John Shelby has seven children, two sons and two daughters from his first wife Martha Shelby and three children from his second wife, Esme Shelby. One of John’s daughters is called Katie Shelby, but his other children’s names are unknown, including the genders of his and Esme’s children. They were first mentioned in series 1, and have been seen on numerous occasions, during series 2 and 3.
History[]
1910s[]
John Shelby married Martha Shelby in the early 1910s and welcomed four children with her, two sons and two daughters. In August 1914, John was sent to France alongside his brothers, Arthur and Thomas Shelby, to fight in World War I. He returned home in November 1918, but Martha died shortly after due to unexplained causes. John became a single father to their children and as a result, he turned to alcohol, due to the immense responsibility and stress he suddenly endured.
Series 1 • 1919[]
John’s children were first mentioned in Episode 1.1, when Polly Gray confronted John with a loaded gun he had left unattended, while he was drunk. His younger brother, Finn Shelby, had found the gun and almost shot their sister, Ada Shelby. Polly knocked John to the ground in frustration and said “Look, I know having four kids without a women is hard. But my boot’s harder.”
Later in the series, John gathered his family at The Garrison and told them he planned to marry a local prostitute, Lizzie Stark. They all laughed at him and tried to persuade him that it was a bad idea, telling him that Lizzie was unfit to be around his children, due to her line of work. Nevertheless, John ignored them and said he could no longer cope with being a single father and that his children desperately needed a mother. John’s elder brother, Thomas, took matters into his own hands and met up with Lizzie. After a long discussion, Thomas persuaded Lizzie to have sex with him one last time, as he was a customer to her after the war had ended. However, it was trick to see wether Lizzie would stay loyal to John, which she failed. As a result, Thomas told John about what happened and he finally called off the marriage.
In Episode 1.4, Thomas met up with the Lee Family to discuss business, after a recent fight broke out between the families. Thomas came to an agreement with Zilpha Lee and they arranged John to be married to a girl in the Lee Family, who has "gone wild." Later, John married Esme Lee and she became the stepmother to his children.
After the wedding and while John and Esme were having sex, the children were heard making lots of noise downstairs, at their small house in Small Heath, Birmingham. One of the sons shouted upstairs to John “Dad? Our Katie’s done a wee in the bed again.” which John replied “I’ll be there in a minute, mate.” This implies that one of John and Martha’s daughters is called Katie.
Series 2 • 1921[]
John, Esme and their children attended the funeral of Freddie Thorne, along with the rest of the Shelby Family. One of their children began to cry, so John took them from Esme and began to comfort them, as the ceremony took place.
The children are then mentioned by their parents, on numerous occasions, throughout the series.
Series 3 • 1924[]
John, Esme and their children attended the wedding of Thomas and Grace Shelby. Their children were seen fighting and Esme appeared to have just had a baby, although she was already pregnant again, with their seventh child.
They all gathered outside the church for a family photo, and made their way back to Arrow House, for the wedding reception.
While inside, Esme was seen dancing with one of her stepdaughters, while the other appeared to be besides Grace and some of the other guests, while she told them all a story.
Later in the series, John, Esme and the four eldest children attended the opening of the Grace Shelby Institute. While at the event, Thomas’ son Charles Shelby went missing. While searching for him, Arthur suggests that maybe Charles is playing alongside John’s children and Karl Thorne. However, they soon discover that Charles had been kidnapped by Father Hughes. The stress caused Esme’s waters to break and Arthur’s wife, Linda Shelby, tended to her while she gave birth.
Sometime after the events of Episode 3.6, John, Esme and their children moved out of Small Heath and relocated to a farmhouse in the countryside.
Series 4 • 1925[]
On Christmas Eve, Ada visited John at his new house and bought presents for the children.