my holiday reads was Underworld London, combining my fascinations with true crime and history into one entertaining and informative book in the company of Catharine Arnold, someone who I’ve already read much of and enjoyed.

Underworld London takes a look at crime and punishment throughout London’s history, from the medieval executions for pretty much anything (with over 170 capital offences recorded at one point, you could be hung or burnt at the stake for such varied crimes as stealing a loaf of bread to believing in God wrong to plotting against the King) through to the abolition of the death penalty, as well as peering into and examining the state of our prisons through the ages (which were often where the most cruel and barbarous crimes were committed against the inmates by those in charge), Underworld London also documents the changing nature of the crimes committed and those committing them through the ages, as well as how the changing city itself leant itself to those changes. From the rookeries and slums into which criminals often sprang and could easily disappear, the deserted heaths upon which the highwaymen plied their trade and the the teeming streets which gave opportunities to pickpockets, pimps, prostitutes, dealers and many more, much of London’s crime has been shaped by the city itself. Of course, human nature also plays a significant part – with desperation, need, greed, passion, political inconvenience, circumstance and sometimes just plain being a wrong ‘un all never going out of fashion – and a parade of fascinating people and stories (even if they’re just their highlights) all grace the pages, many of whom will prompt you – if you’re anything like me – to jot them down for further reading.

Interesting enough to keep me turning the pages while also light enough to not depress me, Underworld London also had me stopping my boyfriend every few minutes to tell him a new interesting or shocking fact. So if you too would like to annoy your loved ones with things they find nowhere near as fascinating as you do, you should probably give this a go.

**Also posted at Cannonball Read 9**

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catharine Arnoldin "Underworld London : Crime and Punishment in the Capital City" (Simon & Schuster, 2012) on viihdyttävä ja nopealukuinen true crime -genren tietokirja, jossa käsitellään rikoksen ja rangaistuksen historiaa lontoolaisesta näkökulmasta.

Englannin pääkaupungissa onkin ehtinyt sattua ja tapahtua, ja tutuksi tulevat niin Viiltäjä-Jackin ja Krayn veljesten kaltaiset kyseenalaiset kuuluisuudet kuin ainakin näin suomalaisesta näkökulmasta tuntemattomammatkin hahmot. Se ei kuitenkaan ole kuin yksi osa kirjaa, sillä kiinnostavia näkökulmia tarjoillaan myös oikeuslaitoksen, brittiläisen poliisim ja vankiloiden toimintaan eri vuosisatoina.

Jos olet kiinnostunut viktoriaanisista murhista, keskiaikaisista kiduttamisista, julkisista teloituksista yleisenä huvitusmuotona tai vaikkapa herrasmiesmäisistä maantierosvoista, niin tämä kirja kannattaa hankkia käsiinsä.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not crazy about learning about crimes in any shape or form normally, just in some odd occurrences. But this open my eyes that it can be very interesting, historical base but from the right person. Really goes to show that anything can be interesting if the right person is telling it. I found it to be very readable and didn't feel overwhelmed by the information. Kinda sad I don't have a lot of books in the series to binge

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to put down, and hard to read, a good overview of the history of crime, what was a crime, and the, most times, brutal response to crime. Imagine hanging for killing someone, but also hanging for stealing a loaf of bread. The progression of prison and law enforcement , from dark crowded cells and citizens expected to grab criminals, the classic Stop Thief, to clean modern facilities and professional police forces. This has a great bibliography and I now have more to read. Check it out.

[Helen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A speedy romp through London's criminal history. Ranging from highwaymen hanged at Tyburn through to the Kray twins and everything in between. There's famous murderers and their victims, there's police development and reform, there's grisly execution details and there's the social history behind attitudes to crime.

[Sophie Houston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, but I wish she'd taken the time to learn to spell 'publicly' correctly!

[Alessandro Mana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Underworld London: Crime and Punishment in the Capital City is an extremely enjoyable, easy-to-read book and provides a great insight into London's relationship with crime, prisons and death sentences from 1066 to today.

I definitely recommend anyone interested in the subject and/or look for a historical, alive and sometimes gruesome summary - with examples of famous cases.

[Dmitriy Aksenov · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly enchanting read letting the reader peek into the history of crime in London. Doesn’t pretend to be comprehensive but catching enough to look forward to the next crime story.

[Holly Cruise · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's very hard not to like a book which, towards the end, lists the celebrities to be found frequenting the club run by the Kray brothers, prioritising Barbara Windsor over less important folk like Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland.

A whistle stop tour through London's criminal scenes, crime fighters, jails and streets, taking in most of the last thousand years, Underworld London isn't a book containing great depths but a breezy, fast moving ride which never ever gets boring. Arnold wrings the necessary emotions out of each chapter, dragging the reader from shock to outrage to tension as appropriate. It's all well researched, and the case studies come thick and fast, building up images of the city in each successive era.

There's sufficient gruesomeness for those who like their true life crime to be a bit icky, but not too much to scare away the casual reader, though this is hardly a suitable read for younger readers or those of a sensitive disposition.

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely enjoyable, easy to read and provides a great overview of London's relationship with crime, jails and the death penalty from 1066 to the modern day. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the subject and looking for a vivid, sometimes gruesome, historical summary with examples of notable cases.

[Mike Bevel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is upsettingly readable. just horrific description after horrific description of murders and executions.

is it strictly historical? Arnold plays fast and loose with facts in order to tell better stories. I wouldn't recommend taking any anecdote here at face value without also doing some of your own research.

[Catherine Berry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. Found a few mistakes, obviously not researched very well.

[Mardia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was all set to give a five-star review of this book until I got to the last few pages, but I'll get to that. First, the good: this is a solid, clearly-written book centered around crime/punishment in London. The early chapters are a little muddled in terms of the timeline, but as the book goes on it gets more focused and clearer, and the anecdotes selected are sharply told.

My issue is that once we get to the last few pages and the "obligatory" mention of what modern-day crime looks like in the UK, it becomes abruptly clear that the author has no interest or skill in discussing modern-day crime or the issues it touches (such as modern-day racism/inequality in the UK). I'm sorry, but to brush off the 2011 London riots with a brief paragraph stating that the punishment for the rioters might have been seen as "harsh" but really they're fine because rioters in the 19th century were hanged or mowed down by troops is both intellectually lazy and so dismissive as to be insulting. If you're going to do a historical breakdown of what crime and punishment look like in London, you either need to stop before you get to the time period you clearly either don't care about writing or that you know you don't have the necessary distance/perspective to write about. It honestly left a bad taste in my mouth, which is a shame as I was truly enjoying the book up until that point.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting topic full of some wild anecdotes and absolutely brutal vignettes of the past. Arnold's writing is vivid and builds a city's worth of details for readers to wade around in. She functionally divides the book chapter by chapter into the subjects of crime and punishment, and while it is important to talk about both as they are nested subject, sometimes bouncing back and forth interrupts her otherwise lovely chronological flow.

Sometimes I think she doesn't explain things quiet deeply enough, but some of that my be my crippling Americaness making me unable to parse bits of English history or dialect without googling around first. Otherwise her prose is fantastic, far better than many non-fiction historical authors. She really humanizes all the characters she depicts and makes you really empathize with the conditions they lived in. Not that she excuses crime of course, but I think she does I good job lightly brushing on the root causes of crime and pushes back against the Victorian tendencies of 'tough on crime' politics. I think she could have spent more time on the history of the development of policing in London, as well as critiques of policing more broadly.

[Phil Haughton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catherine Arnold’s Underworld London offers a gripping historical tour through the darker side of London’s past, exploring crime, vice, and justice from Roman times through the 20th century. The book is richly detailed, drawing on real cases, anecdotes, and court records to paint a vivid picture of the city’s criminal underbelly and evolving legal systems.

Arnold’s engaging writing style and well-researched narrative bring historical figures and notorious events to life, making for an entertaining and informative read. However, the book can feel episodic at times, moving quickly from one topic to another without deeply analysing broader societal implications. Given that, it is still an interesting easy book to read with quick pacing that I enjoyed despite it's minor shortcomings.

Overall, I found that Underworld London was a compelling read peppered with interesting facts for fans of true crime and urban history, offering both lurid tales and fascinating insights, even if it occasionally prioritizes sensationalism over scholarly depth.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a synopsis of developments in London's criminal class and its punishments. The stories presented are gathered in a generally chronological order, during which we see the change in how justice is perceived and carried out. The major break between types of criminals comes between the individual offenders leading to organized crime at the end.

Although I wish there were more details about individual cases, Arnold has given some good examples that a reader can pursue further. I enjoyed this book. Reading was smooth and concise. For readers that have studied London true crime, many of the cases are familiar. I am glad to see that Arnold steered away from the "biggie," dear old Jack. Ripperology has its own exhaustive collection of materials. It would be too easy to get focused on White Chapel and overextend the book and the reader's interest. I look forward to reading more of her works.

[Marguerite Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertaining read, a gallop through London's history of crime and punishment. It paints a horrible and fascinating picture, stuffed full of gory (very gory) details, famous and infamous cases, and characters that you long to put in a book. There's a plethora of slang and 'insider' knowledge, and a good precis history of the Bow Street Runner, police etc.

I enjoyed it - if you can enjoy such a subject. But for me it tried to cover too much ground, and some of the later stuff, the gangs of the 20s and the 60s, felt unnecessary. They are the subjects of a library of books, they didn't need to be here, and as a result, I began to feel just a bit frustrated and cheated. I'd have preferred more page room to analysis and less to recounting the horrible habits of the Krays. But that's carping a bit - this wasn't intended to be in-depth history but a taster, and that is what it is.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my absolute favorite of hers so far. Starting at the first recorded execution at Tyburn (now Marble Arch) you'll learn about the age of public executions, visit the Tower of London (for the execution of Lady Grey), see the dens of thieves at the Kings Cross area, at Bartholomew Fair and the area round St Paul's Cathedral, highwaymenh. You shudder from the tales about Newgate and Old Bailey. Then the author takes you again on to the road to Tyburn (please visit the Hand and Shears Pub near St Andrew's Church, inside you'll find the death bell to Tyburn for the soon to be executed). Excellent illustrations, stories from hell, from murder to execution, Dr Crippen to the East End Boys, the last woman to be hanged... gosh, what a tour through London Babylon. Exciting book whetting your appetite for the Newgate Calendar and some extended strolls through London by yourself to see many of the places mentioned. There is still much to bee seen in today's London. Must read!

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the first two chapters slightly dry and difficult to get into but after those chapters I found myself enjoying the book and the story it told. If I am honest I feel that the book should have been titled Underworld London execution in the capital city, the narrative seemed to follow the progression of execution from the Tyburn tree through to the complete abolishment, however I would have liked to read about other punishment methods, other than jail. What types of crimes received what punishment in medieval times? Other than to be executed? I enjoyed the book, but I do enjoy True Crime and much of the book falls into this category. I believe at least a chapter could have been dedicated to transportation as a punishment, both to Australia and the America’s.

[Sakura Kyōfu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical journey of crime and punishment in London. Starting in the Dark or Middle Ages right up to the gangs of the 60s and 70s. How the nation went from a crowd baying for blood to opposing the capital punishment laws. The social history of certain time periods show how certain class groups were treated differently when punished especially poor disadvantaged women who were most likely victims of abuse. Would highly recommend to any history geek as this book was fascinating. Learning just how cruel humans can be to each other in the name of religion, class and money. 

[Jenny Elise Hauge Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and intelligent with enlightening reflections, clever remarks and parallels. The story line is impeccably structured through a linear, thematic history of criminality in London. With her wonderful ability to situate her reader in the midst of past times, unthinkable situations and unlikely context, I am inclined to compare Catherine Arnold to one of my all time favourite historic writers - Liza Picard. A wonderful book, and fantastic, thorough, and empathic work. I enjoyed it immensely.

[Hannah Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like I had been transported into medieval London reading the first few chapters of this book! I enjoyed it immensely, although I felt like most of the subjects were only ‘touched’ on rather than going into detail of what actually went on.

There were certain things that I didn’t know and have found out by reading this book, as a Londoner myself it’s been interesting to discover new things about my city that I didn’t know before!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad that I picked up two more of her books. This book was so detailed and amazing! I could not put it down. The attention to detail that is given really does transport you back into time because you can picture the events happening so clearly! I will be keeping an eye out for more books by Catharine for sure.

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is sensationalist garbage. Arnold just lists gruesome murders and executions one after the other, she messed up names, is inconsistent with quotations and basically just lazy. She claims that her interest in murder is "creative and forensic rather than ghoulish" but this 400 page work is nothing but ghoulish. Absolutely disgusting.

[Berita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book fascinated me. I love to read about how grimy life was in London, in "ye olde days". This is a story of thieves and prostitutes, of filth and poverty, of highwaymen and broken dreams, of an untimely end, fear and loathing.

I'll be reading more books by Catherine Arnold.