Thomas Henry King - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 1264 |
| Age: | 15 (born 16 October 1885) |
| Whence received: | Northampton Petty Sessions |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fresh |
| Hair colour: | Brown |
| Eyes colour: | Blue (slight laziness of eyelids) |
| Height: | 4 ft 5¾ ins |
| Particular marks: | Ink dot on right forearm; several scars on front part of head; scar on back of head, right side |
| State of health: | Good |
| Able-bodied? | Yes |
| Date of admission: | 1 April 1901 |
| Late residence: | 4 Market Street, Northampton |
| Parish he belongs to: | - |
| Customary work and mode of life: | Nil - lounging about chiefly |
| Whether illegitimate: | No |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly, Standard 3 |
| Writes: | Imperfectly, Standard 3 |
| Offence: | Stealing money from a shop |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | Lack of parental control |
| Date of sentence, by whom and court: | 1 April 1901; F G Adnill; Northampton Petty Sessions |
| Where imprisoned: | - |
| Sentence: | Detained at Saltley until 19 years of age |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | 2 |
| Length: | 1) Fined; 2) fined |
| For what: | 1) Larceny; 2) larceny |
| Father's name: | Charles Sirket Henson King |
| Occupation: | Shoe hand |
| Mother's name: | Sarah Mary King |
| Occupation: | Housewife |
| Parents dead? | Neither |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | Good |
| Character of parents | Good |
| Parents' wages: | Not stated |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | Not yet assessed |
| Parents address: | 4 Market Street, Northampton |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | Chief Constable, Northampton |
| Person making this return: | F G Adnill |
| Notes: | |
| 15 September 1899 A previous offence was reported in the Northampton Mercury Friday 15 September 1899 p.6 col.5: Alleged Theft of Books. - Thomas Henry King (13), heel builder, 13, Market-street; William Chas. Perrin (11), errand boy, 1, Brunswick-street; and Henry Brown (10), school boy, 30, Market-street, were charged with stealing two books, value 2d., from Messrs. Evans and Foster's, Sheep-street, on September 11th. - Gwilliam Evans, of Messrs. Evans and Foster, 20, Sheep-street, deposed that the books produced were in a basket in his doorway at 7.50 p.m. on Monday. Witness saw the three defendants round his premises. He saw one of the boys pick a book up, but put it back. Witness was suspicious of them, and when they left witness followed them up Sheep-street. Witness caught Perrin and took him back, and found he had the books produced up his coat. He was not positive whether Brown was the third boy in his doorway. - P.C. Fox deposed to finding King and Perrin detained by Mr. Evans, and afterwards seeing Brown about the robbery. He jointly charged them at the Police Station. King made no reply. Perrin said another boy stole them and gave them to him. Brown said he saw King pick up the books and give them to Perrin. He was in the gutter. The Magistrates liberated Brown. The gutter. - The Magistrates liberated Brown. The fathers of the lads gave them good characters. Perrin, however, was stated by the Chief Constable to have been birched in July for stealing letters out of a letter box. King had not been before the Court before. - Prosecutor said he had no desire to press the case. - The case against King was dismissed with a caution. Perrin was ordered to receive six strokes with the birch-rod, and to be detained until six o'clock. | |
| 2 February 1900 Another previous offence was reported in the Northampton Mercury Friday 2 February 1900 p.6 col.4: Theft of Sweets. - Thomas Henry King (14) and Alfred Willis (14), Northampton, were charged with larceny by stealing a bottle of sweets, value 1s., at Kingsthorpe, on Jan. 24th. - John Thomas Blunt, the prosecutor, residing in Birchfield-road, stated that he found the two defendants detained at his shop with the bottle of sweets in their possession. - Christopher Edmunds, carpenter, 60, Talbot-road, deposed to seeing King go into the prosecutor's shop and take the bottle containing the sweets, which he gave to Willis, who was on the doorstep. They went away. Witness followed them, and caught them in Plum-lane. The defendants had hidden the sweets in the hedge, and they showed him the spot. - P.C. Dolton said he saw the defendants at the shop. In reply to the charge, King said "I 'nicked' the sweets, and handed them to Willis." Willis said. "That's right." - Both boys had been before the magistrates before. - King was fined 10s. including costs, or seven days' hard labour; and Willis, who the magistrates said was a bad boy, was fined £1, or in default 14 days. | |
| 15 March 1901 Yet another previous offence was reported in the Northampton Mercury Friday 15 March 1901 p.6 col.5: Sleeping Out. - Thomas Henry King (15), finisher, 4, Market-street, and Alphonso Edgar Bosworth (15), finisher 53, Monk's Park-road, were charged with lodging in the open air, viz. on a haystack in a field at Abington, without having means of subsistence and not giving a good account of themselves. - P.C. Hodson gave evidence. - The cases were adjourned for a fortnight to see how the lads behave. | |
| 5 April 1901 The crime that sent him to Saltley was briefly reported in the Northampton Mercury Friday 5 April 1901 p.6 col.4: Sent to a Reformatory. - Thomas Henry King (15), finisher, 4, Market-street, charged on remand with stealing 2s. 9d. from a till in the shop of Joseph Nevitt, 39, Kettering-road, on the 19th ult., was ordered to be detained in Saltley Reformatory until he is 19 years of age. | |
| 10 May 1901 The Medical Officer reported: Chicken pox, better by 12 May | |
| 26 September 1903 The Register of Boys on Licence records that King was licensed to go out and work for Mr Hardwick, Artizan Road, Northampton | |
| 15 October 1904 Sentence expired whilst out on licence, discharged from Saltley | |
Edward Grosvenor - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 613 |
| Age: | 15 |
| Whence received: | Stafford Prison |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fresh |
| Hair colour: | Brown |
| Eyes colour: | Grey |
| Visage: | Long |
| Particular marks: | - |
| State of health: | - |
| Able-bodied? | - |
| Date of admission: | 13 July 1878 |
| Late residence: | Wolverhampton |
| Parish he belongs to: | Wolverhampton |
| Customary work and mode of life: | - |
| Whether illegitimate: | - |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Not at all |
| Writes: | Not at all |
| Offence: | Stealing iron |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | - |
| Date of sentence, by who and court: | 14 June 1878; W Hatton and G Ward; Bilston Petty Sessions |
| Where imprisoned: | H M Prison, Stafford |
| Sentence: | 1 month in prison, 3 years at Saltley |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | - |
| Length: | - |
| For what: | - |
| Father's name: | Charles Grosvenor |
| Occupation: | Bricklayer |
| Mother's name: | Mary Grosvenor |
| Occupation: | - |
| Parents dead? | No |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | Good |
| Character of parents | Father addicted to drinking habits; nothing known against them for dishonesty |
| Parents' wages: | About 20s per week earned by father, when regularly employed - work very uncertain |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | 1s 6d per week should be contributed towards maintenance |
| Parents address: | Charles Grosvenor, Canal Street, Wolverhampton |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | Hugh McCrea, Chief Superintendent of Police, Bilston, Staffordshire |
| Person making this return: | John William Hall, Justices' Clerk, Bilston |
Notes:
| 15 June 1878 There is a short report of the crime in the Wolverhampton Express and Star Saturday 15 June p.3 col.3: A BATCH OF YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS. - Edward Grosvenor (15), fornerly of Stafford-street. Wolverhampton, was brought up on a charge of vagrancy, and was further charged with stealing, on the 11th July last, a quantity of iron from a colliery at Bradley, the property of Messrs G. B. Thorneycroft and Co. On the day named Grosvenor arid a lad armed Stanley Stanley stole two iron strips from the colliery and took them to a dealer at Princes End, who, suspecting that the lads had not come by the property honestly, sent for the police. Grosvenor managed to escape, but the other was detained and given into custody, and subsequently convicted of the offence. On Tuesday last Police- oonstable Persons found the prisoner asleep in a colliery hovel at Bradley and arrested him. The prisoner was committed to gaol for a month and to a reformatory for five years. His mother, who was present in court with a child in her arms, fainted on hearing the sentence and had to be carried out. |
Richard Pritchard - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
Image by permission of the Library of Birmingham. MS 244/4/1/3 Page 489.
| No. in Admissions Register: | 489 |
| Age: | 15 |
| Whence received: | Birmingham Gaol |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | - |
| Hair colour: | - |
| Eyes colour: | - |
| Visage: | - |
| Particular marks: | - |
| State of health: | - |
| Able-bodied? | - |
| Date of admission and term: | 5 July 1873 5 years |
| Late residence: | No fixed home |
| Parish he belongs to: | Birmingham |
| Customary work and mode of life: | Tube drawer |
| Whether illegitimate: | - |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly |
| Writes: | Imperfectly |
| Offence: | Vagrancy |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | Bad company |
| Date of sentence, by who and court: | 7 June 1873, Birmingham Police Court, W Holiday and J Avery |
| Where imprisoned: | Birmingham Borough Prison |
| Sentence: | 1 month prison (hard labour), 5 years at Saltley |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | Three |
| Length: | 1) 14 days hard labour; 2) 3 months hard labour; 3) 21 days hard labour |
| For what: | 1) Wilful damage; 2) stealing 5 scarves; 3) stealing 4 yards of rope |
| Father's name: | Dead |
| Occupation: | - |
| Mother's name: | Dead |
| Occupation: | - |
| Parents dead? | - |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | - |
| Character of parents | - |
| Parents' wages: | - |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | - |
| Parents address: | - |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | - |
| Person making this return: | - |
Notes:
| 9 June 1873 There is a report of the crime in the Birmingham Daily Post Monday 9 June 1873 p.6 col.6: STREET ARABS WITH A VENGEANCE..- Andrew Fighe (16), of Palmer Street, and William Yates, of Bordesley Street, and Richard Pritchard, of no residence, two younger lads, were charged with sleeping out. There was a list of six previous convictions against Pritchard, and the two other prisoners had been convicted two or more times apiece. The character given of the prisoners was that nothing was safe from them - fowls, pigeons, clothes, tools, or anything else; and that they would on no account work. Fighe was sentenced to three months' hard labour, and Yates to six weeks' hard labour; and Pritchard was sent to prison for a month, and then five years in a reformatory. |
| 1 December 1876 Licensed to work for Mr J T Farley, 17 Cannon Street, Dover, Chinaware |
| 12 December 1876(?) [no year given] Had note saying he is quite comfortable |
Frederick Hellier - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 752 |
| Age: | 9⅔ |
| Whence received: | H M Prison Exeter |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fair |
| Hair colour: | Light brown |
| Eyes colour: | Blue |
| Visage: | Long |
| Particular marks: | Cut on left eye |
| State of health: | Good |
| Able-bodied? | Yes |
| Date of admission: | 25 June 1884 |
| Late residence: | Ram(?) Gate Cottage, Uffculme, Devon |
| Parish he belongs to: | Uffculme |
| Customary work and mode of life: | No employment |
| Whether illegitimate: | No |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly |
| Writes: | Imperfectly |
| Offence: | Placing stones on the Great Western Railway, thereby damaging an engine |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | The father being crippled and the mother often ill, the boy has been allowed to go at large |
| Date of sentence, by whom and court: | 2 July 1884; W A Halliday, chairman; Devon Quarter Sessions |
| Where imprisoned: | H M Prison Exeter |
| Sentence: | 10 days in prison, 5 years at Saltley |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | None |
| Length: | - |
| For what: | - |
| Father's name: | Nicholas Hellier |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Mother's name: | Jane Hellier |
| Occupation: | - |
| Parents dead? | No |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | Kind |
| Character of parents | Good. The father crippled in an accident |
| Parents' wages: | 8s to 8s 6d per week |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | - |
| Parents address: | Ram(?) Gate Cottage, Uffculme, Devon |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | Superintendent Collins, Cullompton, Devon. Application for payment must be made to the Treasurer of Devon County |
| Person making this return: | - |
| Notes: | |
| 2 July 1884 The initial heating was was reported in the Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser Wednesday 02 July 1884 p.6 col.1: CULLUMPTON. On Monday Frederick Hellier, 11, of Uffculme, was committed for trial on a charge of placing a stone on the Culm Valley Railway, whereby one of the plates of the spring of an engine wheel was broken. It seems it is a common practice for children to place obstacles on the line at the level crossing where this was done. | |
| 3 July 1884 The sentence was reported the next day in the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette Daily Telegrams - Thursday 03 July 1884 p.2 col.5: PLACING STONES ON THE RAILWAY AT UFFCULME. Frederick Hillier, 10, pleaded guilty to putting a stone on the Calm Valley Railway, at Uffculme, on the 26th May, to endanger the safety of the travellers. - The Hon. Bernard Coleridge, who prosecuted, said that the stone was a large one, and the prisoner had been cautioned several times before. - The Court ordered the prisoner to be imprisoned for ten days, and then to be confined in a Reformatory for five years. | |
| 30 December 1885 Medical officer reports: Erythemia of legs. Ordered to bed and to be isolated. Milk diet and medicine. The next day diagnosed as having erysipelas. On 3 January not so well. Ordered whisky, two teaspoonsful every 4 hours, beef tea and eggs, as much nourishment as possible Convalescent by 5 March 1886 | |
| 30 November 1887 The Register of Boys on Licence records Hellier as being let out to go to work for Mr Jones, Chemist, Uffculme, Devon | |
| 28 December 1888 Sentence expired, discharged from Saltley whilst out on licence | |
| 8 October 1889 The Reformatory Committee Log Book report records receipt of a letter about Hellier, Sampford Peverell, Devon [no further details given] | |
Warwick Partridge - Saltley Reformatory Inmate
| No. in Admissions Register: | 1010 |
| Age: | 13 |
| Whence received: | H M Prison Cardiff |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fresh |
| Hair colour: | Brown |
| Eyes colour: | Grey |
| Height: | 4 ft 9 ins |
| Particular marks: | Small scar crown of head, blue dot right face. and scar on right elbow |
| State of health: | Good |
| Able-bodied? | Yes |
| Date of admission: | 11 August 1892 |
| Late residence: | 75 Adam Street, Cardiff |
| Parish he belongs to: | St John the Baptist, Cardiff |
| Customary work and mode of life: | Assisting a barber |
| Whether illegitimate: | No |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly |
| Writes: | Imperfectly |
| Offence: | Stealing a pair of boots from a shop, 11 Duke Street |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | The boy appears to be naturally vicious |
| Date of sentence, by whom and court: | 29 July 1892; J W Vaccell; Cardiff Petty Sessions |
| Where imprisoned: | H M Prison Cardiff |
| Sentence: | 14 days in prison, 4 years at Saltley |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | 2 |
| Length: | 1) Fined 4s; 2) 1 day and 12 strokes |
| For what: | 1) Wilful damage; 2) stealing money from a stall in market |
| Father's name: | Frank Partridge |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Mother's name: | Ellen Partridge |
| Occupation: | - |
| Parents dead? | Neither |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | - |
| Character of parents | Nothing known against them |
| Parents' wages: | - |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | - |
| Parents address: | 75 Adam Street, Cardiff |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | - |
| Person making this return: | - |
| Notes: | |
| 22 September 1891 A previous offence was reported in the Western Mail Tuesday 22 September 1891 p.8 col.7: At the same court [Cardiff Police Court] two boys, named Warwick Partridge, 12, and William Harris, 10, were charged with stealing 8s. 6d. from the stall of George L. Aston, tea retailer, Market-hall, on the 19th inst.-The prosecutor had coins representing the value of various qualities of tea on his stall, and on Saturday saw three boys running away. His suspicions were aroused, and lie missed 8s. 6d., which had been on the stall. Partridge was one of the boys, but he could not identify Harris. The elder prisoner was caught by a constable, who found that he hat! put 5s. 6d. into his mouth for concealment. - The Deputy- stipendiary discharged Harris, and ordered Partridge to receive twelve strokes with a birch rod. | |
| 26 July 1892 One of the crimes that sent him to Saltley was reported in the South Wales Daily News Tuesday 26 July 1891 p.8 col.8: YOUTHFUL CARDIFF HOUSE-BREAKERS. - Three youths, named respectively Eli Thomas (17), James Miles (15), and Warwick Partridge (12), were charged at the Cardiff borough police-court on Monday - -before Mr Alderman T. Lewis and Mr Alderman David Jones-with entering a bakehouse in System-street, and stealing 2s and a loaf of bread, between 10 p.m. on the 22nd and 7 a.m. on the following day. The prosecutor, a baker named Broad, stated that he locked up his bakehouse securely on Friday night, and on going the next morning found the door unfastened, and 2s in copper, and a loaf of bread missing. He gave information to the police of the affair. - Sergeant King deposed that on Saturday he arrested the three prisoners in Constellation-street. He searched them and found on Thomas a shillingsworth of coppers on Miles 6d in silver and 4d in copper and on Partridge 3d in silver and a penny. Later in the day he examined the bakehouse in question. On the door he found no marks of entrance having been effected otherwise than by a duplicate key. A cupboard in the room had been broken open by cutting away woodwork around the lock. The youths were subsequently charged together. Miles replied, "We were sleeping out last night and were in town;" Partridge made a long trembling statement, in which he pleaded that Thomas opened the door with a key about half-past two in the morning, and also forced open the cupboard with a knife. Thomas answered "Yes, we left the key there." The prisoners were remanded till Friday, it being understood that another charge would be preferred against them. | |
| 29 July 1892 A few days later the trial contiued with other charges, as reported in the Evening Express [Cardiff] 29 July 1892 p.3 col.3: A PROMISING TRIO. At Cardiff Police-court this afternoon (before Dr. H. J. Paine and Mr. J. W. Vachell) Eli Thomas, 16, James Miles, 15, and Warwick Partridge, 12. were charged with entering a bakehouse and stealing a loaf on the 22nd instant; also with stealing two bicycle lamps, three pigeons, and a pair of shoes on the 23rd instant. - Only the latter charge was inquired into. The boots were missed from the shop of Mr. G. Oliver, in St. Mary-street, and were traced to Mrs. F. Fredyburg's pawnbroker's shop in System-street. Prisoners were arrested by Acting-sergant King, and Partridge was now identified by Ernest Davies, Mrs. Fredyburg's assistant, as the person by whom the shoes were pawned. - A number of previous convictions were proved against him, and he was sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment to be followed by four years in a reformatory school, Thomas and Miles being also sentenced to imprisonment for fourteen days. - Ernest Davies was questioned by Dr. Paine as to his action in receiving articles from a boy of the age of Partridge, and instructions were given for the production of the lad's certificate of birth. the magistrates ordering Davies to be present on its production in court. | |
| 7 January 1896 The Register of Boys on Licence records that Partridge was licensed to go out and work for Mr Thomas, Crumplebury Farm, Whitbourne, Worcestershire | |
| 10 August 1896 Sentenced expired, discharged from Saltley absent having absconded whilst on licence | |