Albert and Ebenezer Fox
Encyclopedia
Albert Ebenezer Fox and Ebenezer Albert Fox (1857 – 2 October 1926) were infamous poachers
who lived in Stevenage
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are also known as the Twin Foxes. They were identical twins
.
They were born in 1857 in Symonds Green
and named after the Ebenezer Chapel (Baptist Church) on Albert Street, of which their father, Henry Fox, was a devout supporter. Their mother, Charlotte Fox, was a straw-plait worker and their father farmed 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of land.
Despite their respectable background, the twins turned to a life of crime
. They made sure never to go poaching together, and often escaped their frequent encounters with the constabulary
by providing alibis for each other. Despite this, they did spend time in prison
where they attracted the attention of Sir Edward Henry
who used twins, including the Foxes, to prove that an individual could be identified by his fingerprint
s. Their crimes made national and international news.
Both twins ended their days in Chalkdell House, Hitchin
. Ebenezer died on 2 October 1926, aged 68, and Albert died on 20 May 1937, aged 79.
In 1953, the Twin Foxes Public House opened in the Bedwell area of Stevenage.
More recently in 1998, an estate of 59 properties in Woolmer Green
, the other side of Knebworth
from Stevenage
was named Twin Foxes after Albert and Ebenezer Fox. Busts of both men rest on top of pillars at the entrance to the estate with years of birth and death.
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
who lived in Stevenage
Stevenage
Stevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1, and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south....
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are also known as the Twin Foxes. They were identical twins
TWINS
Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers are a pair of NASA instruments aboard two United States National Reconnaissance Office satellites in Molniya orbits. TWINS was designed to provide stereo images of the Earth's ring current. The first instrument, TWINS-1, was launched aboard USA-184...
.
They were born in 1857 in Symonds Green
Symonds Green
Symonds Green is a neighbourhood within the English new town of Stevenage in Hertfordshire.Symonds Green is predominantly a residential area, dating mostly from the 1970s, with a mixture of public-sector, charitable, and private housing...
and named after the Ebenezer Chapel (Baptist Church) on Albert Street, of which their father, Henry Fox, was a devout supporter. Their mother, Charlotte Fox, was a straw-plait worker and their father farmed 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of land.
Despite their respectable background, the twins turned to a life of crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
. They made sure never to go poaching together, and often escaped their frequent encounters with the constabulary
Constabulary
Constabulary may have several definitions.*A civil, non-paramilitary force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in Britain, in which all county police forces once bore the title...
by providing alibis for each other. Despite this, they did spend time in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
where they attracted the attention of Sir Edward Henry
Edward Henry
Sir Edward Richard Henry, 1st Baronet GCVO KCB CSI KPM was the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 1903 to 1918....
who used twins, including the Foxes, to prove that an individual could be identified by his fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
s. Their crimes made national and international news.
Both twins ended their days in Chalkdell House, Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
. Ebenezer died on 2 October 1926, aged 68, and Albert died on 20 May 1937, aged 79.
In 1953, the Twin Foxes Public House opened in the Bedwell area of Stevenage.
More recently in 1998, an estate of 59 properties in Woolmer Green
Woolmer Green
Woolmer Green is a small village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The 2007 census figure for the population is 1,429 people .-History:...
, the other side of Knebworth
Knebworth
Knebworth is a village and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Whitwell, St Paul's Walden and Langley, and encompasses the village of Knebworth, the...
from Stevenage
Stevenage
Stevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1, and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south....
was named Twin Foxes after Albert and Ebenezer Fox. Busts of both men rest on top of pillars at the entrance to the estate with years of birth and death.