| No. in Admissions Register: | 585 |
| Age: | 11 |
| Whence received: | Stafford Gaol |
| Description: | |
| Complexion: | Fair |
| Hair colour: | Brown |
| Eyes colour: | Brown |
| Visage: | - |
| Particular marks: | - |
| State of health: | - |
| Able-bodied? | - |
| Date of admission and term: | 29 October 1877 5 years |
| Late residence: | Greenhill, Lichfield |
| Parish he belongs to: | St Michael's, Lichfield |
| Customary work and mode of life: | None |
| Whether illegitimate: | - |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly |
| Writes: | Imperfectly |
| Offence: | Malicious damage to a sheep |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | - |
| Date of sentence, by who and court: | 28 September 1877, Lichfield Petty Sessions, F Symonds and R Crosskey |
| Where imprisoned: | Stafford |
| Sentence: | 1 month prison (hard labour), 5 years at Saltley |
| Previous committals: | |
| Number: | None |
| Length: | - |
| For what: | - |
| Father's name: | - |
| Occupation: | - |
| Mother's name: | Mary Ann Hardman |
| Occupation: | Cook at the Swan |
| Parents dead? | Father |
| Survivor married again? | No |
| Parents' treatment of child: | Good |
| Character of parents | - |
| Parents' wages: | 10s per week and keep |
| Amount parents agree to pay: | 1s |
| Parents address: | Lower Sandford Street, Lichfield |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | - |
| Person making this return: | - |
5 October 1877 There is a report of the crime in the Lichfield Mercury Friday 5 October 1877 p.5 col.1: JUVENILE DEPRAVITY.- Four juveniles named Charles Samuel Hardman, 10, Sandford Street, Thomas Mountain, 7, Rotten Row, Joseph Johnston, 6, Dean's Row, and Thomas Smith, Greenhill, 6, were charged with having on Wednesday, the 26th of August, killed a lamb and maimed a sheep, the property of James Hall, at the parish of St. Michael. -The circumstances of this case, which are generally known, are so disgusting to contemplate as to be altogether unworthy of being reproduced for publication.-After the facts of the case were elicited, the boys' mothers were arraigned with them. Mr. Symonds, in passing sentence, pointed out to those of the three younger that the Bench was unable to deal with them, owing to their age, but hoped they would punish and make them aware of the enormity of the offence. Hardman, who appeared to have been the ringleader, would be imprisoned for a month, and after that time undergo five fears in a reformatory.-The former part of the sentence seemed to relieve the minds of the anxious mothers, but on the announcement of that relating to Hardman, the scene was affectingly changed. The silence and tranquility which reigned in the court was suddenly broken by the sensation which it occasioned. Hardman's mother burst into tears, and implored the Bench to mitigate the irrevokable sentence, and ejaculating "Oh, my boy," embraced him who was scarcely yet sensible of what had transpired, only realising it vaguely in the conduct of his distressed mother, while the parents of the unpunished boys showed a mixed commotion uf thankfulness and compassion.
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