"It were the Gypsies who made the nails for Jesus’ cross. That’s why we’re cursed and restless. You have to move around, or the guilt catches up with you."
Mrs Shelby to Charlie Strong
Mrs. Shelby (unknown name) was the wife of Arthur Shelby and mother of their five children, Arthur, Thomas, John, Ada and Finn Shelby. She committed suicide and has never been seen in person, but has appeared in pictures and been mentioned numerous times throughout the series.
Backstory[]
1887-1909[]
Mrs. Shelby met Arthur Shelby Sr. sometime before 1887 and got married, later welcoming five children throughout the years. Arthur Shelby Jr. born in 1887, Thomas Shelby born in 1890, John Shelby born in 1895, Ada Shelby born in 1897 and Finn Shelby, born in 1908.
Mrs. Shelby had a close friend, Charlie Strong, who was around a lot during the childrens upbringing, which resulted in them looking up to him as their 'uncle'. Charlie was deeply in love with Mrs. Shelby, but never confessed his love for her, as she was married and had a family.
In 1909, when her youngest son was still an infant, Mrs. Shelby developed depression and contemplated suicide. Her husband was no help, so Charlie tried his hardest to help her, he convinced her to go on the road for a bit and she went to Worcester. When she returned, she bought back a white pony and gifted it to her second eldest son, Thomas. She watched Thomas ride the pony around and seemed happy, in a much better mindset than she was before she left, Charlie believed she was better, but he was wrong. A few weeks later, Mrs. Shelby walked into the canal and committed suicide, just like her own father did. Charlie pulled her body out from the canal, which broke his heart.
That same year, Arthur walked out on his family, leaving his sister, Polly Gray to raise his five children alone.
Storylines[]
Series 6 • 1929[]
At the beginning of series 6, Thomas tried to take his own life, like his mother and grandfather before him. He had been seeing hallucinations of his late wife, Grace Shelby, while under the influence of alcohol and opium. Thomas tried to shoot himself, however his older brother, Arthur, had removed all the bullets from the gun, scared that Thomas would harm himself with them. After firing a blank shot, Thomas fell to the ground, in complete silence. After a few moments, Thomas got up off the ground and called out for his mother, saying “Mother. They let you pass through. They wouldn’t let me pass. As if there were to be another consequence.” This is the first time, throughout all 6 series’, that Thomas had tried communicating with his deceased mother.