Christmas Day in jail: Fascinating photos show villains forced to spend December 25 behind bars more than 100 years ago after being convicted of drunkenness, theft and robbery
- Petty thieves and pick pockets in Edwardian Scotland were photographed behind bars on Christmas Day
- Robert Row, 62, was convicted of the theft of an overcoat on the 30th December, 1903, and jailed for 30 days
- At 4’10, diminutive Mary Ann Brodie was a prolific thief, with 16 charges for stealing and one for drunkenness
- As camera technology advanced, mugshots became the norm, with criminals showing their hands for tattoos
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Fascinating mugshots of pick pockets and petty thieves forced to spent Christmas Day behind bars more than 100 years ago capture the desperate poverty that plagued Edwardian Scotland.
The crooks and child criminals, who were locked up in the early 1900s, were convicted of their crimes ranging from ‘drunkenness’ to ‘thievery’ and ‘burglary’ before being sentenced to spend Yuletide in a cold cell.
The Victorians and Edwardians were extremely concerned about crime and after the development of the camera, police realised they could use the new technology to their advantage and took images of repeat offenders.
As cameras became more popular, taking mugshots became the norm until it was made compulsory for everyone to be photographed after they were arrested as well as to show their hands to document tattoos, missiing fingers or any other distinguishing features.
Men, women and children charged with criminal offences were recorded in registers – such as the Fife criminal registers featured- providing an essential tool to law enforcement in tracking those accused of crimes in the area.
These are the remarkable mugshots, which reveal the Edwardian crooks and child criminals who were locked up in jail on Christmas Day over 100 years ago. The photographs were taken in prisons across Scotland in December in the early 1900s – when these offenders were convicted of their crimes and sentenced to spend Yuletide in a cell
Although some of the crooks picture were jailed for offences like ‘drunkenness’ over the festive season, many others were arrested for stealing over the cold Christmas period.
The unearthed mugshots from the Fife Criminal Registers show individuals who were incarcerated for stealing warm clothing – such as 62-year-old Robert Row who was convicted of the theft of an overcoat in December 1903 and sentenced to one month’s imprisonment in Newmarket, Scotland
Whilst other mugshots show offenders who had a history of being banged up over Christmas. Frank Cox, 40, was jailed in Cupar, Fife for stealing scrap metal in December 1910. The crook was had previously been convicted of theft in Dundee on Christmas Day 1885 and celebrated the holiday in his cell that year too
The Victorians and Edwardians were very worried about crime and following the development of the camera, police realised they could use the new technology to their advantage and took images of repeat offenders
As the use of cameras became more common taking mugshots became the norm until it was made compulsory for everyone to be photographed after they were arrested
Scottish Men, women and children charged with criminal offences were recorded in registers – such as the Fife criminal registers featured- providing an essential tool to law enforcement in tracking those accused of crimes in the local area
The Victorians and Edwardians were extremely concerned about crime and after the development of the camera, police realised they could use the new technology to their advantage and took images of repeat offenders