John (Johan) Garibaldi

Johan Garibaldi or John as he was later called possibly came from Arconate near Milan, Italy. At the age of 19 he was part of a mainly Spanish crew on the Spanish barque Victoria, a three masted sailing vessel. In late December 1861 it moored at Kings Dock in Liverpool and on the night of 27th December 1861 John went ashore with some of the Spanish crew to the Blue Anchor Public-House in Hood Street. At some point a quarrel and fight over a girl Mary Jones took place between two Spaniards, Antonio Lopez from an Italian vessel and Louis Edmond a crew member from the Victoria and shipmate of John. Edmond drew a knife and stabbed Lopez in the abdomen from which he died a few hours later. John Garibaldi it was said in one account had urged Edmond to use his knife as he was making little headway with his fists.

Both John and Edmond were arrested. Edmond for murder which after the committal hearing on 3rd January 1862 was downgraded to manslaughter and John for aiding and abetting. After three months in prison the case eventually went to trial on 20th March 1862 and Edmond was acquitted due to the uncertainty over identifying the correct person and in any case the two men fighting both had knives so self defense could be argued in any case. John, who had elected to be tried by mixed jury was consequently also acquitted the following day as the prosecution offered no evidence – and that was how John Garibaldi came to be in England. His ship had long departed by the time he was discharged and mindful of possible harsher retribution from Lopez's shipmates or perhaps he just wanted to avoid the Unification War taking place in Italy at the time he stayed on in England and found work as a Warehouseman in Sheffield. In 1867 John married Mary Greaves at Barnsley, Yorkshire, she was a shepherds daughter from Stamford, Lincolnshire and this was to be the foundation of our Italian heritage.