The Chichesters also known as the Chichester Gang, along with the
Forty Thieves,
Shirt Tails, and
Kerryonians, were one of the oldest early 19th century Irish
Five Points street gangs during the mid 19th century in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. The Chichester Gang was organized by its founder
John Chichester. The gang got their start by stealing from stores and warehouses and selling the stolen goods to local fences in the 1820s and later became involved in illegal gambling and robbery. An ally of the
Dead Rabbits against the
Bowery Boys, the Chichesters maintained between 50-100 members lasting for more than 50 years before being absorbed by the
Whyos
The Whyos or Whyos Gang, a collection of the various post–Civil War street gangs of New York City, was the city's dominant street gang during the mid-late 19th century. The gang controlled most of Manhattan from the late 1860s until the earl ...
, much like many of the early gangs, following the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
in 1865.
References
*
Asbury, Herbert. ''The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the New York Underworld'', New York, 1928.
*Mohl, Raymond A. ''The Making of Urban America''. Rowman & Littlefield, 1997.
*Prime, Samuel.
Life in New York'. New York, 1847.
*Smith, Barbara. ''Radical History Review Volume 52''. Cambridge University Press, 1992.
*Trumbull, Jonathan and Nancy F. Cott. ''Prostitution: Volume 9 of History of women in the United States''. Walter de Gruyter, 1993.
*Wilentz, Sean. ''Chants Democratic: New York City and the Rise of the American Working Class, 1788-1850''. Oxford University Press, 2004.
*''New-York Commercial Advertiser'' July 11, 1835.
*''New York Herald'' 1835-1836.
{{Organized crime groups in New York City, state=collapsed
Former gangs in New York City
Irish-American gangs