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Patrick Joyce. Convict.

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Three boys loitered around the door of a grocery shop on Flat Street, Sheffield, on the morning of 18 February 1835. While cheese factor, Mr Matthew Furniss, had his back to the door, one of the boys furtively entered the shop and lifted a twenty-pound wheel of cheese off the top of a cask. His accomplice stood in the doorway, holding a sack open, and the boy threw the cheese into it. The boys ran off, chased by witnesses. The boy’s accomplice dropped the sack in the street as he bolted towards Spring Wood. They didn’t get far before they were caught and turned over to the authorities. [1] Patrick Joyce was nicked. Conviction  Patrick Joyce and his erstwhile getaway man, Isaac Saynor, were brought before a magistrate at the Yorkshire Quarter Sessions, held at Sheffield on the 26 March 1835. Charged with larceny, the justice made out the elements of the offence thus: “That Patrick Joyce late of Wakefield in the West Riding of the County of York Labourer and Isaac Saynor late
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Barkingside, Essex - December, 1925

It was hard to determine who was putting out the most steam; Peggy or the train. Peggy had fumed all the way from Ipswich to London. She kept on fuming from London to the new Barkingside station. After meeting Mrs Creagh, she had been packaged up, complete with large label, and shipped to Dr Barnardo’s Girls Village Home. Under her severe bowl cut hair, her normally gentle blue eyes glared out at the uniformed staff member striding across the platform towards her. “Marguerite Gutteridge, is it?” checking the label tied to her coat. Peggy nodded. “Come along then.” The gravel crunched as Peggy was led through the imposing wrought iron entrance gates.   Inside the thick walls the village was strangely quiet for a place housing hundreds of girls. “Where is everyone?” The lady seemed surprised to be addressed without notice. “At school or working. There is no laziness at Dr Barnardo’s Village.” Peggy shrunk down into her coat, wishing she was back in Auntie Maud’s worn but
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Delegate NSW, August 1931

The girls were up early. Already the bread was in the oven and the large kettle was on to boil. The men would gather here soon, to resume the search. The kitchen was warm, steamy from the kettle coming to the boil, and the smell of the baking bread was a comfort. The lamps glowed, pushing out the pre-dawn darkness. “Do you think they will find her, Peggy?” asked Irene. “Oh, don’t ask me, Irene,” replied Peggy shakily, “I can’t bear to think of that jolly little girl out there in the dark amongst the trees. She was just here the other week, toddling around this very kitchen.” Peggy sniffed as they resumed their work in silence. Ernie Bryant’s two year old girl, Joyce, had gone missing yesterday. Ernie, who had worked at Balgownie for over a decade, had been fetched home urgently by his teenage son. Mr Walcott had offered the station as a meeting place for the search parties. The land surrounding Balgownie station was pleasant enough on a warm spring day. There were roll
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