The mystery of the Hartlepool Mayor - was he the victim of an 1800s murder mystery?

The strange case of the body found in Victoria Dock – and the criminal who claimed 18 years later that it was really a murder and he did it – has been re-told by historian and researcher Graeme Harper.

He tells us more.

William John Vollum had been entertaining friends at home on a January night in Hartlepool in 1849.

William was a one-time Mayor of Hartlepool and a much-respected figure in town.

He was doing well as a banker’s agent and enjoying the company of friends.

But he excused himself and stepped out of his house to get some fresh air. He never returned.

The body of the 33-year-old was found the next day in Victoria Dock, in Hartlepool. The first Mayor of the borough had been found dead.

The death was formally investigated and nothing suspicious was reported. The subsequent inquest accepted that it was a tragic accident and that Mr Vollum had somehow fallen into the water and drowned. He was buried in St Hilda’s churchyard.

But the matter did not end there.

Eighteen years later in February 1867, the story hit the headlines again – but this time in Australia.

An unnamed prisoner contacted an Australian newspaper to confess to being responsible for the death of William Vollum.

The convict was said to be already facing the death penalty for three other murders and was presumably wishing to clear his conscience.

The case was referred to Superintendent Waters of the Hartlepool borough police force for further investigation.

However, the story soon goes cold and no more was reported on the mystery confessor or the details of his claims.

Capital punishment was legal in Australia in 1867 and British convicts were still being sent over, although in dwindling numbers, and for much lesser crimes than murder.

There were 10 recorded hangings in Australia that year.

The list of those executed includes British emigrants who had travelled over as free settlers – so could the alleged murderer of the former mayor be among them?

One man hanged that year was a former Durham pub landlord who had emigrated in 1865, allegedly to escape people he had swindled. He and an associate hanged after the robbery and murder of a bank manager.

In fact, none of those executed in Australia that year can be linked to Vollum or Hartlepool.

And neither can any of the 12 unfortunates who went to the scaffold in the UK.

Did someone who remembered the case, confess to something they didn’t do and a crime that was never actually committed?

The identity of the alleged confessor looks destined to remain another Hartlepool mystery.

Our thanks go to Graeme for another intriguing tale and there are plenty more examples of his work to browse through in the Hartlepool Mail archives.

He told us about the shark scare which evacuated Seaton beach of 70,000 visitors in 1951.

Graeme also shared the story of the era when Hartlepool had a week which was devoted to rats.

Rat Week was held between 1920 and 1944 to try and get rid of the town’s vermin problem.

Do you have an intriguing Hartlepool story to tell? Get in touch and tell us more by emailing [email protected]