April is Explore Your Archive Crime month – read below about some women with criminal histories in Gwent Archives.
Women have been left out of history for years. And when we do find women’s stories, so often it is only women’s stories in the highest parts of society that are told. Any collection which subverts this is a fascinating find. The women in the Usk Gaol books are just one example of this. The Usk Gaol books document those who were arrested and serving time at Usk County Gaol, known as ‘the New House of Correction’, until it became County Gaol in 1869. Most sentences were for a period of hard labour which included tasks such as stone breaking, oakum picking and treadwheel. They also included bread making, mat making, shoe making, mending and tailoring.
Jane Ann White
Exploring these women in the Usk Gaol books, I was amazed at how much of their lives we could piece together. One example is Jane Ann White, who was 38 years old and living in Blaenavon when she was arrested in 1871. She was arrested for stealing a quarter of bacon and sentenced to three months hard labour. However, it’s clear from looking into her story more she was a repeat offender. The Usk Gaol books mention that Jane had previously also been convicted of stealing cheese and a sheep’s head. When exploring newspapers, I found Jane first appeared in 1868 for stealing a leg of mutton and was then in later articles up until 1880 (over a 12 year period!) for stealing various items such as a sovereign, and three herrings. Her repeat offences earnt her quite a reputation and the articles would write “Mrs White again”.
Sarah Titley
Another example of finding a long and rich story is that of Sarah Titley, who was 38 years old and living in Tredegar when she was arrested in 1871. She was arrested for stealing flannel and sentenced to eighteen months of hard labour. I was able to track Sarah’s story over a period of 35 years! Sarah’s story starts in 1864 when her husband, Richard, took out a number of strange adverts in the local newspaper stating that he would not be held responsible for any of his wife’s debts. Two years later, Sarah appears in the newspapers having been charged of committing three crimes – obtaining goods by false pretences, and two cases of larceny.
Sarah appears in numerous Calendar of Prisoners throughout her life and one from 1896 gives an overview of her crimes from a huge period of her life – 1866 to 1894! They were largely stealing and obtaining money by false pretences but this calendar also shows the gradual increase in severity of sentencing for her crimes. For her first three crimes, she was sentenced to six, nine and eighteen months of hard labour. However, for her later crimes she was sentenced to seven years penal servitude for each in addition to a further five years of police supervision.
Importantly to Sarah’s story, her entry in the Usk Gaol book states how “of late years she has given way to thieving propensities through her intemperate habits of drinking”. Sarah’s story shows the disastrous impact of her challenges with alcohol being untreated. It provides important context to her considerable time spent in jail and humanises her story.
Hannah Maria Thomas
The women’s stories from the Usk Gaol books are at times upsetting to read and touch on sensitive topics, but are nonetheless important in highlighting these women’s experiences. One example of this is youth offenders. Hannah Maria Thomas was 11 years old and living in Pond Row St, Rhymney when she was arrested in 1871. She was arrested for stealing wearing apparel and sentenced to one month hard labour as well as five years at a reform school. When young boys were arrested in Gwent they were often sent to Little Mill Reformatory school in Pontypool.
However, there was no reform school for girls in Gwent and so they were sent further away to Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham and further. Hannah was sent to Red Lodge Reformatory school in Bristol which had opened in 1854. This was an interesting period for crime as Janet Wilson highlights the significant increase in crime in young people from 1871 to 1873. This was due to declining trade, and the impact of the Juvenile Offenders Act (1847), which saw an increase in juvenile recommittals. Also, importantly Hannah was convicted at the Monmouth Assizes, the highest level of courts in the UK, showing the seriousness taken in convicting an 11 year old child and sending her far from home.
This collection is a fantastic source not only for exploring the stories of women and girls often overlooked, but also for humanising the history of crime.
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Written by Bec Howarth, Community Engagement Assistant, Gwent Archives
Llyfrau Carchar Brynbuga
Mae menywod wedi cael eu hepgor o hanes ers blynyddoedd. A phan fyddwn yn dod o hyd i hanesion menywod, yn aml, dim ond hanesion y menywod hynny yng nghylchoedd uchaf cymdeithas sy’n cael eu hadrodd. Mae unrhyw gasgliad sy’n gwyrdroi hyn yn ddarganfyddiad diddorol. Dim ond un enghraifft o hyn yw’r menywod yn llyfrau Carchar Brynbuga. Mae llyfrau Carchar Brynbuga yn dogfennu’r rhai a gafodd eu harestio a threulio cyfnod yng Ngharchar Sirol Brynbuga, a arferai cael ei alw’n ‘Gyweirdy’ nes iddo ddod yn Garchar Sirol ym 1869. Roedd y rhan fwyaf o’r dedfrydau yn arwain at gyfnod o lafur caled a oedd yn cynnwys tasgau fel torri cerrig, plicio ocwm ac olwyn traed, a hefyd pobi bara, gwneud matiau, gwneud esgidiau, trwsio a theilwra.
Jane Ann White
Wrth fynd ati i ddarllen hanesion y menywod hyn yn llyfrau Carchar Brynbuga, synnais ar faint o’u bywydau y gallwn ei roi at ei gilydd. Un enghraifft yw Jane Ann White a oedd yn 38 oed ac yn byw ym Mlaenafon pan gafodd ei harestio ym 1871. Cafodd ei harestio am ddwyn chwarter o gig moch, a’i dedfrydu i dri mis o lafur caled. Ond, mae’n amlwg wrth ddarllen mwy o’i hanes, ei bod hi wedi troseddu fwy nag unwaith. Mae llyfrau Carchar Brynbuga yn sôn bod Jane hefyd wedi’i chael yn euog o’r blaen am ddwyn caws a phen dafad. Wrth bori drwy bapurau newydd, gwelais fod Jane yn ymddangos am y tro cyntaf ym 1868 am ddwyn coes cig oen. Yna, mae’n ymddangos mewn erthyglau diweddarach hyd at 1880 (dros gyfnod o 12 mlynedd!) am ddwyn eitemau amrywiol fel sofran, a thri phennog. Enillodd ei throseddau ailadroddus gryn enw iddi a byddai’r erthyglau yn sôn am “Mrs White eto”.
Sarah Titley
Enghraifft arall yw dod o hyd i stori hir a chyfoethog Sarah Titley a oedd yn 38 oed ac yn byw yn Nhredegar pan gafodd ei harestio ym 1871. Cafodd ei harestio am ddwyn gwlanen, a’i dedfrydu i ddeunaw mis o lafur caled. Roeddwn i’n gallu olrhain stori Sarah dros gyfnod o 35 mlynedd! Mae stori Sarah yn dechrau ym 1864 pan aeth Richard, ei gŵr, ati i roi nifer o hysbysebion rhyfedd yn y papur newydd lleol, yn datgan na fyddai’n gyfrifol am unrhyw rhai o ddyledion ei wraig. Ddwy flynedd yn ddiweddarach, mae Sarah yn ymddangos yn y papurau newydd ar ôl cael ei chyhuddo o gyflawni tair trosedd – cael nwyddau trwy dwyll, a dau achos o ladrad.
Mae Sarah yn ymddangos mewn nifer o Galendrau Carcharorion trwy gydol ei hoes ac mae un calendr ym 1896 yn rhoi trosolwg o’i throseddau yn ystod cyfnod enfawr o’i bywyd – 1866 i 1894! Roedden nhw’n ymwneud i raddau helaeth â dwyn a chael arian drwy dwyll, ond mae’r calendr hwn hefyd yn dangos y cynnydd graddol yn llymder y dedfrydau am ei throseddau. Am ei thair trosedd gyntaf, cafodd ei dedfrydu i chwech, naw a deunaw mis o lafur caled. Fodd bynnag, am ei throseddau diweddarach cafodd ei dedfrydu i saith mlynedd o benyd-wasanaeth am bob un, yn ogystal â phum mlynedd arall dan oruchwyliaeth yr heddlu.
Yn bwysig i stori Sarah, mae ei chofnod yn llyfr Carchar Brynbuga yn nodi sut “yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf mae hi wedi ildio i dueddiadau o ladrata trwy ei harferion yfed anghymedrol”. Mae stori Sarah yn dangos effaith drychinebus ei heriau gydag alcohol, na chawsant eu trin, ac mae’n rhoi cyd-destun pwysig i’w chyfnod sylweddol yn y carchar ac yn dod â’i hanes yn fyw.
Hannah Maria Thomas
Mae hanesion y menywod yn llyfrau Carchar Brynbuga ar adegau yn annifyr ac yn cyffwrdd â phynciau sensitif, ond serch hynny maent yn bwysig o ran tynnu sylw at brofiadau’r menywod hyn. Un enghraifft, yw troseddwyr ifanc. Roedd Hannah Maria Thomas yn 11 oed ac yn byw yn Pond Row St, Rhymni pan gafodd ei harestion ym 1871. Cafodd ei harestio am ddwyn dillad, a’i dedfrydu i fis o lafur caled yn ogystal â phum mlynedd mewn ysgol benyd. Pan fyddai bechgyn ifanc yn cael eu harestio yng Ngwent roedden nhw’n aml yn cael eu hanfon i ysgol benyd Little Mill ym Mhont-y-pŵl. Fodd bynnag, nid oedd ysgol benyd i ferched yng Ngwent, felly cawsant eu hanfon ymhellach i ffwrdd i Fryste, Lerpwl, Birmingham ac ymhellach.
Cafodd Hannah ei hanfod i ysgol benyd Red Lodge ym Mryste, a agorwyd ym 1854. Roedd hwn yn gyfnod diddorol i droseddau wrth i Janet Wilson dynnu sylw at y cynnydd sylweddol mewn troseddu ymhlith pobl ifanc rhwng 1871 a 1873, oherwydd dirywiad masnach. Gwelwyd hefyd, cynnydd mewn aildroseddu yn sgil effaith Deddf Troseddwyr Ifanc (1847). Yr hyn sy’n bwysig hefyd yw bod Hannah wedi ei chael yn euog ym Mrawdlys Trefynwy. Dyma’r llysoedd uchaf yn y DU. Mae’n dangos pa mor ddifrifol yr ystyriwyd dyfarnu plentyn 11 oed yn euog, a’i anfon ymhell o gartref.
Mae’r casgliad hwn yn ffynhonnell wych nid yn unig o ran archwilio hanesion menywod a merched sy’n aml yn cael eu hanwybyddu, ond hefyd o ran dod â hanes trosedd yn fyw.
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Ysgrifennwyd gan Bec Howarth, Cynorthwyydd Ymgysylltu â’r Gymuned
