| Charles Ruby – Saltley Reformatory Inmate | |
| No. in Admissions Register: | 1244 |
| Age: | 11 (born 18 September 1888) |
| Whence received: | Willenhall Petty Sessions |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fresh |
| Hair colour: | Light brown |
| Eyes colour: | Grey |
| Height: | 4 ft 4½ ins |
| Particular marks: | Small scar back of head |
| State of health: | Good |
| Able-bodied? | Yes |
| Date of admission: | 14 August 1900 |
| Late residence: | Little Lichfield Street, Willenhall |
| Parish he belongs to: | - |
| Customary work and mode of life: | Schoolboy |
| Whether illegitimate: | No |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly, Standard 2 |
| Writes: | Imperfectly, Standard 2 |
| Offence: | shop breaking and stealing therefrom |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | Bad home influence |
| Date of sentence, by whom and court: | 13 August 1900; H Vaughan; Willenhall Petty Sessions |
| Where imprisoned: | - |
| Sentence: | 5 years at Saltley |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | 2 |
| Length: | 1) Birched; 2) birched |
| For what: | 1) Larceny; 2) larceny |
| Father's name: | - |
| Occupation: | - |
| Mother's name: | Annie Ruby |
| Occupation: | Charwoman |
| Parents dead? | Father |
| Survivor married again? | No |
| Parents' treatment of child: | - |
| Character of parents | Bad - receiver of goods stolen by her children |
| Parents' wages: | Not stated |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | - |
| Parents address: | - |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | Superintendent of Police, Willenhall |
| Person making this return: | Joseph Fellows |
| Notes: | |
| 14 August 1900 There is a newspaper clipping attached to the Admissions Register about the crime that sent him to Saltley from the Birmingham Daily Post Tuesday 14 August 1900 p.9 col.6: BREAKING INTO A WAREHOUSE. - At Willenhall, yesterday Charles Raby (11) [surname given thus], Hayward's Yard, and Harry Cooper (11). John Street, Willenhall, pleaded guilty to breaking into the warehouse of Thomas Richards, tailor, Market Place, and stealing a vest, a jacket, and other clothing. Raby had been twice birched, and he was sent to a reformatory for five years, and Cooper was ordered to receive six strokes with a birch rod. | |
| 18 February 1904 The Register of Boys on Licence records that Ruby was licensed to go out and be apprenticed for 3 years to Mr S Kelland, tailor, Market Place, Willenhall, at 5s per week for the first year, 7s 6d for the second, and 10s for the third. He is a little boy and the offer is a good one. Your permission [the Committee's] is required. Ruby would live with a married sister | |
| 12 August 1905 Sentence expired whilst out on licence, discharged from Saltley | |
| No. in Admissions Register: | 72 |
| Date of admission: | 19 May 1855 |
| Weekly payments: | - |
| Age: | 16 |
| Education: | None |
| Previous employment: | Brass foundry |
| Crimes, how often and in what prison: | 9 |
| Training in reformatory: | 15 January 1856 |
| When left reformatory: | Shoe maker |
| Parentage and family: | Both living |
| Residence: | Cheapside [Birmingham] |
| Trade of father: | Plumber’s labourer |
| With whom the boy is placed: | sent to |
| Address: | - |
| Trade: | - |
Notes:
| 14 April 1855 A brief report in the Birmingham Journal for Saturday 14 April 1855 p.6 col.3 says:George Garvey, brass founder, for stealing 16 lbs of butter, the property of James Lyons, six weeks, and three years at the Saltley Reformatory School |
| 15 March 1856 A later report in the Birmingham Journal for Saturday 15 March 1856 p.7 col.1 gives details of another incident: ROBBING THE REFORMATORY SCHOOL, - At the Saltley Petty Sessions, on Thursday, a youth named George Garvey pleaded guilty to a charge of absconding from the school at an early hour of the morning of the 15th of January last, and taking with him a pair of boots belonging to Mr Ellis, the master, and several articles of clothing, the property of boys in the establishment. The prisoner, on being captured, gave such evidence as led to the recovery of the whole of the property, part of which he had pledged at the shop of Mr Michael Barr, a pawnbroker, in Ryland Street, who, it is only right to remark, received the approbation of the officers, for having acted most properly in the case. The prisoner, who cried most bitterly, was committed to the Assizes, acknowledging his guilt, and attributing the committal of the crime to his having been wrongfully suspected of doing something of which he was innocent. |
| 26 March 1856 The case at the Assizes referred to above was reported in the Birmingham Journal on Wednesday 26 Mar 1856 p.2 col.6. It said: George Garvey, a tailor, aged sixteen, pleaded guilty to having stolen, on the 15th of January last, a jacket and a pair of trousers, the property of Mr John Ellis, of the Saltley Reformatory. Mr Hillyard, Governor of the Borough Gaol, informed the Court that he had had the prisoner under his protection within the walls of the prison no less than six times since 1852. On the last occasion he was punished and sent to the Reformatory School for three years; and the theft with which he was now charged, was committed by him in that Institution, of which Mr Ellis was schoolmaster. Mr Spooner QC said he appeared for the prosecution, and was instructed that the prisoner was quite incorrigible, every effort made to reclaim him having been totally unavailing. The learned judge sentenced him to twelve month’s imprisonment with hard labour. |
| [No date] Mr Ellis wrote from London to say that Garvey died [rest is difficult to read |
William Pit - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 322 |
| Date of admission: | 6 January 1866 |
| Whence received: | Stafford |
| By whom brought: | - |
| On what terms: | - |
| Friends interested in him: | - |
| Description: | |
| Height: | - |
| Figure: | - |
| Complexion: | Light |
| Hair colour: | 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? | Not apparent |
| Subject to fits? | Not |
| Age last birthday: | 14 |
| Illegitimate? | - |
| Birthday: | - |
| Birth place: | - |
| Has resided: | Workhouse Fold, Bilston |
| Parish he belongs to: | Bilston |
| Customary work and mode of life: | - |
| Schools attended: | - |
| By whom and where employed: | - |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Not at all |
| Writes: | Not at all |
| Cyphers: | - |
| General ability: | - |
| Offence: | Stealing coal |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | Neglect of parents |
| Date of sentence: | 8 December 1865 |
| Where convicted: | Bilston before J Perks and H Ward |
| Who prosecuted: | - |
| Where imprisoned: | - |
| Sentence: | 1 month prison, 3 years at Saltley |
| Previous committals and convictions: | No convictions, but several times charged with petty offences. His home contains no furniture, only a few boards |
| Father's name: | Joseph Pitt |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Residence: | Workhouse Fold, Bilston |
| Mother's name: | Jane Pitt |
| Occupation: | - |
| Residence: | - |
| Father's character: | - |
| Mother's character: | - |
| Parents dead? | - |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | No evidence of cruelty but great neglect |
| Character of parents | Not dishonest, but habitual drunkards. Health good |
| Parents' wages: | 14s or 15s per week |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | 1s 6d per week |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | Hugh McCrea |
| Relatives to communicate with: | - |
| Person making this return: | John Hall |
| Estimate of character on admission: | - |
| Character on discharge: | - |
| When and how left the Reformatory: | 6 Jan 1869 - discharged on expiration of term |
Notes:
| 6 January 1869 Discharged |
| January 1871 At Bilston. Good [character] |
Edward Bayliss - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 733 |
| Age: | 14 |
| Whence received: | H M Stafford |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fresh |
| Hair colour: | Brown |
| Eyes colour: | Blue |
| Visage: | Oval |
| Particular marks: | 3 moles left side body; 2 moles right lower arm |
| State of health: | Good |
| Able-bodied? | Yes |
| Date of admission: | 4 October 1883 |
| Late residence: | 15 Newhall Street, Walsall |
| Parish he belongs to: | Lichfield |
| Customary work and mode of life: | Labourer in iron mill |
| Whether illegitimate: | No |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly |
| Writes: | Imperfectly |
| Offence: | Stealing 3 pairs of boots |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | A desire to procure money |
| Date of sentence, by whom and court: | 4 September 1883; Wilson Lloyd and Frederick A Horner; Police Court Wednesbury |
| Where imprisoned: | H M Prison Birmingham |
| Sentence: | 1 month hard labour in prison, 5 years at Saltley |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | 24 times Stafford Prison |
| Length: | - |
| For what: | - |
| Father's name: | Edward Baylis |
| Occupation: | Baker |
| Mother's name: | Mary Baylis |
| Occupation: | - |
| Parents dead? | Both alive |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | Kind |
| Character of parents | Fairly respectable |
| Parents' wages: | Father is shopkeeper (baker) - about 20s per week |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | - |
| Parents address: | 15 Newhall Street, Walsall |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | Chief Constable Caley, Walsall |
| Person making this return: | Chief Warden, H M Prison Stafford |
| Notes: | |
| 5 September 1883 There is a report of the crime in the Birmingham Daily Post Wednesday 5 September 1883 p.8 col.4: WEDNESBURY. - PRECOCITY IN CRIME. - At the Police Court, yesterday - before Messrs. F. A. Homer and W. Lloyd - Edward Bayliss (14) and John Kirk (12), both of Walsall, were brought up in custody, they having been apprehended on the completion of a term of imprisonment at Stafford,. charged with having, on the 28th July, stolen a pair of boots from the shop of Joseph Hewitt, boot and shoe dealer, Union Street, Wednesbury, and with having, on the same day, at the Delves, stolen a breakfast from a boy named Thomas Dewsbury, the son of a labourer living in that locality, and also with having assaulted the lad. It appeared that as Dewsbury was on his way to work on the morning of the day named he was met by the prisoners and three other boys, all of whom joined in an attack upon him, and knocked him into the ditch and took his breakfast, which they divided (or "halved," as the lad put it) between them. The same afternoon three pairs of boots C were stolen from Mr. Hewitt's shop, and just at the time of the robbery one of the prisoners was seen standing outside. A day or two later the prisoners were arrested at Walsall on a charge of stealing pigeons, and it was then found that Bayliss was wearing one pair of the stolen boots, that another of the five boys was wearing a second pair, and that one of the party had pledged the third pair in Walsall. - Superintendent Halland said the boy who was found to be in possession of the second pair would not be out of prison for another month. - There were six previous convictions on record against Bayliss, and four against Kirk.-The prisoners were sentenced to one month's imprisonment each, to be followed by live years' detention in a reformatory. | |
| 2 October 1886 Formally discharged from Saltley by order of Home Secretary on emigrating to Canada from Liverpool, with Towers [boy 746], Woodcock [boy 722], and Thompson [boy 739] | |
| 11 June 1889 The Reformatory Committee Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Bayliss, Staffordshire Regiment, Cape of Good Hope | |
| 10 December 1889 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Bayliss | |
Samuel Lawrence - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 990 |
| Age: | 9 |
| Whence received: | H M Prison Birmingham |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fresh |
| Hair colour: | Brown |
| Eyes colour: | Blue |
| Height: | 3 ft 6 ins |
| Particular marks: | Nil |
| State of health: | Good |
| Able-bodied? | Yes |
| Date of admission: | 26 January 1892 |
| Late residence: | 7 Victoria Park Road, Smethwick |
| Parish he belongs to: | Smethwick |
| Customary work and mode of life: | none |
| Whether illegitimate: | No |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly |
| Writes: | Imperfectly |
| Offence: | Stealing a pigeon |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | The necessity of the mother's daily absence to provide for her children's sustenance |
| Date of sentence, by whom and court: | 6 January 1892; J H Peryson and Edward Nettlefold; Smethwick Police Court |
| Where imprisoned: | H M Prison Birmingham |
| Sentence: | 21 days in prison, 5 years at Saltley |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | 1 (27 November 1891) |
| Length: | 6 strokes |
| For what: | Stealing pigeons |
| Father's name: | - |
| Occupation: | - |
| Mother's name: | Elizabeth Lawrence |
| Occupation: | - |
| Parents dead? | Father |
| Survivor married again? | No |
| Parents' treatment of child: | Mother had to turn her attention to earning their support |
| Character of parents | Not reported |
| Parents' wages: | Not reported |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | Not reported |
| Parents address: | 7 Victoria Park Road, Smethwick |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | - |
| Person making this return: | - |
| Notes: | |
| 27 November 1891 There is a short report of a previous offence, also involving his brother William, in the Birmingham Mail Friday 27 November 1891 p.3 col.5: ROBBERIES FROM SCHOOLS. - Wm. Lawrence (10), and Charles Kitson (12), both of Victoria Park Road, and Thomas Jones (12), Rabone Lane, all of Smethwick, for stealing several articles of wearing apparel from the Crocketts Lane and Corbet Street Board Schools and the St. Philip Catholic Schools, were remanded for a week. - The boy Lawrence, his brother Samuel Lawrence (8), and John Rudd (13), Wills Street, Smethwick, were further charged with stealing pigeons from a pen on the premises of William Newton, Canal Office, Smethwick. In this case the Bench ordered six strokes each with a birch rod. | |
| 7 January 1892 There is a brief report of the crime that sent him to Saltley in the Birmingham Mail Friday 27 November 1891 p.3 col.5: THEFT BY CHILDREN. - At the Police Court, yesterday, Reuben Barnett (9) and Samuel Lawrence (9) were convicted of stealing a pigeon, value 5s., the property of William Newhall, Price Street, Smethwick. Barnett was ordered to receive three strokes with the birch rod, and Lawrence was sent to gaol for seven days, and to a reformatory for five years. | |
| 3 February 1896 The Register of Boys on Licence records that Lawrence was licensed to go out and work for Mr Slimm, Vulcan Works, Smethwick | |
| 25 January 1897 Sentence expired whilst out on licence, discharged from Saltley | |
| 13 December 1898 The Reformatory Committee Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Lawrence, West Bromwich | |