In the early hours of Saturday 16 June 1860, a man called Jarvis heard a noise in the street below his bedroom window. It was around 1.45 am in the morning and his house was situated in a small yard in New Zealand Lane off Bridgegate, Rotherham. Looking outside, he saw opposite some men descending a ladder from the window of Mr William Bray’s pawnbrokers shop. The property was situated on the corner of Bridgegate and New Zealand Lane, although Mr Bray lived elsewhere in the town. Jarvis immediately shouted out ‘police’ as the men fled. Two passing young men asked what the matter was, and he told them that some thieves had broken into the pawnshop. They, in turn notified the Sheffield Police at their office at the Town Hall.
Meanwhile Jarvis, now dressed, went after the robbers. He knew they had gone up New Zealand Lane as there was items scattered along the route. Later it was estimated that in total the men had stolen around £350 to £400 worth of jewellery. Stopping only to pick stolen items off the ground, Jarvis found a watch and around 20 rings lying about. Later that day, Sheffield police officers searching the area, also found evidence which proved the flight of the men concerned. From the dropped items they established that the robbers had probably crossed some waste land into Effingham Street. There they proceeded behind the Mechanics Institute towards a footbridge that crossed over the canal leading into Rawmarsh Lane.
A gold pin and some brooches were quickly picked up and it was presumed that the robbers had headed towards Masbrough and on towards Sheffield. Accordingly an hour later three officers, Detective Officer Sills, Office keeper Laughton and Sergeant Burgess from the Sheffield police force were on the site of Mr Bray’s pawnbrokers shop. Detective Sills had by this time carefully examined the evidence, so he could estimate how the gang had made their entrance inside the building. The detective noted that the thieves had at first tried to enter the shop by breaking the chain across the cellar grate. But once inside found no access into the shop itself, so were forced to retreat back outside.
Fortunately, they had not noticed a trap door in the cellar which would have led them directly into the shop premises. Next, the robbers tried to prise open the heavy shutters placed over the shop windows, but upon removing them, found strong iron bars behind, preventing them from going any further. Probably by now getting quite frustrated, they next obtained a ladder from some houses which were being built in Effingham Street. This they leaned against the second floor bedroom window and climbing up the ladder, managed to open the window using a sharp knife. Inside the building, Detective Sills found that the thieves had gone into the pledge shop and had been unsuccessfully in attempting to open the desk.
Finally the thieves were reduced to simply ransacking the pawn shop window where items were offered for sale. They finally absconded with around fifty-nine items including fourteen gold watches, as well as silver watches and guards. They also took between £40 to £50 worth of rings amongst other items such as, snuff boxes, brooches and gold and silver pins. The same day three local notorious thieves, John Jackson, William Grist and Luke Thorpe were arrested and charged with the robbery. Nevertheless, there was little evidence against them and even though a careful search of their lodgings was made, none of the stolen property had been found.
The men had been suspected simply because one of them, Thorpe, had been carrying a large carpet bag that night. However he seemed to be at pains to conceal the bag, at times sitting on it. The men had also been bragging about their latest ‘escapade’ at Rotherham. That, combined with the fact that they had also been seen in many of the low ‘dives’ of Rotherham on the night in question, had been enough to condemn them. But what absolutely proved their guilt was the fact that they had first been seen at one particularly low dive. A beer shop known as the ‘New Zealand Chief’ which was situated within a few yards of Mr Bray’s shop.
The fact that they were known thieves and were acting suspiciously was enough for the landlord, a man called Windle. He had spotted the men entering and fearing that they intended to rob his own house went looking for a police officer. He reported his suspicions to Police Constable Fletcher who was patrolling along Westgate. The Chief Constable of Rotherham, Mr Jackson sought a warrant from the magistrates, assuring them that he would succeed in making out a case against the accused men. Another local thief called Richard Campbell alias ‘King Dick’ was also suspected, as he had been seen hanging around Mr Bray’s shop on the night of the robbery. However by the time it was found that he had fled to Leeds.
Shortly afterwards he was taken into custody by the Leeds Constabulary and brought back to Rotherham. He too was charged with robbing the pawnshop. That combined with the fact that Campbell was in possession of more than £14 in gold and silver and dressed in a good suit of clothes when arrested, had been enough to condemn him. Prior to his arrest, his garb had been reported to be ‘of somewhat mean appearance.’ Campbell was taken before JP Mr Fullerton Esquire at Thrybergh the following day and remanded. Accordingly, all four men were taken before the magistrates on Tuesday 19 June 1860. Not surprisingly, due to the lack of evidence, they were all discharged.
Local newspapers reported the case at length, which only served to establish the fact that the robbery at Mr Brays shop had created a strong feeling against the Sheffield police force. At a meeting of the Rotherham Board of Health on Wednesday 18 July 1860 the question of re-establishing the old system of policing was brought before the consideration of the Board. This was when constables and night watchmen were appointed by local magistrates to walk around the streets of the town in the hope of deterring criminals. However the Board decided to adjourn the question for the time being.
What was decided however was that the fact that the robbery had been the final touch for the pawnbroker Mr Bray. In October the premises in Bridgegate were being put up for rent. The advertisement read:
‘To be LET, with immediate possession, a SHOP with DWELLING-HOUSE adjoining, in Bridgegate, Rotherham, lately occupied by Mr William Bray, Pawnbroker.’
Particulars were to be obtained from another tradesman, Mr Saville, a hosier of Bridgegate