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From Your Archives

The following article was available only on paper in The National Archives' reading rooms. It was designed to act as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject. It is not comprehensive, but may provide the basis for research among the records. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date so feel free to edit this page to improve the information.

The case of John Christie and Timothy Evans originally started out as a murder enquiry into the deaths of Evans’ pregnant wife and young daughter in 1949 but, following a detailed police search, six more bodies were found including that of Christie’s wife. The brutal murders became known as the “10 Rillington Place Murders”, the scene of the crimes, and shocked post - war Britain.

The separate trials of Evans and Christie resulted in both being found guilty. Evans was tried first for the murder of his daughter and hanged on 9 March 1950. Christie was hanged for the murder of his wife three years later on 15 July 1953.

There followed a growing campaign for an inquiry into the case of Evans resulting in the Brabin report in 1965 whereby Evans was given a free posthumous pardon. Highly influential in bringing about the inquiry was the book Ten Rillington Place by Ludovic Kennedy (London, 1961). A film of the same name was released in 1970 with John Hurt as Evans and Richard Attenborough as Christie.

It is often mistakenly reported that John Christie was born at Black Boy House, Boothtown, Halifax. In fact, Christie's birth took place in another Black Boy House in the Halifax area, in Turner Lane, Shibden. On the 1901 Census, conducted early in that year just short of John Christie's 2nd birthday, the Christie household, including John, was residing in this Black Boy House, a short distance from Shibden Hall Lodge.

John Christie, known to family and friends as Reggie, was born on April 8th 1899, the birth being registered in the Northowram Sub-district of the Halifax Registration District on 19th May 1899. The informant was his mother, Mary Hannah Christie (nee Halliday) and the Registrar was a Geo A J Lingard.

He and his siblings Percy (born 18th July 1882 at 24 Chester Road, Northowram, Halifax), Florence (born 26th April 1884 at 8 Hope Hall Terrace, Halifax), Effie (born 9th July 1886 at 54 Salisbury Place, Northowram), Winifred (born 9th August 1896 at Black Boy House) and Phyllis (born 7/10/1900 at Black Boy House) had their surname prefixed with their mother's maiden name hence the more popularly known name "Halliday-Christie". Although Black Boy House is in Shibden and not Boothtown, Chester Road and Salisbury Place are in Boothtown, not Northowram.

Interestingly, amongst the Christies' neighbours, the Portmans and their son, actor Eric Portman, (1903-1969) lived in Chester Road.

Contents 1 Cabinet Office 2 Central Criminal Court 3 Home Office 4 Metropolitan Police 5 Prime Minister’s Office 6 Prison Commission

[edit] Cabinet Office

CAB 143/1-7

Inquiry into the case of Timothy John EVANS (The Brabin Enquiry 22 Nov. 1965-21 Jan 1966): Transcripts and Papers. (This series consists of documents made available to the Inquiry including transcripts of evidence given at the trials of Evans and Christie and associated case papers, as well as records of the earlier Inquiry conducted by Mr J Scott Henderson QC in 1953, statements by witnesses, transcripts of daily proceedings, manuscript notes by Mr Justice Brabin, drafts of the report and sundry administrative papers.

[edit] Central Criminal Court

CRIM 2/325	Correspondence and Papers: Murder, Manslaughter, etc., Ethel Christie and other women at 10 Rillington Place, London, by John Reginald Halliday CHRISTIE Opened February 1993 (previously closed for 50 years until 2016)	1953-1965
CRIM 2/367	Calendar of Depositions: CHRISTIE, John Reginald Halliday	16 June 1953.
CRIM 4/1778	Indictment Nos. 7-8: EVANS, Timothy John	10 January 1950.
CRIM 4/1820	Indictment Nos. 9-12: CHRISTIE, John Reginald Halliday	16 June 1953.
CRIM 5/14	Calendar of Indictments: EVANS, Timothy John	10 January 1950.
CRIM 5/15	Calendar of Indictments: CHRISTIE, John Reginald Halliday	16 June 1953.
CRIM 8/22	Applications for press and visitors passes for notable cases: CHRISTIE, John Reginald Halliday	Apr-June 1953.

[edit] Home Office

HO 45/24501-24502	Registered Papers: Criminal Case File: EVANS, Timothy John convicted at CCC on 13 January 1950 of murder and sentenced to death (1949-1950) Opened February 1993 (previously closed for 66 years until 2017)
HO 45/25652-25662	Registered Papers: Criminal Case File - Posthumous events: EVANS, Timothy John. (These papers include the arrangements, transcripts and report of the 1953 Scott-Henderson Enquiry into whether there had been a miscarriage of justice in the conviction of Evans. They also include correspondence with Ludovic Kennedy (author, 10 Rillington Place concerning requests for a pardon and trial (1953-1966) Opened February 1993 (previously closed for various periods until 2017). Document HO 45/25655 includes correspondence about reactions to Ludovic Kennedy's book Ten Rillington Place HO 45/25655
HO 287/196	Police Files: Compensation for damage to property by police: 10 Rillington Place, claim by lessor for damage to property and loss of rent, 1953
HO 291/227	Criminal Cases (CCS): CHRISTIE, John Reginald Halliday at Central Criminal Court on 25 June 1953 convicted of murder; sentenced to death; executed 15 July 1953 (1953-1954)
HO 291/228	Criminal Cases (CCS): CHRISTIE, John Reginald Halliday at Central Criminal Court on 25 June 1953 convicted of murder; sentenced to death; executed 15 July 1953 (1949-1953)
HO 299/18	Coroners Files: exhumation of Mrs Timothy Evans (1953)
HO 282/52	Burials and cremation files: removal of human remains: Evans, Timothy 1965

[edit] Metropolitan Police

MEPO 2/9535	Correspondence and Papers: Murder, Manslaughter, etc., Ethel Christie and other women at 10 Rillington Place, London, by John Reginald Halliday CHRISTIE (1953-1965) Opened February 1993 (previously closed for 50 years until 2016)
MEPO 2/9617	Correspondence and Papers: Parliamentary Questions: Request for a new enquiry into the case of Timothy John EVANS (1955) Opened in 1992 following reduction of closure period from 75 to 30 years
MEPO 2/10542	Correspondence and Papers: Murder, Manslaughter, etc., Inquiry into the conviction and execution of Timothy John EVANS: legal costs and representation of the Commissioner and Metropolitan Police (1966)
MEPO 3/3147	Correspondence and Papers, Special Series: Timothy John EVANS executed for the death of his baby daughter and 10 Rillington Place, London W11 on 10 November 1949. Evans granted posthumous pardon by HM Queen as a result of second public inquiry in 1966. (Opened February 1993 (previously closed for 30 years until 2005)

[edit] Prime Minister’s Office

PREM 13/790

Case of Timothy John Evans: correspondence with Home secretary: setting up of independent inquiry; correspondence with Deputy Leader of Opposition in Australia 1966

[edit] Prison Commission

PCOM 9/1668	Registered Papers: Series II: CHRISTIE, John Reginald Halliday: Convicted of murder at Central Criminal Court on 16 June 1953; sentenced to death; executed. (Opened February 1993, previously closed for 75 years until 2029)
PCOM 9/2313	Registered Papers: Series II: EVANS, Timothy John: Convicted of murder at Central Criminal Court on 12 January 1950; sentenced to death; executed on 9 March 1950. (Open on transfer in February 1993)