Derbyshire Ancestral Research Group

Margaret Brooksbank ‘s regular article about past activities and events in the parish.  Thanks Margaret.

Her choice for this particular piece is

Crime & Punishment

All petty crime was brought before the Magistrate at Alfreton Petty Sessions.  People were fined for almost anything, the most frequent offence being indecent language. 

January 15^th 1915   JOSEPH LONG of Leabrooks was fined 16s 6d for not sounding his bicycle bell when overtaking pedestrians. 

February 6^th 1920   HARRY ROBINSON and ROBERT WADDOUPS of Somercotes both fined 5s 6d for indecent language on the public highway.

February 20th 1920   ROBERT HILLIER, ALBERT BULLOCK & GEORGE BULLOCK, boys of Leabrooks, had to pay costs of 4s 6d each for playing football on the public highway.

June 24^th 1921   WM VARDY, HAROLD HILL, THOS LADYMAN, WM BOOTH, HARRY ELLIS, JOHN STEEPLE, ARTHUR SELBY, ELLIS FANTOM, JAMES LADYMAN & HAROLD SIMPSON, pit youths of Somercotes, were charged with damaging growing grass and fences on the land of MR JOHN NIX of Alfreton, damage estimated at £2 10s.  The defendants were caught gambling with cards in one of MR NIX’s fields.

5 of the defendants appeared and pleaded guilty and were fined 16s 6d each.  The others were fined 18s 6d each.

February 20^th 1922   WILLIAM ATKIN of Somercotes fined 9s 0d for allowing a foal to stray.

June 24^th 1920  MARY ANN BARTON of Somercotes pleased guilty to a charge of neglecting 4 children.

June 16^th 1922   ARTHUR RILEY of Leabrooks Road, Steamroller driver of Alfreton Urban Council, was summoned for allowing too much steam to come from his engine.  He was fined 14s.

November 24^th 1922   HARRY LADYMAN, LEONARD SELBY & THOMAS DAVIDSON of Somercotes were charged with singing and shouting on the street on the night of Nov 3^rd.  Each were fined 15s 8d.  Constable CARTER complained of the time. 

September 5^th 1924  HENRY CHARLES SMITH of Somercotes Hill, Fish & Chip proprietor, was charged with attempting to murder his wife SELINA.

October 24^th 1924  WILLIAM GEORGE PUGH, 39 Sleetmoor Lane, for failing to keep a register of Lodgers, was fined 14s.

February 14^th 1935   Found with a piece of coal valued at 2d in his pocket, the property of Babington Coal Co. Ltd. on  January 31^st, JOHN WILLIAM BURRELL, 46, A BANKSMAN OF Lower Somercotes, was ordered to pay 6s. costs.

February 20^th 1935 HORACE OLDING, a labourer of Birchwood Lane, was fined 14s 0d for indecent language.