Turn your pupils into Victorian detectives in a gripping Leeds murder mystery.
It's January 1900, and a murder has been committed on the streets of Leeds. Mary Brown, a career criminal, has been arrested near scene, but did she really do it? In this immersive KS2 workshop, pupils join Police Sergeant Buttons to investigate the case, question the subject and gather evidence before Mary goes on trail for her life.
To support learning before or after your visit, explore our Crime and Punishment Learning Resources for free resources on historic crimes, punishments and objects from the Royal Armouries collection.
This workshop supports the KS2 history study of changes in an aspect of social history, with a focus on crime and punishment, as well as local history and a theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
The suspect's story
Pupils meet Mary Brown in the holding cells and listen to her account of life in Victorian Leeds. Through interactive storytelling, they explore the hardships faced by ordinary people, the choices available to those living in poverty, and how someone’s background could shape how they were viewed by the justice system. This session builds empathy, historical perspective and speaking and listening skills as pupils begin to test Mary’s story against the evidence.
Forensic investigation
Working with Police Sergeant Buttons, pupils examine evidence from the crime scene and use their detective skills to decide what really happened. They explore the role of Victorian police, handle equipment linked to crime and punishment, and investigate how the emerging science of forensics changed criminal investigation. By the end of the workshop, pupils must weigh the evidence, consider motive and decide Mary Brown’s fate: guilty, innocent, or is another suspect still at large?
(Crime and punishment)
Discover how personal protection takes many forms, can come in miniscule sizes and ranges from the Middle Ages to the 21st century.
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