Settled out of Court
Highway Robbery - Roland Raffell - July 2026
At the Southam Petty Sessions on May 1, 1865, a number of individuals were brought before the court to face conviction for their crimes, including ...
Highway Robbery
Highway Robbery - Roland Raffell - June 2026
‘…Damn you…if you make the least noise, I’ll fire at you…’ So shouted John French as he knocked his victim, William Cole ...
Transportation for their Crimes (part 2)
Transportation for their Crimes (part 2) - Roland Raffell - March 2026
Between 1787 and 1868 it is estimated that 160,000 convicts were transported to Australia, their average age being twenty-six. Most were charged with theft, often ...
Transportation for their Crimes (part 1)
Transportation for their Crimes (part 1) - Roland Raffell - March 2026
The transportation of criminals dates back to 1601, when they were first sent to the British colonies in America and the Caribbean islands ...
Violent, Quarrelsome or Riotous Conduct
Violent, Quarrelsome or Riotous Conduct - Roland Raffell - Jan 2026
After the season of festive celebration and sometimes excess, reflection on the drinking habits of previous centuries reveals similar anti-social behaviour under the influence ...
George Potts, Fraudster
George Potts, Fraudster - Roland Raffell - Nov 2025
On January 3, 1898, Inspector Thomas Hawkes travelled from Southam to Cardiff Docks to arrest George Potts, who had disembarked from the ship ‘Claverdon’ which had arrived ...
Southam School: the Early Days
Southam School: the Early Days - Richard Clarke - Oct 2025
The need for a secondary school in Southam was acknowledged at least as early as 1936, when Headmaster Mr GW Linley announced to a school assembly that ...
Early Motor-cycle Chase
Early Motor-cycle Chase - Roland Raffell - Aug 2025
‘…I am satisfied you are an ingenious liar…’ So stated the Bicester magistrate before sentencing James Hayles, the accused in one of the earliest ...
Attempted Murder?
Attempted Murder? - Roland Raffell - July 2025
Among the many more minor offences committed in Southam in the 1840s, one more serious crime stands out in the career of Inspector George Smallbones. This was reported ...
Two Convictions for Inspector Smallbones
Two Convections for Inspector Smallbones - Roland Raffell - June 2025
In 1855, the final year of Inspector George Smallbones’ time in Southam, one of the few cases of passing counterfeit coins in the division was brought ...
Bendigo Mitchell, Highwayman: History or Myth?
Bendigo Mitchell, Highwayman: History or Myth - Roland Raffell - May 2025
There are numerous legends of highwaymen who terrorised travellers across the country, but were they all real, heinous criminals with little regard for their victims, or ...
A Quart of Ale (continued)
A Quart of Ale (continued) - Roland Raffell - April 2025
In nineteenth century Southam it was recognised that there were ‘… drunkards who go in and get drunk week after week. They are known ...