Penny Mobs
Encyclopedia
The Penny Mobs was the names used by the press to describe the early street gang active in Glasgow
, Scotland
during the early 1870s. As the court system offered heavy fines as an alternative to imprisonment, gang members were often freed after a collection from the gang at a "penny a head" thus earning its name.
The Penny Mobs, like their New York City
counterparts, were among many gangs which formed following a large scale migration of Irish immigrants fleeing Ireland during the potato famines of the 1840s and 1850s. One of these gangs, the Ribbon Men, were reported to have blown up a gasholder in Tradeston
in 1883.
Although the gangs declined after courts no longer offered fines for offenders, the smaller gangs eventually banded together for mutual protection which gave rise to the prominent gangs of the early 20th century such as The Tongs
, the Billy Boys
, the Norman Conks
, The Tois, The Govans, the Powery Gang, the Soo-Siders, the Rednecks, the Baltic Fleet, the Black Diamond Gang, the Black Hands, the Nudes and the Ruchill Boys.
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
during the early 1870s. As the court system offered heavy fines as an alternative to imprisonment, gang members were often freed after a collection from the gang at a "penny a head" thus earning its name.
The Penny Mobs, like their New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
counterparts, were among many gangs which formed following a large scale migration of Irish immigrants fleeing Ireland during the potato famines of the 1840s and 1850s. One of these gangs, the Ribbon Men, were reported to have blown up a gasholder in Tradeston
Tradeston
Tradeston is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow adjacent to the city centre on the south bank of the River Clyde.-Geography:Tradeston is bounded by the River Clyde to the north, the Glasgow to Paisley railway line on the east and south and the Kingston Bridge and M8 motorway to the west...
in 1883.
Although the gangs declined after courts no longer offered fines for offenders, the smaller gangs eventually banded together for mutual protection which gave rise to the prominent gangs of the early 20th century such as The Tongs
Tongland, gang
Tongland was a local nickname for the area of Calton, Glasgow controlled in the 1960s by a violent Scottish teenage gang called the Tongs.Tongland appears in Gillies MacKinnon's 1995 movie Small Faces, set in the 1960s...
, the Billy Boys
Billy Boys
The Billy Boys is a loyalist song from Glasgow, sung to the tune of "Marching Through Georgia." It originated in the 1930s as the signature song of one of the Glasgow razor gangs led by Billy Fullerton and later reflected the long running sectarian divide in the city...
, the Norman Conks
Norman Conks
The Norman Conks were a large Catholic street gang active in Glasgow, known as one of the popular Glasgow razor gangs, from the 1880s to the 1960s, with their headquarters and most of their members based about the Catholic area of Norman Street in Bridgeton. They were initially a penny mob, but...
, The Tois, The Govans, the Powery Gang, the Soo-Siders, the Rednecks, the Baltic Fleet, the Black Diamond Gang, the Black Hands, the Nudes and the Ruchill Boys.