Christopher Byres - Our Last Mugshot From the 'Register of Returned Convicts' for Aberdeen

Christopher Byres was an accomplice of Robert Paterson who has featured in a previous Criminal Portraits blog. They were convicted of an "extraordinary theft of groceries" according to the Aberdeen Press & Journal of 22nd January 1892, having been tried for handling and reselling a vast quantity of stolen goods taken from the premises of William Davidson, a wholesale merchant, located on Castle Street, Aberdeen. The items in question were appropriated by a porter named William Jack, an employee of the wholesaler. Jack (who was tried separately) was in cahoots with Byres and Paterson, passing the goods to them and they in turn sold them on to other retailers in the city. Both Byres and Paterson were sentenced to five years' penal servitude on the 21st January 1892, which they served in Peterhead Prison. Incidentally, they were tried on the very same day as William MacDonald who has also featured in this blog.

Robert Paterson, accomplice to Christopher Byres.

Details of the case appear in the previous blog on Robert Paterson, so rather than repeating them here, let's take a closer look at Christopher Byres. He was born in 1865 to Stephen Byres (a 'general labourer' and 'fruiterer') and Helen Byres. He  was one of at least nine children, growing up at addresses on Albion Court and Castle Street in Aberdeen. He married an Isabella Still in 1886, although the couple never had any children. On the 1891 census, the couple are living on West North Street, with Christopher's occupation given as a 'provision dealer': it was at about this time that his dealing was beginning to become illegal.

Following his trial and time inside Peterhead Prison, where the image at the top of the page was taken on the 1st November 1895, he was released on licence on the 31st December 1895 and for the next year stayed at family addresses at 34 Albion Street and 14 Castle Street. By the time of the 1901 census, he and Isabella are living at 9 Wales Street, Aberdeen, which no longer exists but which lay roughly where the current Beach Boulevard now sits. His occupation was given as a 'dock labourer'. 

Wales Street, circa 1920. Christopher Byres lived at number 9 in 1901.

Come the 1911 census, Christopher and Isabella are living on Constitution Street, along with a nephew, Henry Byres, aged 10. Christopher Byres died in 1921 at the age of 56 from chronic interstitial nephritis, a disease of the kidneys. His death certificate mentions that at the time of his death he was employed as a sawmill labourer.

Christopher's mugshot brings us to the end of the images in the "Register of Returned Convicts for Aberdeen". The good news is that Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives holds another couple of volumes containing similar images....so the blog will go on!