The Gangs of Birmingham
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'A fascinating new book that shines a light on the murky world of Victorian youth crime in Birmingham.' --Sunday Mercury, Birmingham
Product Description
In the early 1870s, Birmingham erupted in a series of vicious gang wars. Mobs of youths, armed with stones, heavy-buckled belts and knives, fought pitched battles on the streets in a bloody struggle for territorial supremacy. The `sloggers' were the hooligans of their day, and for thirty years they held the streets in a grip of fear. Drawing their numbers from the tens of thousands lured to Birmingham to make guns, nails and jewellery and to live in overcrowded slums, the sloggers emerged from a tradition of tough masculine pursuits such as bareknuckle prize-fighting and from political and sectarian violence. The Gangs of Birmingham traces the first appearance of the sloggers in the Cheapside area around 1870, through the Bordesely Riot of 1874, to the brutal antics of such infamous fighters as the Simpson brothers of Aston, the Harper brothers of Sparkbrook and the police killer George `Cloggy' Williams. It chronicles the later rise of the Peaky Blinders, named for their peaked caps and long fringes, and the eventual demise of the gangs at the turn of the century, bringing to vivid life a forgotten chapter in the history of Britain's gangland.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
This book is a graphic piece of social evidence from an era that was tough and when times were undoubtably hard, it is written about Englands second city during a period of massive economic growth, but it highlights a much darker side of the city's history, taken from factual newspaper reports & legal documents, that highlight what could possibly be the earliest form of youth culture known to the UK.
The violent problems in the city would be looked at by the rest of the country in the same way as football violence used to be seen as the 'English disease' by the rest of the world...almost a 'Birmingham disease', Birmingham was a place that was to be avoided becuase of the social problems.
It highlights the slogging gangs of Birmingham that would battle with enemy gangs resulting in injury or even death, it highlights the difficulty of the police force, a force plagued with alocoholism due to the fact the men were under constant physical attack from unappreciative and suspicious Brummies who detested anyone 'who turned copper' or 'grass' as it would be known now.
The book tracks gangs of thieves, well known hard men of the time and details the main men or leaders of the gangs. It highlights in detail the problems between the English and Irish communities in the cheapside and digbeth areas, an area to this day that is locally known as 'the Irish' part of the city. It highlights major violent flashpoints in the city's history.
But the book at the same time describes a vastly changing landscape, of local districts becoming a city, and at a time when young men were working in the thousands of trades that would see Birmingham flourish.
It is a must for anyone that is mistaken into thinking that youth culture, and the violence that goes with it, is a modern day phenomenom. It dispells the myth that fights in days gone bye would be sorted with a 'straightener', or that knives and blades were never used, knives were commonplace.
The pages detail innovations of how the peaky blinders hid blades in clothing were not lost youth cultures that would follow, the innovations of the master forgers that would flood London with fake money.
I read this book in three days and would recommend it highly to anyone with an interest in youth culture or in the history of the working class people of England in the late 1800's, where working class roots were born and working class mentality forged.
The violent problems in the city would be looked at by the rest of the country in the same way as football violence used to be seen as the 'English disease' by the rest of the world...almost a 'Birmingham disease', Birmingham was a place that was to be avoided becuase of the social problems.
It highlights the slogging gangs of Birmingham that would battle with enemy gangs resulting in injury or even death, it highlights the difficulty of the police force, a force plagued with alocoholism due to the fact the men were under constant physical attack from unappreciative and suspicious Brummies who detested anyone 'who turned copper' or 'grass' as it would be known now.
The book tracks gangs of thieves, well known hard men of the time and details the main men or leaders of the gangs. It highlights in detail the problems between the English and Irish communities in the cheapside and digbeth areas, an area to this day that is locally known as 'the Irish' part of the city. It highlights major violent flashpoints in the city's history.
But the book at the same time describes a vastly changing landscape, of local districts becoming a city, and at a time when young men were working in the thousands of trades that would see Birmingham flourish.
It is a must for anyone that is mistaken into thinking that youth culture, and the violence that goes with it, is a modern day phenomenom. It dispells the myth that fights in days gone bye would be sorted with a 'straightener', or that knives and blades were never used, knives were commonplace.
The pages detail innovations of how the peaky blinders hid blades in clothing were not lost youth cultures that would follow, the innovations of the master forgers that would flood London with fake money.
I read this book in three days and would recommend it highly to anyone with an interest in youth culture or in the history of the working class people of England in the late 1800's, where working class roots were born and working class mentality forged.
Format:Paperback
Socio-economic overview of my City in the 'good old days' made very interesting for me.
Interesting to identify existing parts of the City and what they were like back then.
Interesting to identify existing parts of the City and what they were like back then.
Format:Paperback
exellent ,easy to read ,very interesting history of gangs of birmingham from 1700 ,and the punishment give to each gang members for crimes, etc
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