Scuttlers

🚨Big news: My new book The Scuttlers is coming!

The Scuttlers: The True Story of Manchester's Most Feared Gangs will be published by HarperNorth on 6 May 2027 and is available to pre-order now.

Jul 9 • Dean Kirby

🚶🏻The Meander #2: Step across the Irwell into Salford's old Chapel Street

Just a few steps across the Irwell from Manchester's Exchange Square, Chapel Street in Salford awaits the developers

Jun 20, 2025 • Dean Kirby

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 • Dean Kirby

Scuttler ancestors: 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 • Dean Kirby

The scuttlers: How scuttling began in Manchester

The Franco-Prussian War had an unexpected impact on youth culture in the streets of Cottonopolis

Apr 27, 2024 • Dean Kirby

The scuttlers: Was your Victorian ancestor in a Manchester gang?

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 • Dean Kirby

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts