Manchester History Club

Manchester History Club

Meet the Badger, Victorian Manchester's burrowing burglar

He earned his nickname by shuffling down coal chutes into the cellars during burglaries

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Dean Kirby
May 20, 2023
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Deansgate, where Jerome Caminada arrested the Badger.

John Currie was known by a few names, but mostly he was known as the Badger.

At 5ft tall, he had a unique method of breaking into shops — by lifting the coal grids and shuffling down into the cellars.

But his nocturnal burrowings might not be the only reason for his nickname.

Looking at his prison reco…

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