Henry William Tilson - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 1281 |
| Age: | 15 (born 25 November 1885) |
| Whence received: | Northampton Petty Sessions |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fresh |
| Hair colour: | Light |
| Eyes colour: | Bluish grey |
| Height: | 4 ft 9¼ ins |
| Particular marks: | Scar left side of cheek bone |
| State of health: | Good |
| Able-bodied? | Yes |
| Date of admission: | 20 August 1901 |
| Late residence: | 10 St Andrews Gardens, Northampton |
| Parish he belongs to: | - |
| Customary work and mode of life: | Shoe cleaner |
| Whether illegitimate: | No |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly, Standard 3 |
| Writes: | Imperfectly, Standard 3 |
| Offence: | Stealing the sum of £2 15s 0d |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | Neglected at home, 3 previous convictions |
| Date of sentence, by whom and court: | 19 August 1901; F G Adnill; Northampton Petty Sessions |
| Where imprisoned: | Detained in Northampton Workhouse |
| Sentence: | Detained at Saltley until the age of 19 years |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | 3 |
| Length: | 1) (12 March 1897); 2) (20 June 1900); 3) (22 December 1900) |
| For what: | 1) Stealing money; 2) stealing eggs; 3) receiving stolen money |
| Father's name: | John Tilson |
| Occupation: | Shoe finisher |
| Mother's name: | Charlotte Tilson |
| Occupation: | - |
| Parents dead? | - |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | - |
| Character of parents | Addicted to drink, bad character |
| Parents' wages: | - |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | - |
| Parents address: | 4 ft 9¼ins |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | - |
| Person making this return: | F G Adnill, Mayor, Northampton |
| Notes: | |
| 22 June 1900 A previous offence was reported in the Northampton Mercury Friday 22 June 1900 p.6 col.6: Theft of Eggs. - William Tilson (14) [first name given thus] and Wm. Adams (13), both lads of Northampton, were charged with stealing three pea hens' eggs, value 15s., the property of Richard Wainwright, Duston St. James. - Prosecutor, the proprietor of Franklin's Gardens, said he had a pea hen sitting on three eggs on Whit-Wednesday, but on information he received he informed the police. He valued the eggs at 15s. - Emery Bull, Far Cotton, an attendant at the Gardens, deposed to stopping the prisoners and finding two pea hens' eggs on one and one on the other. - P.S. McLeod deposed to seeing the prisoners. Adams said he got over the fence. Another lad gave him the eggs, and he gave two to Tilson and kept the other himself. Tilson said he did not steal the eggs, and he did not know the boy's name who stole them. - Tilson, who had been previously convicted, was fined 5s. Adams was dealt with under the First Offenders' Act, and bound over for six months in the sum of £5. | |
| 22 December 1900 Another previous offence was reported in the Northampton Chronicle and Echo Saturday 22 December 1900 p.3 col.2: John Spencer (13) schoolboy, 2, St. Andrew's- gardens, and Arthur Warner (15), painter, 48, Compton-street, were jointly charged with stealing, about 4.30 p.m. on the 18th inst., from a box in a street organ standing in Grafton-street, a tin box containing 4s. 6d., and of the total value of 5s. 6d., the property of Robert Harrison. 20, Marlborough-street. - Henry William Tilson (15), roughstuff boy, 10, St. Andrew's-gardens, was, charged with receiving from Spencer and Warner the sum of 8d. knowing it to have been stolen. - George Dunkley, a lad who accompanies Harrison, a blind man, on his rounds, deposed that the box was taken from the piano, which was left in Grafton-street while he and Harrison were having tea on Tuesday. - P.C. Bannister deposed to making inquiries into the case, and arresting the prisoners, whom he charged at the Police Station. Spencer said. "I took the box from the organ and had half the money. I gave Tilson 6d. and told him where I got it from." Warner said, "I was there and helped break the box open, and had 2s. 2d. of the money. I gave Tilson 2d. and told him where it was stolen." Tilson said, "I had 8d. altogether. I only look 3d. from Spencer after I knew where it was stolen from." The box he found on some waste ground in Arthur-street. - Defendants all elected the summary jurisdiction of the Court and pleaded guilty. - The prosecutor appealed to the Bench to deal with the lads leniently. - There were previous convictions against Spencer and Tilson, but Warner was making his first appearance. - Prisoners were remanded in custody until this (Saturday) morning, when Spencer was sentenced to receive nine stroke. with the birch rod. The Mayor said that if he came before the Court again he would have to go to a reformatory for four years. Warner, who was too old to be whipped, was fined 10s, inclusive, or seven days. Tilson was fined 20s. inclusive or 14 days' imprisonment. He also was too old to be whipped. | |
| 16 August 1901 The crime that sent him to Saltley was reported in the Northampton Mercury Friday 16 August 1901 p.6 col.5: INCORRIGIBLE LADS SENT TO REFORMATORY. George Ashton (13), schoolboy, 7, St. Andrew's-gardens, and Henry William Tillson (13) [surname spelled thus], roughstuff boy, 10, St. Andrew's-gardens, were charged with stealing from the person of Eliza Thompson, 9, Lower Harding-street, a purse containing £2 15s. - John Bolton (13), schoolboy, 13, St. Andrew's-gardens, was charged with securing 3s.; Frederick Waterfield (16), butcher's boy, 17, St. Andrew's-gardens, was charged with receiving 6s. 6d.; and Samuel Morris (12), schoolboy, 12, St. Andrew's-gardens, was charged with receiving 2s. from Ashton well-knowing the several sums to have been stolen. - Eliza Thompson stated she went to fetch some oil from a shop in Lower Harding-street. She paid for the oil, and put the change in a purse, which she thought she put in her pocket. There were two sovereigns and a half-sovereign and some silver in the purse. Witness missed the purse about half an hour later. - There were five previous convictions against Ashton, three against Tillson, and the other lads made their first appearance at that Court. - Ashton and Tillson were ordered to be sent to a Reformatory School for four years; Waterfield was fined 10s. or seven days; and in the case of the other lads the parents were bound over in the sum of £1 to be responsible for the good behaviour of the lads for three months. | |
| 6 September 1901 The boy's father also got into trouble, as reported in the Northampton Mercury Friday 6 September 1901 p.6 col.5: Maintenance Orders. - John Tilson, finisher, St. Andrews-lane, was summoned with respect to an application for an order to contribute towards the maintenance of his son Henry William Tilson (15), now detained in Saltley Reformatory School. - Defendant made an offer of 1s. per week, but the Chief Constable submitted that that was not enough. Defendant's wage for the past eight weeks was £113s. 6d., and he asked 1s. 6d. per week. - Defendant said he could not afford more than 1s. per week. - An order of 1s. 6d. per week was made. | |
| There are number of newspaper reports relating to his mother. In 1901 alone, for example, there are at least 3 reports of court appearances for drunkenness and assault. See the Northampton Mercury Friday 11 January 1901 p.6 col.4; Northampton Mercury Friday 30 August 1901 p.6 col.5; and Northampton Mercury Friday 27 September 1901 p.6 col.1; | |
| 30 May 1904 The Register of Boys on Licence records that Tilson was licensed to go out and work for Mr C Bates, 91 Bridget Street, Rugby | |
| 27 November 1904 Sentence expired whilst out on licence, discharged from Saltley | |