Murder maps

The evolution of crime scene sketches and plans

Warning: graphic descriptions of murder

I’ve studied hundreds of historical crimes and there’s nothing quite like the moment when you’re delving into a long-forgotten box of court records at the archives and suddenly you find an original map of the crime scene. Spreading them out on the table – carefully, as they’re usually very fragile – feels like you’ve briefly travelled back in time and are present at the murder investigation. It’s quite magical, but also rather chilling!

The creation of crime scene sketches and plans dates from the mid-1800s, and their use and impact has evolved over time. These fascinating documents not only offer us a real glimpse into a historical homicide, but they also reveal how the work of detective police officers developed throughout the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. I studied this aspect of investigative policing for my doctoral research, and here are five ‘murder maps’ which chart the history of this important forensic and judicial tool. But first, a little history…