OUTRAGE 1909

A dictionary definition of 'outrage' is gross or violent injury; gross offence to moral feelings. Certainly the Tottenham Outrage, an event which took place on January 23rd 1909, fits this description. The event was a criminal act - an attempted wages snatch from some local escorts, which took place in Tottenham, a suburb of London on the northern side of the River Thames which also runs through Berkshire.

Sadly, in the early 21st Century, gun crime and robbery is all too common, but in 1909 when such events were rare, this was indeed an outrage. This is not to say that today's crimes are not just as outrageous, but because they are relatively commonplace, somehow we do not feel the same shock and horror that Edwardian society must have felt. However, this crime resulted in the death of a policeman and a child, and even now in our cynical 'seen it all before' world, we do still feel outraged at a man being killed for doing his job, and the killing of innocent children.

A book entitled OUTRAGE! An Edwardian Tragedy by J. D. Harris has been written to tell the story of this historical crime of a guy just trying to prove how big he was. This website is to give you an idea of what happened on that fateful day and subsequent days. It is only an outline of the events. If you would like to know more, the book describes the events in much greater detail, has photos not on this website, and will certainly make interesting reading for anyone interested in history and/or crime, or indeed for anyone who enjoys a good read.

Click here for details of how to obtain the book.

Meanwhile, please come in and get the flavour of this event which has gone down in history as The Tottenham Outrage.

23rd JANUARY 2009 IS THE CENTENARY OF THIS EVENT. THIS WILL BE COMMEMORATED BY A TALK BY DEBORAH HEDGECOCK, CURATOR OF BRUCE CASTLE MUSEUM IN TOTTENHAM. THE TALK WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY 28th JANUARY 2009 AT 7.30 pm AT BRUCE CASTLE MUSEUM, LORDSHIP LANE, TOTTENHAM, LONDON, N17 8NU. IT IS FREE AND EVERYONE IS WELCOME. IF MORE EVENTS COME TO LIGHT THEY WILL BE LISTED HERE.