Monday 3 October 2022 01:21 PM Mugshots of Victorian criminals found inside Derby police ledger trends now
An album featuring a collection of haunting criminal mugshots from the Victorian era and beyond is set to fetch thousands at auction after being rescued from a skip.
The Peaky Blinders-style images were discovered inside a police ledger dating from between 1890 to 1920.
The document mentions Alice Wheeldon, a woman convicted of plotting to kill the then British Prime Minister David Lloyd George more than a century ago.
Overall, there are 500 pages and every one features a grainy mug shot and details of crimes ranging from theft, burglary, shoplifting and assault.
Lesser offences include petty theft such as stealing a comb, bad language or even being an 'incorrigible rogue'.
The fascinating document of 'serious importance' was rescued from a skip by a former police officer working in Derby over 40 years ago.
His son is now selling the book via Hansons Auctioneers where it is expected to fetch between £2,000-£3,000 on October 19.
The crooks include many from Derby but also men and women from all over the country - including Southampton, Hull, Birmingham, Leicester and Nottinghamshire.
David Lloyd George was Prime Minister from 1916 until 1922
The ledger's most notables pages relate to the Wheeldon family - who were charged and convicted with conspiracy to murder Lloyd George.
Alice Wheeldon, her daughter Winnie and son-in-law Alfred Mason were all believed to have been wrongfully convicted of the plot in March 1917.
Lloyd George was then just three months into a six-year stint as Prime Minister that came to an end in 1922.
The seller, a 53-year-old engineer from Staffordshire who has lived in Derby for 47 years, said: 'The book was rescued by my father, a police officer at the time, when he was working for Derby Borough Police more than 40 years ago.
'The station was clearing out some garages and store rooms 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. Unfortunately, my dad is no longer with us, so I can't ask him for more details.
'He passed it to me 30 years ago. 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 Weeldon is now viewed as a hero for her anti-war and suffragette stance and wrongful conviction.
The crooks include many from Derby but also men and women from all over the country - including Southampton, Hull, Birmingham, Leicester and Nottinghamshire. Above: Thomas Donald of Birmingham arrested for theft and housebreaking
William Watson of Derby who stole a bicycle and was also found guilty of 'larceny', which means theft. The ledger's seller said it was rescued by his police officer father, who prevented it being thrown in a skip during a clear out more than 40 years ago
Martin Adams, of Nottingham, was arrested for a litany of offences, including the theft of a comb. The ledger is being sold by via Hansons Auctioneers where it is expected to fetch between £2,000-£3,000 on October 19.
'She's been honoured with a Blue Plaque and a star in the city's Walk of Fame.
'After decades in a cupboard, I've decided it's time someone else had the opportunity to research this important historical record.
'As well as the Wheeldon family, there are nearly 500 other people with a story to tell.'
Alice, who died in 1919, was a supporter of women's suffrage and an anti-war campaigner.
In the black and white mug shots of the Wheeldons, she is described as 51 years old, pale with dark brown hair.
A note dated February 27, 1917 states,
