| No. in Admissions Register: | 157 |
| Date of admission: | 14 July 1859 |
| Whence received: | Salop Gaol |
| By whom brought: | - |
| On what terms: | Under committal |
| Friends interested in him: | - |
| Description: | |
| Height: | - |
| Figure: | Slight |
| Complexion: | Dark |
| Hair colour: | Brown |
| Eyes colour: | Hazel |
| Perfect vision? | Yes |
| State of health: | Good |
| Able-bodied? | Yes |
| Sound intellect? | Yes |
| Use of all limbs? | Yes |
| Had cow or small pox? | Cow pox |
| Particular marks: | Burn mark on neck and chin |
| Cutaneous disorder? | No |
| S | No |
| Subject to fits? | No |
| Age last birthday: | 10 |
| Illegitimate? | No |
| Birthday: | - |
| Birth place: | - |
| Has resided: | Bridgnorth |
| Parish to which he belongs: | St Mary Magdalene, Bidgnorth |
| Customary work and mode of life: | None |
| Schools attended: | St Mary's, Bridgnorth |
| By whom and where employed: | - |
| State of education: | |
| Reads: | Imperfectly |
| Writes: | Imperfectly |
| Cyphers: | - |
| General ability: | - |
| Offence: | Stealing 2s 6d |
| Circumstances which may have led to it: | Want of proper training |
| Date of sentence: | 23 June 1859 |
| Where convicted: | Bridgnorth |
| Who prosecuted: | - |
| Where imprisoned: | - |
| Sentence: | 21 days prison, 5 years detention at Saltley |
| Previous committals and convictions: | Stealing sugar (fined 2s 6d); stealing a rabbit (1 day) |
| Father's name: | George Matthews |
| Occupation: | Stone cutter |
| Residence: | 6 St Johns Street, Bridgnorth |
| Mother's name: | Ann Matthews |
| Occupation: | - |
| Residence: | - |
| Father's character: | - |
| Mother's character: | - |
| Parents dead? | - |
| Survivor married again? | - |
| Parents' treatment of child: | Proper |
| Character of parents: | Good |
| Parents' wages: | 12s-14s per week. Parents should be called upon to pay 1s 6d per week- |
| Superintendent of police (to collect payments): | John Cale, Chief Constable |
| Relatives to communicate with: | - |
| Person making this return: | Robert Leake, Mayor |
| Estimate of character on admission | - |
| Character on discharge: | - |
| When and how left the Reformatory: | - |
22 June 1859 There is a report of his offence in Eddowes's Journal and General Advertiser for Shropshire and the Principality of Wales Wednesday 22 June 1859 p.6 col.6: A Reformatory Case. - A young boy of the name of Samuel Matthews, only ten years old (having been thrice convicted of theft), was brought up charged with stealing a half-crown from out of the cottage of William Littleford, of Bernard's Hill, in this town [Bridgenorth], on Friday, the 10th of June. A little boy, about the same age, named William Minshall, said that he was in company with prisoner, when he saw him go into the house and come out again; he had one hand in his pocket, and took hold of his little brother with the other; when he saw me he said, "What'll you bet I can't show you a half-crown?," and I said "I'll bet you a shilling" - (laughter) - when he pulled it out and showed it to me and said, "I'll go and buy my mother eight ounces of tea, and keep the rest;" he then went away. But did you give him the shilling, said the Mayor? "No," said the witness, looking up at the bench very archly, amidst much laughter, "I had'na nerer one!" Mr George Young, grocer, of Mill Street, Bridgenorth, deposed to the boy Samuel Matthews coming to his shop on Friday, between eleven and one o'clock, changing a half-crown, and paying for a pennyworth of Spanish juice. William Littleford deposed he lived at Bernard's Hill and had been very unwell for some time; he called to his daughter on the morning of Friday to fetch him a new penny bun from Mr Roberts, baker; she asked for the money, when he told her to take a half-crown out of a can on the shelf and change it; when she went for it she found it was gone; I had some suspicion of the prisoner, and told the police so; I cannot swear to the half-crown. Police Constable Dallow deposed that, from information given to him by Littleford, he went after the lad Matthews and apprehended him on the charge; he at first made no reply; I then asked him what he had done with it, when he said he had changed it at Mr Young's shop; some of the money he had spent, and he had secreted some silver down by Severnside; he took me down to the spot, and under the soil by the towing path I found two sixpences and two fourpenny bits in silver, which I now produce. He said he gave some money to Thomas Watkins and Benjamin Jones his companions. The bench consulted together on the precocity of this juvenile culprit, and, on the suggestion of Mr Wylde Browne, the Mayor remanded prisoner till Monday for further examination, with a view to get him forwarded to a reformatory institution.
10 March 1862 Absconded with five(?) others
13 March 1862 Brought back from Bridgnorth
20 August 1863 Took him to Bridgnorth on licence to work for Mr Bowen, tailor
2 October 1863 Recalled him to the School as he had gone to live in Wolverhampton and had no regular employment
17 February 1864 Licensed to seek employment
January 1866 Gough Street, Wolverhampton working at chain works. [conduct] Good
December 1866 Gough Street, Wolverhampton working at chain works. [conduct] Good
27 December 1867 Working as bricklayer, Cook Street, Wolverhampton. [conduct] Good
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