Scotland Yard's first great challenge

The search for the Mannings

On a sultry evening in the early summer of 1850, Charles Dickens and his colleagues from Household Words invited a select group of five Scotland Yard detectives to a ‘social conference’ at the editorial office in Wellington Street near the Strand. As they sat round a table in the middle of the room, with glasses of brandy and cigars, he interrogated them about their investigative work. After general conversation about the nature of crime and the criminal fraternity, attention turned to the ‘most celebrated and horrible of the great crimes’ of the previous two decades. The first offence discussed was that of the Mannings murder.

During the first 24 hours after the discovery of Patrick O’Connor’s body in the basement of 3 Minver Place, the investigation was carried out by the Southwark police. They were desperate to find the missing couple, Maria and Frederick Manning, who by now had fled the scene. However as, after 24 hours, there was still no trace of the prime suspects,  it was time to call in the detectives…