Saltley Reformatory

William Henry Wass - Saltley Reformatory Inmate

No. in Admissions Register:	1253
Age:	15 (born 14 September 1885)
Whence received:	Longton Petty Sessions
Description:
Complexion:	Fresh
Hair colour:	Light brown
Eyes colour:	Dark grey
Height:	4 ft 11 ins
Particular marks:	Scar centre of forehead and cut mark across bridge of nose
State of health:	Good
Able-bodied?	Yes
Date of admission:	12 January 1901
Late residence:	6 Wood Street, Longton
Parish he belongs to:	-
Customary work and mode of life:	This boy is a real vagrant and has been the ringleader of a gang of thieves. He has been previously in custody
Whether illegitimate:	No
State of education:
Reads:	Imperfectly, Standard 3
Writes:	Imperfectly, Standard 3
Offence:	Stealing coal
Circumstances which may have led to it:	Lack of parental control. Sleeping out for 4 months past
Date of sentence, by whom and court:	11 January 1901; G Bension; Longton Petty Sessions
Where imprisoned:	-
Sentence:	3 years at Saltley
Previous committals:
Number:	1
Length:	-
For what:	Vagrancy
Father's name:	George Wass
Occupation:	Carter
Mother's name:	-
Occupation:	-
Parents dead?	Mother
Survivor married again?	No
Parents' treatment of child:	Not stated
Character of parents	-
Parents' wages:	21s weekly - has five other children, 3 boys working
Amount parents agree to pay:	-
Parents address:	6 Wood Street, Longton
Superintendent of police (to collect payments):	Superintendent of Police, Longton
Person making this return:	H Bension

Notes:

17 August 1903 The Register of Boys on Licence records that Wass was licensed to go out and work for Mr Lee, Woodland Street, Longton

10 January 1904 Sentence expired whilst out on licence, discharged from Saltley

Robert Gordon - Saltley Reformatory Inmate

No. in Admissions Register:	229
Date of admission:	20 November 1861
Whence received:	Stafford
By whom brought:	-
On what terms:	-
Friends interested in him:	-
Description:
Height:	-
Figure:	-
Complexion:	Fresh
Hair colour:	Sandy
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:	Cut on forehead
Cutaneous disorder?	No
Scrofulous or consumptive?	Not apparent
Subject to fits?	No
Age last birthday:	11
Illegitimate?	No
Birthday:	44467
Birth place:	-
Has resided:	Newcastle under Lyme
Parish he belongs to:	Gatehouse of Fleet, Scotland
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 a fowl
Circumstances which may have led to it:	Neglect of parents
Date of sentence:	9 November 1861
Where convicted:	Newcastle
Who prosecuted:	-
Where imprisoned:	-
Sentence:	21 days prison, 5 years at Saltley
Previous committals and convictions:	None
Father's name:	Robert Gordon
Occupation:	Assistant Bailiff of County Court
Residence:	Market Street, Newcastle under Lyme
Mother's name:	Sarah Gordon
Occupation:	-
Residence:	-
Father's character:	Believed to be honest and sober
Mother's character:	Does not live with her husband
Parents dead?	No
Survivor married again?	-
Parents' treatment of child:	Indifferent
Character of parents	-
Parents' wages:	Father
Amount parents agree to pay:	1s 6d
Superintendent of police (to collect payments):	J Williams
Relatives to communicate with:	-
Person making this return:	Mr Cartwright, Newcastle under Lyme
Estimate of character on admission:	-
Character on discharge:	-
When and how left the Reformatory:	-

Notes:

29 November 1866 Discharged

January 1868 Father wrote saying he was honest but poor

16 January 1868 Letter from father: Pepper Street, Newcastle Mr Humphreys Sir - he has a great wish to emigrate to Canada and ask you to please to get him a passage to Canada and if you think you can get him one, he will engage to work for his passage in Canada on your conditions. I wait for your reply. I remain your obedient servant, Robert Gordon

June 1868 Tipton. Good [character]

Thomas Prendergast - Saltley Reformatory Inmate

No. in Admissions Register:	185
Date of admission:	24 September 1860
Whence received:	Stafford Gaol
By whom brought:	-
On what terms:	-
Friends interested in him:	-
Description:
Height:	-
Figure:	Small
Complexion:	Fair
Hair colour:	Dark brown
Eyes colour:	-
Perfect vision?	Yes
State of health:	-
Able-bodied?	Yes
Sound intellect?	Yes
Use of all limbs?	Yes
Had cow or small pox?	-
Particular marks:	-
Cutaneous disorder?	-
Scrofulous or consumptive?	No
Subject to fits?	No
Age last birthday:	8
Illegitimate?	-
Birthday:	-
Birth place:	-
Has resided:	Back Lane, Stafford Street, Wolverhampton
Parish to which he belongs:	Wolverhampton
Customary work and mode of life:	Worked 3 weeks in a blacksmith's forge
Schools attended:	-
By whom and where employed:
State of education:
Reads:	Not at all
Writes:	Not at all
Cyphers:	-
General ability:	-
Offence:	Attempting to steal 2 pigeons
Circumstances which may have led to it:	Bad company
Date of sentence:	10 September 1860
Where convicted:	Wolverhampton
Where imprisoned:	-
Sentence:	14 days prison, 4 years detention at Saltley
Previous committals and convictions:	Attempting to steal a canary (1 day prison, whipping); aiding in the stealing of a cap (reprimanded)
Father's name:	Thomas Prendergast
Occupation:	Bricklayer's labourer
Residence:	Back Lane, Stafford Street, Wolverhampton
Mother's name:	Sylvia Prendergast
Occupation:	-
Residence:	Back Lane, Stafford Street, Wolverhampton
Father's character:	Good
Mother's character:	Good – has bad health
Parents dead?	No
Survivor married again?	-
Parents' treatment of child:	Good
Character of parents	-
Parents' wages:	2s 6d a day. Out of work often.
Amount parents agree to pay:	1s a week
Superintendent of police (to collect payments):	Captain Segram, Police Office, Wolverhampton
Relatives to communicate with:	-
Person making this return:	John Oram, justices' clerk, Wolverhampton
Estimate of character on admission:	-
Character on discharge:	-
When and how left the Reformatory:	23 Sep 1864 - discharged on expiration of sentence

Notes:

7 March 1860 An earlier offence is reported in the Wolverhampton Chronicle and Staffordshire Advertiser Wednesday 7 March 1860 p.5 col.1: ROBBERY FROM A SHOP DOOR.-Two little urchins, named Tunney and Prendergast, aged respectively nine and seven years, were charged, on Monday last, at the Borough Police Court, before the Mayor and J. Wynn and G. L. Underhill, Esqs., with haring stolen a cap from the shop door of Mr. Richards, Queen-street, on Saturday night. Tunney, It was stated, took the cap, and both lads then ran away. Each appeared to be neglected by his parents, who are Irish. The Bench handed over Prendergast to his father, whom they admonished for his apparent neglect, and ordered Tunney to be well whipped. Wolverhampton

15 September 1860 There is a report of the crime in the Staffordshire Advertiser, Sat 15 Sep 1860, p.7, col.7: COMMITTAL TO A REFORMATORY. - A youth, named Prendergast, aged about eight years. who had previously made an acquaintance with this Court, was charged with having on Saturday night attempted to commit a felony in the Market-hall. The prisoner was seen with a penknife in his hand near the stall of John Hailes, near which was a cage containing two pigeons, and subsequently a hole was found to have been cut in the cage large enough to admit of the pigeons being .abstracted. The prisoner, it seemed, was induced to attempt to steal the pigeons by several hoys older than himself, but not known to the police, who promised him money if he should succeed. The magistrates committed Prendergast to prison for 14 days, and afterwards to a reformatory for lour years, resolving to compel his father to pay something towards his maintenance in that institution.

15 December [no year given] Not being in good health and being a very little fellow was allowed to go home for a fortnight.

23 September [1864] Discharged on expiration of term and his parents placed him at tailoring

11 October 1865 There is a report of his later crime in the Wolverhampton Chronicle and Staffordshire Advertiser Wednesday 11 October 1865. p.6, col.3: JUVENILE SHOPLIFTERS.- Two boy", named Thomas Prendergast and Thomas Newell [boy 328], of the respective ages of eleven and nine, were charged in two cases of shop robbery, A young man named Fenny stated that on the previous afternoon he went into the .shop of Mr. Bates, fruiterer, Snow Hill, to purchase a pennyworth of apples. When be got inside the shop, the prisoner Newell sprang up from behind the counter, and witness thinking that he was the person in charge of the place, asked for a pennyworth of apples. Just at that moment a second lad, very like the prisoner Prendergast, came to the door, and muttered some unintelligible words to the lad Newell upon which the latter ran out of the shop, and, with his companion, disappeared.. Mrs. Bates then came into the shop, from the back, and witness told her what he had seen. She immediately examined the till under the counter, and found that it had been emptied of its contents - about 9s. She went to the door, and saw the prisoner Newell running away down Bell Street. She next saw Prendergast, and on accusing him with having been in company with Newell he ran away also. Mrs. Margaret Carter, a small shopkeeper, in Piper's Row, stated that between two and three o'clock the previous afternoon she had occasion to leave her shop for a few moments, and on her return she saw prisoner Newell stooping down at the back of the counter. Prendergast was also in the shop, at the other side of the counter, and when she entered Newell was in the act of throwing a half-pound packet of sugar over the counter to Prendergast, Witness at once seized hold of Newell, and was attempting to capture the other lad, when he struck her a blow and ran away, with something under his arm. She handed Newell over to the police, and Prendergast was shortly afterwards apprehended. The latter only returned from a reformatory about twelve months ago, and was described by Captain Segrave as one of the most impudent young blackguards in the town. They were both remanded until Tuesday, when a further remand took place until Thursday. [Prendergast was sentenced to 4 years in prison]

In the same newspaper, on the same page, at the top of col.4 there is another report of a case in the same court on the same day, involving Prendergast's sister, no first name is given: STONETHROWING. - A thick set young fellow, named George Aspinwall, was charged with assaulting a young woman named Prendergast, sister to the lad charged with shoplifting. The complainant, who appeared in court with her bead bandaged, stated that on Monday afternoon she was told her brother was being killed in "Caribee Island." She went up and asked who did it, when the prisoner said he had, and would serve her the same. She then took up a stone and threw at him, but it did not hit him. Upon that he took a brick-end out of his pocket and threw it at her, striking her on the head and cutting it. For the defence the accused said he was going down Lichfield Street, when the complainant's brother, young Prendergast, threw a stone at him. Defendant then struck Prendergast in the mouth and knocked him down. The complainant then came up and threw a stone at him, upon which he told her he would give it "her back in her own coin," and suiting the action to the word, took a brick-end out of his pocket and threw it at her. The Magistrates said defendant was old enough to know better than throw stones, but considering the provocation he had he would only be fined 1s.and.costs.

25 December 1867 Heard of at Wolverhampton, doing pretty well.

John Fletcher - Saltley Reformatory Inmate

No. in Admissions Register:	740
Age:	11
Whence received:	H M Prison Stafford
Description:
Complexion:	Fresh
Hair colour:	Brown
Eyes colour:	Brown
Visage:	-
Particular marks:	2 moles on cheek
State of health:	-
Able-bodied?	-
Date of admission:	14 December 1883
Late residence:	50 New Street, Stafford
Parish he belongs to:	St Mary, Stafford
Customary work and mode of life:	No occupation
Whether illegitimate:	No
State of education:
Reads:	Not at all
Writes:	Not at all
Offence:	Stealing apples and nuts
Circumstances which may have led to it:	Bad company
Date of sentence, by whom and court:	15 November; Court of Summary Jurisdiction Stafford
Where imprisoned:	H M Prison Stafford
Sentence:	1 month in prison, 5 years at Saltley
Previous committals:
Number:	6
Length:	6 strokes each time
For what:	Stealing toffee; eggs; brackets; toffee; 1s; 2s
Father's name:	John Fletcher
Occupation:	Gas fitter
Mother's name:	Sarah Fletcher
Occupation:	-
Parents dead?	Neither
Survivor married again?	-
Parents' treatment of child:	Fairly good
Character of parents	Father honest and sober, health good; mother drunken and probably encourages the boy to commit offences
Parents' wages:	About 35s weekly
Amount parents agree to pay:	Ought to pay 2s weekly
Parents address:	50 New Street, Stafford
Superintendent of police (to collect payments):	Deputy Chief Constable B S Oswell, police barracks, Stafford
Person making this return:	G Spilsbury, Clerk to the Justices, Stafford

Notes:

17 November 1883 The previous offence referred to in the next newspaper article was reported in the Staffordshire Advertiser Saturday 17 November 1883 p.7 col.1: THEFT FROM A SHOP. - Joseph Clark [boy 742]and Henry Key, two boys under 15 years of age, were charged with stealing on the 9th. inst,. a quarter of apples, a pint of nuts, and three bead necklaces, the properly of Elizabeth Cox, of 39 Brook-street. The prosecutrix was away from home during the afternoon referred to. Mrs M A Ward, the wife of a neighbour, noticed Clark with his arm through the window in which the articles lay exposed for sale. Key at that time appeared to be keeping watch. She afterwards saw Clark at the window in company with another boy named Fletcher, who had so far evaded arrest The things were distributed amongst the prisoners' companions. The Bench fined each of the defendants 10s. and costs; in default, one month's Imprisonment.

A little further down the same column, reporting on a different day's proceedings, it records: THEFT BY BOYS - John Fletcher, aged 11, a boy who was implicated with the boys convicted on Monday in the robbery of fruit, &c. from the shop window of Elizabeth Cox. of Brook-street, was sentenced to a month's imprisonment and five years in a reformatory, he having been several times convicted of petty thefts.

23 July 1884 Medical officer reports: Diarrhoea

10 February 1887 Medical officer reports: Pustular eruption, better by 11 March

31 October 1887 The Reformatory Committee Log Book records Fletcher as being licensed to go out to work for the Gas Light Co., Stoke on Trent

13 December 1888 Sentence expired, discharged from Saltley whilst out on licence

10 June 1890 The Log Book report records receipt of a letter from Fletcher, Royal Artillery, Woolwich

10 February 1891 The Log book report records receipt of a letter from Fletcher, Royal Artillery, Coventry

Charles Quaid - Saltley Reformatory Inmate

No. in Admissions Register:	999
Age:
Whence received:	13
Description:	H M Prison Wakefield
Complexion:	Fresh
Hair colour:	Dark brown
Eyes colour:	Grey
Height:	4 ft 11¾ ins
Particular marks:	Impediment in his speech
State of health:	Fair
Able-bodied?	Thin, delicate looking
Date of admission:	7 May 1892
Late residence:	Crain's Yard, French Gate, Doncaster
Parish he belongs to:	Beverley
Customary work and mode of life:	Nil
Whether illegitimate:	No
State of education:
Reads:	Not at all
Writes:	Not at all
Offence:	Stealing 7d from the person
Circumstances which may have led to it:	Having no father and a delicate mother
Date of sentence, by whom and court:	25 April 1892; J Pawson; Doncaster Petty Sessions
Where imprisoned:	H M Prison Wakefield
Sentence:	14 days in prison, 3 years at Saltley
Previous committals:
Number:	2
Length:	1) 6 strokes; 2) 6 strokes
For what:	1) Stealing fowls; 2) stealing shoes
Father's name:	-
Occupation:	-
Mother's name:	Ann Quaid
Occupation:	-
Parents dead?	Father
Survivor married again?	No
Parents' treatment of child:	Failed to control him
Character of parents	Mother in delicate health
Parents' wages:	-
Amount parents agree to pay:	-
Parents address:	Crain's Yard, French Gate, Doncaster
Superintendent of police (to collect payments):	-
Person making this return:	-

Notes:

19 October 1891 There is a report of a previous offence in the Sheffield Daily Telegraph Monday 19 October 1891 p.6 col.1: ROBBERIES BY BOYS. On Saturday, the West Riding Court, Doncaster, three lads named David Edward Davis, Charles Quaid, George Boynton, were charged with stealing fowls from a field occupied by Messrs. Robinson and Hanley, millers, Wheatley, and Quaid and Boynton were further charged with stealing tennis shoes from the pavilion, on the lawn tennis ground. - Davis was sent to prison for ten days, and to a reformatory for five years. The other boys were each ordered to receive twelve strokes with a birch rod.

25 April 1892 There is a short report of the crime that sent him to Saltley in the Yorkshire Evening Press Monday 25 April 1892 p.4 col.2: Charles Quaid, Edward Jones, and John Williams, three young lads, were charged with stealing 7d. from another little boy named Stephen Edward Bloomfield. On Saturday the latter was in the Market-place with a tin, selling pies. Feeling someone had his hand in his pocket he turned and saw Jones. He seized Jones, but the other defendants pulled Jones away and one of them struck another boy who was watching them. Quaid, who it was said was nearly friendless, was sent to the House of Correction for 14 days, and is then to be sent to a reformatory. The other two boys were ordered to receive six strokes with a birch rod.

18 March 1895 The Register of Boys on Licence records that Quaid was licensed to go out and work for Mr Clarke, Manor Farm, Over Whitacre, near Coleshill

6 May 1895 Sentence expired whilst out on licence, discharged from Saltley