The Crimes of Jessie Campbell
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| Photograph of Jessie Campbell from the Perth Prison Register, 1883. |
At the time Jessie Campbell (or Riach) was sentenced on 15 April 1883 and entered into the Perth Prison Register (POL/AC/6/7) she was 41 years old. Jessie received 5 months’ imprisonment for theft. Along with a scar on her right temple, it was noted that she had a tattoo of the initials ‘J.C’ on her right hand. ‘J.C’ likely stood for her own name. Jessie was liberated on 18th September 1883, her intended residence was given only as ‘Dundee’. But, this was not her first conviction for theft, in fact she had four previous convictions.
Through the British Newspaper Archive, we have been able to create a timeline of Jessie's crimes and other arrests:
January 1883 - Jessie was residing at Foundry Lane. She was accused of stealing a pair of boots and some clothing from a washing line in Hilltown. Jessie was found guilty on both charges and received 30 days’ imprisonment.
February 1883 - she stole a brass weight from the counter of a
Tobacco shop in King’s Road while drunk. Afterwards, she sold the weight to a
broker on James Street who gave her two pence for it. In court, Jessie
protested that she only received a penny. After being handed another 30 days’
imprisonment, she set herself down on a seat with evident determination not to
go to prison. The police had to forcibly remove her from court.
March 1883 - Jessie was liberated from prison and on
the same day was caught stealing a petticoat from a shop window. She was 41 years old at the time of her arrest and received a
further 5 months’ imprisonment for theft. Jessie was liberated on 18th September 1883, her intended
residence was given only as ‘Dundee’.
December 1883 - Jessie stole a silver watch and chain from
the person of James Taylor, a Mason residing in Forebank. Jessie admitted her
guilt and was sent back to prison for 8 months. At this point there is no more
mention of Jessie in local newspapers or records.
Jessie will feature in our upcoming exhibition for Granite Noir, Gunpowder, Tattoos and Transportation: Aberdeen's Inked Convicts. The exhibition will run from 20-25th February in the Music Hall with free entry.
There will also be a talk of the same title by our Archive Assistant and curator of the exhibition, Dr Ashleigh Black on Sunday 25th Feb at the Cowdray Hall. Tickets for the event can found here: Granite Noir 2024: Gunpowder,Tattoo and Transportation Exhibition Talk | Aberdeen Performing Arts
Dr Ashleigh Black, Archive Assistant
More information on Perth Prison:
Perth Prison was constructed in 1839 as a General Prison, whose primary purpose was to house increasing numbers of long-term prisoners being sentenced by courts all over Scotland to long spells of imprisonment. The General Prison at Perth housed convicts serving sentences exceeding 9 months and lunatic prisoners. From 1882 Barlinnie Prison, near Glasgow, opened and served partly as a General Prison. By 1904 most long sentences were served in Peterhead Prison (for men) and Duke Street Prison, Glasgow (for women).
You can also read more about the prisoners of the Perth Prison Register here on our other blog: https://criminalportraits.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post.html
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