Hard labour for pinching slippers and stealing a violin: Rogues gallery of Victorian soldiers, sailors and workers who were locked up for minor offences
Newly unearthed Victorian mugshots show the faces of soldiers, sailors and workers jailed after turning to crime to survive.
The mugshots appeared in Doctor Helen Rutherford’s book Newcastle Gaol: A History 1828 – 1925, examining crime after the expansion of policing in the city and along the River Tyne.
They reveal the harsh reality of life in the Victorian era, where many workers chose to engage in petty crime to earn extra money.
One of the convicts featured in the book is John Thomas, a 20-year-old soldier who was sentenced to hard labor for stealing a pair of slippers.
Thomas was photographed in his military uniform when he was sentenced on January 23, 1873.
Another soldier captured in addition to his military pay was 19-year-old Scottish-born John Park.
He was found guilty of stealing the violin and sentenced to one month of hard labor, even though it was his first crime.
Another soldier turned criminal, 17-year-old Thomas Haigh, was convicted of stealing a pocket watch.
John Thomas was a 20-year-old soldier when he was sentenced to six months hard labor for stealing a pair of slippers.
Soldier John Park was found guilty of playing the violin at the age of 19 and was sentenced to a month’s hard labour, even though it was his first offence.
Yorkshire sailor Thomas Haigh was found guilty of stealing a pocket watch when he was 17
William Harrison, 51, was a porter when he was sentenced to 12 months in prison in 1872 for ‘obtaining oats by false pretense’.
Married blacksmith William Bell (32) was caught stealing beef and sentenced to one month in Newcastle City Prison.
William Brankston, a 43-year-old laborer, was also imprisoned in 1872 for stealing four rabbits.
Office clerk John Grieveson, 21, was jailed for four months for stealing pigeons in Newcastle
David Barron, 19, was a carpenter but was sentenced to six months in prison for stealing champagne
Meanwhile, in 1873, 35-year-old grocer Ezekiel Yates was convicted of stealing tobacco and sentenced to six months in prison.
Haigh, who had no previous convictions, was sentenced to one month hard labor for his crime.
Other criminals were imprisoned for stealing food; This exposed their daily struggle to provide for themselves and their families.
William Harrison, 51, was a porter when he was sentenced to 12 months in prison in 1872 for ‘obtaining oats by false pretense’.
Married blacksmith William Bell (32) was caught stealing beef and sentenced to a month in Newcastle City Prison.
William Brankston, 43, a laborer, was also imprisoned in 1872 for stealing four rabbits.
In another strange crime, 21-year-old office clerk John Grieveson was sentenced to four months in prison for stealing pigeons in Newcastle.
While many stole any food or animal they could get their hands on, some enjoyed the finer things in life.
David Barron, 19, was a carpenter but found himself in prison for six months with William Hill, 28, for stealing champagne.
Meanwhile, in 1873, 35-year-old grocer Ezekiel Yates was convicted of stealing tobacco and sentenced to six months in prison.
