What happened to Charles Hall.

[Cycleracer 10]

Charles Hall lived at 5 Longley Crescent, Longley in Shefffield with his son John.

His wife had died some years earlier and on October 15 1953 the police were called by there next door neighbour.

Inside the house both Father and son had collapsed in the living room were his son died and he recovered.

The verdict was poisoning as the room was full of toxic coal gas.

As Mr Hall recovered in hospital the police were at his side for questioning and the verdict on his sons death was changed and he was charged with murder.

Mr Hall pleaded guilty to murder and explained he could not cope alone any longer as his son was an imbocile with a mind of a 7 year old although he was 24 years old.

Mr Charles Hall was 64 in 1953 and was sentanced to death at Leeds assizes and was due to be hanged at Durham prison on December 15 1953 just two months after his sons body was discovered.

Eventually Mr Charles Hall was pardoned the death penalty and was never executed.

The trail goes cold after this and as a local Longley resident want to find out Mr Halls fate.

If he was given life then he would have been in his 80s when released.

Come on you Longley boys get diggin.

[owdlad 10]

There's a picture of the house here

 

http://www.chrishobbs.com/longley1953.htm

 

but no information as to where he went to, but if he served anything like a long sentence there's every chance he died in prison......if ever there was a case for clemency this is one.

[Cycleracer 10]

Thanks Owdlad.

 

I know the current occupier in that house at present so i will go and ask him if he could shed some light on the subject.

 

CR

[mikey 10]

Contact the Home Office? they should know what happened to him, its just whether they will relaese the information to you.

[ceegee 10]

Hi

 

Less than a year after Charles was sentenced to death, there was a small article in The Times dated November 24th 1954 . It stated that

 

"Charles Hall, aged 66, steel smelter of Longley Crescent, Sheffield has been released from prison. Nearly a year ago he was reprieved after being sentenced to death for the murder of his imbecile son."

 

It must be the shortest life sentence for "murder" on record. I too would like to know what happened to Charles after that as I assume he would have had to be rehoused by the Council

[penfold2005 10]

I am the person that paul knows very well and i lived at that house in question for 30 yrs from 1970 and must say a very happy and loving home.

 

My mom never knew that there was a murder at the property but my father did and never said anything to my mother or us as we would have never moved there,

Mr Hall was pardoned for the murder with a support from the clergy who was at St' Leonards Church at the time and it parishioners and the community who submitted over a 3,000 signed petition,

 

The murder took place in the large front room on the front of the house and Mr Hall was found near to the old fireplace where he passed out, he survived because he was getting air from the chimey flue.

 

As a boy who lived in the house i and my family feel that the presence Mr Hall still remains there in sprit as there was some strange things that went off in that bed room e.g feeling of hand pushing down on your face whilst sleeping, cheking that your ok when no one is there, shadows of figures standing there at the side of the bed, also hearing slight movement in the room when there is no one there may be his son or Mr Hall himself.

I only wish we could find out more information as to what happend to him after he was released

[hillsbro 28]

Hi penfold2005 - welcome to the Forum!.

 

Charles Hall evidently remarried, and it seems likely that he died in 1963. Kelly's directories for 1942 and 1954 show Charles Hall at 5 Longley Crescent (the 1942 directory giving his occupation as "steel melter"). Directories from the 1960s give the occupant of 5 Longley Crescent as "Mrs E.J. Hall". Marriage records show that in Oct-Dec 1957 a Charles Hall married an Elizabeth J. Stuart in Sheffield. A Charles Hall died in Sheffield in 1963, aged 74, and so this might be the right Charles Hall [born Sheffield Oct-Dec 1888].

 

Looking further into Charles' background, he was most likely the 22 year-old Charles Hall who appears in the 1911 census, living with his family in Newhall Road. This Charles Hall evidently married Jessie Antcliffe in Sheffield in 1912. A John Hall was born in Sheffield in 1928, his mother's maiden name being given in the index as Antcliffe. A Jessie Hall died in Sheffield in Apr-Jun 1950, aged 60.

Edited November 9, 2012 by hillsbro

[BigRich84 10]

Hi hillsbro,

 

Thank you for posting this information. I've recently begun researching my family tree and it turns out that Charles Hall is my wife's great, great grandfather. Charles had three sons, my wife descending from the brother of John discussed in above posts.

 

If anyone can share any information on Charles' heritage or add any further details to the stories above I would be extremely grateful.

 

Kind regards,

 

Rich

[BarneyWatson 10]

I was living on Longley Crescent in 1953 (actually 1946 to 1960) at the time this situation was in progress. I do not recall John Hall, Charley's son, having any brothers, or sisters for that matter).