36 Court, 3 house, Great Russell Street, in 1891 & other addresses of a double manslaugher

[Simon Walker]

My grandfather lived at 36 Court, 3 house, Great Russell Street, in 1891; I don’t understand this address. Is it the third house in the 36th court off Great Russell Street?
His name was Harry Holdcroft, and he was responsible for the death of Maud Mansell that year; he got 9 months’ hard labour in Birmingham prison for that.
One of the witnesses in this case was Harriet Tandy, wife of Thomas Tandy, 10½ back of the Leopard Inn, Gooch Street. What on earth does that address mean?
Four years later he was convicted for the manslaughter of his brother, Ernest; they then lived at No. 2, back of 72, Theodore-street. This time he got 16 years at Princeton Prison.
I remember him in his old age – he died in 1968 – and at that time he seemed a very placid old man. It’s only since 2008 that we’ve discovered his shadier past (he was a thief as well as a double manslaughter).
If you could point me in the right direction to get a better understanding of how the housing addresses worked I’d be more than grateful. I expect you have copies of the local newspapers – if so, you can find details of the whole sad events – the first killing was on 31 January 1891, and the second on 23 September 1895.

 

[MWS]

This is a map from 1889 with Court 36 underlined...

 

[MWS]

I've just added a dot to denote where no.3 is on the 1950 map. I assume it would have remained the same but I don't know.

Dot is on the wrong house, it is the house below the dot.

 

[brummy-lad]

The picture shows the back to back houses in front of Court 36. To get to Court 36 they would have used the first entry on the left. His local pub couldn't have been any closer.

 

[MWS]

Oops! Yes, you're right Lyn. It is the house below it. Thanks.

 

[Simon Walker]

Thanks! That's really helpful. It looks like the houses were packed in pretty tightly. My guess would be that there's very little, if anything left of the area.

The lass he shot (accidentally, he claimed) was Maud Mansell. A few years after Harry came out of prison, he married my grandmother, Ruth Smith. Their first child was my mother, Ruth Maud Burdett-Holdcroft. I've often wondered about the choice of the name Maud...

Simon

 

[MWS]

The Leopard Inn was on Goode St, not Gooch St.

 

[Astoness]

quite right simon as with all of the streets and roads in that area they have all been long demolished however we do have a thread for great russell street with loads old old photos

lyn

 

[brummy-lad]

If you want an idea of what the area was like take a look at this:

www.leroux.co.uk/aston

 

[MWS]

There are a number of newspaper reports for both incidents on findmypast. You need a subscription to see them fully.

 

[Simon Walker]

Thanks, Lyn. Thanks both of you!
I've spent quite a bit of time trying to track this stuff down. Here's a photo of one of the yards in Hitchin, where I live, as it was in 1926. It looks similar in layout to the Birmingham courts. Like them, it's all gone now.

Simon

 

[Simon Walker]

There are a number of newspaper reports for both incidents on findmypast. You need a subscription to see them fully.

I know, I've got them. Would you like transcripts?

 

[Astoness]

I know, I've got them. Would you like transcripts?

 

[Astoness]

Thanks, Lyn. Thanks both of you!
I've spent quite a bit of time trying to track this stuff down. Here's a photo of one of the yards in Hitchin, where I live, as it was in 1926. It looks similar in layout to the Birmingham courts. Like them, it's all gone now.

Simon

nice photo simon as you say all gone now....yes please would like to see the newspaper articles you have as they will be a great addition to this thread and it is part of birminghams history...thanks

lyn

 

[Simon Walker]

Maud Mansell Shooting

 

[Simon Walker]

Stabbing of Ernest Holdcroft.

It was a real surprise to find out in 2008 that the elderly chap I knew had such a... let's say colourful past. He went on to have six daughters (my mother was the oldest) and one son. They lived for many years in Streatham, not far from Ely, in Cambridgeshire.

 

[MWS]

Thanks. I would say he was quite fortunate in the first case.

You never know what family secrets might be lurking, waiting to be discovered.

 

[Simon Walker]

To be honest, I think he was lucky both times. Sixteen years he got for stabbing Ernest - that's a pretty heavy sentence for manslaughter; I think that the judge probably wasn't impressed that the jury rejected the verdict of murder. One has to wonder what they thought when his previous record was announced before sentencing...
When I knew him first in the 1950s (I was born in 1950) he was already in his eighties. The events all took place about sixty years before then.
I found I couldn't attach the transcriptions I made of the reports via attachments, but you're welcome to them if you let me have an email address to send them to - they're Word documents.

Regards

Simon