Life story shared by Paul Beecroft
Warning: The article contains references to violent death and suicide.
IN
LOVING MEMORY
OF
OLIVER ROBOTHAM
WHO ENTERED INTO REST
NOV 8TH 1914
ALSO
JESSIE KATHERINE FRANCIS ROBOTHAM
WIDOW OF ABOVE
DIED OCT 7TH 1939
FATHER IN THEY GRACIOUS KEEPING
LEAVE WE NOW THEY SERVANT SLEEPING
Oliver ROBOTHAM was born in Stepney on 10th August 1848 and baptised on 15th October at St. Dunstan and All Saints Church in Stepney. His parents were Oliver ROBOTHAM, a Cabinet Maker by trade and Jane ROBOTHAM. His siblings were – John (1842), William (1846), Elizabeth (1851), Charles (1858) and Lewis (1859).
In 1851, the family are residing at 25, Green Street in Stepney and in 1861 the family are at 21, Temple Street, Southwark. Oliver is now just 12 years old but is shown being employed as a Telegraph Messenger.
On 27th July 1868 Oliver married Julia RILEY at Trinity Church in the Parish of Marylebone. His occupation was given as that of a Commercial Traveller. Their marriage would result in 6 children – Julia (1847), Edith Kate (1873), Florence E.(1875), Ernest O. (1877), Dudley (1880) and Sidney William (1883).
Following his marriage, he may well have thought that being a Commercial Traveller and spending time away from home was not ideal. He decided on a complete change of career and joined the London City Police (now called City of London Police) becoming a Police Constable on 16th September 1869.
Very little is known about his time with the London City Police but one of the incidents he was involved in was reported in The London City Press newspaper on 31st December 1870.
A THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE. – THOMAS IRELAND, a clerk in the London Parcels Delivery Company, was charged with being drunk and resisting the police in the execution of their duty. Oliver Robotham, 407, said that about three o’clock in the morning, he was sent to the Daily Telegraph office, where he found that the prisoner and two of his friends had taken possession of one of the offices, and refused to leave until they had been shown over the establishment. He took hold of the prisoner to turn him out, but he resisted and struggled with him, and tried to throw him over the banisters, but he caught hold of the prisoner, and saved himself after slipping down three stairs. He ultimately took him to the station house. The defendant said he was sorry for having acted the fool. Fined 10s., or three days’ imprisonment. The fine was paid.
The census for 1871 shows Oliver, Julia and their daughter Julia as residents in the Police Quarters, Snow Hill, St. Sepulchre, London.
Oliver remained with the London City Police for nearly 12 years and then in April 1881 he transferred to the Borough of Abingdon Police having been appointed Head Constable. Although the newspapers used the term ‘Head Constable’, his rank was that of a Superintendent and he had in fact moved up the ranks in a very short space of time. During his time there he was in charge of several high profile cases. In April 1882 an inquiry was held by the Deputy Coroner into the death of Charles Floyd, aged 17 months, a child of Elizabeth Floyd. Oliver gave evidence to the fact that he had seen the deceased child and that it was in a very emaciated condition, very thin and poor. He gave further evidence that he had known the mother for the last 12 months by sight and that he had seen her walking about the streets at night and that during this week he had seen her more frequently as late as 11 o’clock and past and finally that he had seen her the night prior leaving the Three Pigeons. Further evidence was heard from a neighbour who would sometimes look after the child and that the mother had left the children at home alone in the past. A post mortem revealed that the child was in an emaciated condition, which would have taken months, and want of nutrition had caused the condition. The jury retired for a few minutes, and they returned with a verdict of manslaughter against the mother. The Coroner then charged her with feloniously killing and starving her infant child. By this time a crowd of some 600 people had gathered who wanted to lynch her and to avoid a collision with them, Oliver had the front doors locked and the mother was brought out the back way and taken to the Police Station. In June, the mother appeared at the Berkshire assizes and was acquitted, there being no evidence of systematic starvation.
In August 1855, another serious incident took place. The local newspapers of that day and age reported in their usual manner:-
HORRIBLE MURDER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE
A most shocking tragedy surpassing in hideousness anything that has ever been heard of in this neighbourhood before, was enacted in Ock Street. The horrible news spread through the town like wildfire, the sickening details being on the lips of most people for the rest of the day. Up a narrow passage, on the north side of Ock Street is a small cottage, which was occupied by John Willoughby and his wife Sarah, and the family, and it was in this house that the shocking occurrence took place. Willoughby it appears came home about dinner time when some altercation it is presumed arose between him and his wife about meals, when he deliberately rushed at her and dealt her a savage blow on the head with a coal hammer, killing her instantaneously. One of the children, a lad 10 years of age, who saw the fatal blow struck, then ran out of the house . . . .
On Wednesday Mr. Bromley Challenor, the Borough Coroner held an inquest at the Guildhall. . . . .Oliver Robotham said: I am superintendent of the Abingdon Borough Police. Yesterday about 12.30 p.m., communication was made to me which caused me to go to Willoughby’s in the Ock Street. On entering the house I saw the deceased lying on her back, in a pool of blood; at her side lay her husband. He was lying on his stomach, with his head resting on his hands, which were crossed. I turned him over on his back and saw that his throat was cut. He opened his eyes and closed them, and moved his arms and legs. I got a cloth and bound his throat up as well as I could. Someone in the room gave me the hammer and razor. The hammer is smothered in blood and also the razor. I left Sergeant Turner in charge and Dr. Hayman arrived. The man Willoughby was afterwards conveyed to the Infirmary at Oxford where he still remains.
Dr. Hayman then confirmed the cause of death was compression of the brain, by the skull being driven in at least an inch. The blow inflicting such a wound must have been given with great violence. It must have killed her at once.
In October John Willoughby appeared at the Oxford and Berks Assizes charged with the murder of his wife. The end result was, following medical evidence that he was acquitted on the ground of insanity and ordered to be detained during her Majesty’s pleasure. His detention was at Oxford Prison.
1889 is a year Oliver would probably want to forget. Although he must have personally felt embarrassed, it was not his fault. The story starts in 1888 when a conman named Latham alias Edwards opened a shop in Bridge Street, Abingdon. A considerable stock of jewellery was displayed in the window for a few weeks leading up to Christmas. The jewellery on display had been supplied to him by various firms on approval. The newspapers described Edwards as being about 35 years old with a dark beard and moustache with eyes that were soft and dreamy. He was summed up as a quiet, inoffensive specimen of humanity, incapable of plotting what was practically a wholesale robbery.
When Christmas arrived, Edwards closed up the shop leaving a note on the door ‘This establishment will be re-opened on Monday’. Of course the shop was never opened again, and Edwards had disappeared with a stock of jewellery valued at over £500. This amounts to around £83,000 in value today.
The matter was reported to Oliver who quickly established that Edwards and a female companion had travelled to Plymouth and embarked on a ship bound for Australia. The newspapers later reported that he had disposed of a lot of the jewellery, believed to have been sent to Sydney. A telegram was sent, and Edwards was arrested on February 6th onboard the ship Pateena in Launceston, Australia. On being searched he was found with about £100 worth of rings and other jewellery and a loaded revolver. He was taken to Hobart and held in gaol.
With the permission of the Watch Committee and the cost paid for by the firms that had lost the jewellery, Oliver was sent to Australia to bring Edwards back. He left Abingdon on Friday 22nd February and arrived in Hobart, Australia on 4th April. The Extradition Act was followed and some 15 days later Oliver took Edwards and the stolen jewellery into his custody, and embarked on a ship to New Zealand arriving on 2nd May and then immediately boarding another ship bound for England. The voyage did not go well as the ship broke down some 950 miles out. Sails were hoisted and the ship managed to return to New Zealand arriving on 13th May and they transferred to another ship which sailed on the 17th bound for England via Rio de Janeiro and Teneriffe. On 10th June they arrived in Rio de Janeiro and the ship dropped anchor in the harbour two miles from the shore. It was here that things went wrong and in the space of what must have been just a couple of minutes whilst Oliver got dressed, the prisoner was lost. Local newspapers gave the following account:-
Nothing unusual was noticed in the demeanour of Edwards, who, as usual, occupied his time in reading light literature or conversing with some of the passengers. Mr. Robotham kept his accustomed watch over the prisoner’s movements, and at 1.30 a.m. retired to rest, sleeping in the same cabin with Edwards who had retired earlier, complaining of slight indisposition. Contrary to the usual practice, the Superintendent obtained the key to the cabin from the chief steward, and the door was locked, while the Superintendent slept with a loaded revolver under his pillow. At five a.m. the Superintendent found Edwards astir, and as he again complained of feeling unwell he was allowed to leave the cabin – for the avowed purpose of going to the lavatory. He was dressed in his shirt, trousers, slippers, and a loose coat. The Superintendent followed immediately afterwards, but the misfortune had happened – the prisoner was nowhere to be seen. Several of the ship’s officers and men, who were close by on deck, were at once questioned but one and all said they had seen nothing of the missing man. A general alarm was thereupon raised, and the greatest consternation prevailed when it was known that the prisoner had disappeared, several of the passengers vowing vengeance on him should he be re-captured. The coaling had by this time ceased, but the lighters were still alongside, and these, together with every receptacle and corner onboard were carefully searched by the officers and men, and the Superintendent and his fellow passengers. During the search one of the latter went to the hurricane deck astern, and there found Edwards’ coat under a boat on the star-board side. Everyone then came to the conclusion that the prisoner had jumped overboard, although no splash had been heard. As to the wretched man’s fate, the seamen considered it extremely improbable that he could swim ashore, not only on account of the distance from land, but also because the place was known to be infested by sharks, which would assuredly rise to such a prey. The general opinion was that Edwards did not contemplate escape, but suicide. To the Superintendent he behaved in a quiet and unobtrusive manner, but when not engaged in reading he had long and earnest conversations with his fellow passengers, and expressed himself as being tired of life, because he could see no hope as to his future prospects. These conversations point to a suicidal intention, and the likelihood is that a career of fraud ended as the waters closed over the head of the wretched adventurer, who put an end to his existence by jumping overboard.
Whether he drowned or made it to the shore is not known but he was never heard of again. Many of the passengers onboard the ship were very supportive of Oliver, and several letters were written. One letter signed by all the second class passengers contained the sentence – “Some of us can and are willing to testify to your unceasing vigilance from the time we arrived in Rio harbour until Edwards and yourself retired to rest between one and two o’clock the following morning.” Another passenger said – “On several occasions I have had long and earnest conversations with him, in which he frequently expressed himself as tired of life; he wished he could die. I firmly believe that Edwards, finding no other chance of escape, owing to your vigilance, jumped overboard and was drowned.” Yet another passenger wrote – He seemed in a very despondent state of mind. I believe that, seeing all hope of escape impossible, owing to the strict surveillance kept on him, he committed suicide.”
Oliver returned to England arriving at Plymouth on 7th July and from there he made his way home to Abingdon. All was not lost as he returned with three large suitcases containing jewellery, gold, silver, watches, rings, lockets, brooches and table plate which had an estimated value of £500. The jewellery that Edwards had sent to Sydney had been located by Oliver and another case was expected to arrive within a week from Australia.
To finalise on this matter the newspapers wrote:- It will be generally allowed that Superintendent Robotham had a most difficult and arduous task to fulfil. To keep watch on a prisoner week after week on board ship would have wearied any man, especially as humane considerations, to say nothing of the rules and regulations which on vessels, forbade anything like solitary confinement, or the process known as ‘putting a man in irons’.
During Oliver’s absence a change had occurred in respect of Abingdon Borough Police. In the year prior, 1888, the Local Government Act was passed and the Borough of Abingdon having a population of less than 10,000 the Police Force of the Borough was transferred to and included in the County Police Force on 1st April 1889. Oliver then became a Superintendent in the Berks Constabulary, and he remained at Abingdon but would in fact attend to policing in other areas of Berkshire.
On 7th June 1890, a very unusual case was heard by the Borough Magistrates in Abingdon which was reported in the newspaper:-
A DANGEROUS PERFORMANCE. – Robert Wilkins, bill-poster, of Oxford, was summoned for causing his son, under 14 years of age, to take part in a dangerous performance on the 26th ult. He pleaded guilty, and said he was ignorant of the law, or he would not have taken the boy on the stage. Superintendent Robotham said defendant gave feats of swordsmanship at the Odd Fellows’ Fete, held in the town on Whit Monday, and one of the feats was to cut a potato in two on the boy’s head. By some means [the] defendant accidentally cut the boy’s head, inflicting a wound three-quarters of an inch in length. The Mayor said they always wished to encourage anything to amuse the people, provided it was legal. They would inflict a small fine of 4s. 4d, with 15s. 8d. costs.
On Thursday 14th August 1890, Oliver’s wife Julia died after what was described as a painful illness. The newspapers reported the following:-
Much sympathy is felt in the town with Mr. Supt. Robotham and his family in the loss of Mrs. Robotham. The funeral, which took place in the cemetery on Tuesday, was numerously attended, and the coffin was covered with a profusion of wreaths and crosses.
The census for 1891 confirms that the family are resident in the parish of St. Nicholas, Abingdon. Oliver now is shown as 42 years old and head of the household with his children. His daughter Florence, aged 16 is shown as a school teacher. Edith is 18 but no occupation is shown. The other children are attending school.
On 9th June 1892, in Inglesham, Wiltshire, Oliver married Jessie Katherine Frances SPOONER. Jessie’s father was the Vicar of Inglesham, and he conducted the marriage service. His certificate of marriage shows that he was resident in Wantage at the time but there is no other record of this. It is known though that he was stationed in Wantage after leaving Abingdon and then later he was stationed at Newbury. Their marriage would result in one child, Arthur Spooner who was born in 1895 in Wantage.
Oliver was a Freemason and had been for a number of years. In May 1904 the following was reported in a local newspaper:-
NEWBURY
Freemasonry. – A monthly meeting of the Loyal Berkshire Lodge of Hope was held on Friday, in the Masonic Hall, Northbrook-street, when Mr. Oliver Robotham was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason. At the close of the Lodge business the officers and members of the Lodge had supper at the Jack of Newbury Hotel.
On 1st July 1905, Oliver was appointed as Deputy Chief Constable of the County. His promotion was known in advance for in May he was presented with a clock at Newbury prior to his promotion. Although it was reported in a newspaper, there was no indication of who presented it.
Following his promotion he would have been based at the Berkshire Police Headquarters in Reading and would have been dealing with a lot of administrative matters. He is known to have purchased a house, number 5, Eldon Road, Reading.
In 1911, in the New Year’s Honours he had the honour of receiving the King’s Police Medal. The Reading Standard reported on this with a full article on his career to date:-
The honour of receiving a police medal, which the King has worthily bestowed upon the Deputy Chief Constable of Berkshire, was announced in the following form: Oliver Robotham, Deputy Chief Constable, Berkshire Constabulary. – Forty-one years’ service, distinguished by exemplary conduct and by success in administrative and detective work, as well as dealing with outbreaks of public disorder. The forty-one years’ service which Mr. Robotham has to his credit embrace a great variety of work in the public interest. During these years he has been engaged in the detection of all classes of crime, and has always done his work he has invariably obtained the conviction of his prisoners. It was in September, 1869, that Mr. Robotham, as a young man of 19, joined the City of London Police Force, and it is interesting to recall that his first special duty was at the opening of the Holborn Viaduct by Queen Victoria forty years ago. As years went on he assisted in keeping order in the City on many historic occasions; but he specially recalls the thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s for the recovery of his late Majesty, then Prince of Wales from his dangerous illness. The Prince attended the service in person, and so great was the popular rejoicing that the presence of large crowds in the streets necessitated many members of the City Police Force, among whom was Mr. Robotham, being on duty in the streets for twenty-four hours. While in London Mr. Robotham for some time was a clerk in the police office, which gave him a splendid insight into detective work, and by dint of diligence and excellent conduct he soon rose to the rank of sergeant. After twelve years’ service in the City, and being then a first-class sergeant, he left London to become Head Constable of Abingdon. The passing, in 1889, of the Act establishing County Councils swept away the separate police forces in the smaller boroughs of England and Wales. Such forces were, however, merged into the County Constabulary. Mr. Robotham’s services were retained in this way. He was given the rank of Superintendent, and after being at Abingdon for ten years was transferred to Wantage, where he remained for five years. His next removal was to Newbury, where he did another ten years’ service. In 1905, Mr. Robotham was promoted to the Deputy Chief Constableship of Berkshire. To enumerate all the important police work in which Mr. Robotham has been engaged would, perhaps, be wearisome; but two incidents may be recalled. While at Abingdon he succeeded in saving the life of a man who had murdered his wife, but was afterwards proved to be insane. An achievement of which any officer might be proud was the suppression of threatened riots at Wantage. On this occasion some prominent townspeople had incurred the displeasure of the rougher classes, who expressed their intention of burning effigies. It was clear that this would lead to a riot, and the Chief Constable of the County at that time offered Mr. Robotham a strong force of men. The offer was declined, and single-handed the Superintendent stopped all trouble. Mr. Robotham served under the late Sir James Fraser, who was Commissioner of the City of London Police, and, singularly enough, first organised the Berkshire Force. He also served under Colonel Blandy, and is now the right hand man of Major Poulton, the present Chief Constable of Berkshire. Mr. Robotham has seen great changes in the Berkshire Police Force, especially under Major Poulton, who is regarded as a just and considering Chief. All the changes which have taken place in police work and its organisation Mr. Robotham considers are for the better. A superior class of men is being attracted to the service, and the restrictions imposed upon them are fewer and leave is more generously granted. During his long service Mr. Robotham has never had any report, even of the most trivial kind, made against him. Since his name has appeared in the New Year’s Honours List he had received congratulations from all parts of the country.
On 4th August 1914, Britain entered the first world war. Oliver’s son Ernest was already in the army having joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment in 1900. The police were required to carry out extra duties which were hampered with officers leaving to join the armed services or being called up. Up until now Oliver had enjoyed fairly good health but at the beginning of the war, which entailed a great deal of extra work into which he threw himself with his usual energy, he was taken ill and forced to rest. Sadly he did not recover and passed away at his home of 5, Eldon Road on the evening of Sunday 8th November 1914. Oliver served as a police officer for just over 45 years.
There were many tributes:-
The deceased gentleman was not only regarded with esteem and affection by the members of the force throughout Berkshire, but those who knew him in private life have lost a much beloved friend and comrade. Mr. Robotham had a disposition which could not fail to endear him to a large circle of friends. A genial, kind-hearted and courteous man, his loss is mourned both in official and civilian circles. Chief Constable
The chairman said that before they commenced the business that day he would like just to say that they all felt very great regret at the loss which the county had sustained in the death of Deputy Chief Constable Robotham, who had been there very nearly ten years. The justices wished to pass a vote of sympathy with the bereaved family. Mr. Robotham always did his duty very conscientiously and well. He had passed away after a long and honourable career, and he left a good name behind him. Major C.W. Darby-Griffith, Chairman, Reading Magistrates Court.
The funeral took place on Friday 13th November. The first part of the service took place at St. John’s Church where Oliver worshipped regularly, and the interment took place at Reading Old Cemetery. A detachment of officers led the procession from Eldon Road to the church. Four Superintendents of divisions on each side of the coffin acted as pall-bearers and a detachment of officers lined the entrance to St. John’s Church.
His funeral was attended by around 200 people which included the Chief Constable, some 80 officers, sergeants and constables of the Berkshire Constabulary, over 30 officers from Reading Borough Police, along with retired police officers, representatives of many organisations such as the County Council, the courts, the prison, R.S.P.C.A., etc.
Oliver’s wife Jessie remained living in Reading until her death in 1939. She was then buried with Oliver in Reading Old Cemetery.
Division 76, Row A, Plot 18