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From Juvenile Delinquent to Boy Murderer: Understanding Children Who Killed, 1816-1908

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From Juvenile Delinquent to Boy Murderer: Understanding Children Who Killed, 1816-1908 From Juvenile Delinquent to Boy Murderer: Understanding Children Who Killed, 1816-1908. Eleanor Frances Winifred Betts Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 1 Statement of Originality I, Eleanor F. W. Betts, confirm that the research included within this thesis is my own work or that where it has been carried out in collaboration with, or supported by others, that this is duly acknowledged below and my contribution indicated. Previously published material is also acknowledged below. I attest that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge break any UK law, infringe any third party’s copyright or other Intellectual Property Right, or contain any confidential material. I accept that the College has the right to use plagiarism detection software to check the electronic version of the thesis. I confirm that this thesis has not been previously submitted for the award of a degree by this or any other university. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author. Signature: Eleanor Betts Date: 24/07/2015 2 Abstract In 1993 the murder trial of two ten-year-old boys sparked an unparalleled wave of media attention, inspiring historians and media scholars to trace similar events that had occurred in the past. What they found, however, was surprising. Very few murders committed by children were uncovered and the newspaper coverage surrounding these cases was scant. Scholars therefore concluded that the sensation and horror associated with children who kill is part of a modern phenomenon. My thesis questions this assumption. Murders were committed by children in the past and these crimes were reported in the press. I have been able to locate 230 children who were charged with felonious killing offences in England and Wales between 1816 and 1908. My thesis introduces these criminal children to the histories of childhood and crime. When children killed in the nineteenth century, contrary to previous historical opinion, their crimes were widely reported in the press and were considered to be sensational. Idealistic notions of the innocence of childhood were popular in the nineteenth century and, as a result, murders committed by children questioned core beliefs concerning the nature of childhood rooted in the popular imagination. Throughout my thesis I consider how members of Victorian society attempted to understand the existence of children who were capable of wilfully killing another human being. Could a child reason enough to be considered criminally responsible for such a serious offence? If so, how should those children be punished and why did those children turn to murder in the first place? Through an analysis of theological, legal, and medical texts and journals, published social investigations into the cause and extent of criminality, and reports covering murders committed by children printed in the press I consider the attempts that were made to answer these questions. 3 Contents Figures p. 5 Tables p. 6 List of Abbreviations p. 7 Acknowledgements p. 8 Introduction p. 10 Chapter One: Introducing Children Who Kill to the History of Crime p. 43 Chapter Two: Press Treatment of Murders Committed By Children p. 84 Chapter Three: The Legal Responsibility of Children Who Killed p. 130 Chapter Four: Punishing Children Who Killed p. 170 Chapter Five: Explaining Why Children Killed p. 206 Chapter Six: Finding a Place for Children Who Killed p. 242 Conclusion: The Emergence of a Stereotype p. 277 Appendices p. 294 Bibliography p. 296 4 Figures 1. ‘Fatal Accident to a Child’ (1874) p. 48 2. ‘A London Plague That Must Be Swept Away’ (1897) p. 61 3. ‘Boys Murder Their Mother: Revolting Crime at Plaistow’ (1895) p. 68 4. Charles Booth’s Poverty Map (1889) p. 79 5. ‘The Havant Murder’ (1888) p. 89 6. A Page from the Hertford Mercury (1848) p. 101 7. A Page from the Blackburn Standard (1893) p. 103 8. ‘Full Particulars of the Cruel and Horrid Murder’ (1848) p. 106 9. Illustrated Police News (1874) p. 114 10. ‘Murder of a Boy at Havant’ (1888) p. 116 11. Dartmoor Convict Prison p. 180 12. Treadwheel at Pentonville Prison p. 186 13. Illustrated Police News (1890) p. 204 14. ‘Useful Sunday Literature for the Masses’ (1849) p. 224 15. George Galletly – a Boy Murderer (1888) p. 252 16. ‘Oliver Introduced to the Respectable Old Gentleman’ (1837) p. 253 17. Patrick Knowles – a Boy Murderer (1903) p. 254 18. The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1880) p. 256 19. ‘Robert Allen Coombes Murders His Mother’ (1895) p. 256 5 Tables 1. Number of Children Who Killed in England and Wales, 1816-1908 p. 51 2. Methods of Killing by Children Charged with Manslaughter p. 55 3. Ages of Children Charged with Felonious Killing Offences p. 76 4. The Insanity Plea Applied in Murder Trials of Children p. 160 6 List of Abbreviations ASSI – Assize Returns CRIM – Criminal Registers HO – Home Office LMA – London Metropolitan Archives MEPO – Metropolitan Police Papers OBP – Old Bailey Proceedings PCOM – Police Commission Papers PP – Parliamentary Papers NA – National Archives 7 Acknowledgements The research for this thesis was funded by the Wellcome Trust. As a result of the generous studentship I received I was able to expand my horizons – utilising archives I could only dream of visiting as well as sharing my research with universities and other academic communities throughout the world. My greatest thanks goes to my supervisor Dr Thomas Dixon. It was as an undergraduate student listening to his lectures on ‘Victorian Values’ that my interest in all things Victorian was first ignited. He encouraged me to consider how the people of the past thought, behaved, and understood the world in which they lived. He supported me through my undergraduate dissertation, got me through my MA with kind words and an ever-listening ear, and then provided me with all the encouragement and advice I could need as my PhD supervisor. I cannot be more thankful for all that he has done in fostering and furthering my academic career. The breadth of research and vibrant atmosphere found at the School of History at Queen Mary University of London provided me with the drive and ambition to engage in this, somewhat, challenging research subject. A number of people, who have proved particularly supportive throughout my four years as a post-graduate researcher, deserve especial acknowledgement. If Dr Rhodri Hayward had not asked the questions he did when he supervised my MA dissertation on the existence and treatment of children in Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum I would never have considered researching cases of Victorian children who killed. I am also extremely grateful to Professor Miri Rubin whose belief in me has spurred me on during hard times. There is nothing quite so encouraging than achieving a degree of respect from a person you hold in the highest regard. Jen Wallis, a great friend and colleague, very kindly agreed to read each chapter draft as I churned them out, and then the full version 8 of the thesis. Her comments and advice made the editing process more bearable and progress towards submission all the more possible. I owe her many G&Ts in thanks. I am also grateful to all my friends and family. Thank you to Chris Millard and Rebecca O’Neal who also agreed to read through the completed draft of my thesis – a second and third pair of eyes did much to calm my nerves about missing silly errors and typos – and to Charlotte Faucher and Craig Griffiths who all supported me through tough times. A thesis is a massive hurdle to navigate, made all the more complicated when battling with health problems. I could not have done it without my friends: their love, support, and general ability to make me laugh no matter what was a great boost. Finally, my family deserve all the thanks in the world – for without them I would not have had the strength to complete my thesis. So, thank you Mum, for your unerring trust in my abilities as a researcher and writer, thank you Dad, for always being there at the end of the phone to listen and guide me through my woes, and thank you Isobel for being a better sister than I deserve. 9 Introduction Murders committed by children shock and horrify societies in the modern world. Names such as Mary Bell, Jon Venables, and Robert Thompson have proved infamous, their crimes remembered across generations. When the news that a child has been suspected of, or charged with, committing a felonious killing offence members of the public are whipped into a sensation. The press, and other forms of media, jostle with one another to publicise the story. Detail is gone into on the lives of the unfortunate victims and the characters of the children capable of committing such a heinous crime. When two ten-year-old boys abducted, tortured and murdered two-year-old James Bulger in 1993 the degree of press and media attention the trial received has been described by legal scholar Samantha Pegg as amounting to a moral panic.1 The news that Jon Venables and Robert Thompson had wilfully killed a young toddler was widely reported in the media both nationally and abroad. The two boys were presented as demonic and evil, constructed in the press as monstrous aberrations of childhood. Public feeling turned against the youthful murderers. Emotions of fear, anxiety and anger were expressed in acts of violence towards them.
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