In February, I made a couple of trips to Lancaster as part of research for The Jigsaw Murders.
I was given a guided tour of the former Police Court in Lancaster Town Hall, where Dr Ruxton made his first court appearances in late 1935 as well as the former police station and cells directly below. It was here that Ruxton was questioned by Chief Constable Henry Vann of Lancaster Police and arrested and charged with murder.
I was also shown around Dr Ruxton’s home, 2 Dalton Square, which is directly opposite the Town Hall. The house is where Ruxton committed the murders and dismembered the bodies of Isabella and Mary.
Having grown up fascinated by the Ruxton case, I found it strange and eerie to see these places first-hand, and the experience left me with goose-pimples. I took many photos and I have shared one or two of them here. They are pictures for my own research purposes and are unlikely to appear in the book, but once The Jigsaw Murders is published next year (May 2021), will post a full gallery of them on here.
My dad was a journalist covering the Ruxton trial. I talked about it to Martin edwards who said he had in mind to use it in a novel
Hi Judie.
Many thanks for your comment and good to hear from you. That’s fascinating. Who was your dad and which paper was he working for?
I know Martin and we have chatted about Ruxton.
Kind regards, Jeremy.
Looking forward to reading your book.
Hi Suzanne. Thank you for your message and your interest. I will be posting news about the book’s publication on here, as well as any developments with the TV adaptation.
Kind regards,
Jeremy
Hello, my grandfather was a friend/colleague of Buck Ruxton and later a witness at his trial. He wrote me two long letters about the case. Would these be of interest to you?
Joanna
Hi Joanna,
Many thanks for your interest in the book and for getting in touch. Yes, I would love to see the letters. They sound fascinating. Would you be able to scan them and forward them? If so, you could send them to: j.craddock@mmu.ac.uk
It would be easier to communicate via email, too.
Again, I really appreciate your interest.
Kind regards,
Jeremy
I’ll look forward to having a read. Mary was my Mother’s cousin so will be an interesting read to see if there’s anything new we didn’t know about.
Hi Elaine — many thanks for your comment. I hope you find the book interesting. My aim was to write a much more detailed and sensitive portrayal of the case, and of Mary and Isabella in particular, than has previously been done. Kind regards, Jeremy
Hi Jeremy. I preordered your fantastic book and finished reading it last night. Your research answered a number of my questions about the case for example why there is little information about what happened to the Ruxton children. We seem to have similar reasons for an interest in the case. I have a modest collection of related items including an original photo from press archives and Daily Despatch newspapers from the time reporting on the case which I would be happy to share.. Congratulations on an excellent book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Kind regards Dave
Hi Dave — many thanks for your very kind comments and for taking the time to get in touch. It really means a lot.
I’m glad you found the book interesting. I found the process of researching and writing it fascinating.
It sounds like you have an interesting collection of Ruxton materials. I would be interested to see it at some time, especially as I may get the opportunity to update the book for a second edition.
The book is currently being developed for television by the producer of ITV’s Vera, so that might bring it to an even wider audience.
Could I ask a favour? If you enjoyed the book, would you consider writing an honest review on your favoured platform, be it Amazon, Waterstones etc?
Many thanks.
I am planning to write some more about the background to the book on my blog, so please check back.
Kind regards,
Jeremy
Hi Jeremy. I have already left a review on Amazon. I hope the TV adaptation is a series. Really excited about it. Happy to share anything I have that is new to you. I can scan some for if you like and send by email. I hope one day to meet. I am sure we would be able to share stories and anecdotes! I remember a sessional doctor at work some years ago remarking that his friend worked in what was Ruxton’s practice and prized a sick note a patient gave him signed by Ruxton. Cheers Dave
Hi Dave — thank you. I’ve always thought the case had the potential to be turned into a TV drama. When there’s more news I will post it on here.
It sounds like you have lots of interesting information and material relating to it! One to discuss over a pint, perhaps?
There is a sick note signed by Ruxton in the archive at Lancaster City Museum. I have a photo I took of it somewhere.
Thanks for your interest and keep in touch.
Jeremy
A chat over a pint sounds good! Dave