By Christine Swan
Dear reader, the delay in posting this final episode will be explained in another post however, to recap, Daniel Crudgington, returned convict, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to just one year’s hard labour at Newgate Prison. He was also convicted of assaulting his wife in 1849. By this time, he was married to Jane Vincent and, two years later, Ann Dighton. I can only presume that the latter was the victim of the domestic violence incident in question.
Ann and Daniel’s legitimate daughter, Elena Ann Crudgington, was born in March 1854. By this time, they had moved to 17 Bath Street which runs perpendicular to the City Road. When she was a child, Elena was enrolled into Mrs Connaught’s English school of dancing, which was based at the Grecian Theatre and Eagle Tavern facing the City Road. Bath Street is on the other side so, a very convenient location for a small child to study. More of Elena in another post but, dancing was to prove her occupation, her passion, her escape route from poverty.
The Eagle Public House, Shepherdess Walk facing City Road as it stands today. The Grecian Theatre stretched down beyond the environs of the pub. Photograph by the Author.
A straight right demonstrated in Edmund Price’s The Science of Defence: A Treatise on Sparring and Wrestling, 1867 Public Domain, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3458996
Daniel’s bout was held under the East London prize fighting rules because the better-known Marquess of Queensberry rules were not introduced until 1867.
Daniel stated on every census that he was a shoemaker, but, seemed to be one who didn’t appear to have the time to make a lot of shoes. In 1870, he was prosecuted for keeping a “disorderly house” at numbers 20, 24 and 36 New Norfolk Street, Shoreditch along with several other men. The location was described in the press as: “One of the worst dens of thieves in London”. Coordinated police raids took place in New Norfolk St and Norfolk Gardens between 1am and 2am on a Saturday night. It seems that Daniel was taken unawares when apprehended and protested that: “He had’n had no warning”, which would certainly confirm the success of the surprise raid. The whole group of men who kept the bawdy houses were brought before the magistrate one after the other. Crudgington pleaded guilty, was fined and subject to police supervision along with the others. From the newspaper reports, the local parishioners of St Leonard’s, Shoreditch had petitioned the church to act and with the coordinated action of the police, had tackled the owners of the premises. I am sure that this was a scene that played out across London and was probably a vain attempt at tackling a popular trade. Definitely no shoes were being made here.
Shoreditch Church (St Leonard’s Church) By Iridescenti – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3302346
New Norfolk Street was not Daniel’s usual place of residence. In 1871, he, Ann, Elena and two others were living at 30 Baxendale Street, Bethnal Green (shown in the banner photograph taken in 2008). After this time, I could not find any further evidence of criminal activity and the family remained living in Baxendale Street until Elena married in 1883 and Ann died in 1885. Daniel appears to have stayed in the house in Baxendale Steet until at least 1888 and then moved to 108 Coventry Street also in Bethnal Green. He was finally admitted to the workhouse infirmary on 21st April 1892 and died on the 27th after suffering a stroke, aged 77. The informant of the death was Esther Dighton, Ann’s sister.
End of Baxendale Street and junction with Barnet Grove taken by the Author in 2008.
Daniel Crudgington death certificate 1892
Can we say a life well-lived? No, I think not. Daniel travelled half way around the world on a perilous journey with only the remotest hope of return but squandered the opportunity of living a wholesome life and achieving something worthwhile. Instead, he acted with violence, he abused his wife cruelly and he exploited other women. He did stay with Ann until she died and they were married a little over 40 years. Did they love each other? Who is to say. I don’t think she had any choice but to stay. Daniel could have lived alone in his old age but, he did not, in his later years, his grandson lived with him and that was my great grandfather, David Dighton Taylor. But here ends the tale of Daniel Crudgington, a notorious Victorian ruffian of Bethnal Green, who also made shoes.
Awful Rigours and Wretched Pay 