Timothy was born circa 1857, in the Bermondsey area of London’s dockland. In adulthood he was a skilful and compulsive burglar, stealing to support himself, but not very careful about hiding his tracks; he seemed to welcome imprisonment and the food and shelter it provided.
Much of this story will be told in extracts from court reports. The first is from October 1887:
“At Southwark Police-court yesterday Timothy Kelly, 31, labourer, was committed for trial charged with committing a burglary on the premises of John Dudin, Bermondsey, and stealing property worth £7. To the police he made the following confession:—”I broke into Nochner’s a fortnight ago—it was on Sunday morning—and took coats, boots, and umbrellas, and the same night I broke into Dudin’s and got all I could. I got into these two places twice. I took off the skylight at Nochner’s place about ten weeks ago.
I also got into Reed and Son’s office, Mill-street, Dockhead, and stole £8 19s. 9d. out of the safe. I broke open the top of it with a 56lb. weight. About nine weeks ago I broke into Darnell’s office, Shad Thames, but I did not get much there. I pawned most of the clothes over at Paddington, such as trousers, vests, and jackets. I pawned a new pair of shoes in a narrow street near Paddington Railway Station; they were valued at 16s. I pawned one of the overcoats I got at Dudin’s place at the Jews in the borough. I also left a file at Dudin’s place the first time I broke in there, and the next time I got in I found the file in the same place where I left it.
My intention was to get into Fisher’s office the morning you stopped me. If you had been five minutes later you might have found me inside. I did not know you were watching me, and I intended to get in through the window, as I had been twice at it, and I meant to do the job this time.”
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For these crimes he received a sentence of 18 months hard labour in Wandsworth.
Within a few days of his release in 1889, one of the Bermondsey warehouses (Addis’s Wharf) was burgled again and police believed that Kelly was responsible, but he had left London and could not be found. He had gone to Grays in Essex, where he broke into the Arthur Street school and stole a quantity of books, pencils and rubbers. Promptly arrested by the local police, he was sentenced to a further two years hard labour.
A week after his release from Wormwood Scrubs in late October 1891, he broke into Addis’s wharf once again. Initially he denied responsibility, but on 20 November, he walked into Bermondsey police station and confessed to Detective Sergeant Bradford.
He gave the following statement under caution:
“I broke into Addis’s Wharf, Bermondsey Wall, on a Sunday morning between half past five and seven am about a fortnight ago. I got over the wall which is about five feet high beside the office. I walked across the waste ground and then along the passage to a bridge. I got onto the bridge which leads from one warehouse to the other, then I got to a window and onto the sloping roof . I took three or four slates off, but I found I did not get through there. I broke and cut a board from one of the loophole doors, got into the warehouse, went downstairs, took a bag of flour from the stack, and placed it against the office window. I had a sheet of brown paper covered with treacle which I stuck on the window to prevent it being heard and so that the glass would not drop on the ground. I tapped the glass with a nail. I then got into the office by the broken window. I forced open the desks with the nail. I took some brushes, I think five, some brass locks and keys, two pipes, seven or eight knives, a timepiece, a small chain, one felt hat and an overcoat. I took a bag with me to put the things in. I got out of the office the same way as I got in. I went up East Lane, Bermondsey New Road to Kent Street and sold the articles to various persons I met in the streets but I don’t know who they are. I got about 30 shillings for the lot and spent it. The cap, handkerchief and knife found in the warehouse are mine. The reason I wish to give myself up is because I have got no employment. No one will give me any work.”
In Court
In court, Timothy made a series of extraordinary statements which prompted the magistrate to order an inquiry into his mental condition. A Dr Gilbert gave his opinion that Timothy’s mind was so affected that he was not in a condition to plead. He was ordered to detained during her Majesty’s pleasure. Subsequently a criminal lunacy warrant was issued for his removal from Holloway prison to Colney Hatch asylum.
We have Dr Gilbert’s brief comments:
“Restless & sleeping badly. Has been very untidy & dirty. He says everyone is against him, that the policeman follows him about & prevents his getting work. Everybody jeers at him. He says he hears voices coming from all directions threatening to injure him at times says food is poisoned.”
We don’t have his case notes from Colney Hatch but we do have this from when he was moved to Manor in 1899:
“Has aural hallucinations of the voice of God which has instructed him in some way. Says that the thoughts from other peoples brains are pumped into his, which is altogether a transmogrifying affair. Is to some extent demented and at times incoherent and giggles without cause.”
The cause of his mania was recorded as “sunstroke and intemperance”. (The mention of sunstroke suggests that he might have served overseas in the army.)
As far as we can tell, Timothy remained in the asylum system for the rest of his life. We know that he was removed to Stannington asylum in Gateshead in 1915, but later returned to the Epsom cluster, where he was a patient at West Park mental hospital in the 1920s.
Early life, and family
This has been a tricky area to research because there was more than one Timothy Kelly born in Bermondsey in 1856/7, and two of them had the same occupation (waterside labourers). Fortunately with a bit of digging in the archives we found some clues in the Registers of Lunatics maintained by the St Olave parish (Bermondsey) workhouse authorities: he had an unmarried sister with initials A M, and a brother with the initial J; and addresses were given for both of them. Only one of the addresses revealed a traceable connection with the Kelly family: 41 Flockton Street. In the 1901 census this was the home of John and Mary A Taylor and their nephew James R Kelly.
John Taylor had married Mary Ann Kelly in Walworth in 1884. The marriage record revealed that her father was a Timothy Kelly, and from census data it appeared that she was born circa 1859 in Bermondsey. With this information we were able to trace this likely family in the 1861 census:
Sands Rents, Horsleydown
Timothy Kelly 38 Labourer Ireland
Mary Ann Kelly 33 Wife Ireland
Thomas Kelly 11 Son St Johns Southwark
Ellen Kelly 5 Daughter St Johns Southwark
Timothy Kelly 3 Son St Johns Southwark
Mary Ann Kelly 11m Daughter St Johns Southwark
and in 1871:
2 Georges Court, Bermondsey
Timothy Kelly Head 45 Labourer Ireland
Mary A Kelly Wife 43 Ireland
Ellen Kelly Daughter 15 Ma? worker St Johns, Surrey
Timothy Kelly Son 13 Coal boy St Johns, Surrey
Mary A Kelly Daughter 11 Bermondsey, Surrey
John Kelly Son 7 St Johns, Surrey
Ann M Kelly Daughter 4 St Johns, Surrey
We have not been able to find Timothy in the 1881 census. Perhaps he was serving in the army as suggested by the mention of sunstroke in his case notes.
Death
Timothy died at West Park hospital on 8 August 1927, from a ruptured heart and arterio sclerosis, aged 70. He was buried at Horton on 13 August in grave 852a.
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