Saltley Reformatory Inmates

John Wood or John Jones

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Notes:

12 January 1855 A report of the crime that sent him to Saltley appeared in the Liverpool Mercury Friday 12 January 1855 p.11 col.2-3, which said: JUVENILE CRIME. A little boy, ten years of age, named John Jones, who said he was the son of a carpenter, residing in Moss Street, was charged with entering the shop of Mr Parkinson, London Road, under pretence of making a trifling purchase, and stealing a quantity of tobacco, which he endeavoured to conceal in his trousers. Young as the prisoner appeared, he had been no fewer than three times committed and five times discharged, and once tried at the April sessions, last year, when he received two months imprisonment for breaking into a shop till.>

19 January 1855 The initial hearing above was followed by a report of his committal in the Liverpool Mercury, Friday 19 January 1855 p.7 col.5, which said: COMMITTAL TO A REFORMATORY – A little boy, John Jones, was brought before Mr Mansfield on the charge of shoplifting – stealing tobacco. Though of the tender age of nine or ten years, he appeared to have been already convicted of felony before the recorder, who on that occasion inflicted a nominal sentence of three weeks; and subsequently he has been twice summarily convicted, and has, moreover, been repeatedly in Bridewell and discharged. His parents, who were reported to be decent, honest, hard-working people, appeared in court, and stated to the magistrate that they had done everything in their power to restrain the criminal propensities of their child, but without effect, and complained very feelingly of the temptations held out to the children of the working classes to commit crime by certain receiving houses which are known to exist in different parts of the town for disposing of stolen property and for harbouring children. They complained, too, of the existence of low penny theatres and shows to which children are enticed, where they meet with other children alike idle and vagrant, and where all they hear and see has a corrupting influence on their minds. The magistrate admitted that the parents had ground of complaint, and said that in one instance in which this very child had been discovered concealed in one of the houses of which they had spoken he had committed the occupants to gaol for two months, so that as far as they were concerned every disposition had been shown by the authorities to restrain the evil and anticipate their complaint. Viewing all the circumstances – the boy’s depravity, the inability of the boy’s parents to control him, and the consequent danger to the public – he thought it best to avail himself of the recent Juvenile Offenders Act [passed in 1854], and under the powers given to him by that, to commit the boy to gaol for 42 days, as a punishment for the offence, and to order him, at the expiration of that time, to be removed to the Saltley Reformatory Institution for five years, where he would be trained to habits of industry and virtue, and during which time he should order the parents to pay towards this maintenance the sum of 4 shillings a week.

19 September 1856 A lengthy report of the trial of the father for not paying maintenance is in the Liverpool Mercury for Saturday 19 Apr 1855 p.5 col.3, which reads: MAINTENANCE OF CHILDREN IN REFORMATORIES. At the Police Court, on Tuesday, William Woods [surname given thus], ship carpenter of No.8 Moss Street, Netherfield Road North, was summoned for neglecting to pay the weekly allowance which had been ordered for the maintenance of his son, John Jones, or Wood, in the Saltley Reformatory, in Warwickshire. This being the first case of the kind being brought forward in this town, Messrs. W Rathbone, T D Anderson, and R V Yates, together with the Rev. T Carter, Chaplain of the Borough Gaol, and a number of other gentlemen who take an interest in these institutions, were present. Mr W Morgan, one of the honorary secretaries of the Warwickshire and Birmingham Reformatory Institution, who has been appointed by the Secretary of State, appeared to prefer the charge. The son of the defendant, he said, had been convicted as a rogue and vagabond, by Mr Mansfield, for burglariously entering a dwelling house in 1855, and after an imprisonment of 42 days was sentenced to five years in the Reformatory at Saltley An order for 5 shillings a week was made under the Juvenile Offenders Act  of the 17^th and 18^th of Victoria, which law has been superseded by the 18^th and 19^th of Victoria. There could be no doubt that the Act throws the responsibility of maintenance upon the parents, by whose neglect it often happened that children were often made inmates of institutions of this kind.  – In reply to Mr Rathbone, Mr Morgan said that an order had been made at the time. - An officer from the Borough Gaol was called to prove that the boy in the Reformatory was the party who had been committed from this court, and that the defendant had acknowledged him to be his son. – John Scott, detective officer, said the wages of the defendant varied from £1 10 shillings to £2 10 shillings a week. He had six or seven children, the oldest of which was about 14 years, and the youngest about three weeks. – The defendant said he had been laid up for about 19 weeks with a dislocated shoulder, and he had taken the money during that period to feed his family. – Mr Morgan said he had no wish to press the charge if there had been any sufficient reason assigned, but there was an arrear of 14 months. – Mr Rathbone asked if anything had been paid when the defendant was in full work. – Mr Morgan said that nothing had been paid. – In reply to the bench, the defendant said his wages were 7 shillings a day. Mr Morgan said he would wish to have the examination of the officer who had served the summons. – John Cozens said he went on Thursday morning last to the defendant’s residence to deliver the summons, and saw a daughter of the defendant, who informed him that her father was not in and that he was at work, at one of the docks, but could not tell him the name. He asked to see her mother, who, she stated, was in bed, and requested to inform her of the circumstance at the door of her bedroom. When he went upstairs Mrs Woods [surname thus] met him at the top of the stairs, and said, upon learning his business, that her husband was in bed, that he had come home at two o’clock in the morning, and had ill-used her. Her face bore marks of blood at the time from his ill-usage. She also said that she had saved up £4 for the purpose of paying the maintenance, and that he had spent it. The week before he had earned £2, and at the time the family had not a bit to eat.- Mr Morgan said that he had first come to the conclusion that this was a case in which a man had an unfortunate child, in which leniency might be properly shown, but after hearing the evidence of the summoning officer he must press for the penalty. The defendant Woods said if the bench would allow him time he would pay up what was in arrear, at 10 shillings a week. – Mr Rathbone said the defendant came in a very disgraceful way before the court – he set his children to lying, and there was a very strong probability that after being instructed in the art of lying they would turn to thieving. – In reply to the bench, Mr Morgan stated that for neglect of payment for one week the defendant was liable to be imprisoned for 10 days, and a similar imprisonment for every subsequent charge. – After a consultation of the bench, Mr Rathbone addressed the defendant, and said they were desirous of acting as leniently as possible, as this was the first case of the kind that had occurred in the town, but the defendant and all other parents whose children were in a similar position must take warning that the Government were determined to press the case against them. Should he neglect to comply with his promise he would be sent to gaol, and the magistrates, whoever it might be the case came before, were determined to render every assistance that might be required. He hoped this would act as a warning to the defendant, and that he would not go and spend his money in gin palaces, but take his children to a place of worship, instead of teaching them to tell lies. - In reference to the costs, Mr Morgan left that in the hands of the bench; there was 12 shillings and 6 pence, the railway fare to the reformatory, and the same amount back, due to the officer, together with the usual the costs of the court. The bench, however, declined to press for the costs in the present instance, but in any future cases of the kind it was understood they would be enforced. – The defendant then withdrew, repeating his willingness to act up to the promise he had made.

20 April 1857 The Minute book records: 446. Mr Ratcliff mentioned that none of the boys mentioned in Minutes 425 and 426 have been taken [they absconded], and that Welch [boy 96], Wood, Hughes [boy 69], Smith [boy 78], and Cassidy [boy 94] have since absconded, and that Wood and Cassidy are now in prison for absconding, and Smith has been allowed by the Magistrates to return to the School.

Resolved: that the Police of the several districts where the boys reside be informed of their having absconded.

3 June 1857 In a list of ‘disposals’, the Minute Book reports that Wood has been sent to Peckleton Reformatory [in Leicestershire]

[A William Woods (surname given as such), who might be the same William Wood as above is reported in the Liverpool Mercury for Wednesday 17 March 1858, p.3 col.7 as trying to hang himself while in police custody]

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