Rogues, Murderers and Grave Robbers

Rogues, Murderers and Grave Robbers - history talk: Monday 28 September 2026, 19:00–21:30, Grauballe Skole, Silkeborg. Tickets cost 100 kr.

A lecture on true crime from the period 1790-1930, held by historian and journalist Henning Frandsen.

The police's ability to solve crimes was severely limited well into the 1800s - interrogations, wanted notices and rewards were the main tools, and officers were often few, incompetent and drunk. The thread running through the lecture is the case of the usurer Snorre John, who ate the evidence but still ended up in jail. The lecture also covers the story of the murderer Balle Lars, the grave robbers at Assistens Cemetery in Nørrebro who nearly faced lynching, the robber-murderer Anders Sjællænder who had his head cut off on the third attempt, and the darkly amusing tale of the Champagne Tailor who tried his hand at counterfeiting.

Along the way, the stories are interspersed with insights into the history of the police and how law, justice and punishment have evolved from the Middle Ages to today.

Henning Frandsen is a historian, journalist and lecturer. Originally from Aarhus, he has lived in Aarup on Funen since 1997 and is currently part-time employed at Folkebladet in Aarup - previously he worked for about 18 years at Fyens Stiftstidende.