Selina Rushbrook

Selina Jenkins Rushbrook (born Selina Ann Jenkins; June 1880 – 17 February 1907) was a Welsh petty criminal, prostitute and brothel keeper from Swansea, Wales. Raised by her mother following her father's death when she was four years old, she moved out of her family home as a teenager and served her first prison sentence at the age of 18, by which time she was already working as a prostitute. She received many convictions for prostitution, public order offences and theft in subsequent years. In 1901 she married shoemaker Ebenezer Rushbrook, and continued to work as a prostitute and thief. The couple moved to Bridgend, and although both Selina and Ebenezer Rushbrook were convicted of theft in 1902 she appears not to have come to the attention of the authorities for the three years following that incident.

In late 1905 or early 1906 the Rushbrooks separated, and Selina returned to Swansea to work as a prostitute. In February 1907, while leading prospective client Ernest Witts towards a secluded area of Swansea Docks, she fell from a footbridge into the lock. Although Witts attempted to grab her he failed to reach her and was left holding her shawl. He made no further effort to save her as he was unable to swim and instead went to fetch help; roughly three hours later, police recovered her body from the lock.

In her lifetime, Rushbrook attracted little notice beyond official records and local newspaper accounts. Her life was examined by local historian Elizabeth Belcham in her book Swansea's 'Bad Girls': Crime and Prostitution 1870s–1914.

Born in June 1880 in Swansea, Selina Ann Jenkins was the eldest of the three children of Francis James Jenkins and Catherine Jenkins; she was baptised into the Church of England at Christ Church in Oystermouth Road. A basket maker from Cornwall, Francis Jenkins settled with his family at 114 Rodney Street in Swansea. Francis Jenkins died in May 1885 at the age of 30, leaving Catherine Jenkins to raise the couple's three daughters alone. In 1887 Catherine married mason John Collins, having two children by him. By early 1899, Selina was no longer living with her family, but had moved into Vaughan's lodging house on The Strand, Swansea.

Selina Jenkins first came to the attention of the authorities in February 1899, when she was arrested for riotous behaviour. Given the choice of seven days' hard labour in Swansea Prison or a 13s 6d fine (about £70 in 2023 terms), she opted for the custodial sentence, the first of her many spells in prison; the prison records describe her as being 5 feet 2+1⁄2 inches (158.8 cm) tall, with brown hair, an imperfect education and an occupation of prostitute.

In June 1899, Jenkins was convicted of "offences against decency in a lane near the Sailors' Rest" with Swansea resident Thomas O'Connell. Jenkins and O'Connell were each sentenced to a £1 fine (about £110 in 2023 terms) or 10 days' imprisonment. A report at the time in the South Wales Daily Post described both O'Connell and Jenkins as looking "very shamefaced".

Soon afterwards she had progressed from prostitution to procuring, operating a brothel in Welsh Harp Court, Swansea. On 19 September 1899 PC Umpleby and PC Hockings attended the brothel, and "witnessed circumstances which irrefutably stamped the house as being used for immoral purposes". Sentenced to a £10 3s 6d fine (about £1,100 in 2023 terms) or a month's hard labour, Jenkins told the judge "Oh, I'll take the month", and was duly sent to Swansea Prison on 2 October 1899. A report on the case in the Western Mail described Selina Jenkins as "a very young-looking woman". Shortly after her release she was arrested for disorderly conduct, and in November 1899 was sentenced to seven days' imprisonment, this time without being given the option to pay a fine in lieu of a custodial sentence. On her release her career of petty crime continued. On 17 April 1900 she was again arrested for riotous behaviour, and on 11 May of that year was duly sentenced to seven days' imprisonment.

Following her release in mid-May Jenkins moved out of Vaughan's lodging house into new lodgings at 4 Owens Court, Swansea. She avoided coming to the notice of the authorities for the next few months, but had progressed from prostitution to more serious crimes. In October 1900 Jenkins was convicted, along with fellow prostitutes Mary Ann Rumph and Mary Ann Howlett, of the theft of a half sovereign and half crown (12s 6d in total, about £60 in 2023 terms) from Benjamin Williams in the Bird-in-Hand pub in the High Street. All three were sentenced to a month's hard labour. On her release Jenkins again avoided the attention of the police, other than a single conviction for public drunkenness for which she received a seven-day prison sentence. She moved into new accommodation in Neptune Court, and in May 1901 married shoemaker Ebenezer Rushbrook, with whom she had lived for the previous five months.