The Hoxton Gang (or Hoxton Mob) was an independent street gang based in London's Soho district during the interwar years. They were one of several gangs which fought against Charles "Darby" Sabini and the "Italian Mob", specifically over control of gambling clubs or "spielers". [1][2]
During the 1930s, the gang was among many who struggled for control of racetracks and protection rackets and, in June 1936, around 30 gang members attacked a bookmaker and his clerk with hammers and knuckle-dusters at the Lewes racetrack before police arrived, with at least 16 gang members being convicted at Lewes Assizes and sentenced to serve over 43 years. [3]
In the spring of 1941, two gang members were involved in an altercation with the doorman when they were denied entry to the Palm Beach Bottle Party, a small basement pub housed on Soho's Wardour Street and a known hangout for members of the "Italian Mob". As the bouncer began brawling with gang member Edward Fletcher, its manager mobster Antonio Mancini barred both Fletcher and his friend from the club despite threats that they would "get [Mancini] for this". [4]
The play West by Steven Berkoff features a character Curly, a leader of the Hoxton Gang. [5]
References
- ^ Shore, Heather (2001). "Undiscovered Country': Towards A History Of The Criminal 'Underworld'". School of Cultural Studies: Leeds Metropolitan University. Archived from the original (.doc) on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
- ^ Jones, Thomas L. (2003). "The Kray Twins: Brothers in Arms". Crime Library. Archived from the original on 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
- ^ Underwood, Eric. Brighton. London: B. T. Batsford, 1978. ISBN 0-7134-0895-2
- ^ Fielding, Steve (1995-12-01). "Antonio Mancini: The Life and Death of a London Gangster". NewCriminologist.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
- ^ Cross, Robert. Steven Berkoff and the Theatre of Self-Performance. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-7190-6254-3
Further reading
- Ayto, John and Ian Crofton. Brewer's Britain & Ireland. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005. ISBN 0-304-35385-X
- Donaldson, William. Brewer's Rogues, Villains, and Eccentrics: An A-Z of Roguish Britons Through the Ages. London: Orion Books Ltd., 2004. ISBN 0-7538-1791-8
- Huggins, Mike. Horseracing and the British, 1919-39. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-7190-6529-1
- Linnane, Fergus. London's Underworld: Three Centuries of Vice and Crime. London: Robson Books, 2003. ISBN 1-86105-548-X