A century-old police ledger featuring a mugshot of a suffragette who was convicted of conspiring to kill the prime minister has been auctioned for £10,500.
The image of Alice Wheeldon, anti-WWI campaigner and suffragette, was one of hundreds included in the 500-page book of black and white photographs of people convicted of various offences between 1890-1920.
Ms Wheeldon was found guilty at the Old Bailey of plotting to kill David Lloyd George in 1917, having been charged based on evidence collected by a discredited British spy.
As recorded in the ledger, she was jailed for 10 years, before being quickly discharged months after her spell in HMP Aylesbury at the end of 1917 at the request of Mr Lloyd George himself.
The police ledger had been thought likely to sell for up to £3,000 but it has now significantly surpassed its estimated price.
Derbyshire Records Office raised £2,000 through a crowdfunding campaign but was unsuccessful in keeping the relic for the public.
Instead, the item proved highly popular among online and phone bidders, and ultimately was sold to a private telephone buyer on Wednesday, Hanson’s Auctioneers said.
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Ms Wheeldon’s time in prison took a catastrophic toll on her health, as documented in the ledger by a note in bold red ink which reads “Died 21.2.19”.
Alongside Ms Wheeldon, the court also sentenced her daughter Winnie, a schoolteacher, and son-in-law Alfred Mason, a chemist, events which are included in the ledger.
Who was Alice Wheeldon?
As well as being a women’s rights activist, Ms Wheeldon was also a renowned pacifist, opposing the conscription of young men to the trenches that was happening at the time.
She took in a man who also claimed to oppose the war, who went by the name of Alex Gordon, but turned out to be a British spy.
His evidence, regarding the alleged murder plot, was presented against Ms Wheeldon in court, without any cross-examination.
The use of the Mr Gordon to spy on Ms Wheeldon led to the government being questioned over its methods, despite the sentences, which led to the intelligence department being shut down and Mr Gordon being sent abroad just weeks after the trial.
A recent campaign for justice was made by Ms Wheeldon’s relatives but the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) stated that while the bid had merit, the case was too old too justify the cost.
Ms Wheeldon is now heralded as a hero in Derby for her courageous campaigning and is commemorated by a blue plaque in the city’s walk of fame.
The ledger was originally put in a skip but was saved by a police officer during a clear-out at an old station in St Mary’s Gate, Derby, over 40 years ago. It was put up for auction by the officer’s son.
