Charles Peace: 19th-Century Burglar and Murderer
A “naturally gifted criminal”
Charles Peace was a notorious 19th-century murderer. He was once described as ‘the greatest and most naturally gifted criminal England has produced’.
He was born in Sheffield in 1832, the son of an animal trainer. He soon discovered a talent for lock-picking, to which he later added safe-cracking.
A Criminal Career
In 1876, while burgling a house near Manchester, he shot and killed a police officer, Constable Cock, who discovered him at work. Two brothers were arrested for the murder and sent for trial. Peace attended the trial, with a view to ensuring that his involvement was not suspected, and was relieved when one of the brothers, William Habron, was sentenced to death.
Peace did have a legitimate occupation, that of a picture framer, which he carried out at his home in Sheffield. He became friendly with a civil engineer named Arthur Dyson and his wife Katherine. Despite being married himself, Peace became enamoured of Mrs Dyson, who at first encouraged him in his pursuit of her. However, Katherine Dyson eventually thought that Peace was becoming too insistent and tried to break off the attachment.
