Saltley Reformatory

John Squelch - Saltley Reformatory Inmate

No. in Admissions Register:	510
Age:	15
Whence received:	Birmingham Prison
Description:
Complexion:	Fresh
Hair colour:	Dark brown
Eyes colour:	Grey
Visage:	-
Particular marks:	Mole on right shoulder
State of health:	Good
Able-bodied?	Yes
Date of admission and term:	19 May 1874 5 years
Late residence:	Floodgate Street, Birmingham
Parish he belongs to:	Birmingham
Customary work and mode of life:	Brass casting
Whether illegitimate:	Not
State of education:
Reads:	Imperfectly
Writes:	Imperfectly
Offence:	Vagrancy
Circumstances which may have led to it:	-
Date of sentence, by who and court:	29 April 1874, Birmingham Police Court, T C S Kynnersley
Where imprisoned:	Birmingham Borough Prison
Sentence:	21 days prison (hard labour), 5 years at Saltley
Previous committals:
Number:	One (14 February 1874)
Length:	14 days hard labour
For what:	Stealing 6 valentines
Father's name:	Thomas Whitworth (stepfather)
Occupation:	Wire drawer
Mother's name:	Elizabeth Whitworth
Occupation:	Umbrella maker
Parents dead?	Own father
Survivor married again?	Yes
Parents' treatment of child:	Kind
Character of parents	Honest, sober, and industrious
Parents' wages:	About £2 10s per week
Amount parents agree to pay:	Not stated
Parents address:	Floodgate Street, Birmingham
Superintendent of police (to collect payments):	-
Person making this return:	-
When and how left reformatory	22 May 1879 - emigrated to Canada

Notes:

16 February 1874 A previous offence was reported in the Birmingham Daily Post Monday 16 February 1874: ROBBING A LETTER BOX. - Michael McDonnell (14), Alcester Street, John Squelch (15), no home, and John Ba… [too faded to read] (13), Alcester Street, were charge with stealing six valentines from the Post Office at Deritend, the property of the Postmaster-General. - It appeared that the letter-box was choked with letters and valentines on Friday, and the prisoners found it a very easy matter to extract half a dozen. The prisoners were further charged with being in company with another boy, named Albert Bennett of Bromsgrove Street, and stealing soap and candles from the cellar of Mr. William Bindley, grocer, Long Street, Sparkbrook..- The prisoners were sentenced to fourteen days imprisonment each.

22 May 1879 Emigrated from Liverpool by Sarmatian for Toronto. Considered discharged, as he would be 9 days on passage

John Coates - Saltley Reformatory Inmate

No. in Admissions Register:	836
Age:	10
Whence received:	-
Description:
Complexion:	Fresh
Hair colour:	Brown
Eyes colour:	Blue
Height:	-
Particular marks:	Long scar outer eyebrow
State of health:	Good
Able-bodied?	Yes
Date of admission:	17 February 1887
Late residence:	18 court 10 house Bordesley Street, Birmingham
Parish he belongs to:	Birmingham
Customary work and mode of life:	Tinner
Whether illegitimate:	No
State of education:
Reads:	Imperfectly, Standard 2
Writes:	Imperfectly, Standard 2
Offence:	Stealing 5 dozen bottles and 3 bags
Circumstances which may have led to it:	Associating with bad companions
Date of sentence, by whom and court:	4 February 1887; William Ellis and F B Goodman; Birmingham Police Court
Where imprisoned:	H M Prison Birmingham
Sentence:	14 days hard labour in prison, 5 years at Saltley
Previous committals:
Number:	1 (3 years ago)
Length:	7 days Test House
For what:	Stealing empty porter bottles
Father's name:	Henry John Coates
Occupation:	Coal heaver
Mother's name:	Julia Coates
Occupation:	-
Parents dead?	No
Survivor married again?	No
Parents' treatment of child:	Boy says unkindly
Character of parents	Fairly respectable
Parents' wages:	About £1 per week
Amount parents agree to pay:	Not assessed
Parents address:	18 court 10 house Bordesley Street, Birmingham
Superintendent of police (to collect payments):	Superintendent Wilcox, Council House, Birmingham
Person making this return:	M Elliott
Notes:
5 February 1887 The crime was reported in the Birmingham Daily Post Saturday 5 February 1887 p.7 col.3: BOTTLE STEALERS. - Henry Jarvis (16), Thomas Bates (15), and John Coates (15), all of New Canal Street, were charged with stealing five dozen of glass bottles belonging to William Barnes, glass merchant, Banbury Street. - The prosecutor spoke to missing the bottles from his warehouse on Thursday, and Ann Mason said that she saw the prisoners leaving Barnes's yard. Two of them were carrying a bag each and the other a basket, Witness followed them, and the prisoners dropped their loads, and she then discovered that the basket and bags contained bottles. Information was given to the police, and Police-constable Burrows arrested them. - All the prisoners had been previously convicted, and now pleaded guilty. - Jarvis was sentenced to two months' hard labour, and the other two to fourteen days' imprisonment, and afterwards to be detained for five years in a reformatory.

9 November 1889 The Register of Boys on Licence records that Coates was licensed to go out and work for Messers S Heath and Sons, Birmingham

14 April 1890 The Reformatory Committee Log Book reports that Coates was discharged early from Saltley by order of the Home Secretary, on account of his emigrating to Canada with Bayliss [boy 828] and Povey [boy 844]. They left Liverpool on 27 March on board the SS Parisian for Brandon, Manitoba

21 October 1890 The Log book report records receipt of a letter from Coates, Manitoba, Canada

William Cook - Saltley Reformatory Inmate

Image by permission of the Library of Birmingham. MS 244/6/2.

No. in Admissions Register:	1092
Age:	14 (born 18 April 1880)
Whence received:	H M Prison Stafford
Description:
Complexion:	Sallow
Hair colour:	Dark
Eyes colour:	Brown
Height:	4 ft 9½ ins>
Particular marks:	3 dots left arm
State of health:	Fair
Able-bodied?	Yes
Date of admission:	3 June 1895
Late residence:	31 Charles Street, Wolverhampton
Parish he belongs to:	-
Customary work and mode of life:	Nil
Whether illegitimate:	No
State of education:
Reads:	Imperfectly
Writes:	Imperfectly
Offence:	Stealing oranges
Circumstances which may have led to it:	-
Date of sentence, by whom and court:	24 May 1895; N C A Neville; Wolverhampton Petty Sessions
Where imprisoned:	H M Prison Stafford
Sentence:	10 days in prison, detained at Saltley until 19 years of age
Previous committals:
Number:	1
Length:	-
For what:	-
Father's name:	Thomas Cook
Occupation:	-
Mother's name:	Margaret Cook
Occupation:	-
Parents dead?	Neither
Survivor married again?	-
Parents' treatment of child:	-
Character of parents	Father out of employment, seven small children at home, eldest 12 years
Parents' wages:	See above
Amount parents agree to pay:	-
Parents address:	-
Superintendent of police (to collect payments):	-
Person making this return:	N C A Neville

Notes:

3 March 1899 The Register of Boys on Licence records that Cook was licensed to go out and work for W W Furnival, 35 Owen Street, Wolverhampton

18 September 1899 Sentence expired whilst on licence, discharged from Saltley

31 July 1900 The Reformatory Committee Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Cook, Colchester [probably now in the Army]

11 December 1900 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Cook, Colchester

10 February 1903 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Cook, Dublin

14 April 1903 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Cook, Ireland

10 June 1903 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Cook, Dublin

No. in Admissions Register:	140
Date of admission:	7 February 1858
Whence received:	Stafford Gaol
By whom brought:	-
On what terms:	-
Friends interested in him:	-
Description:
Height:	-
Figure:	-
Complexion:	Fair
Hair colour:	Light brown
Eyes colour:	Blue
Perfect vision?	Long
State of health:	Good
Able-bodied?	Yes
Sound intellect?	Yes
Use of all limbs?	Yes
Had cow or small pox?	Has had the cowpox
Particular marks:	Mark of cut on left hand
Cutaneous disorder?	No
Scrofulous or consumptive?	No
Subject to fits?	No
Age last birthday:	12
Illegitimate?	No
Birthday:	-
Birth place:	-
Has resided:	At Longton
Parish to which he belongs:	Stoke upon Trent
Customary work and mode of life:	Collier
Schools attended:	None
By whom and where employed:	-
State of education:
Reads:	None
Writes:	None
Cyphers:	-
General ability:	-
Offence:	Stealing fruit (10 apples) with no.139 [Abraham Bentley]
Circumstances which may have led to it:	Bad example of parents
Date of sentence:	18 January 1858
Where convicted:	Hanley Police Couty, before J B Rose, Esq, Stipendiary Magistrate
Where imprisoned:	Stafford
Sentence:	20 days prison, 4 years at Saltley
Previous committals and convictions:	-
Father's name:	Thomas Booth
Occupation	Labourer
Residence:	Squiers(?) Square, Longton
Mother's name:	Hannah Bentley
Occupation:	-
Residence:	-
Father's character:	-
Mother's character:	-
Parents dead?	No
Survivor married again?	-
Parents' treatment of child	Good
Character of parents:	Good
Parents' wages:	10s
Weekly amount parents will pay:	-
Superintendent of police (to collect payments):	George Garnham, Superintendent of Police, Longton
Relatives to communicate with:	-
Person making this return:	J R Rose, Magistrates' Clerk, Stoke on Trent
Estimate of character on admission:	-
Character on discharge:	-
When and how left the Reformatory:	Enlisted in the Royal Artillery on 16 Dec 1861

Notes:

6 February 1858 There is a very brief report of his offence in the Staffordshire Advertiser, Saturday 6 February, p.2, col.5: Abraham Bentley and Henry Booth, who had pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing fruit, were each sent to the Saltley Reformatory for four years.

9 May 1859 detected stealing raw suet pudding and baking it in the oven after the bread was taken out. To escape punishment he ran away, was captured immediately in Victoria Street, well caned and locked up on bread and water, 4 days.

5 September [no year given] Absconded with Bentley [boy 139], Apprehended at Oakengates, Salop, and brought back 9 Sep

7 October [No year given] Absconded with Bentley. Brought back from Cannock 15 Oct

28 November [No year given] Absconded alone.

15 January 1861 heard of his apprehension at Longton. Wrote leaving him in magistrate's hands

17 January brought back by order of magistrate

16 July 1861 The Minute Book reported: 800. Resolved: that Booth and Coster [boy 220] be allowed to enlist.

8 October 1861 The Minute Book recorded: 809. On reading Minute 800 it was reported that Booth and Coster are below the standard for enlisting.

16 December 1861 Enlisted in the Royal Artillery

January 1862 Heard from him, about to go to Canada

May 1864 Coster [boy 220] said he is going on fairly in the Artillery.

Charles Jones - Saltley Reformatory Inmate

No. in Admissions Register:	228
Date of admission:	9 October 1861
Whence received:	Stafford Gaol
By whom brought:	-
On what terms:	-
Friends interested in him:	-
Description:
Height:	-
Figure:	-
Complexion:	Fair
Hair colour:	Light brown
Eyes colour:	Grey
Perfect vision?	Yes
State of health:	Good
Able-bodied?	Yes
Sound intellect?	Yes
Use of all limbs?	Yes
Had cow or small pox?	Cowpox
Particular marks:	-
Cutaneous disorder?	No
Scrofulous or consumptive?	No
Subject to fits?	No
Age last birthday:	13
Illegitimate?	-
Birthday:	-
Birth place:	-
Has resided:	Ryton, Shropshire
Parish he belongs to:	Ryton
Customary work and mode of life:	Bookbinder
Schools attended:	-
By whom and where employed:	-
State of education:
Reads:	Imperfectly
Writes:	Imperfectly
Cyphers:	-
General ability:	-
Offence:	Stealing three brushes
Circumstances which may have led to it:	Neglect of parents
Date of sentence:	25 September 1861
Where convicted:	Wolverhampton, W Partridge
Who prosecuted:	-
Where imprisoned:	Birmingham
Sentence:	14 days prison, 5 years at Saltley
Previous committals and convictions:	None
Father's name:	-
Occupation:	-
Residence:	-
Mother's name:	-
Occupation:	-
Residence:	-
Father's character:	-
Mother's character:	-
Parents dead?	Both
Survivor married again?	-
Parents' treatment of child:	-
Character of parents	-
Parents' wages:	-
Amount parents agree to pay:	-
Superintendent of police (to collect payments):	-
Relatives to communicate with:	-
Person making this return:	-
Estimate of character on admission:	-
Character on discharge:	-
When and how left the Reformatory:	8 Oct 1866 - Discharged on expiration of sentence

Notes:

8 October 1866 Discharged

October 1868 In Birmingham. Character good

November 1869 In Birmingham. Character good