• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

1837 was there a prison in Stourbridge?

J

jane k

master brummie
I have an ancestor Phoebe Harding who was tried in Worcestershire 16/10/1837 for fraud and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. During this 12 months I`m pretty sure she gave birth to an illegitimate daughter Ann but I`ve been unable to find anything about her birth. Phoebe spent all her life in Old Swinford, had 4 illegitimate children in all, and by 1841 she was married, and "Ann" was 3.
Where is Phoebe likely to have been imprisoned, and were babies born in prison registered any differently from those not?
 
1837 saw the start of official birth registrations but many poorly educated people didn't understand this so not all births were registered

Just found out July 1st 1837 was the start
 
Last edited:
"Stealing from the person" sounds like pickpocketing to me. Many women were accused of this at the time, probably more women than men. Suggests Phoebe had little of no money. She was 'fortunate' (if you can call it that) to have received that sentence as I think, at the time, it was, in theory, a hanging offence. I think there was a threshold, so whatever she stole would have been a small amount in value.
 
In 1839 she was described as "middle aged, unmarried and with a child in her arms". She stole "one sovereign, one half crown and four shillings".
Jury found her guilty but with a recommendation for mercy echoed by the man she stole from. This was probably on account of her 4 illegitimate children.
 
Yes, in 1839 she actually stole from her brother-in-law who was my 3xgreat grandfather. To be honest it smacks of desperation to me as just a few months earlier she was present at the death of her sister (my 3xgreat grandmother) who died in childbirth. Phoebe had also been a witness at their wedding. There is an article in the Worcester Chronicle giving details of this theft, But I haven`t been able to find a report for the 1837 court case - other than court records on Ancestry saying she was guilty of "fraud"
 
Thanks Janice - it gets more and more pitiful doesn`t it?! I`m sure she did that just to feed her family. She had 3 children then with no sign of a father. Hopefully when she was in prison they were cared for by Phoebe`s mother who did live with Phoebe when elderly.

In the photos above was it still a prison when they were taken? I can`t understand why the large group of people looked cheerful!
 
A search for that image found it on Getty Images and the caption reads:
1926: Residents standing outside their new home - a former prison in Worcester, that has been converted into flats
 
jane k said:
Thanks Janice - it gets more and more pitiful doesn`t it?! I`m sure she did that just to feed her family. She had 3 children then with no sign of a father. Hopefully when she was in prison they were cared for by Phoebe`s mother who did live with Phoebe when elderly.
Click to expand...
It is such a sad story. Hopefully things improved when she married.
 
jane k said:
Thanks Janice - it gets more and more pitiful doesn`t it?! I`m sure she did that just to feed her family. She had 3 children then with no sign of a father. Hopefully when she was in prison they were cared for by Phoebe`s mother who did live with Phoebe when elderly.

In the photos above was it still a prison when they were taken? I can`t understand why the large group of people looked cheerful!
Click to expand...
As you have suggested, it wasn't, it had just been converted into flats and these were the new residents pictured outside them in 1926.

Sorry, I've just noticed that had already been confirmed above @ #11.:oops:
 
Well done Janice - you`ve found one birth I didn`t know about! There is also one you missed - Charlotte baptised 12 November 1826 - but I didn`t know about Maria in 1834. I hadn`t looked for her as she isn`t on the 1841 Census. At the time of the 1839 court case Phoebe is described as having 4 illegitimate children which I took to be Charlotte, John, William and the baby Ann.
I`ll see if I can find a burial for Maria
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top