William Yearsley - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 1157 |
| Age: | 15 (born 29 December 1881) |
| Whence received: | Newcastle under Lyme |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fresh |
| Hair colour: | Light brown |
| Eyes colour: | Light grey |
| Height: | 4 ft 5½ ins |
| Particular marks: | Red birth mark right thumb, mole on left foot and left rear calf |
| State of health: | Good |
| Able-bodied? | Yes |
| Date of admission: | 18 June 1897 |
| Late residence: | - |
| Parish he belongs to: | - |
| Customary work and mode of life: | None |
| Whether illegitimate: | Yes, parents married since his birth |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly, Standard 2 |
| Writes: | Imperfectly, Standard 2 |
| Offence: | Stealing brass, value 1d |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | Police report - very bad boy, entirely beyond parental control and running wild about the streets for some 7 years |
| Date of sentence, by whom and court: | 29 May 1897; W O Briggs and J Poole; Newcastle under Lyme |
| Where imprisoned: | Union workhouse |
| Sentence: | Detained at Saltley until 19 years of age |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | 4 |
| Length: | 1) (12 November 1894) fined 1s 6d and costs; 2) (24 June 1895) 12 strokes; 3) (23 November 1896) fined 5s and costs; 4) (28 April 1897) fined 5s |
| For what: | 1) Wilful damage; 2) larceny from till; 3) disorderly conduct; 4) disorderly conduct |
| Father's name: | Arthur Palmer |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Mother's name: | - |
| Occupation: | - |
| Parents dead? | - |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | - |
| Character of parents | Both good |
| Parents' wages: | - |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | - |
| Parents address: | Stackyard, Newcastle under Lyme |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | - |
| Person making this return: | George Taylor, Chief Constable |
| Notes: | |
| 5 June 1897 The crime that sent him to Saltley was briefly reported in the Staffordshire Advertiser Saturday 5 June 1897 p.7 col.2: THE REFORMATORY FOR A BAD LAD. - William Yearsley, 15, who had been previously convicted of robbery from a till, of doing wilful damage and of disorderly conduct, was charged with stealing a brass ring, the property of Samuel Stanyer, marine store dealer. He was ordered to be sent to a reformatory for four years. | |
| 28 December 1900 Sentence expired, discharged from Saltley | |
| 14 April 1903 The Reformatory Committee Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Yearsley, Hanley | |
| 11 August 1903 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Yearsley, Hanley | |
| 6 October 1903 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Yearsley, Hanley | |
| 9 February 1904 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Yearsley, Hanley | |
| 9 August 1904 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Yearsley, Hanley | |
| 13 December 1904 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Yearsley, Hanley | |