Step back into the soot-stained streets of Victorian Sheffield—a city where the clang of steel mingled with whispers of scandal, and respectability was often just a mask for something far darker beneath.

The Sins of Sheffield, storyteller and historian Adrian Finney unearths the true tales that polite society tried to forget. These are stories of murderers and martyrs, forgers and fraudsters, con artists and outcasts — each revealing something about the city’s beating, human heart.

From the first man executed under Queen Victoria’s reign to the mysterious “Queen of Heeley,” from riots in the name of salvation to tales of doomed love and domestic tragedy, each chapter paints a vivid portrait of a world both alien and familiar. The streets may have changed, but the people—their hopes, fears, and follies—remain strikingly the same.

Told with warmth, dark humour, and an eye for the absurd, The Sins of Sheffield turns newspaper clippings and dusty records into living stories—the ghosts of the past whispering once more through the city’s alleyways and pubs.

Whether you’re a lover of true crime, a student of history, or simply fascinated by the forgotten corners of Sheffield, this is a book that proves the past is never truly buried.

Inside you’ll discover:

The brutal murder that led to the first hanging of Queen Victoria's reign

The riot that pitted "Soup, Soap, and Salvation" against "Beer, Beef, and Baccy"

Scandals of deception, doomed marriages, and "Bloody Mary"—Sheffield's own tragic killer

How the city's early justice system worked (and how easily it didn't)

The stories that shaped Sheffield — and still echo through its streets today

About the Author

Adrian Finney is a Sheffield-based storyteller, author, and guide behind Strange Britain and Sheffield Ghost Tours. Known for his witty and heartfelt storytelling, Adrian brings history to life with humour, empathy, and a deep love of the Steel City.