Of minor interest to you, dear reader, but Zipporah’s family were the first family I recorded in my database, starting with the 1841 England Census records. They stuck in my mind because their names were unusual among the Janes, Williams, Johns and Marys. Baptised on 2nd March 1828 in South Reston, Lincolnshire, Zipporah was the youngest of four children born to Joseph and Mary Hoodless. They had a son, Malchiel, born 1823 and another daughter Kerenhappuch, born 1825. All unique biblical names, implying godfearing parents who knew their Bible.
Much later, I decided to focus on Zipporah after I stumbled across her criminal record in the court registers of 1852, wondering what had happened to this good Christian born, country girl and discovering that the name had little effect on the girl’s deeds. From the records, it seems that her mother died young and Joseph remarried and began a new family of what eventually would be 10 kids with second wife Jane. So by 1841, aged 13, Zipporah is living with her paternal grandmother, Faith, and uncle, William Hoodless, some 20 miles from her birthplace, across the Lincolnshire Wolds in Tupholme (1841 England Census).
Circumstances being what they were, Zipporah gives birth to a son, named John, and has him baptised on 2nd April 1848. I can’t document him after this and there is a death record soon after for a John Hoodless’s burial on 17th May 1848 in the same parish, which could be him. This may be the catalyst for Zipporah to strike out alone and move to Kingston Upon Hull (Hull), some 55 miles north, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Hull was then a thriving port town, growing in size rapidly due to its boat building and shipping trade which flourished during the Victorian era. In 1851, Zipporah was working as a young house servant and living in lodgings with a launderess called Ann Richardson, at 50 Carr Lane. The lodgings were next door to the White Horse pub, which is still there, nowadays operating as The Star.
© Thomas Ackroyd 2010 Flickr
On 1st April 1852, Zipporah is recorded in the Quarter Sessions Court, held that day in Hull, charged with the offence of larceny (theft of personal property).
Surprisingly, this is not her first brush with the law. The document lists four previous offences and the penalty she received for each.
1st conviction – 3 months
England & Wales Criminal Registers 1791- 1892
2nd conviction – 3 months
3rd conviction – 3 months
4th conviction – 6 months
Unfortunately, I can’t find any details for these earlier crimes but this 5th crime was covered extensively in the local newspapers, in lurid detail, which is lucky for us, as it offers an amazing insight into the times.
The Girl Who Escaped From Hull Gaol
There are a number of news articles about the incident, but these two extracts will get you up to speed with the shenanigans of our Zipporah.
Escaped of a Prisoner from the Hull Gaol.— Our readers will remember that at the last sessions a female, named Zephirah Hoodless (sic), was convicted of robbing her master—Mr. Viccars, hosier, in Queen-street —of a quantity of stockings, worsted, and other articles, for which she was sentenced to 15 months’ hard labour. It appears that on Wednesday evening the matron of the gaol being in town, on business, did not see the prisoners at nine o’clock, at which time they would be locked up for the night. Zephirah Hoodless, by some means, found her way into the matron’s room, where she attired herself in a black satin dress, visite, bonnet, and a veil, which reached to her middle. Thus dressed she sallied forth, and having reached the porter’s lodge, tinkled a little bell, which is placed on the door on purpose that he may hear if any one desires to pass out—when the porter made his appearance. Hoodless then said that she had been on a visit to the governor, and required that the door should be opened. The female being so respectably attired the porter was taken off his guard and passed her into the street. Having, however, some misgivings, he went the governor and asked if he had had company, and on receiving negative reply the women’s ward was searched, and Zephirah Hoodless found missing. The authorities were at once put on the qui vive, but yet the culprit has not been discovered. The police have now some trace of her whereabouts.
Hull Advertiser 14 May 1852
The late Escape from the Gaol. —In our last, we gave an account of the escape from the borough gaol of a girl, named Zephirah Hoodless (sic). It appears that when she escaped she went to a house in High-street, where she expected to find a young man to whom, before her apprehension on the charge of felony, she was engaged to be married. Not finding him there, she asked permission to stay all night, which was granted. On the following morning, however, the person at whose house the runaway prisoner was staying learnt the state of affairs, and, being frightened lest he should get himself into trouble by harbouring his guest any longer, he went to the gaol and informed the porter where Miss Zephirah was. A cab having been procured, she was immediately brought back to the gaol, and in future, will be looked after with greater vigilance than heretofore, she having been previously, in consequence of her seeming-penitential air, allowed to wait as servant on the matron.
Hull Advertiser 21 May 1852
Wow – right? Takeaways from these articles and others are that Zipporah went down for her 5th offence for 15 months hard labour. A stiff penalty due to her repeat offending. She was 24 years old at the time and engaged to an unknown man, whom she was so deperate to see, perhaps to explain or beg his forgiveness or ask if he would stand by her? So desperate was she to speak to him that she concocted a very ingenious plot to escape from a jail which was basically a fortress. Apparently, being so sad, penitent and remorseful got her in the good books with the matron of the prison, who allowed Zipporah to work for her as her servant, in her private apartment. This gave Zipporah access to the matron’s home and her clothing. Waiting until she knew the matron would be out one evening, Zipporah zipped into the private quarters and helped herself to an outfit which she then wore to brazenly exit the jail in disguise. Ingenious. Naughty, but ingenious.
Zipporah’s crime was that of stealing goods from her hosier master’s warehouse – bolts of worsted cloth, handkerchiefs, cotton stockings, boots and shoes and supplying them at less than cost to a second-hand dealer, Elizabeth Maynard. This activity was not a one-off. She was supplying stolen goods regularly on multiple occasions to Mrs Maynard. One wonders why, if she had employment as she did with Mr Viccars and was engaged to a young man, she was driven to theft and such crime?
Zipporah’s story takes a positive turn after this. Maybe 15 months of hard labour – I’m sure she would not receive any more special privileges after pulling a stunt like she did – convinced her to turn a new leaf. In 1857 she married a coachman William Henry Watts. 9 years her junior. They were married for 25 years before he died, but there were no children. Zipporah took in lodgers while he worked. In 1884, two years after his death, she remarried again, to a widower William Brewster Smith – a sawyer – and they moved to Grimsby, where she continued to take in boarders and appear to have enjoyed 26 uneventful years of marriage together.
Zipporah lived to the ripe age of 91 years and died in Grimsby 24th August 1919.