Noah Nod - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 802 |
| Age: | 13 |
| Whence received: | H M Prison Stafford |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fresh |
| Hair colour: | Sandy |
| Eyes colour: | Brown |
| Height: | 4 ft 4 ins |
| Particular marks: | Small mole on back of neck |
| State of health: | Good |
| Able-bodied? | Slender |
| Date of admission: | 10 February 1886 |
| Late residence: | 40 Birmingham Road Black Heath, Rowley Regis |
| Parish he belongs to: | Rowley Regis |
| Customary work and mode of life: | No occupation |
| Whether illegitimate: | No |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly, Standard III |
| Writes: | Imperfectly, Standard III |
| Offence: | Stealing money |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | Bad company |
| Date of sentence, by whom and court: | 20 January 1886; W Bassano and H J Hickman; Old Hill Court of Summary Jurisdiction |
| Where imprisoned: | H M Prison Stafford |
| Sentence: | 21 days in prison, 5 years at Saltley |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | 1 |
| Length: | Birched |
| For what: | Stealing a watch |
| Father's name: | George Bennett (step-father) |
| Occupation: | |
| Mother's name: | Harriet Bennett |
| Occupation: | - |
| Parents dead? | Father |
| Survivor married again? | Yes |
| Parents' treatment of child: | Good |
| Character of parents | Nothing known against their characters. Health apparently good. Bennett now has 3 other children, ages 9, 7, and 4 respectively, depending upon him |
| Parents' wages: | 16s weekly. If trade was good could earn 25s weekly |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | Says he is unable to pay anything. I think he ought to pay 1s per week |
| Parents address: | 40 Birmingham Road, Black Heath, Rowley Regis |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | Superintendent John Wollaston, Brierley Hill |
| Person making this return: | Frederick Salt, Sergeant of Police, Black Heath, Dudley |
| Notes: | |
| 29 March 1884 There is a report of a previous offence in the Dudley and District News Saturday 29 March 1884 p,2 col.4: STEALING A WATCH - Noah Nod, alias Bennett, of Birmingham Road, Blackheath, aged 10 years, was charged with stealing a watch on the 18th inst.. the property ot George Eades, of same place. Complainant said he saw the watch safe on the morning of the 17th inst. He missed it on the afternoon of the following day, and then gave information to the police. P. C. Leadbeater stated that from information he had received he asked the prisoner where he had put the watch he had on Tuesday, The prisoner said he was sent into the house of the prosecutor to enquire the time, and as no one was there so he took the watch out of the drawer and went out and hid it on a ledge of a covering of an ashpit. The Bench ordered the prisoner to have six strokes with the birch rod. | |
| 23 January 1886 The crime that sent him to Saltley was reported in the County Express Saturday 23 January 1886 p.6 col.4: AN EXEMPLARY PUNISHMENT. - Noah Nod, (12), alias Bennett, 40, Birmingham Road, Blackheath, was charged with stealing 1s. 11d. from the till of Emma Crump, widow, shopkeeper, Halesowen Street, Blackheath. - Prosecutor's daughter deposed to hearing footsteps in the shop, and on going in saw prisoner, who denied he had been behind the counter, and asked for a halfpenny cake. He was supplied with it, and went away. From something Joseph Kite told witness she went and followed defendant, and brought him up home. She then went back and found the money under Connop's window, where she had seen defendant stoop down. The money was afterwards missed from the till. - Defendant, who had a bad character, pleaded guilty.- He was sentenced to twenty-one days imprisonment, afterwards to go to a reformatory school for five years. | |
| 30 March 1889 The Register of Boys on Licence reports that Nod was licensed to go out and work for Mr Parsons, Halesowen, Worcestershire | |
| 9 February 1891 Sentence expired, discharged from Saltley whilst on licence | |
| 14 February 1893 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Nod, Halesowen | |
| 9 October 1894 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Nod, Halesowen | |
| 12 February 1895 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Nod, Halesowen | |
Arthur Baker - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 1057 |
| Age: | 15 (born 1 February 1879) |
| Whence received: | H M Prison Birmingham |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fresh |
| Hair colour: | Brown |
| Eyes colour: | Brown |
| Height: | 4 ft 8 ins |
| Particular marks: | 3 dots outside left forearm |
| State of health: | Good |
| Able-bodied? | Yes |
| Date of admission: | 15 February 1894 |
| Late residence: | 20 Dolman Road, Aston, near Birmingham |
| Parish he belongs to: | Aston |
| Customary work and mode of life: | Filer |
| Whether illegitimate: | No |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly |
| Writes: | Imperfectly |
| Offence: | Stealing a whip value 1s |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | Companion of thieves |
| Date of sentence, by whom and court: | 26 January 1894; J Harvey and A Johnson; Aston Petty Sessions |
| Where imprisoned: | H M Prison Birmingham |
| Sentence: | 21 days hard labour in prison, then Saltley until 19 years of age |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | 1 (13 July 1893) |
| Length: | fined 5s or 7 days |
| For what: | Damaging trees |
| Father's name: | Christopher George Baker |
| Occupation: | Foreman |
| Mother's name: | Sarah Baker |
| Occupation: | Housewife |
| Parents dead? | Neither |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | Good |
| Character of parents | Good |
| Parents' wages: | In good position, lives in house £24 per quarter and rates |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | Not given |
| Parents address: | 20 Dolman Road, Aston |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | Superintendent Walker |
| Person making this return: | W Barrow, Clerk, H M Prison Birmingham |
| Notes: | |
| 21 August 1895 The Medical Officer reported: Bronchial catarrh, which was still with him on 28 August | |
| 12 March 1897 The Medical Officer reported: Gastritis, diagnosed next day as peritonitis, which got worse and worse and he died on 20 March at 12.30 am | |
| 20 March 1897 Died of peritonitis. (Formally discharged from Saltley). The Superintendent in writing the usual report for the Reformatory Committee Log Book, states: I deeply regret having to report the death of Arthur Baker from peritonitis. He was one of my more promising pupils | |
| No. in Admissions Register: | 48 |
| Date of admission: | 8 February 1854 |
| Weekly payments: | - |
| Age: | 15 |
| Education: | Indifferent |
| Previous employment: | None |
| Crimes, how often and in what prison: | Birmingham, 3 |
| Training in reformatory: | Farm labourer |
| When left reformatory: | 20 July 1854 |
| Parentage and family: | Mother dead |
| Residence: | - |
| Trade of father: | Jeweller |
| With whom the boy is placed: | - |
| Address: | - |
| Trade: | - |
Notes:
| 29 October 1853 A short report of a possible previous crime is in the Birmingham Journal Saturday 29 1853 p.6 col.3: A YOUNG VAGABOND. – A youth, names Thomas Beeston, was brought up charged with attempting to pick the pocket of a lady in Dale End, on Tuesday evening. It appeared that the prisoner, in company with some other lads, were walking about in Dale End, when one of them, Beeston, was detected by a gentleman named William Page, who observed him take his hand out of a lady’s pocket. He was immediately taken into custody. The Magistrates committed him to the House of Correction for two weeks, with hard labour. This was the prisoner’s third appearance before the Bench. |
| 2 January 1855 In the Minute Book of the Reformatory it is reported that: T Beeson [surname spelled thus] has absconded twice and after the second offence the Visitors decided that he could not be readmitted. |
William Hodgkinson - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 242 |
| Date of admission: | 1 October 1862 |
| Whence received: | Stafford |
| By whom brought: | - |
| On what terms: | - |
| Friends interested in him: | - |
| Description: | |
| Height: | - |
| Figure: | - |
| Complexion: | Fair |
| Hair colour: | Light brown |
| Eyes colour: | Blue |
| Perfect vision? | Yes |
| State of health: | Yes |
| Able-bodied? | Yes |
| Sound intellect? | Yes |
| Use of all limbs? | Yes |
| Had cow or small pox? | Vaccinated |
| Particular marks: | None |
| Cutaneous disorder? | No |
| Scrofulous or consumptive? | No |
| Subject to fits? | No |
| Age last birthday: | 10 |
| Illegitimate? | - |
| Birthday: | - |
| Birth place: | - |
| Has resided: | Uttoxeter |
| Parish he belongs to: | Newborough |
| Customary work and mode of life: | - |
| Schools attended: | - |
| By whom and where employed: | - |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly |
| Writes: | Imperfectly |
| Cyphers: | - |
| General ability: | - |
| Offence: | Stealing growing beans |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | Neglect of parents |
| Date of sentence: | 7 September 1862 |
| Where convicted: | Uttoxeter |
| Who prosecuted: | - |
| Where imprisoned: | - |
| Sentence: | 14 days prison, 4 years at Saltley |
| Previous committals and convictions: | Like offence (14 days) |
| Father's name: | Thomas Hodgkinson |
| Occupation: | Besom maker |
| Residence: | Newborough, Sudbury, Derbyshire |
| Mother's name: | Ann |
| Occupation: | - |
| Residence: | - |
| Father's character: | - |
| Mother's character: | - |
| Parents dead? | - |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | Father was imprisoned three weeks at Stafford for ill-using him |
| Character of parents | Indifferent |
| Parents' wages: | Precarious |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | Nothing |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | Inspector Crisp, Uttoxeter |
| Relatives to communicate with: | - |
| Person making this return: | Abram A Hirst, Clerk to the Justices, Uttoxeter |
| Estimate of character on admission: | - |
| Character on discharge: | - |
| When and how left the Reformatory: | 30 Sep 1866 - discharged on expiration of sentence |
Notes:
| 30 August 1862 An appearance before the court on a previous occasion is reported in the Staffordshire Advertiser Saturday 30 august 1862 p.2 col.3: A CASE FOR THE REFORMATORY.-A youth named William Hodgkinson, aged ten years, was brought before the bench with a view to placing him under surveillance. He has been known to commit several petty acts of pilfering, and has been once imprisoned for larceny. The bench ordered him to be placed in the workhouse, and a reformatory will be his ultimate destination. |
| 20 September 1862 There is a brief report of his trial in the Staffordshire Advertiser Saturday 20 September 1862 p.7 col.7: A young urchin named Hodgkinson was committed to prison for fourteen days, and was ordered at the expiration of the sentence to be sent to the Saltley Reformatory. He had spent various terms in the prison and workhouse, and neither had checked his propensity to thieving. It appeared that he was utterly friendless and destitute. |
| 30 September 1866 Discharged |
| December 1868 Uttoxeter. Doing well |
| October 1869 Uttoxeter. Doing well |
Peter Shelley - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 10 |
| Date of admission: | 16 September 1852 |
| Weekly payments: | - |
| Age: | 15 |
| Education: | Indifferent |
| Previous employment: | errand boy |
| Crimes, how often and in what prison>: | Chester, Stafford, Birmingham, 6 |
| Training in reformatory: | Spectacle making |
| When left reformatory<: | July 1853 |
| Parentage and family: | Both living |
| Residence: | Castle Street, Birmingham |
| Trade of father: | Labourer |
| With whom the boy is placed: | Mr Par... |
| Address: | - |
| Trade: | - |
| Notes: | none |