Welsh Journals

IN SEARCH OF THE CELESTIAL EMPIRE KEITH STRANGE IN EXAMINING the motivation behind crimes of theft during the 1830-1860 period in Merthyr, a clear distinction arises between those thieves who may be regarded as 'oppor- tunist', and those who made their livelihood from stealing. The evidence recorded by the Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian, the Reports of the Glamorgan Quarter Sessional and Assize Courts and of various visitors to the town, both official and otherwise, and the memoirs of contemporaries all point to the existence of a group of professional criminals in the town. The purpose of this paper is to examine these criminals and their response to the changing social and economic conditions which characterized the era. However, as with any discussion based on crime in the 19th century, serious difficulties and limitations are encountered-most of Merthyr's Petty Sessional Records have disappeared and one is forced to rely on the incomplete reports of the Merthyr Guardian, whilst though the Chief Constables reports do exist for most of the 1841-64 period, the 'Merthyr Police District' which he described was considerably larger than the town itself. Furthermore, the statistical evidence which does remain is subject to major problems of interpretation. In the first instance, the implementation of new legislation in 1847 and 1855 had a very marked and confusing effect on larceny figures at the Petty Sessional level, and, secondly, certain years saw the authorities launch determined campaigns against particular offences, and thus the statistics may well reflect this attack rather than the actual size of the problem itself. Thirdly, the dark figure of unrecorded crime was prob- ably high, as the Merthyr Guardian provides evidence to suggest that intimidation, apathy, and a preference for private settlements ensured that many cases never reached the courts. Because of such difficulties, information from outside the Merthyr area has been employed in a small number of instances in an attempt to gain a more complete under- standing of the criminals and their society. The great bulk of the evidence, however, applies directly to Merthyr. The Locality "There is a quarter of the town extending along a flat on the right bank of the Taff, from the lowest point of High Street, towards Cyfarthfa-the proper name of which is Pont-Storehouse; but, like the unhappy and lawless people who inhabit it, the place has an ALIAS, and is generally known by the name of 'China' Here it is that, in a congenial atmosphere, the crime, disease, and penury of Merthyr are for the most part located. Thieves, prostitutes, vag- rants, the idle, the reckless, and the dissolute, here live in a miserable compan- ionship."1 Just as the ironworks acted as a magnet for workers from all over Britain, so the promise of lucrative gains attracted those who held no place in 'respectable' society, and who wished for none. The prostitutes, 'bullies', receivers, thieves, burglars, conmen, 'thimble-riggers' and professional beggars who form the basis of this study were quite clearly recognized by contemporaries as being a class apart from all others. As one