John Preece was born in
Birmingham in 1843, his father having moved to the area
from Herefordshire. On the 9 July 1860, he received his
first sentences for housebreaking at Birmingham Sessions,
and set the ball rolling on an astonishing period of
almost 50 years, in which he received 21 separate
sentences amounting to over 69 years imprisonment (some
were served concurrently!). He used aliases, and even
found time to get married. His story reflects a situation
where he would be jailed, released, struggle to make ends
meet and so re-offend, and is then jailed again. You
suspect that, had he been offending earlier in the 19th
century, he would have found himself transported to
Australia, and who knows that may have been beneficial to
him and given him a new start. Read on, for family
background, sentencing details and extracts from
newspapers covering a most extraordinary life.
Family Roots
in Herefordshireand a move
to Birmingham
John's grandparents were from
Herefordshire. His grandfather, Richard, married Ann
Thomas in Canon Pyon on 14 December 1814. Richard is
likely to be the son of John and Ann Preece, born around
1792, in Wellington. Richard and Ann had two daughters,
Mary, baptised at Wellington on 11 February 1816, and
Elizabeth, also baptised at Wellington, on 7 July 1821. In
between, they had a son, John (father of John, the subject
of this article), who was baptised at Wellington on 14
February 1819. The family lived at Cuckold's Row at this
time, where Ann died in 1822, and Richard went on to marry
again in 1824 to Maria Maunsell. They had several
children, but by 1841 Maria had died and Richard had
married again, and was living in Wellington with his new
wife Eliza, Richard's son William (aged 10), and his
father John, who is now 75.
Richard's son John, father of the subject of the story, is
not at home in 1841, and it hasn't yet been possible to
pinpoint his whereabouts. What isn't in doubt is that in
1842, he pops up in Birmingham, specifically the Yardley
area of the City, and on 2 October he marries Emma
Hopkins. Both give Yardley as their address, and at this
point John says he is a cooper. John junior was born on 26
March 1843, the family are now at 2 Court, Marshall Street
in Birmingham, and again John senior gives his occupation
as a cooper.
By 1851, John and
Emma, together with sons John (now aged 7), and
William, are living with Emma's parents and sister
Fanny.
1851
Census - Upper Hospital Street, Saint
George, Birmingham
First name(s)
Last name
Relationship
Marital Status
Age
Occupation
Place of birth
John
Hopkins
Head
Married
63
Silversmith
Swansea,
Glamorgan
Catherine
Hopkins
Wife
Married
61
-
Birmingham,
Warwickshire
Fanny
Hopkins
Daughter
Unmarried
19
Paper Colourer
Birmingham,
Warwickshire
John
Priece
Son-in-Law
Married
32
Gun Implement
maker
Wellington,
Herefordshire
Emma
Priece
Wife
Married
32
Paper colourer
Birmingham,
Warwickshire
John
Priece
Son
-
7
-
Birmingham,
Warwickshire
Fredrick
Priece
Son
-
1
-
Birmingham,
Warwickshire
A life of Crime
begins...
In May 1860, John found himself in
trouble for the first time. He had broken into some
houses, but had been discovered by the son of one of the
house owners, and although he escaped at first he was
quickly caught. Interestingly, in the report of his
appearance at the Sessions in Birmingham, it states that
he was believed to have even stolen from his parents,
having then run away.
Aris’s
Birmingham
Gazette May 7 1860
Tuesday…A
youth
named John Preece, who had formerly been
convicted of felony, was charged with
burglary, and stealing a suit of clothes,
value £2 5s, from the house of Joseph Jinks,
Blucher Street. The prisoner entered the
house during the absence of the family, and
was discovered by the prosecutor on his
return, coming down the stairs with the
clothes in question. Several keys were found
in his possession. He was remanded in order
that the case might be completed.
Wednesday…John
Preece was brought up on remand, charged
with burglary, which he had effected by
means of false keys, a regular set of which
were found upon him. When called upon for
his defence, the prisoner commenced crying,
and asked to be forgiven, but Mr Kynnersley
said this could not be listened to, and the
prisoner was committed for trial. It was
also proved that he had entered the house of
Mr Blackhurst in Tennant Street, in a
similar manner, and was found by the
prosecutor’s son in the act of rifling his
sisters work-box. Young Blackhurst seized
the prisoner, who effected his escape after
a struggle. He was afterwards, however,
apprehended by Detective Edwards. Mr
Blackhurst said the prisoner had stolen a
number of silver coins of the republic of
Chili, but they could not be found, as the
prisoner had an accomplice. It further
appeared that Preece had run away from his
parents, after robbing them of a sum of
money.
Following his appearances
at the Sessions, he was found guilty of
both charges of housebreaking, and was
sentenced to 12 calendar months
imprisonment for each case, to be served
concurrently.
Unless he was released early, he would be
in prison at the time of the 1861 census -
it has not yet been possible to locate
him. His parents John and Emma were living
in Birmingham, at Court House 3 on William
Street, where John was listed as a Gun
Implement maker. Sadly, their other son
Frederick had died in 1959, his burial
being at Birmingham St Thomas's on 23
February 1859.
After his
first prison sentence, he seems to have
managed to stay away from crime - or at
least wasn't caught - for over a year,
something that became increasingly rare in
future years, as we will see. However, he
had now started going under aliases, and
in 1862 he is arrested again for
housebreaking, under the name of John
Dawson, on this occasion he had stolen 7
sheets.
He was found guilty, and sentenced to
three months imprisonment.
This was the start of a
regular cycle of imprisonment - release
- conviction. Having served his 3 months
imprisonment, he was again caught
housebreaking in March 1863 (this time
under the name of John Priest), and on
30 March received his first "severe"
punishment - 3 years penal servitude.
If you look
at the dates of the sentencing above
(1863) and the report of his next
appearance at the Sessions (1867), you can
see it is four years, meaning he managed
to stay out of trouble (or at least once
again not get caught) for much of a twelve
month period.
Remarkably, in the time between being
released and charged again, he got
married! On 19 November 1866, at Hockley
(All Saints), he married Emma Palmer. He
gave his age as 23, and his occupation as
'Painter', both of their addresses being
Carver Street, on the edge of the present
day Jewellery Quarter. His father John is
once again named as a Gun Implement maker.
Of course the earlier newspaper reported
that John junior had fled the family
having robbed them, and so unsurprisingly
the witnesses to the wedding were both
from Emma's family.
Perhaps also unsurprisingly, I can't
locate any children of the marriage, the
very fact that John was in prison for much
of the time suggesting it would perhaps be
very likely to be so!
As is shown in the press extract to the
right, John was once again at the Sessions
in 1867, charged with housebreaking, and
this time the severity of his sentence
increased to 7 years penal servitude, in
fact he received the sentence for both
offences but they were to be served
concurrently.
The notes on his transfer from court to
Chatham prison are helpful - he is
described as healthy and behaviour was
said to be good, although in the column
marked "Substance of Gaolers Report of
Character" it says "Indifferent"!
Birmingham Journal April 20
1867
HOUSEBREAKING
– John Preece (24), opposite the Highland
Laddie, Lionel Street, was charged with
breaking into the dwelling house of Mrs M
Beaumont, Bracebridge Street, on the 3rd
inst., and stealing therefrom a pair of
sheets and other articles, and also with
illegally pledging the same. The prosecutrix
said that she left her house on the evening
of the 2nd of April
quite safe, and on the evening of the 3rd
she sent a girl for something. The girl
returned, saying witness’s house had been
broken into. Witness then went and found a
pair of sheets and several other articles
missing. The doors of the house had been
unlocked, and were closed. Thomas Green, 113
Summer Lane, said the prisoner came to his
shop on the 3rd
April, and pledged the things in the name of
“John Smith”. Witness asked him why Mrs
Smith did not come herself, to which he
replied that “she was very ill, and not
expected to live”. The prisoner acknowledged
his guilt and was committed to the Sessions.
There was also another charge against the
prisoner of breaking into the house of Mrs
Sarah Brittain, 178 Great Russel Street, on
the 16th instant,
and stealing therefrom three mantles, and
several other articles. Entrance was
effected by means of skeleton keys.
Prosecutrix said the locked her house door
and went into the next door neighbours for a
short time. When she returned home she did
not notice anything particular, but when she
was going to bed she missed the mantles and
several other articles. Mr Thomas Green,
pawnbroker, Summer Lane, said the prisoner
brought the articles produced to his shop on
Tuesday, for the purpose of pledging them.
As soon as the prisoner came in witness went
and bolted the door, and a policeman was
sent for, and he was given into custody. The
prisoner, who had been convicted three times
previously for similar offences, was
committed to the Sessions on this charge
also.