A landlord armed with a gun, a mob hurling rocks and a man's brutal killing - how a brawl outside a Sheffield pub shocked the city

There may be parallels with modern day violence but the killing of a drunk Sheffield man by an intoxicated mob almost 170 years ago is perhaps one of the city’s most shocking, yet long-forgotten crimes.
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Joseph Crookes had been out drinking and dancing at the Owlerton Feast and had got into a dispute with a group of six men in the early hours of July 4, 1854, when the incident took place.

Crookes, a 20-year-old saw grinder, had gone into the long-demolished Sportsman Ground pub, believed to have once stood on the corner of Bradfield Road, at around 6pm the night before, and by 2am the following morning was somewhat the worse for drink.

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It is unclear what Crookes did to cause offence, but newspaper reports from the time say that a fist fight broke out with the seven, and that the victim had been the initial aggressor.

Joseph Crookes was beaten to death by a drunken Sheffield mob almost 170 years agoJoseph Crookes was beaten to death by a drunken Sheffield mob almost 170 years ago
Joseph Crookes was beaten to death by a drunken Sheffield mob almost 170 years ago

When the landlord discovered the affray he first ejected the seven, with Crookes being shown the door a few minutes later.

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What Crookes didn’t know was that the seven had armed themselves with lumps of wood they’d found in a nearby cart and were waiting for him in the darkness.

It was unclear who struck the first blow, but it knocked Crookes to the floor and others then reigned down blows to his head as he lay on the ground.

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Another reveller then came out of the pub and tried to intervene, but they hurled rocks and oyster shells at him and he went back inside, returning minutes later armed with a poker.

The seven then turned on the would-be hero, and it was only when the landlord came out armed with a gun that the men dispersed.

Of the seven, only four were ever identified - John Holroyd, Charles Haines, George Knowles and Joseph Peech - and they were taken to Sheffield Coroners’ Court where they were charged with willful murder.

The hearing was told that Crookes was brought back into the pub where he was cleaned up and taken home where a doctor was called to attend to him, but he died from his injuries the following day.

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A post mortem examination revealed that he had suffered a fractured skull, with some of the bone penetrating his brain, which the examiner ruled was his primary cause of death.

The four were remanded into custody to appear before York Winter Assizes – what we’d now call Crown Court – where they appeared for trial on December 7 the same year.

The problem for the prosecution was that it proved impossible to establish who had struck the first or fatal blow, or whether under joint enterprise any or all of them had intended to kill Crookes.

Because the attack had also been relatively spontaneous it was difficult to prove premeditation and, due to the poor light, the defence were able to argue that the accused could not see the extent of the injuries they were causing.

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In the case of Peech, the prosecution failed to even establish that he was involved in any way apart from being present at the time, and the judge ordered the jury to acquit him.

The remaining three were all convicted of manslaughter and jailed for six years apiece. It isn’t known what became of them after their release from prison, but the whole sorry case shows that drunken violence outside the city’s many pubs is not in any way a modern day problem.

Editor’s message: In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.

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