The TV show, the Peaky Blinders, is based on a real life criminal gang from Small Heath, Birmingham. The gang was the dominant power in Birmingham for twenty years. They were active during WW1 and lasted from the 1890's to the 1930's when they were eventually overtaken and their power was diminished and usurped.
Origin of Name
Allegedly, their name developed from their practice of stitching razor blades into the peak of their flat caps. This could then be utilised as a weapon to slice their opponents, for instance through headbutting them or through directly slicing off their nose and ears (although there is limited evidence for this). This would give them the advantage to steal as their opponent would be temporarily blinded from the blood pouring down from their forehead into their eyes. Hence the 'peaked' flat cap would 'blind' their opponents resulting in the name "Peaky Blinders" (though this claim has been refuted by some).
Crimes
Though the gang fixated on street fighting, robbery and racketeering, they still constructed organised crimes including smuggling, hijacking and bookmaking. Groups of 6-7 members would go to racecourses to pickpocket, which led to intense physical assault if they could not easily access the winnings of an individual's pocket. Pick-pocketing at racecourses could result in an approximate annual income of £5000.
Alongside their peaked flat caps with razor blades, the Peaky Blinders fought with heavy-buckled belts, metal tipped boots, fire irons, knives, and handkerchiefs which they had filled with stones. The Peaky Blinders were first mentioned in 1890 when they attacked a man who ordered a different beverage in a pub which was out of the norm. They beat him to the ground, thus fracturing his skull.
Outfit
Much like in the TV series, the original gang members dressed in tailored suits with bell-bottom trousers, button jackets, an overcoat, leather steel-toed boots and, of course, a peaked flat cap. This was a rare style amongst the other gangs thus making them easily distinguishable to locals, rivals and the police. Wealthier gang members wore silk scarfs and starched collars with metal tie buttons.
Iconic Members
Thomas Gilbert (who often changed his surname and was better known as Kevin Mooney) was the man who orchestrated the gangs land grabs. Other iconic members of the gang include: David Taylor (arrested at age 13 for carrying a loaded firearm), Earnest Haynes (arrested 1904 for a home invasion), Harry Fowles (arrested in October 1904 at the age of 19 for stealing a bike), and Stephen McNickle (also arrested in 1904 for stealing a bike). Aside from Taylor, the other three were arrested for a month.
Rivals
The Peaky Blinders had gained official opposition from the police as well as hostility from rival gangs. There were numerous violent street gangs (with members ranging from 12-30 years old) roaming Birmingham during the Great War all competing for both social and political power in postcode wars.
1. The Police: An Irish police constable was appointed in 1899 to enforce law in Birmingham but corruption and bribery rendered his efforts useless. However, the Northern Irish police officer from Belfast, Sir Charles Walter Rafter (a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary), accomplished this within a few years.
2. The Cheapside Sloggers: This was one of the many gangs that the Peaky Blinders rivalled. They were founded in the 1870's so had been operating and dominating the streets of Bordesley and Small Heath poorer slum areas for 30 years uncontested. The Sloggers, led by John Adrian, fought against the Peaky Blinders in order to control land. The Sloggers used heavy-buckled belts as weapons against males and females. In 1897, George 'Cloggy' Williams, a member of the Sloggers, killed PC George Snipe.
3. The Birmingham Boys: The Birmingham Boys/Gang (later led by Billy Kimber) outnumbered the Peaky Blinders and became their main opponent once the Blinders began expanding into the Birmingham Boys' territory of racecourses. This resulted in the Peaky Blinders' families locating themselves in the countryside more rather than in the centre of Birmingham out of fear.
4. The Sabini Gang: Once the Blinders withdrew, the Sabini Gang attacked the Birmingham Boys and cemented their control over Central England by the 1930's.
The Fall of the Peaky Blinders
Numerous changes to the social conditions of Birmingham contributed to the decline of the Peaky Blinders. This includes: stricter policing, stronger sentences and punishments for crimes, people moving more towards the countryside rather than the city centre, more children growing up going to school (which had then become compulsory) making them better disciplined, and youth clubs (particularly ones for boxing).
References:
Bradley, M. (2013). Birmingham's Real Peaky Blinders, BBC News, West Midlands
Egner, J. (2017). 'Peaky Blinders': The Disparate Ingredients of a Cult Hit, The New York Times
Corcoran, K. (2013). The real Peaky Blinders: Victorian gang who terrorised the streets of Birmingham and sewed razor blades into their caps to headbutt rivals, Mail Online
Richardson H., Cambridge E. (2017). The REAL Peaky Blinders – who were the brutal Birmingham gang members who inspired the hit BBC series?, The Sun
Halls, E. (2017). The Peaky Blinders are a romanticised myth, GQ
Moonman, E. (1987). The Violent Society, F. Class
Larner, T. (2010). When Peaky Blinders Ruled Streets with Fear, Sunday Mercury
McCarthy, N. (2013). Meet the real Peaky Blinders...
Chinn, C. (2017). The real 'Peaky Blinders', History West Midlands
Barns, S. (2017). REAL PEAKY BLINDERS Baby-faced gang who sewed razor blades into their flat caps to headbutt rivals violently terrorised the streets of Birmingham in 1880s, The Sun
Bradley, M. (2013). Birmingham's real Peaky Blinders, BBC News
Barley, N. (2001). The Times - London A-Z Series No. 1, the Times
Shore, H. (2001) 'Undiscovered Country: Towards A History of the Criminal Underworld', School of Cultural Studies: Leeds Metropolitan University
Page, A. (2016). Was Tommy Shelby A Real Person? The 'Peaky Blinders' Characters Inhabit A Real World, Bustle