Charles Colclough

Charles Colclough was convicted of the murder of 40-year-old George Henry Shenton and sentenced to death.

His execution was noted for having taken place minutes before an express letter containing his reprieve arrived at Strangeways Gaol.

Charles Colclough cut George Shenton’s throat at 15 Durham Street, Hanley on 31 October 1920 after George Shenton's wife, who had been living with him for some time returned to George Shenton.

Charles Colclough had been a fish salesman and had lived at 10 Oak Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. He had married in 1900, but in April 1920 his wife left him on account of his ill-treatment and threats.

He had twenty two convictions from 1894 to 1913 for offences such as unlawful wounding, drunkenness and assaults on the police etc, but in 1914 he enlisted in the North Staffs Regiment and was transferred to their Labour Company, in which he remained until he was discharged in April 1919.

His criminal record was (all convictions in Hanley):

1. 12 November 1894: Stealing an overcoat - 6 strokes.
2. 3 May 1895: Drunk and disorderly - 10s/- and costs.
3. 17 June 1895: Disorderly conduct and assaulting the police - 1 month hard labour.
4. 14 November 1895: Disorderly conduct - Fined 5s/-.
5. 5 December 1895: Drunk and disorderly - 5/6 and costs. Assaulting the police - 20s/- and costs.
6. 9 September 1896: Unlawfully wounding - 2 months' hard labour.
7. 4 February 1897: Assault - 20s/- and costs.
8. 6 May 1897: Breach of the peace - Sureties 6 months.
9. 8 March 1898: Drunk and disorderly and assault - 20s/- and costs.
10. 10 January 1899: Drunk and disorderly and assault - 5/6 and costs.
11. 6 April 1899: Drunk and disorderly and assault - 6 months.
12. 10 April 1900: Fighting - 10s/- and costs.
13. 22 November 1900: Market byelaws - 10s/- and costs.
14. 11 November 1902: Fighting - 10s/- and costs.
15. 12 February 1903: Drunk and disorderly - 10s/- and costs. Assaulting the police - 40s/- and costs.
16. 11 November 1907: Assault - 20s/- and costs.
17. 7 July 1908: Fighting - 5/6 and costs.
18. 31 October 1908: Obscene language - 20s/- and costs.
19. 20 November 1908: Drunk and disorderly - 5/6 and costs.
20. 3 April 1911: Obscene language - 20s/- and costs. Threats - Bound over £5, 6 months.
21. 1 July 1911: Drunk and disorderly - 10s/- and costs.
22. 29 April 1913: Obscene language - 5/6 and costs. Assaulting the police - 20s/- and costs.

George Shenton had been a marl-worker and had married twelve years earlier.

His wife admitted that before their marriage that she had for a time co-habited with Charles Colclough, In July 1920 she left George Shenton, stating that he was addicted to drink and used to knock her about, and that she then met Charles Colclough casually and arranged to keep house for him.

She then lived with him as his wife until Saturday 30 October 1920, on which date she left, without warning, and returned to George Shenton at 15 Durham Street, Hanley.

She left behind a letter and a note that were affectionately worded and seemed to show that she would have preferred to stay with Charles Colclough, who had treated her kindly, rather than return to George Shenton, but that she felt that it was better for all parties that she should do so.

However, it was noted that she also took with her the greater part of 30 shillings that Charles Colclough had given her for housekeeping on the Friday night, of which she had only spent a few shillings.  She had also taken some sheets with her off the bed, as well as a clock and some other articles that she had claimed as her own, but which had apparently been purchased out of money that Charles Colclough had given her.

At 4pm on the evening of Sunday 31 October 1920 George Shenton and his wife had retired to bed and whilst they were in bed at 4.45pm George Shenton's wife heard Charles Colclough shouting, 'Come down. I want a reckoning', or, as she described it, 'It's Charlie. Come down. I want a reckoning up with you'.

George Shenton's wife said that she then looked out of the window but saw no-one in the street. She said that she then went to the bedroom door and saw Charles Colclough at the bottom of the stairs.

She then said to him, 'Oh Charlie, go away', and then went down and took hold of him and tried to push him away. However, she said that he shook her off, saying, 'I don't want you, I want a reckoning up with him'.

She said that George Shenton then came down dressed only in his shirt and socks and that as he reached the bottom of the stairs Charles Colclough backed into the kitchen.

She said that George Shenton seemed to have followed him and that they at once closed in a struggle together and almost immediately George Shenton went down with a groan and she saw blood on the floor and Charles Colclough on top of George Shenton.

George Shenton's wife then said that Charles Colclough got up and made for the door and that she tried to get hold of him but he threw her off and said, 'If you do not loose me I will do you in as well'.

The police report noted that they thought that there was no doubt that George Shenton's wife account of the murder was substantially true, noting that George Shenton's throat had been cut from ear to ear, right down to the back bone.

It was noted that there might have been two gashes as there were two notches on the lower lip of the wound.

After leaving, Charles Colclough left the bloody razor lying on the floor.

At the magistrates hearing George Shenton's wife said that George Shenton had been very drunk and had been drinking heavily during the day, although his post mortem found little trace of alcohol.

When Charles Colclough was arrested he said, 'I will say nothing. I have a perfect answer to that. I did not go to see him. I went to see his wife with whom I have been co-habiting with regard to some money that she had taken, and other things. They were in bed at the time. I asked them to come down and let us have a fair understanding. I only want my rights. He came down and sprang on me and got me to the floor. I did not know I had got a razor on me. As I lay on the floor and he was on top of me I put my hand in my overcoat pocket and felt the razor. I pulled it out. I then lost control of myself'.

At the trial the defence set up was that either Charles Colclough killed George Shenton in self-defence while he was in danger of being strangled by George Shenton, or that at any rate that Charles Colclough had been attacked by George Shenton and that the use of the razor was premeditated, and that the verdict should be manslaughter by reason of the provocation caused by George Shenton's attack.

In support of that defence Charles Colclough said that he had only gone to George Shenton's house in order to get a 'reckoning' with George Shenton's wife as to the money and things that she had taken away. As such, he said that the expression which he used in the street was, 'It's Charlie. I want you to come down and let us have a reckoning', and that when she was at the stairs he said, 'Yes, come down, I want to have a reckoning up with you'.

He then further stated that when George Shenton came down he was like a 'raving madman', and flung his arms out and said, 'Come on, we will soon have a fight'.

Charles Colclough said that he then said, 'I won't have anything to do with you. I have come to see your wife about the money and the things she has taken away belonging to me'.

He said that they then closed and they both went to the floor and rolled over a time or two and that George Shenton then got on top of him and got him by the throat and was almost strangling him and that it was then that he put his hand in his overcoat pocket, feeling for two keys, one a large stable key, which he knew he had in his pocket, meaning to jab George Shenton with it to make him release his throat, but that he pulled out his razor which he said in fact he didn't know was in his pocket.

He added that he didn't remember cutting his throat.

He said that it was all on the spur of the moment.

However, the police report noted that when Charles Colclough was arrested that he made no mention of the keys.

His account of how the razor came to be in his pocket was that his old razor some weeks before had got out of order and that he had borrowed the razor used in the struggle from a woman and had intended to give it back to her and had put it in his pocket on the Tuesday prior to the Sunday of the murder and that it had remained there ever since.

It was also noted that in his statement to the police that Charles Colclough had made no mention as to George Shenton having got hold of him by the throat and nearly strangling him, and neither did he show the police any marks on his throat.

It was also noted that the gash in George Shenton's throat, which nearly carved his head off, did not suggest a desperate slash of a man attempting to free himself of the grip of an assailant who was on top of him strangling him.

As such, the police report submitted that the account of George Shenton's wife was obviously the true account and that Charles Colclough had armed himself with the razor and when he got George Shenton down that he had deliberately cut his throat with it.

Charles Colclough was convicted of murder at the Stafford Assizes and sentenced to death after which he appealed, claiming that the judge had misdirected the jury during his summing up, but his appeal was dismissed and he was executed at Strangeways Gaol on 31 December 1920.

He was reported to have not made any statement before his execution, and to have walked to the scaffold with a firm step.

However, it was noted that on the last toll of the prison bell signifying that the execution of Charles Colclough had been carried out, the postman arrived and enquired as to who had been executed, and that upon learning that it was Charles Colclough, he said, 'That's hard luck. I have an express letter for him here'.

Durham Street has since been demolished but was just northeast of Cambridge Street, and parallel, running through the Smithfield car park and the Broad Street car park.