Absolutely love this! 30 years ago when we were first married, we bought a terraced house in Anfield and a colleague convinced me it was the house where this murder took place. I had to go to the central library to set my mind at rest. We had bought number 29 ... but in a different street. Phew! But I became very interested in the story and it kindled in me a lifelong interest in true crime. We now live ... on Menlove Avenue! So the story seems to follow us .. or vice verse! I’ve read and heard so much about this case but never has it been told as enthrallingly as you tell it here! Thank you 😊

Stunning that low budget low staff can produce a series so superior to mainstream programs. Also the English are such masters of their language.

So wonderful to hear proper English put together in beautiful sentences . Such a joy

Proves once again that no elaborate and hifi graphics can replace good language exquisitely narration

Very strange case. He waits 3 long years, plots a detailed alibi, kills her but doesn’t do it for love or money and dies 2 years later. Strange.

So well read it almost seems a dying art....the pace and diction...perfect!!

For once KZfaq has recommended a great channel to me- this is right in my wheelhouse and you're an excellent curator of interesting cases- thank u for your time and effort

I have found this channel and am addicted to the videos now... These are well made without the fluff of the reality tv show crime shows. Awesome job

I am so glad to have found this channel. Very soothing voice. As for this case: I go back & forth between thinking Wallace is guilty & not guilty. Fascinating. Poor Julia Wallace to have been murdered that way & to have no real resolution makes it even more tragic.

Mr Maguire, you have the best site on KZfaq. No irritating music, no constant commercial breaks, a pleasing and calm voice enunciating each word in what we used to call "Queen's English". What a gem you have created. I absolutely adore your theories you offer at the end of each story. William Herbert Wallace. If I had been on that jury I would have voted 'not guilty' purely because no motive had been offered and a lot of the evidence was circumstantial, maybe unlikely but enough to cause doubt. What I would love to know is did Herbert know his wife's true age? Even today , in these lax times, a 17 year age gap of a woman to man would raise eyebrows and jokes about 'toyboy' but in those days....? But did he know? So when they married, he was 35 and she "34" but really 51, old enough to be his mother. I only watch crime stories and 99% of the time I am glad the killer got caught and received the death penalty. But in the case of Herbert, I just feel - poor Herbert. Why?

Man this seems like something out of a murder mystery novel. The "mysterious Mr. Qualtrough", the nonexistent East Menlove Gardens, the classic wild goose chase. It all sounds too unbelievable and that's probably what caused his alibi to fall under suspicion. Also interesting to see that this is an early case of tracing a call, which is common practice nowadays. Another interesting plot point: Menlove Avenue would be John Lennon's childhood street a few years after this. Funny how everything is connected like that...

This series is excellent and I am convinced that anyone can be capable of heinous crimes when backed up in a corner.

What a superb channel. The quality of every episode is astonishing. Superior in every way to any trash in history channel or any other open tv program. While I watch this series can't help thinking in "Poirot" and that many of Agatha Christie's novels and short stories where written in that era of early 20's though the 30's. The similarities are many and they help me to enjoy the fiction and better understand the facts. Great great job! Hope you keep making more episodes.

I'm binge rewatching this true crime docu-series. It took me three entire episodes to appreciate that the drawings sometimes used instead of photos are original artwork. They are well placed, advance the narrative, fit well with the mood and blend with the photos. I appreciate both the art and the editing. There has yet to be a drawing in the 4th video. Still posting.

Having struck Julia Wallace once, rendering her lifeless...did he then cover her head with the raincoat and then hit her several more times...?...therefore 'protecting' his own clothing.from blood splatters....?

Brilliant i love these old crime mysteries specially when I haven't heard of them before. Keep on going.

I just discovered this series. The narrorator has rare analytical and literary gifts. (When I am roused from my torpor I will read his biography. He has a distinctly prosecutorial bent.) I am not easily impressed but in this case I am dazzled. It's as if Poe or Dickens had started a KZfaq channel. The phrasing, pace and precision are Victorian or possibly Edwardian. Well done old chap.

Thank you ever so much for these videos. I'm so glad to have been recommended this channel. I love the focus on older British cases and you accent and voice is sublime. Cheers!

I've heard about this case and saw a "Mystery!" episode about it on PBS. Once again, your research and narration are appreciated. The "Mystery!" show gave Wallace a motive in the form of an attractive sister-in-law whose husband was conveniently away in India. What you've presented here is, in my opinion, much more interesting than anything contrived by screenwriters.

I know you hear this a lot, but I love this channel. It is amazing. Can you please just come and read any book to me at night so I can fall asleep? Your voice is amazing.

Excellent...Superb narration and no silly sound effects.

This is a fascinating case from the annuls of true crime. There are many who have studied it who have concluded that Wallace was probably innocent. ‘Probably’ because nobody can be sure. What’s interesting is that the facts of the case are generally not in dispute. It’s what they might suggest that is the cause of much debate.

I'm a postman in Moseley hill sorting office and we get quite a few letters for Mr qualtrouugh manly being from insurance company's very ironic

It appears he had a tendency to " over think" a situation, not uncommon in chess players, hence the absurd name " Qualtrough".

This is a brilliant series...so glad I found it.....thanks.

Very polished and professional presentation.

Your channel appeared to me as a KZfaq recommendation. They've gotten this one spot on! I absolutely love your work and have become an instant fan. Just outstanding work. Thanks.

So glad KZfaq recommended this channel to me. It's just great. You are a great story teller and these stories are so interesting.

I agree with you, Mr. Maguire. Wallace must have just wanted to be rid of Julia once and for all. How cold blooded. Thank you, again, for your wonderful presentation of these very cold cases. :)

How do you not have millions of subscribers? This is EXCELLENT content!!!

I could listen to your voice tell stories for hours.which is what I am doing

Every time I study this case, I'm struck by the lack of clear motive on Wallace's part. Did he discover Julia was that much older than he was just before the murder and decided that marriage to a woman nearly 20 years his senior was too horrible to contemplate? Surely, he could have divorced her easily enough as there were no children involved? He didn't have to kill her to get shed of her. Unless, in his circles, divorce was a worse offense than being tried for murder? If he was Mormon or Jehovah's Witness, that would probably be true. Or if he had an abundance of money hidden away that he didn't want to surrender to her in a divorce settlement, murder looks like the better alternative. But there's no evidence he had that kind of wealth. He seems like a thoroughly retiring Casper Milquetoast-type. So one is left to wonder if, as you speculated, this was the only chess match he ever won. Your presentation is, as usual, wonderful. Thanks for all the hard work you much surely put in to these videos.

Superbly paced, well-informed and presented,, simple production. One of the best podcasts I've ever heard. Changed my.mind as to the culprit.

Great! The best documentary on the Wallace case I've watched. Well researched and discussed - a cut above the average dross on youtube. TFU.

this looks like a case for Hercule Poirot

What a wonderful series! Your voice is beautiful and so soothing. It’s been a pleasure to listen. The title of this episode really caught my eye, as I grew up on Qualtrough Road in Rochester, New York. My family was related to the Qualtrough family by marriage. The name is a bastardization of the Manx surname McWalter. Our family actually pronounced it as Qual-tro. And my grandmother’s maiden name was Wallace!

There's something fishy 'bout the neighbour couple, they moved away the next day after the murder, look like brother and sister and came over a bit too quickly as if they were waiting Wallace to return. Aaand they had the key. Anyway, the time window was so narrow that i don't think Wallace was fit enough to pull off the actual killing and run to the tram while carrying a heavy iron bar in his pocket so either he was innocent or had a partner in crime.

I’m thinking he could have discovered her true age. One could presume that she would have been unable to conceive a child in her 50s, but Wallace, believing she was younger, could have thought they would have children.

I am revisiting your videos because you are the absolute best and I miss you. It was your last video, has it been a week, two, that I realized how much I've missed your voice, art, and villains. Thank you for bringing your magnificent work to us, your fans.

Sir. From a distant and locked-down KL Malaysia and ex Liverpool, my compliments on a wonderful series, which I have poured over several times without tedium. Most enjoyable and worthy of a wider viewing. If I might ask you to keep up the indulgence please.

Love old murder mysteries and the historical facts and then old pictures of inside the houses and what the area looked like in those times, the way they dress the furniture the buildings.❤️🙂❤

just discovered your channel and it’s excellent!!! i used to think Parry did it, but the more i think on it, the more i feel wallace is guilty. but the judge was correct in admitting that there was not substantial evidence to convict and sentence wallace to death.

I've lived with someone who was a good pianist and who, in consequence, wanted to play the piano all the time. It took considerably less than 3 years for me to conceive murderous intentions towards them.

Every other source I’ve read seems to lean more towards Wallace’s innocence - interesting to hear the other side of the story

Yoo hoo 👋 I've just found your channel, I have to tell you I love love love it ! My two favorite things History and True crime 👏👏👏👏 Thanks for your great content I'm resting due to a broken foot and I shall be watching all the stories 👍

Well made documentary, however I feel the way the evidence is presented (and items excluded) is unfair to Wallace. If interested in the case check out the three part 1981 radio documentary Radio City Who Killed Julia Wallace available on KZfaq. Many principals in the case were still alive when that was made; you can hear their memories of what happened that night, and what they suspected at the time, in their own words. Then decide for yourself.

Excellent production, writing, editing, narration, photos. Thank you.

You don't think there's a possibility he was framed? He seems so mild mannered and unassuming....i don't want him to be guilty. Such a tragic story and to die 2 yrs later 😔

I watched every one of this series and loved them all. Mr. Maguire is a great narrator

There are so many elements of this that remind me of the Lizzie Borden case, although that was not so precisely pre planned. There was first the mysterious and never discovered note supposedly asking Abby Borden to come out to an unknown location. Lizzie made sure to have Bridget the maid observe Lizzie's movements at significant times. Lizzie also told a story to the neighbours about fearing someone was watching them and she feared they were in danger. Lizzie saying she was absent from the house at the critical time and on a silly errand to find lead weights for fishing somewhere in the barn. Also, the bloody coat placed near/under the body. All these elements just struck me even though I have read about both cases many times before and didn't see them.

The final photograph clearly shows Wallace giving a Freemason handshake, this is probably why the guilty verdict was overruled.

Mrs Wallace probably knew something about the next door neighbors. They should’ve been investigated as well.

I wonder if other countries are so fascinated with crime, murder and the investigation of such ... There is Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), etc. going back to the 1800's, in books, movies, plays, TV drama ... Love this presentation ...

Radio City (Liverpool) named the murderer, he was a nephew of the chief constable of Liverpool, and moved to the Isle of Man, and after he died Radio City went to his house and put forward the evidence, and I think it was his mother said they have nothing else to say.

Marvellous narration. So glad I found this channel.

Thank you for narrating another case for us. It did seem that Wallace was preparing an alibi right from the very start, but even so, this case had a few twists and turns I wasn't expecting. Thank you again !

I have just found your channel and im really impressed with the content. Well researched and narrated at a lovely pace . Will now have to watch all you have. You now have a new subscriber

You tell these events so well! I tune in nearly every day to hear another.

OMG. I love the narrative of this story. I love this story. And it makes you wonder if he did/didn't do this murder of his wife. Just excellent. I hope to hear more. Thank you.

THANK YOU for this video! I looked at photos of your BLUE PAINTINGS and I liked them. You are a very talented man!

I am enjoying your hard work immensely. A lot of work goes into such excellent content. Continue with this format and you will never be short of subscribers. Thank you again and I look forward to more . Good luck to you.

Wonderful series of documentaries, so refreshingly intelligent and well presented. Thank you!

I wondered during this if he was one of those for whom the " the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" quote was apt. A repressed, frustrated and disappointed man who did nothing with his life (in his estimation) and who believed he deserved more. Perhaps he had unspoken delusions of grandeur that he choked down and eventually warped his psyche. Fascinating story, incredibly well told. Thank you for your brilliant channel and insightful storytelling.

Another interesting case, many thanks Mark.

Not convinced he was the murderer,the police did not investigate other possible perpetraters.Great job you did once more!!!

I absolutely love these videos since discovering them this year. Thank you and please do keep up the good work 👍🏻

Thank you for posting this video.

There was far more evidence against Gordon Parry than there ever was against Wallace. The very fine book on the case by Roger Wilkes sets it out. He even spoke with some of those people, who were involved with the case and we're still around in 1980.

Yet another exemplary piece of deductive reasoning on your part Mr. Maguire and most viewers would concur with your opinion. This case is a difficult one to fathom as it lacked an obvious core motive for Mrs. Wallace's demise. Where there is absence of a clear motive at the time of the trial itself a motive can sometimes be discerned based on behaviour or change in lifestyle of an accused POST TRIAL; however in this case Wallace doesn't seem to have made any radical changes other than the adoption of 'widower' to his social status. It is illogical to suppose that he ever lacked a genuine motive for his actions and as enigmatic as that motive is to all who have studied the case he risked a definite appointment with the hangman just to see his plans reach fruition. If he did indeed simply relish the prospect of being free from being 'shackled' in a loveless marriage to a woman many years his senior then dying two years later at the age of 54 may be seen as retribution from the grave.

Brilliantly put together video - best I've watched on this case. You Sir, have most definitely earned a subscriber. I've always been intrigued by this case and I've read and watched tons but still gained some new information having watched this. Nice one buddy and thanks so much for your hard work and the upload.

Point of information: EG Hemmerde, counsel in the case, was know as Edward, not George as captioned here. A former MP and Recorder of Liverpool, Hemmerde had a chequered political and financial career. The Wallace case was probably his best remembered.

Thank you for sharing. Enjoying these cases very much !

He was only 54 when he died but he looked more like 74.

How often do you post? I just found your page and I have to say it is, by far, the best one of this type

Since finding you I find the stories so interesting and so much detail thankyou for all your hard work.

📌 I’m not a stalker….wait…oops…that’s exactly what stalkers would say! lol…No, seriously, I love your voice and your dedication to this channel. Long live the teller of tales! ♥️😝😂🤣

Menlove Gardens, what an unfortunate name.

The accused was a Mason. No judge is that incompetent. The attempts at providing an alibi were overkill. No pun intended.

The position of the raincoat seems to mean that MRS Wallace was not wearing it when she found😕

He must have been the murderer ; because he knew the phone number of the Chess club. ☎️

Congratulations on this superb production, the definitive exposition of this fascinating case. Growing up on Merseyside in the 1960s I heard, at my father's knee, the story of Qualtrough and Menlove Gardens East. My Dad had heard the story from his Dad, who had come to the same conclusion as you do, as his father had done and as I did also, of course. Great storytelling, precise analysis, I love it, thank you!

Thanks for a brilliant series... Really enjoying it... please please can you keep going x

A fantastic story, one that is quite unique. We know who killed who, We know how the murder was commited, and subsequently, by whom. Yes, it was a game of Chess, played out by someone that wasn't quite the best of players...but then that was the point. Although Wallace knew this; he felt perhaps he should be. So the plan was hatched. He knew that he was dying, I think that this was certain to him. Probably he was told this in one of his many consultations. What better way to go out in a blaze of glory. I think he knew he was going to be found guilty, his gambit however, was to see if he could cheat the hangman. Which of course, he did.

I absolutely love your channel. What baffles me is why would he go to such lengths to respond to a call from someone he does not know. 🤔🤔🤔

John Lennon lived at 251 Menlove avenue as a child.

Brilliant series. Specially the wonderful old photos.

Just discovered this channel tonight. Outstanding!!

Thank you for the uploads, they make for complusive listening, making one's brain work, trying to figure out who did what

Okay. It's a compelling case. But, on this one, I have to say if I were sitting in the jury, I wouldn't cast my vote for a guilty verdict. It's got to be proven "beyond the shadow of a doubt", right? I still have a doubt.

Lucy worsley did a three part series called a very British murder and they covered this case in it. ☺️

Imagine how DNA and today’s forensics would have rendered so many of these intriguing and fascinating cases de-mysterized!! [ apologies for the made-up term!!]_______________________________||

Most entertaining, beautifully read and presented. Many thanks!

Have you heard the Juniverse version of this story? It lists a host of questions.

Richard Gordon parry dislikes the video 😄

An excellent listen at any time - today is a good day, as it's cold & stormy out & this is a wonderful channel. Thankyou for your efforts, & for sharing. 👂 Namaste 🙏 💟

This case was also brilliantly covered in In Suspicious Circumstances, under the title The Man From The Pru. It suggested a colleague of Wallace was responsible. If ever an innocent man went out of his way to look thoroughly suspicious it was William Wallace. Although he 'got away with it' he was a broken man ever after. I've recently discovered this channel and absolutely love the clear way the cases are presented. I would ask do you plan to do more modern cases, or are you limited due to libel laws.

I love how well done your video's are. Thank you

Recently discovered this channel and am currently binging ALL your videos. These productions are nothing short of professional; script, editing, narration, and subject matter! To think you do it all yourself! Also your voice lends itself beautifully to narration! I look forward to more of your content and I hope this channel gets the subscribers it is so deserving of! Thank you for all your hard work!

Thank you for all of your amazing work on these old cases! Have a comment for the algorithm 💖

Brilliant analysis sir. 👏