THE MOST ARRESTED WOMAN IN VICTORIAN WALES  Y FENYWA'I HARESTIWYD FWYAF YNG NGHYMRU YN YSTOD YR OES
Channel: A48 Theatre Company
Date: 2021-03-31

Thought to be the most arrested woman in Victorian Wales, the facts of Minnie McGuire’s life can mainly be found in court records and newspaper reports, which variably spell her surname as McGuire, Maguire and Macguire. Minnie’s exact birth date is unknown, but it’s estimated that she was born around 1860. She was descended from Irish immigrants and, during her many court appearances, her address was often given as ‘no fixed abode’, although she lived in bedsit rooms in various houses in the poorest areas of central Cardiff. Throughout her life, she was arrested multiple times for violence, drunkenness and lewd behaviour, and served many spells in prison. An article in the Cardiff Times of 18th July 1885 described her as “an incorrigible woman” and detailed her prison sentence of three months with hard labour, as a result of the charge of being “a disorderly prostitute”. Almost four years later, the South Wales Echo of 29th May 1889 reported that, at her seventy-second appearance at court, the same sentence was inflicted on her for being drunk and disorderly. Such reports brought her infamy and her exploits were well-known to the people of Cardiff. Minnie was also known to have travelled from town to town selling inexpensive wares as a ‘hawker’, although newspapers from subsequent years suggest that she was still getting into trouble in these places, having made appearances at several other courts in South Wales and as far afield as Taunton and Cheltenham. By this point, her total number of convictions was well over a hundred. Elm House, a workhouse for adults in Cardiff, was where Minnie spent her final days. Her death certificate gave her age as fifty-four. She was given a ‘pauper’s burial’ and her grave in Cathays Cemetery is unmarked. 

For further information see:Cathays Cemetery: https://cathayscemetery.coffeecup.com/minniemcguire.
html‘The Cruel Streets Revisited: A Case File of Cardiff’s Lawless Past, its Growth, its Characters, its Murders, and its Mean Streets’ by John F. Wake: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cruel-Streets-Revisited-Characters-Wordcatcher/dp/1911265644/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+cruel+streets+revisited&qid=1612885500&s=books&sr=1-1

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Originally from Lancashire, Duncan moved to Cardiff to study art at University and has lived there ever since. He has a love of anything fantastical, such as science fiction, fantasy, supernatural and weird fiction, and his writing outside of Living Lines usually falls somewhere within these genres. Back in 2008, he had a short story published as part of SFX magazine's 'Pulp Idol' competition, and this gave him the impetus to continue scribbling:

https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/pulp_idol_runners_up_announced/

For the ‘Stories from the Cemetery’ project, Duncan chose to write about two women who lived in the Victorian era and were from very different backgrounds. Each faced difficult experiences that were viewed much less sympathetically than they would be nowadays. He feels that it has been a privilege to bring their stories to life and hopefully, to a wider audience. 

If you would like to receive this information in Welsh plese contact a48theatrecompany@gmail.com