Queen Victoria reigned for a staggering 63 years, a period that could be split into two very different societies: the affluent elite and the struggling poor. In this age of stark contrast, many of the villainous victorians emerged, each leaving a unique scar on history.
Why These Villainous Victorians Matter
1 Theophile Marzials
Marzials was a Victorian poet whose work caused literal pain for readers. His 1873 poem A Tragedy earned the dubious honor of being labeled the worst poem in the English language. It was crowned as such by Ross and Kathryn Petras in their 1997 book Very Bad Poetry and by the Not Terribly Good Club of Great Britain. If you’re curious (or brave) enough, you can peruse the disastrous verses here.
2 William (Education Act Villain)
In 1870, the newly appointed Vice President of the Committee of Council of Education, a certain William, introduced the Education Act that forced every child to attend school by law. The act mandated cramming countless children into a single room for uniform instruction—a practice that persists to this day. Many view this as a cruel imposition on young minds.
3 Justice Blackborough
Justice Blackborough was a well‑paid judge who turned the courtroom into a personal cash register. He accepted two shillings and four pence for every bail he granted—a sum equivalent to a week’s wages for a poor flower seller. By arresting innocent people, granting them bail, and pocketing the fees, Blackborough profited handsomely from the misery of others.
4 George Hudson
Dubbed ‘The Railway King,’ George Hudson oversaw over a thousand miles of railways, ushering in Britain’s golden age of rail travel. Yet his ambition was personal wealth. Hudson lied, cheated, and even sold land he didn’t own. Though eventually exposed, his position as MP for Sunderland allowed him to dodge severe punishment, letting countless investors lose their money.
5 Sneyd‑Kynnersley
Sneyd‑Kynnersley headed a Victorian public school where corporal punishment reached barbaric levels. Pupils were forced into a black‑cloth‑covered box, stripped, and flogged with such force that blood spattered after just a few strokes. One account describes a boy’s backside turning into a “mass of blood” after 15–20 lashes, with the room echoing with screams and the smell of filth.
6 Lord MacDonald
The MacDonald clan, once a powerful Scottish family, faced starvation during the 1848 famine. When cheap provisions appeared in Liverpool, the clan chief bought them all—only to resell the food at double price, pocketing the profit while his own people continued to starve.
7 Victorian Government
Run by the wealthy, the Victorian government crafted laws that favored the rich. It even launched the Opium Wars to protect British opium traders. The poor bore the brunt of petty‑crime punishments, disease, and squalid slums. Mismanagement during the Crimean War sent soldiers to battle with poisoned meat, ill‑fitting uniforms, and boots made for left‑footed soldiers.
8 Dr. Neill Cream
Dr. Neill Cream was a serial killer who, after serving time in the United States for murdering three women and a man, returned to Britain. He marketed poisonous tablets as cosmetics, turning hopeful girls into corpses. In a twisted move, he even sent a notice to the Metropole Hotel warning guests of a poisoner—ironically implicating himself. When finally captured, he was hanged, proclaiming, “I am Jack the Ripper!” despite being incarcerated during the Ripper’s reign.
9 Lord Londonderry
The Londonderry family profited enormously from coal on their northern English estates, while the miners earned a pitiful £8 a year. When workers struck for better wages, Lord Londonderry evicted them, sold their homes, and hired cheaper labor. During a mine explosion, he ordered the shaft to be sealed to save coal, abandoning men underground to die. A later disaster claimed 95 lives, yet he contributed only a modest sum to the victims’ families.
10 Queen Victoria
After the death of her beloved husband, Queen Victoria withdrew from public life for four decades, yet continued to collect taxes from a populace forced into grueling labor, cramped factories, and starving slums. Her aloofness did little to ease the suffering of millions under her reign.