On the 11th May, 1931 the body of eccentric widow Abigail Whalley was discovered in her bungalow on Robins Lane, Carleton, near Blackpool. She was believed to be away on holiday as she had earlier confided in a local resident she was going away and had said ‘Goodbye, I might not see you again’ as they parted company.
Her neighbour decided to keep an eye on Mrs Whalley’s home, for although the lady was thought of as miserly it was common knowledge she was actually rather wealthy. (Unbeknown to lots of people she generously contributed to various charities) She had also been overheard many times stating she had so much money she didn’t know what to do with it!
Becoming worried she hadn’t seen her neighbour return, this good Samaritan along with an acquaintance, went to investigate. They noticed the front door had been forced open and contacted the police.
The body of eighty five year old Abigail was found, battered about the head with possibly the same instrument that was used to jemmy the door. No murder weapon was ever found nor was anyone ever charged with this heinous crime.
A vagrant, a lavender seller and ‘red haired scarred man’ all came under suspicion but were either never found or cleared.
Police later confirmed reports of a suspicious vehicle seen in the vicinity on two separate occasions. A two seater car was spotted idling on the corner of Robins Lane in the early hours of the 10th of May. Two figures, thought to be a man and a woman, stole out into the darkness and headed toward Miss Whalley’s bungalow, however they soon returned to their car and drove away.
As dawn broke on the 11th the mysterious motor was back, after parking up in the same spot the couple once again headed up Robins Lane.
The silence of that Monday morning was broken shortly afterwards by the harsh cacophony of a motor vehicle racing noisily away at brakeneck speed.
If the identity of this duo was ever discovered it was never made known.
Poor Abigail’s murder remains unsolved but her soul has hopefully found peace.
Interestingly, a sinister spectre is often spotted near the bungalow on Robins Lane. A local taxi driver reported he had seen a stooped figure with long dark hair, sunken eyes and a green (bruised & battered?) face! Could this be the ghost of this unfortunate woman?!
Thank you to Chris Clark ( former Police intelligence officer) for additional information.
Beyond The Black Pool 
These historic crimes are equally horrendous and fascinating, the thought that many would be solved if they had modern techniques, thank you.
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Absolutely, strange no one was ever charged.
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Another top story. The name ‘Robins Lane’ holds a mysterious, spooky quality by itself.
The fact that the story remains unsolved leaves many avenues open to explore.
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Excellent post as always Deborah.
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