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Gangs of Birmingham

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Charlie

Charlie

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Interesting article on Birmingham Gangs in the 19thc in todays Sunday Mercury.
Don't know how to send links (I'm sure someone else will), but Google "Sunday Mercury Birmingham Gangs" to view.
 
Same pics and characters are in 'Birmingham the sinister side' which has been around for a few years now.
 
Interesting article, Charlie, thanks for pointing it out to us. It isn't spelled out in the article, so I wondered how the "Peaky Blinders" came by their name. I have read of Australian gangsters of the 19th century who had steel inserts in the peaks of their flat caps, which enabled them to administer a particularly lethal form of the "Glasgow kiss". So "Peaky Blinders" conjures up the same image. Ouch! :dft005:
 
Razor blades in the Peaks of the caps which they would 'Swipe' across the faces or eyes of their opponents. Not sure where I read it but it may well have been one of Carl Chinn's artivcles many years back.
 
That sounds right, Bernie. I'm a bit vague on these things after more than 45 years away from England!
 
hi guys ;
yes in the early days of brum it was the king standing gang verus the aston gangs
the old king standing mobs used to carry the old bed springs for weapons for coshes plus the of the old
barber razors cut throat
best wishes astonian ;;;
 
That makes the modern gangs sound like a bunch of pussycats. Kids who shoot from cars as they drive by hitting anyone in the vicinity.I would not liked to have face down one of the Victorian hard men.
Living out in the country does have its advantages. Just keep way from unstable people with licensed shot guns.
 
I cvould be wrong, but I think 2 'Peakeys' were hung for murdering a policeman in Navigation St.

Did read somewhere that it got to be a name for any yobbos at one point, whether they were gang members or not. Bit like calling kids hoodies now I spose.
 
I can remember open (Victorian)razors behind your top pocket hankies, in the late 50's early sixty's in brum and razor blades under your suit lapals and iron bars taped to your forearm under your suit sleeve and knuckell dusters for sale in the playground for 5/-, and flick knifes pearlhandled mainly from Malta 10/-. nothing changes that much through history, only that you may well see teddy boys with motor bike chains fighting each other down town of a friday /sat night but the same guys helping women with prames off bus's or helping old folk off bus's, it was mainly aimed at their peers and rivals not society in general like to-day and most not all had a semberlece of respect for the very young or elderly unlike to-day.
paul
 
from what ive gathered the peaky blinders were vicious victorian thugs,they were called scuttlers in manchester and the high rip in liverpool.So gang crime has been around for over a hundred years,the author was on ed doolans show today, you can catch it on bbc iplayer, steve
 
Had the book from Heather as a birthday pressie :):),,it's brilliant:) found out a lot i didn't know about Birmingham :shocked:e-g Booth Street Handsworth was not named after William Booth as i thought ,but after a great Birmingham forger ..I grew up in Brookfields and didn't know that it was one of the major places for bare knuckle prize fighting ..also i had never read of the Murphy riots in Brum before ..brilliant book recommended for anyone with an interest in bygone Brum:)
 
maggieuk said:
Had the book from Heather as a birthday pressie :):),,it's brilliant:) found out a lot i didn't know about Birmingham :shocked:e-g Booth Street Handsworth was not named after William Booth as i thought ,but after a great Birmingham forger ..I grew up in Brookfields and didn't know that it was one of the major places for bare knuckle prize fighting ..also i had never read of the Murphy riots in Brum before ..brilliant book recommended for anyone with an interest in bygone Brum:)
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Booth the master forger lived at Booths Farm GT Barr(no longer there )but Booths Farm Lane still Exists.I believe he was hang. Dek
 
Yep your right Dek according to the book they had to try 3 times ..finding out a lot that i didn't know:)makes me take of me rose tinted specs:) i wouldn't have liked to have been around then
 
Maggie William Murphy of riot's fame is buried at Key Hill Cemetery.
 
See here for Booth, his farm and forging. You might have to click "thumbnails on" to see pics, click the pic for a larger one.
 
:thumbsup:Thanks Wendy and Lloyd ..got to go and have a look at the grave Wendy..brilliant link Lloyd
 
Maggie, glad you are enjoying the book, wonder how they got it so wrong that they had to have 3 goes at hanging someone ?:(:(
 
Its relatively recent compared to the gangs tour talking about, but does anybody remember the Quinton Mob, late 60s early 70s,
skinheads, used to go to the blues on a Saturday and make their way home through Harborne.
After a while people got used to the time they came through Harborne and the streets certainly were quieter for an hour or so.
Often the bus would stop at the police station and they would be removed,once they tipped the bus over.
They were well known.i heard that a gang from Glasgow came down to sort them out, and were sleeping rough, and hanging around
waiting for them,nobody seen them for a few weeks
 
I seem to recall a gang in Balsall Heath - The Senaston Gang? Might have this totally wrong.
 
Bernie D'Boult said:
I seem to recall a gang in Balsall Heath - The Senaston Gang? Might have this totally wrong.
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I lived in Balsall Heath until 1967, i don't remember, but would be surprised if there weren't any gangs,what time are you thinking.
 
It would have been 1958-1959 when I worked at Butchers Printers. Mind you the guy I worked with could spin a good tale.
 
Bernie D'Boult said:
It would have been 1958-1959 when I worked at Butchers Printers. Mind you the guy I worked with could spin a good tale.
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Could be i was a little young to know anything about gangs then,but it was the time of the Teddy boys i guess,and i seem to remember, hearing my parents talk about some gang being taken to court for causing an affray
 
I noticed this book in the new books section at a Hackney library yesterday (I now live in London). Of course, I just had to borrow it.
I said to the guy on the counter that it seemed strange to find it there - I was the first to borrow it and will possibly be the only one, I can't think it would be quite as interesting to someone who didn't know where the places were.

Anyway, I have read a couple of the chapters and it seems really good. I knew there was a lot of poverty but I didn't realise quite how rough it was in those days.
 
It's a brilliant book even if you have no connection to Birmimgham simmilar gangs were in every city. It's a great read for anyone into social history.

Reading this book has been an amazing journey for me as in the football chapter he mentions T.Smith secretery of West Bromwich Albion. I contacted the club archivist who has confirmed it's my great grandfather who was very important in the early days of the club, and played for the first team. He even desighned the club crest the Throssel still used today. He also met with William MacGregor and was involved with the formation of FA.

If I hadn't of read this book I may never have found this information.
 
View attachment 61780I couldn't help notice you are interested in the name Jennings, this is probably all and nothing only that Mr & Mr's Jennings was are next door Neighbour at No:-7 in "Crescent Avenue" Hockley there where only seven houses and a corner shop. Opposite to are house was the back of
"The Birmingham Mica Factory" with No:-7 being the last house there was an entry leading to the back of 7,6, and a fence 5, 4, and continuing entry to
3,2 & 1. That brought you round into a large kind of drive way leading back to the front of houses, and Mr. Priests Badge Maker. And the corner shop
going out the "Avenue" on the opposite corner to the shop, was a big house that was owned by a West Indian Family. With three or four other houses attached within the one building.
 
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