This Day in History: 2 April 1788

n 1788, tailor David Clary was convicted of deliberately setting fire to his own home in London—triggering a blaze that endangered neighbouring properties. With no direct witnesses, the case relied entirely on circumstantial evidence, revealing one of the earliest and most striking examples of suspected insurance fraud.

This Day in History – 28 March 1853

In 1853, Thomas Rolls attacked Charlotte Carter with a razor in Stratford after their relationship ended. This Old Bailey case reveals a brutal attempted murder, a desperate struggle for survival, and a narrow escape from death in Victorian London, where domestic violence turned suddenly and violently life-threatening.