A blank space that echoed through generations

This photograph was taken on 5th February 1880, the day William Goddard arrived at Millbank Prison in London. Under the Prevention of Crimes Act 1871, any "habitual criminal" was photographed on arrival. William's record of multiple prior convictions qualified him.

For years, my family had no idea William Goddard even existed. My mother carried her paternal surname "Upton" but in truth, she and her siblings should have been Goddards. My great-grandfather Walter, William's son, was born illegitimate on 19th July 1878, mere months before William's trial. On Walter's birth certificate, the father's name is left entirely blank.

That blank space echoed through generations. It was not until DNA matches confirmed shared ancestry with people carrying the Goddard name, followed by systematic archive research, that the identity of Walter's father was finally established.

I eventually found William on the 1871 census, he was living two doors away from my 2x great-grandmother, Clara Waplington. He had been sitting there all along.

Walter Upton birth certificate 1878, showing the father's name struck through, leaving the field blank.

Walter Upton's birth record, 1878. The father's name is struck through rather than named. It remained a blank for over a century.

A childhood in the Nottingham slums

William was born on 12th August 1854 on Middle Street (now Middle Pavement), Nottingham. He grew up in the overcrowded courts and alleys of the Victorian lace town. His father was a lace-maker. His mother took in washing.

By the age of 14, William was working as a whip-thong maker. These were long, hard days pulling leather strips through metal dies for pennies. Whip-thong makers also constantly chewed leather and wax-end thread to shape it, which wore teeth down fast. William's dental record in later prison documents reflects this.

The petty thefts started early and escalated steadily over the following decade.

A record of prior convictions

Date Offence Sentence
10 Feb 1871 Stealing bacon (aged 17) 1 calendar month hard labour
12 Jun 1871 Stealing a pair of trousers, a pair of braces and 3 collars 3 calendar months hard labour
16 Sep 1871 Stealing braces 1 month hard labour
24 Feb 1873 Stealing a watch from a person 6 months hard labour
30 Oct 1873 Absconding and loitering in public streets Remanded and discharged
1 May 1874 Obscene language and assault outside the Exchange Fined 29 shillings
9 Feb 1875 Stealing a hat Acquitted, Lincoln
Apr 1876 Larceny from person 18 months hard labour, Birmingham
21 Jan 1878 Stealing a pair of opera glasses 3 calendar months hard labour
24 Jul 1878 Attempt to rob a satchel 3 calendar months hard labour

The crime that changed everything

On the night of 30th June 1879, William and his accomplice Ann Draper broke into the home of Ann Bearder on Chaucer Street, near Market Street, Nottingham. They stole a lady's cloth jacket and the contents of what appeared to be a washing basket.

Items stolen from Ann Bearder, Chaucer Street, 30 June 1879
  • A lady's cloth jacket
  • Five chemises
  • Two petticoats
  • Two night dresses
  • A sheet
  • Four pillow slips
  • Two bolster covers
  • Two skirts
  • A towel

With his record of prior convictions, William was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude. He was committed on 16th July 1879 and convicted on 23rd July.