On 9 October 1912, Richard Courtney, a 50-year-old seaman, stood before the Old Bailey charged with attempting to break and enter the shop of Harry Manfield & Co., and another premises, with intent to steal.
The charge was read aloud in the formal, almost liturgical tone of the court:
Clerk of Arraigns: “Richard Courtney, you stand indicted for that you did, on or about the eighth day of October, feloniously attempt to break and enter certain shop premises with intent to steal therein. How say you — guilty or not guilty?”
Courtney: “Guilty, sir.”
The admission silenced the public gallery. In 1912, a guilty plea was both rare and oddly respectable — a sign that the accused would not waste the court’s time. Yet the judge still sought to hear the facts.
Prosecutor: “The prisoner was found loitering near the door of the firm of Harry Manfield & Company, at an hour when the place was long closed. Marks were found upon the lock. When challenged by the constable, he made no attempt to flee.”
Judge: “And the instrument used?”
Prosecutor: “A small chisel, Your Lordship. Found in his pocket.”
Judge: “Have you anything to say before I pass sentence?”
Courtney: (quietly) “No, sir — only that I meant no harm by it.”
The judge’s voice softened slightly.
Judge: “Mr. Courtney, you are a man of fifty years, and one who has seen honest work upon the seas. It is most unfortunate that you should end a working life thus. You will be imprisoned for six months, second division.”
And with that, the briefest of trials was done.
Why this mattered
This small exchange captures a turning point in London’s criminal history. Gone were the days of pickpockets and highwaymen; by 1912, it was the urban tradesman’s shop — locked, insured, and gaslit — that bore the brunt of desperation.
Courtney’s sentence of six months, second division reflected the Edwardian belief that punishment could still be humane. Second-division prisoners avoided the treadwheel and the hard labour that earlier convicts endured, yet the stigma of the dock would follow them as surely as the sound of the judge’s gavel.
It was a short case, but a very human one — a weary sailor, an unlocked door, and the long shadow of temptation in a city of endless windows.
Source
R v. Richard Courtney (t19121008-15), trial at the Old Bailey, 8 October 1912, sentence 9 October 1912. Verdict: Guilty (plea). Sentence: Six months’ imprisonment (second division).
Old Bailey Proceedings Online
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