Bad to the Bone? Robert Coombes and the Plaistow Horror

Major Crimes in History ͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­ Forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]() for more [Bad to the Bone? Robert Coombes and the Plaistow Horror]( Major Crimes in History [Historic Mysteries](historicmystery) Sep 18 ∙ Preview historicmystery   [READ IN APP](   In the late 19th century, an extraordinary case captivated Victorian England, shedding unwelcome light on the dark depths of human nature. At the center of the storm was Robert Coombes, a seemingly ordinary 13-year-old boy from East London. In a tale that shocked society, Robert was accused of a heinous crime that defied comprehension. The details surrounding the case, from the gruesome discovery to the trial that followed, challenged notions of childhood innocence, and raised unsettling questions about the limits of compassion and the fragility of the human mind. Was Robert Coombes bad to the bone, or was he mentally ill? Who was Robert Coombes? Robert Coombes was born in Bethnal Green in London on 6 January 1882. He was the eldest son of Robert Coombes Senior, a steward on a transatlantic steamer, and Emily Harrison Coombes, whom he had married in 1878. His brother, Nathanial Coombes, was born in 1883. Coombes didn’t have an easy life as a child. He had been a forceps birth which had left visible marks on either side of his head. At the age of three, he began suffering terrible migraines and doctors advised that he never be struck on the head (disturbing advice in and of itself). Around the same time, his family moved to Liverpool and stayed with relatives through 1885 and 1886. They then moved back to London in 1888 but his father, who was often absent anyway, stayed in Liverpool. During this time, the family doctor began prescribing the younger Coombes potassium bromide, a sedative, for Robert’s headaches. Robert Coombes, from his courtroom sketch (Illustrated Police News 27 July 1895 / [Public Domain](... Unlock this post for free, courtesy of Ancient Origins UNLEASHED. Claim my free post [Or upgrade your subscription. Upgrade to paid](   [Like]( [Comment]( [Restack](   © 2024 Stella Novus Limited 1 Riverwood, Timolin, R14CK30 Kildare Ireland [Unsubscribe]() [Get the app]( writing]()