VICTORIAN UNDERWORLD

Discover the gangs that lurked down the dark alleys of 19th century Britain

Michala Hulme

On 23 April 1892, 16-year-old William Willan and his gang were lying in wait for Peter Kennedy, a rival gang member, outside the mill where Kennedy worked. When Kennedy saw them, he tried to escape but was soon chased down by the dozen youths armed with makeshift weapons. Willan was a scuttler, a youth street gang that had terrorised the working-class districts of Manchester and Salford and had tested the governing authorities for over two decades. The name ‘scuttlers’ was a collective term for these violent ruffians. Individually, the gangs were named after the roads they lived on. Using weapons such as pieces of wood studded with nails, broken bottles, belts and knives, the gangs would fight predominately over territory and girls. Willan’s gang had been embroiled in a bitter…

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All About History (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 150

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