George Orwell wrote an essay on this topic in 1946.
Do assassinations count? If so, there’s this one.
(noted that ‘in England’ may be in dispute - the victim was English, but the event and perpetrators were not)
I thought of Thomas Becket as well.
There was more than one Jack the Ripper murder and I don’t think any of them particularly stand out from the others.
I have no doubt that the author refers to Jack the Ripper. Probably thinking more of “murderers” (as suggested) or “murder cases”.
If you raise the argument that not one specific murder of his was that famous, you could also raise the case that there is doubt as to whether Crippen ever murdered anyone.
Also, with Jamie Bulger, it may be a famous murder case in England, but whether it is a famous English murder to the rest of the world is moot.
OJ.
Oops wrong country. Jack the Ripper is probably the most famous murderer in the world (I’m putting assassinations in a different category). I think it nitpicky to quibble over murder vs murders. As an American I have not heard of most of those mentioned. The ones I have heard of I would not have thought of on my own.
Another vote for ol’ Jack.
Thanks to all for your excellent suggestions, and I’m surprised that something as obvious as Jack the Ripper never even crossed my mind until I saw the posts above. I think, as some others mentioned, I was in the mindset of a single murder, as opposed to a series.
But there’s no probably no definitive answer (I can see a good case being made for several) , and I’m being introduced to a lot of interesting cases I’d never heard of before, so thanks!
Obviously, the most famous English murder is this one: That Mitchell and Webb Look - Diana Assassination - YouTube
If we’re talking about solo murders, Crippen stands out.
For one thing, he was the first killer caught with the aid of wireless technology.
How about the Mary Bell murder? Well technically it was manslaughter, and she was the murderer, but that was pretty famous.
Another vote for the princes in the tower.
I don’t think it could be beckett because then you would have to include one of cromwell or cranmer.
Concur with everyone else about jack the ripper being the most famous murderer although again I couldn’t name any of his victims off the top of my head.
Mary Kelley might argue with you about that. He had a private room, plenty of time, & used it to the uttermost.
Cromwell was “murdered” by malaria. I’m pretty sure the guilty mosquito’s name has been lost to history.
Cranmer was tried and executed for hearsy. Certainly not a fair way to go by today’s standards, but not murder.
Catherine of Aragon
At least in the Kindle version, the exact quote is
It’s a little strangely worded - changing murder from an uncountable noun to a countable one. I guess that he refers to Jack the Ripper, and tried to make the syntax work for either one murder, or an entire murderer’s career, and sort of failed.
My first thought was The Moors Murders - murderers Ian Brady & Myra Hindley.
UT
Divorce can be harsh, but It doesn’t make Henry a murderer. (of her, at least)
"There is murder in this book, the second most-famous in England… "
I see, he was talking about this being the second most-famous book in England. Makes perfect sense. Otherwise his modifier would be misplaced.
After Harry Potter. All of them? We’re back where we started…