IT WAS a dark chapter in Barnsley's history which is seldom talked about - a series of crimes so terrible they have been shut away in the vaults of time and rarely remembered.

But now a new book by local author Margaret Drinkall lifts the lid on a catalogue of crimes so serious and chilling they have been hidden away for more than a hundred years.

The book - 19th Century Barnsley Murders i is a telling account of crimes in the Barnsley area.

More sinister happenings include a case of body snatching, which brought the whole town of Barnsley to a state of panic, the murder of a child, and a woman who was shot down in the street by her former marine boyfriend.

Published by Pen and Sword 19th Century Barnsley Murders is available in the Chronicle book shop in Church Street.