Article (3): Arthur’s house is on fire

Mob violence in Springbourne

In Springbourne, 1878, a mob of violent thugs attacked the family of Arthur Adams and set his house ablaze. Read further details about the incident here and here.

It provides a glimpse into Springbourne’s society, often pilloried by the press for keeping the courts busy. The view derived shows how members of the local underworld felt that the law had no hold on their lives. At knifepoint, Adams received threats for intending to give evidence in an earlier case involving a gang member. On his refusal, they set fire to his house.

The press accounts illustrate how the railway had already penetrated the everyday lives of all levels. A court in Christchurch addressed the original offence. To attend the hearing, those involved took the train from Bournemouth. For their meeting point, the gang used a tavern situated near the Bournemouth terminus. Statements reprinted in the press show how labouring people regarded a rail trip to Christchurch as a normal part of their routines. Steel rails provided a quick, smooth trip compared to a horse-drawn omnibus navigating a country road.

Genealogy places Arthur Adams within a kinship group whose members had become well-established in Bournemouth. His father worked as a skilled artisan in Cranborne. Arriving in Bournemouth and, later, Springbourne, Arthur and his brothers, through successful business lives, achieved a similar social level. They appeared to have worked and lived together, but respected the law. Research suggests that their group cooperated. The gang that fired Adams’s house consisted of unskilled workers with little apparent kinship connections, although they united in their lawless lifestyles. The incident illustrates how two types of groups might compete against each other.

For another example of violence organised against a householder, see here. See other work on Victorian street gangs here.