Swathed in black in her police photographs, Alice Wheeldon’s eyes have a glint of steely determination. Three chilling words record her offence – conspiracy to murder.
More than a century ago, Alice, 51, stood accused of plotting to kill the Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, with a poisoned dart.
Her mugshots, taken in February 1917, and harsh 10-year prison sentence are documented in an ancient police ledger that was saved from a skip in Derby 40 years ago and is soon expected to raise around £2,000 – £3,000 at auction.
The gravity of what Alice was said to have done, in league with her daughter Winnie and son-in-law Alfred, marks her out among nearly 500 felons pictured in the historic book.
Arrested between 1890 and 1920, many of the people whose faces stare out sadly from the book were accused of petty offences like stealing a bag of soot or using bad language.
However, Alice, a suffragette who sheltered young men fleeing First World War conscription, is now widely believed to have been falsely accused – due to evidence against her likely being fabricated by an undercover MI5 agent in a bid to disgrace the anti-war movement.
A note in red ink by her name reads: ‘Discharged from HM Prison Aylesbury 30.12.17.’
After 10 months in jail, she was freed due to ill health on the instructions of Lloyd George.
Weakened by her ordeal, influenza soon killed her. The ledger baldly states: ‘Died 21.2.19.’
Explaining the significance of the book, to be included in Hansons’ Library Auction in Staffordshire on 19 October 2023, Jim Spencer, a works on paper specialist, said: ‘Alice Wheeldon is a famous name, and it’s quite surreal to see the original “mugshots” of her and her family members. For me, this makes the book of serious importance.’
Meanwhile, the unnamed seller, a 53-year-old engineer from Staffordshire, said their late father was a serving police officer when he saved the ledger.
‘The station was clearing out some garages and storerooms at an old police station on St Mary’s Gate in Derby. My father rescued it from being thrown into the skip. He thought it was too interesting to end up in landfill.’
With 500 fascinating pages featuring mugshots and crimes from a bygone age, we take a look at some of the stories captured in a moment of time.
Anti-war campaigner Alice Wheeldon is believed to have been targeted for her political beliefs. As recently as 2019, efforts were made to have the 1917 convictions of her and her family members quashed because ‘the defendants’ right to a fair trial was sacrificed in the name of political interests.’ (Picture: Hansons Auctioneers/Cover Images)Alice’s daughter Winnie was just 23 when she too was convicted of conspiracy to murder. Sentenced to five years in prison, she was only released in January 1919 – less than a month before her mother died. A note in the police ledger explains she was discharged by order of the Secretary of State (Picture: Hansons Auctioneers/Cover Images)The unpromising grey outer covers of the old police ledger hide 500 fascinating pages inside – each featuring mugshots and crimes from a bygone age. The seller, whose late father rescued the book before passing it on 30 years ago, said: ‘It’s been sitting in a cupboard ever since and rarely sees the light of day. I looked at it in more detail 10 years ago and noticed the Wheeldon family. In Derby, Alice Wheeldon is now viewed as a hero for her anti-war and suffragette stance and wrongful conviction.’ (Picture: Hansons Auctioneers/Cover Images)Alice’s son-in-law, 24-year-old Alfred George Mason, was also convicted of conspiracy to murder, and his entry in the book names Lloyd George as the intended victim. As with the other individuals, his physical features are carefully documented beside his mugshot – from his 5ft 8inch height, blue eyes, and light brown hair, to his ‘pale’ complexion and ‘long’ face (Picture: Hansons Auctioneers/Cover Images)Hansons Auctioneers’ works on paper specialist Jim Spencer holds the historic police ledger. Reflecting on the individuals pictured inside, he said: ‘I’m sure many people will say it reminds them of TV’s Peaky Blinders, and I guess some criminals do have the appearance of a baddie in a Laurel and Hardy film, but most seem pitifully trapped by their circumstances.’ (Picture: Hansons Auctioneers/Cover Images)Annie Brown huddles inside a shawl in her police mugshot. Aged just 21, the ledger records her alias as ‘Black Diamond’ but the crimes she was accused of were mundane. Alongside stealing, she faced two counts of using obscene language. Like many people in the book, Anne was from Derby but others were from across England, including Southampton, Hull, Birmingham, Leicester and Nottinghamshire (Picture: Hansons Auctioneers/Cover Images)Repeat offender Martin Adams faced multiple theft charges over the years, including stealing combs. Jim Spencer noted many people in the police book were accused of stealing small objects and said: ‘The overwhelming feeling for me is quite tragic, with petty thefts being committed by desperate people living in poverty.’ (Picture: Hansons Auctioneers/Cover Images)
Thomas McDonald of Birmingham pictured in military uniform. His many offences included theft and housebreaking but the list of scars on his body is almost as long. Jim Spencer said this was common: ‘A few of the men are dressed in army uniforms, and many individuals are described as having naval tattoos. Identifying marks are described, and most have physical scars. I just get a sense of some very difficult lives in this book.’ (Picture: Hansons Auctioneers/Cover Images)Though his complexion is bluntly described as ‘sallow’, Thomas Cudwell from Derby – who was accused of embezzlement in 1917 – stands out in the ledger due to his smart, high-collared shirt and tie and professional gent’s hat. Jim Spencer said: ‘There is a sense of societal division between the majority of criminals dressed in cloth caps, stealing food and clothing, and the occasional gentleman wearing a bowler hat charged with embezzlement.’ (Picture: Hansons Auctioneers/Cover Images)While some people were arrested for more serious crimes like burglary or assault, other historic convictions strike expert Jim Spencer as ‘shockingly petty’ like stealing a tin of pineapple or stealing growing apples, or ‘bizarrely vague’ like being an ‘incorrigible rogue’. Meanwhile, the current owner of the ledger hopes the new owner will carry out more research into the individuals pictured inside, saying: ‘As well as the Wheeldon family, there are nearly 500 other people with a story to tell.’ (Picture: Hansons Auctioneers/Cover Images)
Snapshot
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