The big read: Double tragedy at Sheffield opera house was driven by soldier's 'insane' jealousy

He was aged 39 and had recently been appointed to the post of night watchman at the Alexandra Opera House in Sheffield. This was a theatre in the music hall tradition, which had proved to be very popular with the working classes. People could eat and drink and be entertained by singers, dancers and even acrobats.
Smithfield Hotel and Alexandra Theatre, Blonk Street, Sheffield. The theatre was built in 1837, by Mr Egan. Originally known as The Adelphi Circus Theatre. Demolished 1914Smithfield Hotel and Alexandra Theatre, Blonk Street, Sheffield. The theatre was built in 1837, by Mr Egan. Originally known as The Adelphi Circus Theatre. Demolished 1914
Smithfield Hotel and Alexandra Theatre, Blonk Street, Sheffield. The theatre was built in 1837, by Mr Egan. Originally known as The Adelphi Circus Theatre. Demolished 1914

In February of 1872 Thomas Bradshaw had the kind of job that most people would envy.

He could be very proud of himself for landing such a plum job which he had attained mainly because of his good character whilst he had served in the Army.

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Before he had gone to be stationed in India he had married a young woman in Sheffield called Sarah Ann who was ten years younger. She had worked as a spoon buffer and although he had loved her when they married, he was away in the army for 13 years.

Memory Lane  November 1958 - Theo Lambert points out some of the features of the Alexandra Theatre, as he remembers it. Colleen Burnett and John Paget are appearing in a four week season of plays at the Pier Pavillion.Memory Lane  November 1958 - Theo Lambert points out some of the features of the Alexandra Theatre, as he remembers it. Colleen Burnett and John Paget are appearing in a four week season of plays at the Pier Pavillion.
Memory Lane November 1958 - Theo Lambert points out some of the features of the Alexandra Theatre, as he remembers it. Colleen Burnett and John Paget are appearing in a four week season of plays at the Pier Pavillion.

In 1865 having heard that he was dead, Sarah had married again and so she was very surprised when Thomas turned up on her doorstep in 1870. He made it very plain she was still his wife and that her second marriage was bigamous. He insisted that he had a right to have her live with him again as his wife, but Sarah remembered the marriage in a different way.

She remembered how Thomas used to squander his money, so that on many occasions the couple had no food. However, using his charm, he managed to persuade her to return to him.

A week before Christmas of 1871 Thomas got the job at the Opera House on Blonk Street and his duties were quite simple. He was to take charge of the theatre after each nightly performance had finished, and to remain in the building as night watchman until the cleaning women arrived the next day. That would have suited many people, but it caused Thomas a great deal of frustration as he continued to be extremely jealous of his wife. He was convinced that when he was at work, that Sarah was still spending her nights with the unnamed man she had married. This naturally led to many arguments.

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She knew that her conscience was clear as she had never even spoken to the man since moving back in with Thomas. On his part her husband had sworn that if he found that she had been unfaithful to him, he would kill her and then himself. The matter was finally settled she thought, when he decided that she would come to work with him each night.

How the Sheffield Telegraph reported the tragedy in 1872How the Sheffield Telegraph reported the tragedy in 1872
How the Sheffield Telegraph reported the tragedy in 1872

The Opera House manager, Mr Thomas Youden, allowed him, in his role to use a space which had always been used as a wardrobe room. On Monday, February 12, 1872, Thomas was at his post when the last performance finally finished. As it was so near to Valentines Day the programme had been a full one.

Around 7am the next morning a woman called Ross arrived in order to start work as an assistant cleaner.

To her complete surprise she found the front door locked, which was most unusual, and she knocked on the door several times, but was unable to make anyone inside hear. Concerned Mrs Ross went to the house of another man who worked at the Opera House called Charles Mosley and he too hammered on all the doors leading inside the building, but once again no one answered.

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No one had any keys, so it was not until around 10 am when Mosley finally managed to get his hands on a ladder and to make an entry through a window. Once in Mosley made his way carefully to the room which he knew was occupied by the Bradshaws. There he made a terrible discovery. Mrs Bradshaw was lying on the floor close to the fireplace, and blood was coming from some terrible wounds in her head, face and neck. Mosley could see that they had been inflicted with great violence.

Thankfully Mosley could see that the woman was still alive, but only just. A medical man was sent for and very quickly an assistant for Dr Leeds, whose surgery was on the Wicker, arrived.

While they waited for an ambulance, the assistant was carefully sponging blood away from Mrs Bradshaw’s face as momentarily she came round. She told him that her husband had inflicted her injuries with a poker and a hatchet.

Soon on the scene were three police officers. Just afterwards the ambulance was arrived, and the patient was taken to the Infirmary. Two constables and Mosley immediately established a search for Thomas Bradshaw in the empty theatre.

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They started in the pit, then progressed into searching the gallery and the stage boxes, however the night watchman could not be found. Eventually there was nowhere left to search but the stage. The three men had just walked out onto the stage when one pointed upwards. There in the theatre ‘flies’ hung the body of Thomas Bradshaw, among the ropes used to lift the stage scenery.

Taken from Sheffield’s Toxic Relations, a book on crime by author Margaret Drinkall, now available to buy or download on Amazon.

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