100-YEARS-AGO: SALFORD MAN JAILED FOR KEEPING "DISORDERLY HOUSE"

Yet another story of mischief and naughty deeds in Salford from the pages of the Salford City Reporter, February 1922, which tells of a house of ill repute close to Salford Docks and it's customers and staff.

Thomas Chippendale (no, not the 18th century cabinet maker, hopefully) aged 30 appeared at Salford Magistrates Court, charged with unlawfully keeping a disorderly house in Melbourne Street, Ordsall.

Alongside him in the dock, were three young ladies, Kathleen Connor, Margaret Hodgson and Emily Wright charged with the management of the house.

Constable Howard told the Court that Chippendale was a married man, who was separated from his wife, and had lived at the house in Melbourne Street, for the past nine years, a dwelling of two rooms upstairs and two rooms downstairs for which he paid eight shillings and fourpence a week.

Howard along with P.C, Edwards and Sergeant Lamb had been keeping the house under observation from January 27th until January 30th, on the evening of Friday 27th, he saw one of the women accused on Trafford Road, she then took a Chinaman back to Chippendales house.

Later still the same evening, the other two women accused were seen taking men back to the house, no doubt for a hot meal and a chat.

"Detailed information" was then given to the Stipendiary Magistrate. Mr P. W. Atkin with regards to activities at the house on the other named dates,

Chippendale asked P.C. Howard if he could prove that any of the women in the dock gave him any money? to which he replied, "I can"

Possibly thinking he was on a sticky wicket he asked if he could get a remand so that he could obtain legal assistance, which was granted to him.

Kathleen Connor said to the Court that Chippendale had asked her, to take men back to the house, she also admitted that she had eight previous convictions, she was sentenced to 14 days, hard labour, Margaret Hodgson who had six previous convictions was sentenced to seven days hard labour, Emily Wright was bound over for the sum of £5 and was placed on probation for six months.

A week later Chippendale reappeared at the Court and said that he had been unable to get a solicitor to defend him, but would defend himself.

He said that his wife had left him and he had taken Margaret Hodgson as a housekeeper, and that she invited her friends to the house, she had her own key, when he visited he saw six people there but no signs of impropriety.

The Stipendiary Magistrate told him that this was "a very bad case and you will go to prison for three months, with hard labour.

It has to be said that the Magistrate was keen on tagging on, hard labour along with a prison sentence as a deterrent, but did it work?