IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 6 - 12 JULY 1926
This week's many stories include the Gerards Bridge firewood raiders, the breach of promise of marriage case, the mother who stood up for her brutal son in court, an update on the new Parish Church and St Helens Town are told to leave the Park Road ground they had played on for 30 years.
It must have been crowded in the dock at St Helens Police Court on the 6th when 50 persons were prosecuted for stealing wood and causing damage. The 38 adults and 12 children were accused of having raided a St Helens Corporation dump at Gerards Bridge, stolen ammunition boxes and caused considerable damage.
With the miners' strike in place and coal in short supply, people were turning to firewood as a substitute. The Gerards Bridge dump was situated on a large piece of land between two railway lines and fenced round with old ammunition boxes that were 4 feet high.
On the evening of June 23rd, the fifty defendants had taken away the boxes along with some railway sleepers, which caused the dump to collapse. The magistrates were told that the cost of clearing up the mess and erecting another wall to keep the place in order would come to around £335.
Some of the raiders said the wood was rotten and they thought they had permission to take it away because of the coal shortage. Two of the defendants were dismissed but the remainder were each ordered to pay court costs, along with the amount of damage for which they had been charged, which varied from 3d to 5 shillings.
Breach of promise of marriage court cases could result in huge sums being awarded to women after their betrothed had changed his mind about getting wed. The money was intended to compensate for the supposed damage to the jilted woman's future marriage prospects. But working-class women did not fare quite as well if they sued for breach of promise.
I'm not sure if that was because juries felt the damage inflicted on them was worth less than it would be to a middle-class or society woman. Or, perhaps, they were simply being pragmatic, as their former fiancé, who was also working-class, would not be able to pay any large sum as compensation. Probably, it was a combination of the two.
In such a breach of promise case at Manchester Assizes on the 8th, Agnes Corrigan, a 26-year-old domestic servant from Duncan Street in St Helens, was only awarded £5 damages and costs. That was after she had sued her former beau, who was a tram conductor called Herbert Smaje who lived in Scotchbarn Lane.
Romantic letters always seemed to figure in such cases. And as 26-year-old Agnes had been working away as a domestic servant in Manchester, the couple had sent each other many such missives. Writing about the case, the Lancashire Evening Post wrote:
"A breach of promise case in which figured a bundle of letters full of loving phrases, bristling with symbols for kisses and enclosing copies of love songs and poetry was brought before the Sheriff’s Assessor and a jury at a Sheriff’s Court at Manchester Assizes to-day."
The couple had first met in October 1921 but fell out after having a quarrel. Herbert subsequently married another young woman but she and her baby died through childbirth. Agnes and Herbert subsequently resumed their courtship and he gave her an engagement ring and the couple planned to marry.
One letter read out in court said: "I am proud of you and your ways. I don't think whatever happened I could give you up. Good-night, love. I am, your loving intended husband, Herbert. True to death." But at the end of the year he broke off their engagement by letter, signing off as "Your old sweetheart Bert", which led to the court case and the paltry £5 damages award.
The Liverpool Echo wrote on the 8th how the work of clearing away the property surrounding the new St Helens Parish Church was now partially finished and Church Street was "wonderfully changed in appearance". The roadway was being widened by 20 feet, with a broad footpath running alongside the church.
The paper also described how it had been recently decided to increase the height of the church tower from 106 feet to 116 feet. Commenting how it was hoped that the new building would be ready for opening by early November, the Echo wrote:
"The building is mostly of brick, but now that it is possible to view the masonry of the west front, the beauty of the building has gained considerably. The church will provide seating accommodation for 1,500 people."
The Echo also wrote: "Cheap fuel is obtained every day at St. Helens by industrious bands of men, women, and children, who turn over the waste heaps at the collieries and carry the fuel they can find home on their backs or in trucks of various descriptions."
However, the waste coal that people were allowed to scavenge was not up to much and tended to be mixed with dirt – which is why it had been deemed waste in the first place. A far better quality of coal could be obtained from places such as in railway sidings – but that was certainly not free.
In St Helens Police Court this week, PC Alexander Trail described how at 12:30am he had seen two men coming away from a siding carrying bags of coal that they had removed from a loaded wagon. As a result Patrick Gilchrist and George Ollerhead of Sutton were both fined 7s 6d.
On the 9th there was a remarkable interruption at the end of a court case in which a woman shook her fist and shouted at her daughter-in-law. The latter was Mary Blackwell who had suffered a brutal beating by her husband and was trembling in court. While giving evidence she was allowed to sit at the solicitors' table and she described how she had quarrelled with her husband over a patch on the man's trousers.
Peter Blackwell had then struck his wife so hard that her life was endangered and she had to spend several weeks in hospital. But despite her beating, Mary pleaded with the magistrates not to be too hard on her husband. The Chairman of the Bench, Robert Else, said to her: "We have taken notice of your pleading, therefore, we will only send your husband to prison for three months instead of six, as he undoubtedly deserves."
That sentence still came as a shock to Mary who collapsed and at the same moment a woman jumped up at the back of the court and shouted, "It is a damn shame" and shook her fist at Mrs Blackwell. The interjector began to leave the court but was called back and identified herself as Peter Blackwell's mother.
Upon being asked why she had shaken her fist at her daughter-in-law and shouted at her, the woman replied: "She has no right to get him sent to prison, and to scandalise me." To that the Court Clerk said: "What right had your son to strike her as he did?" No answer appeared to be forthcoming and then the Chairman informed the woman that to use threats in court was a serious offence.
To that the mother in tears replied: "He is my eldest son living, and I have buried three older than him." The Chairman then said: "You are lucky not to be sent to prison, and you will be bound over for 12 months."
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 9th and wrote: "Eccleston Park was en fete on Saturday and revelled in the joy of a sunny July day, when Miss Grace Eden, of St. James' Church, was crowned Queen of the Roses."
The Reporter also described how officials of St Helens Town Football Club had received a shock last week when told that they had to vacate the Park Road ground they had played on for 30 years. Their landlord had decided that the exponents of the round ball had to give way to the oval, as he had instead granted the use of his field to an unnamed junior rugby league team.
However, "Town" – as they were commonly known – had since managed to obtain use of the Sutton Commercial ground and it was considered that would prove a better location. Last season's support in Park Road was described as meagre but there were much better prospects for higher attendances at St Helens Junction.
And finally, on the 10th the annual Sutton Parish Fete was held in the grounds of Sherdley Hall (pictured above). Although the weather in St Helens had recently been hot, the organisers were unlucky and the event was affected by what the Reporter described as a "spell of wretched weather". However, spirits were described as not being dampened and a happy day was still enjoyed.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the arrival of a trackless train in St Helens, the plans to expand St Helens Town Hall, the nocturnal potato pickers of Blackbrook and why the St Helens MP could not be considered a hypocrite.
It must have been crowded in the dock at St Helens Police Court on the 6th when 50 persons were prosecuted for stealing wood and causing damage. The 38 adults and 12 children were accused of having raided a St Helens Corporation dump at Gerards Bridge, stolen ammunition boxes and caused considerable damage.
With the miners' strike in place and coal in short supply, people were turning to firewood as a substitute. The Gerards Bridge dump was situated on a large piece of land between two railway lines and fenced round with old ammunition boxes that were 4 feet high.
On the evening of June 23rd, the fifty defendants had taken away the boxes along with some railway sleepers, which caused the dump to collapse. The magistrates were told that the cost of clearing up the mess and erecting another wall to keep the place in order would come to around £335.
Some of the raiders said the wood was rotten and they thought they had permission to take it away because of the coal shortage. Two of the defendants were dismissed but the remainder were each ordered to pay court costs, along with the amount of damage for which they had been charged, which varied from 3d to 5 shillings.
Breach of promise of marriage court cases could result in huge sums being awarded to women after their betrothed had changed his mind about getting wed. The money was intended to compensate for the supposed damage to the jilted woman's future marriage prospects. But working-class women did not fare quite as well if they sued for breach of promise.
I'm not sure if that was because juries felt the damage inflicted on them was worth less than it would be to a middle-class or society woman. Or, perhaps, they were simply being pragmatic, as their former fiancé, who was also working-class, would not be able to pay any large sum as compensation. Probably, it was a combination of the two.
In such a breach of promise case at Manchester Assizes on the 8th, Agnes Corrigan, a 26-year-old domestic servant from Duncan Street in St Helens, was only awarded £5 damages and costs. That was after she had sued her former beau, who was a tram conductor called Herbert Smaje who lived in Scotchbarn Lane.
Romantic letters always seemed to figure in such cases. And as 26-year-old Agnes had been working away as a domestic servant in Manchester, the couple had sent each other many such missives. Writing about the case, the Lancashire Evening Post wrote:
"A breach of promise case in which figured a bundle of letters full of loving phrases, bristling with symbols for kisses and enclosing copies of love songs and poetry was brought before the Sheriff’s Assessor and a jury at a Sheriff’s Court at Manchester Assizes to-day."
The couple had first met in October 1921 but fell out after having a quarrel. Herbert subsequently married another young woman but she and her baby died through childbirth. Agnes and Herbert subsequently resumed their courtship and he gave her an engagement ring and the couple planned to marry.
One letter read out in court said: "I am proud of you and your ways. I don't think whatever happened I could give you up. Good-night, love. I am, your loving intended husband, Herbert. True to death." But at the end of the year he broke off their engagement by letter, signing off as "Your old sweetheart Bert", which led to the court case and the paltry £5 damages award.
The Liverpool Echo wrote on the 8th how the work of clearing away the property surrounding the new St Helens Parish Church was now partially finished and Church Street was "wonderfully changed in appearance". The roadway was being widened by 20 feet, with a broad footpath running alongside the church.
The paper also described how it had been recently decided to increase the height of the church tower from 106 feet to 116 feet. Commenting how it was hoped that the new building would be ready for opening by early November, the Echo wrote:
"The building is mostly of brick, but now that it is possible to view the masonry of the west front, the beauty of the building has gained considerably. The church will provide seating accommodation for 1,500 people."
The Echo also wrote: "Cheap fuel is obtained every day at St. Helens by industrious bands of men, women, and children, who turn over the waste heaps at the collieries and carry the fuel they can find home on their backs or in trucks of various descriptions."
However, the waste coal that people were allowed to scavenge was not up to much and tended to be mixed with dirt – which is why it had been deemed waste in the first place. A far better quality of coal could be obtained from places such as in railway sidings – but that was certainly not free.
In St Helens Police Court this week, PC Alexander Trail described how at 12:30am he had seen two men coming away from a siding carrying bags of coal that they had removed from a loaded wagon. As a result Patrick Gilchrist and George Ollerhead of Sutton were both fined 7s 6d.
On the 9th there was a remarkable interruption at the end of a court case in which a woman shook her fist and shouted at her daughter-in-law. The latter was Mary Blackwell who had suffered a brutal beating by her husband and was trembling in court. While giving evidence she was allowed to sit at the solicitors' table and she described how she had quarrelled with her husband over a patch on the man's trousers.
Peter Blackwell had then struck his wife so hard that her life was endangered and she had to spend several weeks in hospital. But despite her beating, Mary pleaded with the magistrates not to be too hard on her husband. The Chairman of the Bench, Robert Else, said to her: "We have taken notice of your pleading, therefore, we will only send your husband to prison for three months instead of six, as he undoubtedly deserves."
That sentence still came as a shock to Mary who collapsed and at the same moment a woman jumped up at the back of the court and shouted, "It is a damn shame" and shook her fist at Mrs Blackwell. The interjector began to leave the court but was called back and identified herself as Peter Blackwell's mother.
Upon being asked why she had shaken her fist at her daughter-in-law and shouted at her, the woman replied: "She has no right to get him sent to prison, and to scandalise me." To that the Court Clerk said: "What right had your son to strike her as he did?" No answer appeared to be forthcoming and then the Chairman informed the woman that to use threats in court was a serious offence.
To that the mother in tears replied: "He is my eldest son living, and I have buried three older than him." The Chairman then said: "You are lucky not to be sent to prison, and you will be bound over for 12 months."
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 9th and wrote: "Eccleston Park was en fete on Saturday and revelled in the joy of a sunny July day, when Miss Grace Eden, of St. James' Church, was crowned Queen of the Roses."
The Reporter also described how officials of St Helens Town Football Club had received a shock last week when told that they had to vacate the Park Road ground they had played on for 30 years. Their landlord had decided that the exponents of the round ball had to give way to the oval, as he had instead granted the use of his field to an unnamed junior rugby league team.
However, "Town" – as they were commonly known – had since managed to obtain use of the Sutton Commercial ground and it was considered that would prove a better location. Last season's support in Park Road was described as meagre but there were much better prospects for higher attendances at St Helens Junction.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the arrival of a trackless train in St Helens, the plans to expand St Helens Town Hall, the nocturnal potato pickers of Blackbrook and why the St Helens MP could not be considered a hypocrite.
This week's many stories include the Gerards Bridge firewood raiders, the breach of promise of marriage case, the mother who stood up for her brutal son in court, an update on the new Parish Church and St Helens Town are told to leave the Park Road ground they had played on for 30 years.
It must have been crowded in the dock at St Helens Police Court on the 6th when 50 persons were prosecuted for stealing wood and causing damage.
The 38 adults and 12 children were accused of having raided a St Helens Corporation dump at Gerards Bridge, stolen ammunition boxes and caused considerable damage.
With the miners' strike in place and coal in short supply, people were turning to firewood as a substitute.
The Gerards Bridge dump was situated on a large piece of land between two railway lines and fenced round with old ammunition boxes that were 4 feet high.
On the evening of June 23rd, the fifty defendants had taken away the boxes along with some railway sleepers, which caused the dump to collapse.
The magistrates were told that the cost of clearing up the mess and erecting another wall to keep the place in order would come to around £335.
Some of the raiders said the wood was rotten and they thought they had permission to take it away because of the coal shortage.
Two of the defendants were dismissed but the remainder were each ordered to pay court costs, along with the amount of damage for which they had been charged, which varied from 3d to 5 shillings.
Breach of promise of marriage court cases could result in huge sums being awarded to women after their betrothed had changed his mind about getting wed.
The money was intended to compensate for the supposed damage to the jilted woman's future marriage prospects.
But working-class women did not fare quite as well if they sued for breach of promise.
I'm not sure if that was because juries felt the damage inflicted on them was worth less than it would be to a middle-class or society woman.
Or, perhaps, they were simply being pragmatic, as their former fiancé, who was also working-class, would not be able to pay any large sum as compensation. Probably, it was a combination of the two.
In such a breach of promise case at Manchester Assizes on the 8th, Agnes Corrigan, a 26-year-old domestic servant from Duncan Street in St Helens, was only awarded £5 damages and costs.
That was after she had sued her former beau, who was a tram conductor called Herbert Smaje who lived in Scotchbarn Lane.
Romantic letters always seemed to figure in such cases.
And as 26-year-old Agnes had been working away as a domestic servant in Manchester, the couple had sent each other many such missives. Writing about the case, the Lancashire Evening Post wrote:
"A breach of promise case in which figured a bundle of letters full of loving phrases, bristling with symbols for kisses and enclosing copies of love songs and poetry was brought before the Sheriff’s Assessor and a jury at a Sheriff’s Court at Manchester Assizes to-day."
The couple had first met in October 1921 but fell out after having a quarrel.
Herbert subsequently married another young woman but she and her baby died through childbirth.
Agnes and Herbert subsequently resumed their courtship and he gave her an engagement ring and the couple planned to marry. One letter read out in court said:
"I am proud of you and your ways. I don't think whatever happened I could give you up. Good-night, love. I am, your loving intended husband, Herbert. True to death."
But at the end of the year he broke off their engagement by letter, signing off as "Your old sweetheart Bert", which led to the court case and the paltry £5 damages award.
The Liverpool Echo wrote on the 8th how the work of clearing away the property surrounding the new St Helens Parish Church was now partially finished and Church Street was "wonderfully changed in appearance".
The roadway was being widened by 20 feet, with a broad footpath running alongside the church.
The paper also described how it had been recently decided to increase the height of the church tower from 106 feet to 116 feet.
Commenting how it was hoped that the new building would be ready for opening by early November, the Echo wrote:
"The building is mostly of brick, but now that it is possible to view the masonry of the west front, the beauty of the building has gained considerably. The church will provide seating accommodation for 1,500 people."
The Echo also wrote: "Cheap fuel is obtained every day at St. Helens by industrious bands of men, women, and children, who turn over the waste heaps at the collieries and carry the fuel they can find home on their backs or in trucks of various descriptions."
However, the waste coal that people were allowed to scavenge was not up to much and tended to be mixed with dirt – which is why it had been deemed waste in the first place.
A far better quality of coal could be obtained from places such as in railway sidings – but that was certainly not free.
In St Helens Police Court this week, PC Alexander Trail described how at 12:30am he had seen two men coming away from a siding carrying bags of coal that they had removed from a loaded wagon.
As a result Patrick Gilchrist and George Ollerhead of Sutton were both fined 7s 6d.
On the 9th there was a remarkable interruption at the end of a court case in which a woman shook her fist and shouted at her daughter-in-law.
The latter was Mary Blackwell who had suffered a brutal beating by her husband and was trembling in court.
While giving evidence she was allowed to sit at the solicitors' table and she described how she had quarrelled with her husband over a patch on the man's trousers.
Peter Blackwell had then struck his wife so hard that her life was endangered and she had to spend several weeks in hospital.
But despite her beating, Mary pleaded with the magistrates not to be too hard on her husband.
The Chairman of the Bench, Robert Else, said to her:
"We have taken notice of your pleading, therefore, we will only send your husband to prison for three months instead of six, as he undoubtedly deserves."
That sentence still came as a shock to Mary who collapsed and at the same moment a woman jumped up at the back of the court and shouted, "It is a damn shame" and shook her fist at Mrs Blackwell.
The interjector began to leave the court but was called back and identified herself as Peter Blackwell's mother.
Upon being asked why she had shaken her fist at her daughter-in-law and shouted at her, the woman replied: "She has no right to get him sent to prison, and to scandalise me."
To that the Court Clerk said: "What right had your son to strike her as he did?"
No answer appeared to be forthcoming and then the Chairman informed the woman that to use threats in court was a serious offence. To that the mother in tears replied:
"He is my eldest son living, and I have buried three older than him."
The Chairman then said: "You are lucky not to be sent to prison, and you will be bound over for 12 months."
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 9th and wrote:
"Eccleston Park was en fete on Saturday and revelled in the joy of a sunny July day, when Miss Grace Eden, of St. James' Church, was crowned Queen of the Roses."
The Reporter also described how officials of St Helens Town Football Club had received a shock last week when told that they had to vacate the Park Road ground they had played on for 30 years.
Their landlord had decided that the exponents of the round ball had to give way to the oval, as he had instead granted the use of his field to an unnamed junior rugby league team.
However, "Town" – as they were commonly known – had since managed to obtain use of the Sutton Commercial ground and it was considered that would prove a better location.
Last season's support in Park Road was described as meagre but there were much better prospects for higher attendances at St Helens Junction.
And finally, on the 10th the annual Sutton Parish Fete was held in the grounds of Sherdley Hall (pictured above).
Although the weather in St Helens had recently been hot, the organisers were unlucky and the event was affected by what the Reporter described as a "spell of wretched weather".
However, spirits were described as not being dampened and a happy day was still enjoyed.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the arrival of a trackless train in St Helens, the plans to expand St Helens Town Hall, the nocturnal potato pickers of Blackbrook and why the St Helens MP could not be considered a hypocrite.
It must have been crowded in the dock at St Helens Police Court on the 6th when 50 persons were prosecuted for stealing wood and causing damage.
The 38 adults and 12 children were accused of having raided a St Helens Corporation dump at Gerards Bridge, stolen ammunition boxes and caused considerable damage.
With the miners' strike in place and coal in short supply, people were turning to firewood as a substitute.
The Gerards Bridge dump was situated on a large piece of land between two railway lines and fenced round with old ammunition boxes that were 4 feet high.
On the evening of June 23rd, the fifty defendants had taken away the boxes along with some railway sleepers, which caused the dump to collapse.
The magistrates were told that the cost of clearing up the mess and erecting another wall to keep the place in order would come to around £335.
Some of the raiders said the wood was rotten and they thought they had permission to take it away because of the coal shortage.
Two of the defendants were dismissed but the remainder were each ordered to pay court costs, along with the amount of damage for which they had been charged, which varied from 3d to 5 shillings.
Breach of promise of marriage court cases could result in huge sums being awarded to women after their betrothed had changed his mind about getting wed.
The money was intended to compensate for the supposed damage to the jilted woman's future marriage prospects.
But working-class women did not fare quite as well if they sued for breach of promise.
I'm not sure if that was because juries felt the damage inflicted on them was worth less than it would be to a middle-class or society woman.
Or, perhaps, they were simply being pragmatic, as their former fiancé, who was also working-class, would not be able to pay any large sum as compensation. Probably, it was a combination of the two.
In such a breach of promise case at Manchester Assizes on the 8th, Agnes Corrigan, a 26-year-old domestic servant from Duncan Street in St Helens, was only awarded £5 damages and costs.
That was after she had sued her former beau, who was a tram conductor called Herbert Smaje who lived in Scotchbarn Lane.
Romantic letters always seemed to figure in such cases.
And as 26-year-old Agnes had been working away as a domestic servant in Manchester, the couple had sent each other many such missives. Writing about the case, the Lancashire Evening Post wrote:
"A breach of promise case in which figured a bundle of letters full of loving phrases, bristling with symbols for kisses and enclosing copies of love songs and poetry was brought before the Sheriff’s Assessor and a jury at a Sheriff’s Court at Manchester Assizes to-day."
The couple had first met in October 1921 but fell out after having a quarrel.
Herbert subsequently married another young woman but she and her baby died through childbirth.
Agnes and Herbert subsequently resumed their courtship and he gave her an engagement ring and the couple planned to marry. One letter read out in court said:
"I am proud of you and your ways. I don't think whatever happened I could give you up. Good-night, love. I am, your loving intended husband, Herbert. True to death."
But at the end of the year he broke off their engagement by letter, signing off as "Your old sweetheart Bert", which led to the court case and the paltry £5 damages award.
The Liverpool Echo wrote on the 8th how the work of clearing away the property surrounding the new St Helens Parish Church was now partially finished and Church Street was "wonderfully changed in appearance".
The roadway was being widened by 20 feet, with a broad footpath running alongside the church.
The paper also described how it had been recently decided to increase the height of the church tower from 106 feet to 116 feet.
Commenting how it was hoped that the new building would be ready for opening by early November, the Echo wrote:
"The building is mostly of brick, but now that it is possible to view the masonry of the west front, the beauty of the building has gained considerably. The church will provide seating accommodation for 1,500 people."
The Echo also wrote: "Cheap fuel is obtained every day at St. Helens by industrious bands of men, women, and children, who turn over the waste heaps at the collieries and carry the fuel they can find home on their backs or in trucks of various descriptions."
However, the waste coal that people were allowed to scavenge was not up to much and tended to be mixed with dirt – which is why it had been deemed waste in the first place.
A far better quality of coal could be obtained from places such as in railway sidings – but that was certainly not free.
In St Helens Police Court this week, PC Alexander Trail described how at 12:30am he had seen two men coming away from a siding carrying bags of coal that they had removed from a loaded wagon.
As a result Patrick Gilchrist and George Ollerhead of Sutton were both fined 7s 6d.
On the 9th there was a remarkable interruption at the end of a court case in which a woman shook her fist and shouted at her daughter-in-law.
The latter was Mary Blackwell who had suffered a brutal beating by her husband and was trembling in court.
While giving evidence she was allowed to sit at the solicitors' table and she described how she had quarrelled with her husband over a patch on the man's trousers.
Peter Blackwell had then struck his wife so hard that her life was endangered and she had to spend several weeks in hospital.
But despite her beating, Mary pleaded with the magistrates not to be too hard on her husband.
The Chairman of the Bench, Robert Else, said to her:
"We have taken notice of your pleading, therefore, we will only send your husband to prison for three months instead of six, as he undoubtedly deserves."
That sentence still came as a shock to Mary who collapsed and at the same moment a woman jumped up at the back of the court and shouted, "It is a damn shame" and shook her fist at Mrs Blackwell.
The interjector began to leave the court but was called back and identified herself as Peter Blackwell's mother.
Upon being asked why she had shaken her fist at her daughter-in-law and shouted at her, the woman replied: "She has no right to get him sent to prison, and to scandalise me."
To that the Court Clerk said: "What right had your son to strike her as he did?"
No answer appeared to be forthcoming and then the Chairman informed the woman that to use threats in court was a serious offence. To that the mother in tears replied:
"He is my eldest son living, and I have buried three older than him."
The Chairman then said: "You are lucky not to be sent to prison, and you will be bound over for 12 months."
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 9th and wrote:
"Eccleston Park was en fete on Saturday and revelled in the joy of a sunny July day, when Miss Grace Eden, of St. James' Church, was crowned Queen of the Roses."
The Reporter also described how officials of St Helens Town Football Club had received a shock last week when told that they had to vacate the Park Road ground they had played on for 30 years.
Their landlord had decided that the exponents of the round ball had to give way to the oval, as he had instead granted the use of his field to an unnamed junior rugby league team.
However, "Town" – as they were commonly known – had since managed to obtain use of the Sutton Commercial ground and it was considered that would prove a better location.
Last season's support in Park Road was described as meagre but there were much better prospects for higher attendances at St Helens Junction.
And finally, on the 10th the annual Sutton Parish Fete was held in the grounds of Sherdley Hall (pictured above).
Although the weather in St Helens had recently been hot, the organisers were unlucky and the event was affected by what the Reporter described as a "spell of wretched weather".
However, spirits were described as not being dampened and a happy day was still enjoyed.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the arrival of a trackless train in St Helens, the plans to expand St Helens Town Hall, the nocturnal potato pickers of Blackbrook and why the St Helens MP could not be considered a hypocrite.