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Angel Meadow
The Scuttlers
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The scuttlers and the police who fought back
When the scuttler Henry Burgess waged a one-man terror campaign on the streets of Manchester, only one man was brave enough to stop him
Nov 16, 2024
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Dean Kirby
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How scuttling began in Manchester
The Franco-Prussian War had an unexpected impact on youth culture in the streets of Cottonopolis
Apr 27, 2024
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Dean Kirby
12
10
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Scuttler ancestors: The secret art of using tattoos to investigate your family history
Victorian prison registers offer rare clues for family historians about the lives and loves of their criminal ancestors
May 1, 2024
9
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Lost beneath the ice
Nov 22, 2025
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Dean Kirby
32
8
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The Manchester beer poisoning scandal
Aug 2, 2025
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Dean Kirby
29
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The Manchester History Club is in the top 20 rising history newsletters on Substack
Apr 10, 2025
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Dean Kirby
25
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How archaeologists unearthed my ancestor’s house
Apr 23, 2023
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Dean Kirby
26
10
5
The Battle of Clifton Junction
Jan 25, 2025
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Dean Kirby
21
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The Northern Quarter's gambling hells
Feb 13
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Dean Kirby
15
1
'People think it always rains in Manchester. Not true, though I admit it's the only town in the country with a lifeboat drill on the bus routes.' - Les Dawson
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Are you related to a scuttler in Manchester or Salford?
The scuttlers of Ancoats, Angel Meadow and Salford were the most feared street fighters in the Victorian city. Can you help find them?
May 27, 2023
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Dean Kirby
10
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5:06
Cooking my Nan’s dinners: Tater ash
Watch me cook my Nan’s tater ash and hear about the Norwegian origins of scouse
Sep 19, 2025
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Dean Kirby
9
1
2
3:31
Cooking my Nan's dinners: chicken soup
Watch me cook one of my favourite dinners growing up: my Nan's chicken soup
Feb 22
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Dean Kirby
5
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The Northern Quarter's gambling hells
Manchester's trendiest quarter was once awash with backstreet betting houses. When 400 police officers carried out a raid in 1885, it caused chaos.
Feb 13
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Dean Kirby
15
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The Earthquake Thieves
It's the early hours on 9 November 1852 and families across Manchester have the sensation that thieves are breaking into their homes
Feb 6
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Dean Kirby
10
2
2
Trotters and tripe
How Victorian gutter merchants made a killing selling street food to drunks on their way home from the pub
Jan 30
•
Dean Kirby
18
8
3
Merry Christmas from the Manchester History Club
Thank you for your support in 2025 - there's lots to come from me in 2026
Dec 19, 2025
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Dean Kirby
20
2
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Lost beneath the ice
It's the cold winter of 1813 and in Manchester the River Irwell has frozen over. A school teacher named Lavinia Robinson has gone missing. Will she be…
Nov 22, 2025
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Dean Kirby
32
8
2
Manchester history tour plans for next year
If you came on my Angel Meadow tour this year, thank you. I have some big plans for next year.
Nov 5, 2025
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Dean Kirby
16
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The killer of little mule spinners
Reaching over the machines to repair broken threads of cotton, the mule spinners of Manchester and Lancashire were falling victim to a silent killer
Aug 29, 2025
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Dean Kirby
22
3
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The Manchester beer poisoning scandal
Hundreds of people became sick and dozens died before deadly arsenic was found in the city's beer supply
Aug 2, 2025
•
Dean Kirby
29
1
10
Are the bones of Thomas Paine in your attic?
Rumours have swirled for 200 years that the father of the American Revolution's remains could be somewhere in Manchester
Jul 4, 2025
•
Dean Kirby
14
7
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