George Bell, 24, convicted of stealing a watch, sentenced to 2 months
William Brankston, 43, convicted of stealing four rabbits, sentenced to 1 month
John Bryan, 29, convicted of stealing lead, sentenced to 4 months
Ann Burns, 18, convicted of stealing a waistcoat, sentenced to 1 month
Charles Burns, 19, convicted of false pretences, sentenced to 3 months
Jane Cartner, 22, convicted of stealing a silver watch, sentenced to 6 months
Thomas Dixon, 20, convicted of theft of money, sentenced to 6 months
Mary Catherine Docherty, 14, convicted of stealing iron, sentenced to 7 days hard labour
James Donneley, 16, convicted of stealing some shirts, sentenced to 2 months
John Duffy, 16, convicted of assault and theft, sentenced to 6 months
Jane Farrell, 12, convicted of stealing 2 boots, sentenced to do 10 hard days labour
Catherine Flynn, 34, convicted of stealing money from person, sentenced to 6 months
William Harrison, 51, convicted of obtaining oats by false pretence, sentenced to 12 months
Robert Hardy, 21, convicted of stealing ale, sentenced to 4 months
William Hill, 28, convicted of stealing champagne, sentenced to 6 months
Catherine Kelly, 17, convicted of stealing bed linen, sentenced to 3 months
George Lamb, 17, convicted of stealing money, sentenced to 4 months
Margaret McCann, 24, convicted of stealing money from a person, sentenced to 6 months
Alice Mullholland, 18, convicted of stealing some boots, sentenced to 3 months
Patrick O'Neill, 19, convicted of breaking in to houses, sentenced to 18 months
Mary Patterson, 25, convicted of theft of poultry, sentenced to 6 weeks
John Reed, 15, convicted of stealing money, sentenced to 14 days hard labour and 5 years reformation
James Richley, 30, convicted of stealing trivets, sentenced to 7 days hard labour
John Roman, 64, convicted of stealing some clothes, sentenced to 14 days hard labour
Mary Ann Ross, 34, convicted of theft of money as a prostitute, sentenced to 6 months
William Salmon, 18, convicted of stealing clothes, sentenced to 6 months
James Scullion, 14, convicted of stealing clothes, sentenced to 14 days hard labour
Edward Shevlin, 32, convicted of stealing a coat, sentenced to 6 months
Isabella Smith, 60, convicted of stealing poultry, sentenced to 6 weeks
William Smith, 25, convicted of stealing money and some scales, sentenced to 2 months
Thomas Smith, 32, convicted of defrauded another gentlemen, sentenced to carry 3 months
Henry Leonard Stephenson, 12, convicted of breaking in to houses, sentenced to 2 months
John Storey, 32, convicted of stealing wood, sentenced to 1 month
John Taylor, 26, convicted of stealing a trowel, sentenced to 1 month
Ellen Woodman, 11, convicted of stealing iron, sentenced to 7 days hard labour
Ezekiel Yates, 35, convicted of stealing tobacco, sentenced to 6 months
All images from Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums
These photos are intriguing.
Regards from Brazil!
What’s striking is the nature of their crimes. The vast majority were clearly impoverished and just seeking to survive.
LMAO, Justin Timberlake in the 5th picture!
So many of these pictures are just heartbreaking. Stealing clothes, jackets, poultry, iron (presumably to sell)…that’s all a far, far different matter than assault and/or stealing money or alcohol.
I ended up trying to guess the age as I scrolled down , some of them look so old before there time, some only in there thirties and looking well older.
Spider, that’s totally what I was thinking!
Lol, Mr Twist – I was doing and thinking the exact same thing! It’s also very eerie and heartbreaking to see kids of only 11 or 12 sentenced to hard labour…
Sylvia , how sad and hard the times were in those days , John Reed, 15 by the look of determination must have gone on to bigger things , I dread to think what became of all in the pictures. Hard times.
William Brankston, 43 does have that Ron Moody look , the actor who played Fagin in Oliver the movie
James Scullion’s flies are undone! =O)
Welcome to the future past.
Amazing to think that William Hill went on to start a chain of betting shops… I guess reformation does work
William Smith looks like 45,instead of 25.
very sad stuff. All obviously poor and trying to survive. Old men and children sentenced to hard labor. Terrible.
notice how many of the names are irish and welsh?
When we look at real poverty in those faces we realize that an HD TV and welfare and a rent-subsidized apartment aren’t so bad. Also, even though they are prisoners, we can see the lack of the clothes obsession we have now. Although suffering was greater then, their souls were richer.
This is the world the Republicans would have us go back to.
I agree prufrock, this is a snapshot of where the Conservative/Republican movement would have the majority of us stationed.
Is it just me, or do all the kids look younger than they are, yet all the adults look old before their time? Most of the people in their 20s look like they’re in their 30s or 40s, yet some of the kids in their teens look like they should still be in primary school!
The Newcastle Criminals is a testimony to the hard, hard life these poor convicted people endured.