A Grim Almanac of Staffordshire

Book excerpt: A Grim Almanac of Staffordshire is a day-by-day catalogue of 366 ghastly tales from around the county. Full of dreadful deeds, strange disappearances and a multitude of murders, this almanac explores the darker side of Staffordshire's past. Here are stories of tragedy, torment and the truly unfortunate with diverse tales of freak weather, bizarre deaths and terrible accidents, including the young girl cut to pieces by a machinery explosion, the tragic deaths of 155 men in the Minnie Pit disaster of 1918, and the theatre performance where the gun really did go off, mangling the actor's hand and causing a severed finger to fly across the stage. Uncover tales of fires, catastrophes, suicides, thefts and executions – it's all here. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of Staffordshire's grim past. Read on ... if you dare!