I’m currently reading Thunderstuck, a 2005 novel about the Hawley Crippen murder mystery. In the prologue the author writes, “This is a book about a murder: the second most famous in England,” but never makes any claim about the first.
My thoughts immediately went to Thomas Becket, but I’m wondering what other cases might make good candidates, or if there’s a death traditionally considered the “most famous murder” in English history.
My guess would be the general category of Jack The Ripper murders.
The first name that came to my mind was Crippen (who was an American – as was Gordon Bennett, he of the exclamation).
That’s what popped into my head when I read the title of the OP.
I too figured the Jack the Ripper murders were collectively the most famous.
Another vote for Jack the Ripper.
Jack the Ripper
I figured on either the two princes or Jack the Ripper.
The wife of William Herbert Wallace?
Another vote for Jack the Ripper, but I’m a Yank, never been to England.
Leaving aside political killings, when I think of notorious (Great-)British killers, it’s those who take down groups: the Ripper, the Dunblane killings in Scotland, etc.
Yup. Gotta be Jack the Ripper.
I’d go with Beckett. Ripper is the most famous murderer, but none of his individual murders were famous on their own. I doubt most people could name any of his victims.
In recent times there would also be the Jamie Bulger murder, which was pretty notorious given the ages of all those involved. But of all time I’d agree with Becket or the Jack the Ripper murders, depending on how ‘murder’ is defined.
Me, too.
We’re not talking about famous murders so much as famous murderers here. In recent times Fred and Rosemary West, Brady and Hindley and Harold Shipman come to mind.
And I’ve just reminded myself that the killing of Stephen Lawrence is probably the most notorious murder of recent times. This is mainly due to it’s status as a casuse celebre owing to what an enquiry called “institutional racism” in the Metropolitan Police force which, together with a soupcon of corruption, retarded the investigation into the murder of this blameless young man. After nearly twenty years two of the killers were convicted last year and it is to be hoped that justice is hard on the heels of those remaining.
Yeah, James Bulger was the first name to pop into my head too.
(apparently he was never known as Jamie, the press just made that up) 
The problem is that those murderers are very well known, mainly as they murdered several people (as well as other things). The individual murders themselves are less known. For example I would expect that few in the UK could name a single person that was murdered by them. Bulger though, every man and his dog knows the kid’s name and most will be able to name at least one of the murderers.
Same for historical murders, like those by Jack the Ripper.
I had never even heard of Crippen.
I never heard of crippen either, but anyway, surely the most famous murder would be that of the whole “lord Lucan” mystery?
Who is back in the news with various claims that certain influential British peers helped him hide out in Africa for 30 years.