IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (11th - 17th JULY 1922)
This week's stories include criticism of the delay in installing the Victoria Square war memorial, the strange story of the lost umbrella, the Sutton planks stolen to make a hen run, the insulting Parr separation case and an update on the new Lowe House church.
We begin on the evening of the 11th when a meeting was held in the Reception Room of the Town Hall to discuss a public war memorial for St Helens. We would call the event a consultation but that term was not yet in use. There had been talk of such a memorial for several years and a committee had been meeting to discuss the matter since July 1919 – but still no definite plans had been made. In contrast Prescot had unveiled a war memorial in the centre of Church Street and West Street as early as September 1916 – and most other places had since installed theirs.
The Mayor of St Helens, Richard Ellison, presided over the meeting and was highly critical of the poor attendance by his Council colleagues and the delay in installing the memorial: "I'm going to say plainly that it does not show very much loyalty and patriotism that they had absented themselves. Too much time has been wasted already, frittered away, might I say. It was a great reproach to a place likes St Helens that something tangible has not taken place. We all notice as we go about that every town, village and hamlet has put up some mark of respect in remembrance for those who had lost their lives and it was a standing reproach to St Helens that there was not a town memorial in existence today."
The meeting, which was heavily attended by women, decided to proceed with plans to install a memorial in Victoria Square, which would be funded by public subscription. Alternative locations in Prescot Road and Dentons Green had been suggested but a position outside the Town Hall was considered more appropriate. However, the St Helens' tribute to the fallen would not be unveiled until Easter Sunday 1926.
Above is a photograph of the old Lowe House Church in North Road. At St Helens Council's Health Committee meeting on the 12th, its chairman Ald. Henry Bates reported that the foundations for the new church were now in place. A fundraising appeal to build the church had opened in January 1914 but had to be suspended when war broke out. The church's priest, Father Riley, wanted an old house that was in the way of the proposed new building to be pulled down and the family of four that occupied the property to be rehoused. That could not be done without the blessing of the Health Committee.
Ald. Bates had inspected the dwelling and found it to be in a "very unsatisfactory condition", as he put it. "In normal times we would certainly condemn it", added Ald. Bates. Those comments were a reference to the fact that the severe housing shortage in St Helens and the bad economic situation meant that houses that would normally be demolished were still being occupied. That was on the basis that it was better to have a rotten, insanitary home than none at all.
It was pointed out by Councillor Hamblett that there was a precedent in the building of the new parish church. Several buildings had been torn down to allow for its construction – which was still ongoing – and five persons had been rehoused. Consequently, the Committee decided to leave the matter in the hands of its chairman. Roman Catholic churches tended to take a long time to be built, as they did not enjoy the same level of philanthropy enjoyed by C of E churches. Consequently the new building would not be completed until 1930.
There was another sad example of a separated couple throwing dirt at each other in court this week. That often happened when a married woman sought a separation order against her husband. Such orders included maintenance payments that were enforceable by the court. If the husband failed to make the payments, ultimately the magistrates could send the man to prison. But the public spectacle did no one any good.
This week Joseph Farson from Pickmere Street – which used to be in Parr – was summoned to court by his wife, Julia. She complained bitterly about his treatment of her during their 3-year marriage. "You have never been any good to me since I took you, only punishing me and starving me," she said at one point in answer to a question from her husband. In reply the man claimed that his wife never got up before midday and he asserted that he gave her all the money he got from his wages when in work. Even when he was out of work, he claimed that he had still given her all his dole money.
However, the court social worker, John Holmes, said the wife had previously complained to him about her husband's behaviour and he'd promised to do better. Usually the magistrates would make an attempt to patch up a marriage that was on the rocks – but Mr Holmes felt the couple should live apart. The wife, he said, was in a delicate state of health and the conduct of the husband was not conducive for her well-being. The couple had one child and the magistrates made an order against the husband for 7s 6d a week.
A strange story of a lost umbrella was told at St Helens Police Court on the 14th when Ellen Fletcher of Devon Street was charged with stealing a brolly worth £2 5 shillings belonging to Mary Naylor. Superintendent Dunn explained to the Bench that Mrs Naylor was in business in Hard Lane in St Helens and on June 30th 1920 had attended a sale at Burscough. By coincidence she had travelled in the same railway compartment as Ellen Fletcher – but it had not been on the train when the umbrella went missing. Mrs Naylor purchased a quantity of furniture at the sale and inadvertently left her umbrella at the house.
Fast-forward two years to June 24th 1922 when Joseph Prescott of Boundary Road claimed he was struck over the head by the same umbrella. That act had taken place outside the Seven Stars in Eccleston after he had tried to quell a disturbance. The handle of the umbrella broke and he picked it up and kept it – despite Ellen Fletcher later coming to his house and asking for her umbrella back. The handle contained Mrs Naylor's name and address, which made the man suspicious, and so he reported it to the police.
In court Ellen Fletcher denied stealing the umbrella. She said she had also attended the sale in Burscough and had been asked to return the lost umbrella to Mrs Naylor, as they both lived in the same town. That she had agreed to do but said she had simply never got round to it, adding: "It has been hanging up in my kitchen ever since, and it is an oversight I have not returned it." Supt. Dunn pointed out to the Bench that Mrs Fletcher had two years to return the brolly and even knew the woman who had lost it! Ellen Fletcher was fined £1 and £1 costs.
Helping yourself to coal from open railway wagons was very common in St Helens, especially in times of high unemployment. Police often hid themselves in yards and on railway tracks in order to surprise offenders. On the 17th Peter Aspinall was fined 20 shillings and Thomas Appleton and Frederick Hill were both fined 10 shillings for stealing coal from Havannah Colliery in Parr that locals knew as "The Vanny". PC Holland told the court that the stealing from coal wagons was carried on "very largely" and was the cause of complaints of short weight when the wagons reached their destination.
Also in court was John Smith from Alice Street in Sutton. He was accused of receiving timber that his son and another young man had stolen to make a hen run. St Helens Corporation was installing electric cable in Sutton and upon finishing their work for the day, workmen would leave planks of wood over the holes that they had dug. That was to prevent pedestrians from stepping into them at night. But Smith's son and his pal had helped themselves to some of the timber in order to make a fence for a hen run. The man was fined 20 shillings and the two youths 7s 6d each.
During the war cases of bigamy had increased hugely – usually committed by soldiers. However, in 1916 Sarah Crome had been sentenced to six months in prison for going through the marriage ceremony while already wed. In the Divorce Court on the 17th, her husband Charles Crome brought a petition for divorce against Sarah on account of her misconduct with a man named Grice. The couple had married at St Helens Parish Church and then lived in Brynn Street. However, Sarah wanted to be a professional singer and had joined a theatrical touring company without Charles' consent. The decree nisi was granted.
Next week's stories will include the fighting women of Thatto Heath, Parr and Peasley Cross, the unveiling of the Eccleston Lane Ends war memorial, the betting craze in Sutton Manor and the Russian famine relief fund.
We begin on the evening of the 11th when a meeting was held in the Reception Room of the Town Hall to discuss a public war memorial for St Helens. We would call the event a consultation but that term was not yet in use. There had been talk of such a memorial for several years and a committee had been meeting to discuss the matter since July 1919 – but still no definite plans had been made. In contrast Prescot had unveiled a war memorial in the centre of Church Street and West Street as early as September 1916 – and most other places had since installed theirs.
The Mayor of St Helens, Richard Ellison, presided over the meeting and was highly critical of the poor attendance by his Council colleagues and the delay in installing the memorial: "I'm going to say plainly that it does not show very much loyalty and patriotism that they had absented themselves. Too much time has been wasted already, frittered away, might I say. It was a great reproach to a place likes St Helens that something tangible has not taken place. We all notice as we go about that every town, village and hamlet has put up some mark of respect in remembrance for those who had lost their lives and it was a standing reproach to St Helens that there was not a town memorial in existence today."
The meeting, which was heavily attended by women, decided to proceed with plans to install a memorial in Victoria Square, which would be funded by public subscription. Alternative locations in Prescot Road and Dentons Green had been suggested but a position outside the Town Hall was considered more appropriate. However, the St Helens' tribute to the fallen would not be unveiled until Easter Sunday 1926.
Ald. Bates had inspected the dwelling and found it to be in a "very unsatisfactory condition", as he put it. "In normal times we would certainly condemn it", added Ald. Bates. Those comments were a reference to the fact that the severe housing shortage in St Helens and the bad economic situation meant that houses that would normally be demolished were still being occupied. That was on the basis that it was better to have a rotten, insanitary home than none at all.
It was pointed out by Councillor Hamblett that there was a precedent in the building of the new parish church. Several buildings had been torn down to allow for its construction – which was still ongoing – and five persons had been rehoused. Consequently, the Committee decided to leave the matter in the hands of its chairman. Roman Catholic churches tended to take a long time to be built, as they did not enjoy the same level of philanthropy enjoyed by C of E churches. Consequently the new building would not be completed until 1930.
There was another sad example of a separated couple throwing dirt at each other in court this week. That often happened when a married woman sought a separation order against her husband. Such orders included maintenance payments that were enforceable by the court. If the husband failed to make the payments, ultimately the magistrates could send the man to prison. But the public spectacle did no one any good.
This week Joseph Farson from Pickmere Street – which used to be in Parr – was summoned to court by his wife, Julia. She complained bitterly about his treatment of her during their 3-year marriage. "You have never been any good to me since I took you, only punishing me and starving me," she said at one point in answer to a question from her husband. In reply the man claimed that his wife never got up before midday and he asserted that he gave her all the money he got from his wages when in work. Even when he was out of work, he claimed that he had still given her all his dole money.
However, the court social worker, John Holmes, said the wife had previously complained to him about her husband's behaviour and he'd promised to do better. Usually the magistrates would make an attempt to patch up a marriage that was on the rocks – but Mr Holmes felt the couple should live apart. The wife, he said, was in a delicate state of health and the conduct of the husband was not conducive for her well-being. The couple had one child and the magistrates made an order against the husband for 7s 6d a week.
A strange story of a lost umbrella was told at St Helens Police Court on the 14th when Ellen Fletcher of Devon Street was charged with stealing a brolly worth £2 5 shillings belonging to Mary Naylor. Superintendent Dunn explained to the Bench that Mrs Naylor was in business in Hard Lane in St Helens and on June 30th 1920 had attended a sale at Burscough. By coincidence she had travelled in the same railway compartment as Ellen Fletcher – but it had not been on the train when the umbrella went missing. Mrs Naylor purchased a quantity of furniture at the sale and inadvertently left her umbrella at the house.
Fast-forward two years to June 24th 1922 when Joseph Prescott of Boundary Road claimed he was struck over the head by the same umbrella. That act had taken place outside the Seven Stars in Eccleston after he had tried to quell a disturbance. The handle of the umbrella broke and he picked it up and kept it – despite Ellen Fletcher later coming to his house and asking for her umbrella back. The handle contained Mrs Naylor's name and address, which made the man suspicious, and so he reported it to the police.
In court Ellen Fletcher denied stealing the umbrella. She said she had also attended the sale in Burscough and had been asked to return the lost umbrella to Mrs Naylor, as they both lived in the same town. That she had agreed to do but said she had simply never got round to it, adding: "It has been hanging up in my kitchen ever since, and it is an oversight I have not returned it." Supt. Dunn pointed out to the Bench that Mrs Fletcher had two years to return the brolly and even knew the woman who had lost it! Ellen Fletcher was fined £1 and £1 costs.
Helping yourself to coal from open railway wagons was very common in St Helens, especially in times of high unemployment. Police often hid themselves in yards and on railway tracks in order to surprise offenders. On the 17th Peter Aspinall was fined 20 shillings and Thomas Appleton and Frederick Hill were both fined 10 shillings for stealing coal from Havannah Colliery in Parr that locals knew as "The Vanny". PC Holland told the court that the stealing from coal wagons was carried on "very largely" and was the cause of complaints of short weight when the wagons reached their destination.
Also in court was John Smith from Alice Street in Sutton. He was accused of receiving timber that his son and another young man had stolen to make a hen run. St Helens Corporation was installing electric cable in Sutton and upon finishing their work for the day, workmen would leave planks of wood over the holes that they had dug. That was to prevent pedestrians from stepping into them at night. But Smith's son and his pal had helped themselves to some of the timber in order to make a fence for a hen run. The man was fined 20 shillings and the two youths 7s 6d each.
During the war cases of bigamy had increased hugely – usually committed by soldiers. However, in 1916 Sarah Crome had been sentenced to six months in prison for going through the marriage ceremony while already wed. In the Divorce Court on the 17th, her husband Charles Crome brought a petition for divorce against Sarah on account of her misconduct with a man named Grice. The couple had married at St Helens Parish Church and then lived in Brynn Street. However, Sarah wanted to be a professional singer and had joined a theatrical touring company without Charles' consent. The decree nisi was granted.
Next week's stories will include the fighting women of Thatto Heath, Parr and Peasley Cross, the unveiling of the Eccleston Lane Ends war memorial, the betting craze in Sutton Manor and the Russian famine relief fund.
This week's stories include criticism of the delay in installing the Victoria Square war memorial, the strange story of the lost umbrella, the Sutton planks stolen to make a hen run, the insulting Parr separation case and an update on the new Lowe House church.
We begin on the evening of the 11th when a meeting was held in the Reception Room of the Town Hall to discuss a public war memorial for St Helens.
We would call the event a consultation but that term was not yet in use.
There had been talk of such a memorial for several years and a committee had been meeting to discuss the matter since July 1919 – but still no definite plans had been made.
In contrast Prescot had unveiled a war memorial in the centre of Church Street and West Street as early as September 1916 – and most other places had since installed theirs.
The Mayor of St Helens, Richard Ellison, presided over the meeting and was highly critical of the poor attendance by his Council colleagues and the delay in installing the memorial:
"I'm going to say plainly that it does not show very much loyalty and patriotism that they had absented themselves. Too much time has been wasted already, frittered away, might I say. It was a great reproach to a place likes St Helens that something tangible has not taken place.
"We all notice as we go about that every town, village and hamlet has put up some mark of respect in remembrance for those who had lost their lives and it was a standing reproach to St Helens that there was not a town memorial in existence today."
The meeting, which was heavily attended by women, decided to proceed with plans to install a memorial in Victoria Square, which would be funded by public subscription.
Alternative locations in Prescot Road and Dentons Green had been suggested but a position outside the Town Hall was considered more appropriate.
However, the St Helens' tribute to the fallen would not be unveiled until Easter Sunday 1926.
Above is a photograph of the old Lowe House Church in North Road. At St Helens Council's Health Committee meeting on the 12th, its chairman Ald. Henry Bates reported that the foundations for the new church were now in place.
A fundraising appeal to build the church had opened in January 1914 but had to be suspended when war broke out.
The church's priest, Father Riley, wanted an old house that was in the way of the proposed new building to be pulled down and the family of four that occupied the property to be rehoused.
That could not be done without the blessing of the Health Committee.
Ald. Bates had inspected the dwelling and found it to be in a "very unsatisfactory condition", as he put it. "In normal times we would certainly condemn it", added Ald. Bates.
Those comments were a reference to the fact that the severe housing shortage in St Helens and the bad economic situation meant that houses that would normally be demolished were still being occupied.
That was on the basis that it was better to have a rotten, insanitary home than none at all.
It was pointed out by Councillor Hamblett that there was a precedent in the building of the new parish church.
Several buildings had been torn down to allow for its construction – which was still ongoing – and five persons had been rehoused. Consequently, the Committee decided to leave the matter in the hands of its chairman.
Roman Catholic churches tended to take a long time to be built, as they did not enjoy the same level of philanthropy enjoyed by C of E churches. Consequently the new building would not be completed until 1930.
There was another sad example of a separated couple throwing dirt at each other in court this week.
That often happened when a married woman sought a separation order against her husband.
Such orders included maintenance payments that were enforceable by the court.
If the husband failed to make the payments, ultimately the magistrates could send the man to prison. But the public spectacle did no one any good.
This week Joseph Farson from Pickmere Street – which used to be in Parr – was summoned to court by his wife, Julia.
She complained bitterly about his treatment of her during their 3-year marriage.
"You have never been any good to me since I took you, only punishing me and starving me," she said at one point in answer to a question from her husband.
In reply the man claimed that his wife never got up before midday and he asserted that he gave her all the money he got from his wages when in work.
Even when he was out of work, he claimed that he had still given her all his dole money.
However, the court social worker, John Holmes, said the wife had previously complained to him about her husband's behaviour and he'd promised to do better.
Usually the magistrates would make an attempt to patch up a marriage that was on the rocks – but Mr Holmes felt the couple should live apart.
The wife, he said, was in a delicate state of health and the conduct of the husband was not conducive for her well-being.
The couple had one child and the magistrates made an order against the husband for 7s 6d a week.
A strange story of a lost umbrella was told at St Helens Police Court on the 14th when Ellen Fletcher of Devon Street was charged with stealing a brolly worth £2 5 shillings belonging to Mary Naylor.
Superintendent Dunn explained to the Bench that Mrs Naylor was in business in Hard Lane in St Helens and on June 30th 1920 had attended a sale at Burscough.
By coincidence she had travelled in the same railway compartment as Ellen Fletcher – but it had not been on the train when the umbrella went missing.
Mrs Naylor purchased a quantity of furniture at the sale and inadvertently left her umbrella at the house.
Fast-forward two years to June 24th 1922 when Joseph Prescott of Boundary Road claimed he was struck over the head by the same umbrella.
That act had taken place outside the Seven Stars in Eccleston after he had tried to quell a disturbance.
The handle of the umbrella broke and he picked it up and kept it – despite Ellen Fletcher later coming to his house and asking for her umbrella back.
The handle contained Mrs Naylor's name and address, which made the man suspicious, and so he reported it to the police.
In court Ellen Fletcher denied stealing the umbrella. She said she had also attended the sale in Burscough and had been asked to return the lost umbrella to Mrs Naylor, as they both lived in the same town.
That she had agreed to do but said she had simply never got round to it, adding: "It has been hanging up in my kitchen ever since, and it is an oversight I have not returned it."
Supt. Dunn pointed out to the Bench that Mrs Fletcher had two years to return the brolly and even knew the woman who had lost it! Ellen Fletcher was fined £1 and £1 costs.
Helping yourself to coal from open railway wagons was very common in St Helens, especially in times of high unemployment.
Police often hid themselves in yards and on railway tracks in order to surprise offenders.
On the 17th Peter Aspinall was fined 20 shillings and Thomas Appleton and Frederick Hill were both fined 10 shillings for stealing coal from Havannah Colliery in Parr that locals knew as "The Vanny".
PC Holland told the court that the stealing from coal wagons was carried on "very largely" and was the cause of complaints of short weight when the wagons reached their destination.
Also in court was John Smith from Alice Street in Sutton. He was accused of receiving timber that his son and another young man had stolen to make a hen run.
St Helens Corporation was installing electric cable in Sutton and upon finishing their work for the day, workmen would leave planks of wood over the holes that they had dug. That was to prevent pedestrians from stepping into them at night.
But Smith's son and his pal had helped themselves to some of the timber in order to make a fence for a hen run. The man was fined 20 shillings and the two youths 7s 6d each.
During the war cases of bigamy had increased hugely – usually committed by soldiers.
However, in 1916 Sarah Crome had been sentenced to six months in prison for going through the marriage ceremony while already wed.
In the Divorce Court on the 17th, her husband Charles Crome brought a petition for divorce against Sarah on account of her misconduct with a man named Grice.
The couple had married at St Helens Parish Church and then lived in Brynn Street.
However, Sarah wanted to be a professional singer and had joined a theatrical touring company without Charles' consent. The decree nisi was granted.
Next week's stories will include the fighting women of Thatto Heath, Parr and Peasley Cross, the unveiling of the Eccleston Lane Ends war memorial, the betting craze in Sutton Manor and the Russian famine relief fund.
We begin on the evening of the 11th when a meeting was held in the Reception Room of the Town Hall to discuss a public war memorial for St Helens.
We would call the event a consultation but that term was not yet in use.
There had been talk of such a memorial for several years and a committee had been meeting to discuss the matter since July 1919 – but still no definite plans had been made.
In contrast Prescot had unveiled a war memorial in the centre of Church Street and West Street as early as September 1916 – and most other places had since installed theirs.
The Mayor of St Helens, Richard Ellison, presided over the meeting and was highly critical of the poor attendance by his Council colleagues and the delay in installing the memorial:
"I'm going to say plainly that it does not show very much loyalty and patriotism that they had absented themselves. Too much time has been wasted already, frittered away, might I say. It was a great reproach to a place likes St Helens that something tangible has not taken place.
"We all notice as we go about that every town, village and hamlet has put up some mark of respect in remembrance for those who had lost their lives and it was a standing reproach to St Helens that there was not a town memorial in existence today."
The meeting, which was heavily attended by women, decided to proceed with plans to install a memorial in Victoria Square, which would be funded by public subscription.
Alternative locations in Prescot Road and Dentons Green had been suggested but a position outside the Town Hall was considered more appropriate.
However, the St Helens' tribute to the fallen would not be unveiled until Easter Sunday 1926.
A fundraising appeal to build the church had opened in January 1914 but had to be suspended when war broke out.
The church's priest, Father Riley, wanted an old house that was in the way of the proposed new building to be pulled down and the family of four that occupied the property to be rehoused.
That could not be done without the blessing of the Health Committee.
Ald. Bates had inspected the dwelling and found it to be in a "very unsatisfactory condition", as he put it. "In normal times we would certainly condemn it", added Ald. Bates.
Those comments were a reference to the fact that the severe housing shortage in St Helens and the bad economic situation meant that houses that would normally be demolished were still being occupied.
That was on the basis that it was better to have a rotten, insanitary home than none at all.
It was pointed out by Councillor Hamblett that there was a precedent in the building of the new parish church.
Several buildings had been torn down to allow for its construction – which was still ongoing – and five persons had been rehoused. Consequently, the Committee decided to leave the matter in the hands of its chairman.
Roman Catholic churches tended to take a long time to be built, as they did not enjoy the same level of philanthropy enjoyed by C of E churches. Consequently the new building would not be completed until 1930.
There was another sad example of a separated couple throwing dirt at each other in court this week.
That often happened when a married woman sought a separation order against her husband.
Such orders included maintenance payments that were enforceable by the court.
If the husband failed to make the payments, ultimately the magistrates could send the man to prison. But the public spectacle did no one any good.
This week Joseph Farson from Pickmere Street – which used to be in Parr – was summoned to court by his wife, Julia.
She complained bitterly about his treatment of her during their 3-year marriage.
"You have never been any good to me since I took you, only punishing me and starving me," she said at one point in answer to a question from her husband.
In reply the man claimed that his wife never got up before midday and he asserted that he gave her all the money he got from his wages when in work.
Even when he was out of work, he claimed that he had still given her all his dole money.
However, the court social worker, John Holmes, said the wife had previously complained to him about her husband's behaviour and he'd promised to do better.
Usually the magistrates would make an attempt to patch up a marriage that was on the rocks – but Mr Holmes felt the couple should live apart.
The wife, he said, was in a delicate state of health and the conduct of the husband was not conducive for her well-being.
The couple had one child and the magistrates made an order against the husband for 7s 6d a week.
A strange story of a lost umbrella was told at St Helens Police Court on the 14th when Ellen Fletcher of Devon Street was charged with stealing a brolly worth £2 5 shillings belonging to Mary Naylor.
Superintendent Dunn explained to the Bench that Mrs Naylor was in business in Hard Lane in St Helens and on June 30th 1920 had attended a sale at Burscough.
By coincidence she had travelled in the same railway compartment as Ellen Fletcher – but it had not been on the train when the umbrella went missing.
Mrs Naylor purchased a quantity of furniture at the sale and inadvertently left her umbrella at the house.
Fast-forward two years to June 24th 1922 when Joseph Prescott of Boundary Road claimed he was struck over the head by the same umbrella.
That act had taken place outside the Seven Stars in Eccleston after he had tried to quell a disturbance.
The handle of the umbrella broke and he picked it up and kept it – despite Ellen Fletcher later coming to his house and asking for her umbrella back.
The handle contained Mrs Naylor's name and address, which made the man suspicious, and so he reported it to the police.
In court Ellen Fletcher denied stealing the umbrella. She said she had also attended the sale in Burscough and had been asked to return the lost umbrella to Mrs Naylor, as they both lived in the same town.
That she had agreed to do but said she had simply never got round to it, adding: "It has been hanging up in my kitchen ever since, and it is an oversight I have not returned it."
Supt. Dunn pointed out to the Bench that Mrs Fletcher had two years to return the brolly and even knew the woman who had lost it! Ellen Fletcher was fined £1 and £1 costs.
Helping yourself to coal from open railway wagons was very common in St Helens, especially in times of high unemployment.
Police often hid themselves in yards and on railway tracks in order to surprise offenders.
On the 17th Peter Aspinall was fined 20 shillings and Thomas Appleton and Frederick Hill were both fined 10 shillings for stealing coal from Havannah Colliery in Parr that locals knew as "The Vanny".
PC Holland told the court that the stealing from coal wagons was carried on "very largely" and was the cause of complaints of short weight when the wagons reached their destination.
Also in court was John Smith from Alice Street in Sutton. He was accused of receiving timber that his son and another young man had stolen to make a hen run.
St Helens Corporation was installing electric cable in Sutton and upon finishing their work for the day, workmen would leave planks of wood over the holes that they had dug. That was to prevent pedestrians from stepping into them at night.
But Smith's son and his pal had helped themselves to some of the timber in order to make a fence for a hen run. The man was fined 20 shillings and the two youths 7s 6d each.
During the war cases of bigamy had increased hugely – usually committed by soldiers.
However, in 1916 Sarah Crome had been sentenced to six months in prison for going through the marriage ceremony while already wed.
In the Divorce Court on the 17th, her husband Charles Crome brought a petition for divorce against Sarah on account of her misconduct with a man named Grice.
The couple had married at St Helens Parish Church and then lived in Brynn Street.
However, Sarah wanted to be a professional singer and had joined a theatrical touring company without Charles' consent. The decree nisi was granted.
Next week's stories will include the fighting women of Thatto Heath, Parr and Peasley Cross, the unveiling of the Eccleston Lane Ends war memorial, the betting craze in Sutton Manor and the Russian famine relief fund.