IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (13th - 19th SEPTEMBER 1921)
This week's stories include the sisterly state of terror in Rainford, the Thatto Heath miner who refused to look after his family, the Borough Road tenant's foolish refusal to pay all her rent, street betting in Hall Street and a brutal police assault on the Walker Art Gallery.
We begin with the Lancashire Evening Post's brief reference on the 13th to a "kinema" licence being granted by the St Helens Licensing Justices to the County Asylum at Rainhill. This would allow the inmates to watch "kinema performances" from time to time.
The critical housing shortage meant people were packed into houses like never before and the inevitable disputes occurred. The St Helens County Sessions adjudicated on cases from places just outside the borough and heard on the 13th how sisterly love in Rainford had been tested beyond its limits. Elizabeth Greaves – along with her husband and two children – had for some time been living in the village with her sister Susannah Birchall.
When it was stated in court that a total of six people shared the same bedroom, Mrs Greaves interjected: "Yes, but there was a partition between. We made it into two rooms, and we did not sleep in the same bed." That remark suggests there were two beds in the room with the Greaves family of four having to sleep in the same bed – a far from unusual arrangement. Unsurprisingly, the sisters rowed about the set up, as, apparently, a lodger also slept with Mrs Birchall! That led to the latter threatening her sister, challenging her to fight and threatening to blow her brains out.
And according to Mrs Greaves' solicitor, the woman also "brandished a carving knife about and put complainant in a state of terror." However, her family had now found other lodgings and the magistrates appealed to both parties to make up their quarrel. So after talking the matter over privately with the police court missionary (probation officer), the case was withdrawn.
The highlight of the second in the new weekly series of boxing contests at "The Ring" in the Volunteer Hall on the 13th featured the St Helens champion boxer Ernie Proudlove (shown above as a young man and in later years) against Jack Quirk of Whitehaven. They bred them tough in those days with Ernie from Herbert Street having a day job as a miner and then travelling to fights during the evening or at weekends. However, Ernie was now approaching the end of his career and had to retire from the fight with a dislocated thumb.
At a time when finding accommodation was extremely difficult, it does seem a foolish thing for tenants not to pay their rent if they could afford to do so. A woman called Ellen Lord from Borough Road appeared in St Helens County Court on the 14th to face an application for ejection. Mrs Lord's rent was 8s 11d a week but she had amassed arrears of £23 17s 7d, in part through her refusal to pay rates' increases.
Of course, the money for the rates was included in tenants' rent and the landlord passed it onto the council. But Mrs Lord refused to pay more than 6s 3d and had told another tenant to do the same. Her case had been before the court on three occasions and the judge said she could not expect a landlord to let her live in his house on those terms. The ejectment or eviction order was granted, although Mrs Lord was given two months to find another house.
During the last fortnight representatives of the newly formed Unemployed Organisation of St Helens had held a stormy meeting with the mayor and then in the following week addressed the Town Council pleading for help. Their secretary, James Charnock, had told the councillors that in 1914 when soldiers were being recruited to fight the war, the cry had been "single men first." Now, he said, the cry was "single men must starve".
The problem was that dole money for the unemployed was only available for a limited time and once entitlement ran out, an application for so-called outdoor relief needed to be made to the Prescot Guardians, who administered the Poor Law. However, single men (and women) got nothing and family men who were successful did not receive much.
On the 15th a letter that the Unemployed Organisation had sent to the Prescot Guardians in Whiston asking them to increase their payments was published in the press. What is particularly interesting is that the weekly rates of relief that were payable to those in need were listed. So we now know that a man and his wife were expected to live on 14 shillings, with 4 shillings extra for each of their first 3 children and 3 shillings for each subsequent child.
Many of the 4,000 plus unemployed men in St Helens had been miners who before the slump had probably been earning around £4 - 5 per week, possibly more. Now if that man had a wife and two children he would presently receive from the Guardians the princely sum of £1 2 shillings, with around 8 shillings of that going in rent. But the cash despite being very low would keep a family alive and out of Whiston Workhouse. That would have cost the St Helens taxpayer a lot more and in time the Guardians would agree to increase the rates of relief that were being paid.
What enraged the authorities was having to pick up the bill to maintain a family when the father wouldn't do it. On the same day a miner called Richard Murphy from Sandon Street in Thatto Heath appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with neglecting his wife and family. The prosecution said that Murphy could earn good money as a miner but drank away most of his wages, adding: "He did not provide a home for his family, and was utterly indifferent as to their welfare."
Mrs Murphy told the court that they had been married eleven years and had eight children, six of whom were living at home. She said her husband had always drunk a lot and eight days ago he had eaten the only bread in the house and then went out to draw his pension. It sounds like Murphy was in receipt of an army pension from the war and sometimes after drawing it from the post office, the recipient would go off on a bender. Richard Murphy certainty disappeared for a week leaving the family penniless and as a result three of their children had to go into the workhouse. The man was sent to prison for 28 days with hard labour and although the sentence sounds richly deserved, it was no help to Mrs Murphy.
Before the introduction of electric and gas refrigerators, many people preserved food by packing it with ice in an icebox or cabinet. In the St Helens Reporter on the 16th an advert said: "ICE! ICE!! ICE!!! – Crystal ice motor delivery, 101, Lowe St., St. Helens." The Universal Bazaar of Church Street and the Covered Market were advertising the "Opening Of Santa Claus' Headquarters".
It was their 15th annual Christmas Club that was being promoted and available were "All The Latest Dolls, Toys, Novelties etc.", including special lines of rocking horses, teddy bears from 3/6 to 21/- and dolls prams from 24/-. Also styling themselves as the "St. Helens Bargain Centre", the Universal Bazaar was also stocking toy steam engines, "motor cars (pedal propelled)", magic lanterns, cinematographs etc. Oxleys were also advertising their Christmas Club from their Barrow Street store that they called 'Babyland'. The shop's strapline was "‘Liverpool’ In St. Helens". "Immense choice in Toys and Fancy Goods, not to mention Underwear, Overwear, Hosiery, Piece Goods, Babywear, Prams, etc., etc.", they wrote.
In court on the 16th was Mary Corrigan from Critchley Street in Parr who was summoned for committing a breach of the peace and was bound over. The woman had thrown a flowerpot and sugar basin at her husband's head!
Many shops baked their own bread, which, of course, was unsliced and sold by weight at a set price. Spot checks were regularly made and on the 19th Albert Everson was fined ten shillings and costs in St Helens Police Court for "exposing loaves of bread for sale which did not weigh the even pound". The bread sampled was underweight, in other words. Mr Everson explained that he had allowed 1lb 2oz of dough for each loaf, but it was impossible to say that after baking that the bread would result in an exact pound.
Also in court was Michael Forrester from Derbyshire Hill Road who faced two charges of street betting in Hall Street (pictured above in the foreground). These concerned the passing of football coupons and betting slips on two consecutive days. Two police officers had been concealed just six yards away (probably within a house) and with the aid of a pair of binoculars were able to see that football coupons had been passed. Forrester only had one arm and denied taking any bets on the first day and simply being a messenger on the second day – but was fined £10 or 28 days. It was the usual practice for the illegal betting operations to pay all the fines of its staff – seeing the cost as an overhead.
And, as usual, my final item features the article in the Echo this week that had nothing to do with St Helens but made me smile or shake my head in disbelief the most. It was the latter again this week with a brutal assault by the Liverpool police on a peaceful gathering of unemployed men in the Walker Art Gallery. A female former councillor, an ex-police sergeant and the minister of the Pembroke Chapel in Liverpool had led the meeting. As you can imagine there was extensive coverage in the Echo and this is an edited selection:
"The invasion of the Art Gallery by the unemployed had its sequel this morning at the City Police Court, when 156 persons were brought up. The same charge was laid against all of them. It was that of “unlawfully assembling with others to the danger of the public peace and to the terror of his Majesty's subjects in Lime-street on the 12th inst.” To this was added a second charge – that of “unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembling, with others, to the terror of his Majesty's subjects, and by force and violence committing a breach of the public peace in Lime Street and William Brown-street on the 12th inst.”
"The first batch of prisoners called up was five in number – and included Mrs. Bamber [ex-councillor and a trade unionist], the Rev. J. Vint Laughland, and Robert Tissyman [ex-police sergeant]. Mr. Laughland had his head swathed in a bandage, and Tissyman was similarly bandaged, and carried his right arm, which was fractured, in a sling. A remand for seven days having been asked for by the police, Mr. Kinghorn [magistrate], addressing the five prisoners collectively, asked them if they were prepared to find bail.
"Tissyman was the first to answer. “Personally I am not,” he said. “I have done nothing to deserve this.” [Rev.] Laughland – “I think I can help the court if it will allow me five minutes in which to say what I have to say. The police on this occasion made a terrible blunder – whether through undue nervousness or otherwise I am not prepared to say. I suggest to the Deputy-Stipendiary that whatever he does with the supposed leaders or principals, he should immediately release all those others who were following us blindly because of the promise we made that we would not lead them into trouble.
"“We had no idea that the police were going so brutally and so cruelly to smash the heads of a few individuals who were quite peacefully gathered together in the Art Gallery. We had permission from the Finance Committee to hold meetings on the plateau. I was not trying to disturb the peace, but I was clubbed into unconsciousness, and they hit me on the head with their clubs three times while I was lying full length on the floor.”
"When the accused were charged at the main bridewell [police lock up] with unlawful assembly and violence Laughland [had] replied to the first charge: “I have a letter from the Finance Committee.” To the second charge he said, “That is absolutely untrue. It is a trumped-up charge by the police authorities to cover up their own illegal action in bludgeoning peaceful citizens who, within their rights, had quietly and in an orderly manner walked into the Art Gallery, not with any intention of riotous conduct of any description.”"
The leaders would eventually be bound over or sentenced to a token day in prison, which as they had already spent that much in custody, meant they would automatically be released. I'm pleased to say that the Recorder at their trial was quite critical of the Liverpool police. Such events were becoming commonplace throughout the country, as the unemployed protested against their situation and the police overreacted.
Next week's stories will include the boys that placed sentries round the market while stealing from stalls, the Clock Face work relief scheme is suspended, the St Helens MP takes on Bolsheviks and comic Tommy Handley performs at the Hippodrome.
We begin with the Lancashire Evening Post's brief reference on the 13th to a "kinema" licence being granted by the St Helens Licensing Justices to the County Asylum at Rainhill. This would allow the inmates to watch "kinema performances" from time to time.
The critical housing shortage meant people were packed into houses like never before and the inevitable disputes occurred. The St Helens County Sessions adjudicated on cases from places just outside the borough and heard on the 13th how sisterly love in Rainford had been tested beyond its limits. Elizabeth Greaves – along with her husband and two children – had for some time been living in the village with her sister Susannah Birchall.
When it was stated in court that a total of six people shared the same bedroom, Mrs Greaves interjected: "Yes, but there was a partition between. We made it into two rooms, and we did not sleep in the same bed." That remark suggests there were two beds in the room with the Greaves family of four having to sleep in the same bed – a far from unusual arrangement. Unsurprisingly, the sisters rowed about the set up, as, apparently, a lodger also slept with Mrs Birchall! That led to the latter threatening her sister, challenging her to fight and threatening to blow her brains out.
And according to Mrs Greaves' solicitor, the woman also "brandished a carving knife about and put complainant in a state of terror." However, her family had now found other lodgings and the magistrates appealed to both parties to make up their quarrel. So after talking the matter over privately with the police court missionary (probation officer), the case was withdrawn.
At a time when finding accommodation was extremely difficult, it does seem a foolish thing for tenants not to pay their rent if they could afford to do so. A woman called Ellen Lord from Borough Road appeared in St Helens County Court on the 14th to face an application for ejection. Mrs Lord's rent was 8s 11d a week but she had amassed arrears of £23 17s 7d, in part through her refusal to pay rates' increases.
Of course, the money for the rates was included in tenants' rent and the landlord passed it onto the council. But Mrs Lord refused to pay more than 6s 3d and had told another tenant to do the same. Her case had been before the court on three occasions and the judge said she could not expect a landlord to let her live in his house on those terms. The ejectment or eviction order was granted, although Mrs Lord was given two months to find another house.
During the last fortnight representatives of the newly formed Unemployed Organisation of St Helens had held a stormy meeting with the mayor and then in the following week addressed the Town Council pleading for help. Their secretary, James Charnock, had told the councillors that in 1914 when soldiers were being recruited to fight the war, the cry had been "single men first." Now, he said, the cry was "single men must starve".
The problem was that dole money for the unemployed was only available for a limited time and once entitlement ran out, an application for so-called outdoor relief needed to be made to the Prescot Guardians, who administered the Poor Law. However, single men (and women) got nothing and family men who were successful did not receive much.
On the 15th a letter that the Unemployed Organisation had sent to the Prescot Guardians in Whiston asking them to increase their payments was published in the press. What is particularly interesting is that the weekly rates of relief that were payable to those in need were listed. So we now know that a man and his wife were expected to live on 14 shillings, with 4 shillings extra for each of their first 3 children and 3 shillings for each subsequent child.
Many of the 4,000 plus unemployed men in St Helens had been miners who before the slump had probably been earning around £4 - 5 per week, possibly more. Now if that man had a wife and two children he would presently receive from the Guardians the princely sum of £1 2 shillings, with around 8 shillings of that going in rent. But the cash despite being very low would keep a family alive and out of Whiston Workhouse. That would have cost the St Helens taxpayer a lot more and in time the Guardians would agree to increase the rates of relief that were being paid.
What enraged the authorities was having to pick up the bill to maintain a family when the father wouldn't do it. On the same day a miner called Richard Murphy from Sandon Street in Thatto Heath appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with neglecting his wife and family. The prosecution said that Murphy could earn good money as a miner but drank away most of his wages, adding: "He did not provide a home for his family, and was utterly indifferent as to their welfare."
Mrs Murphy told the court that they had been married eleven years and had eight children, six of whom were living at home. She said her husband had always drunk a lot and eight days ago he had eaten the only bread in the house and then went out to draw his pension. It sounds like Murphy was in receipt of an army pension from the war and sometimes after drawing it from the post office, the recipient would go off on a bender. Richard Murphy certainty disappeared for a week leaving the family penniless and as a result three of their children had to go into the workhouse. The man was sent to prison for 28 days with hard labour and although the sentence sounds richly deserved, it was no help to Mrs Murphy.
Before the introduction of electric and gas refrigerators, many people preserved food by packing it with ice in an icebox or cabinet. In the St Helens Reporter on the 16th an advert said: "ICE! ICE!! ICE!!! – Crystal ice motor delivery, 101, Lowe St., St. Helens." The Universal Bazaar of Church Street and the Covered Market were advertising the "Opening Of Santa Claus' Headquarters".
It was their 15th annual Christmas Club that was being promoted and available were "All The Latest Dolls, Toys, Novelties etc.", including special lines of rocking horses, teddy bears from 3/6 to 21/- and dolls prams from 24/-. Also styling themselves as the "St. Helens Bargain Centre", the Universal Bazaar was also stocking toy steam engines, "motor cars (pedal propelled)", magic lanterns, cinematographs etc. Oxleys were also advertising their Christmas Club from their Barrow Street store that they called 'Babyland'. The shop's strapline was "‘Liverpool’ In St. Helens". "Immense choice in Toys and Fancy Goods, not to mention Underwear, Overwear, Hosiery, Piece Goods, Babywear, Prams, etc., etc.", they wrote.
In court on the 16th was Mary Corrigan from Critchley Street in Parr who was summoned for committing a breach of the peace and was bound over. The woman had thrown a flowerpot and sugar basin at her husband's head!
Many shops baked their own bread, which, of course, was unsliced and sold by weight at a set price. Spot checks were regularly made and on the 19th Albert Everson was fined ten shillings and costs in St Helens Police Court for "exposing loaves of bread for sale which did not weigh the even pound". The bread sampled was underweight, in other words. Mr Everson explained that he had allowed 1lb 2oz of dough for each loaf, but it was impossible to say that after baking that the bread would result in an exact pound.
And, as usual, my final item features the article in the Echo this week that had nothing to do with St Helens but made me smile or shake my head in disbelief the most. It was the latter again this week with a brutal assault by the Liverpool police on a peaceful gathering of unemployed men in the Walker Art Gallery. A female former councillor, an ex-police sergeant and the minister of the Pembroke Chapel in Liverpool had led the meeting. As you can imagine there was extensive coverage in the Echo and this is an edited selection:
"The invasion of the Art Gallery by the unemployed had its sequel this morning at the City Police Court, when 156 persons were brought up. The same charge was laid against all of them. It was that of “unlawfully assembling with others to the danger of the public peace and to the terror of his Majesty's subjects in Lime-street on the 12th inst.” To this was added a second charge – that of “unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembling, with others, to the terror of his Majesty's subjects, and by force and violence committing a breach of the public peace in Lime Street and William Brown-street on the 12th inst.”
"The first batch of prisoners called up was five in number – and included Mrs. Bamber [ex-councillor and a trade unionist], the Rev. J. Vint Laughland, and Robert Tissyman [ex-police sergeant]. Mr. Laughland had his head swathed in a bandage, and Tissyman was similarly bandaged, and carried his right arm, which was fractured, in a sling. A remand for seven days having been asked for by the police, Mr. Kinghorn [magistrate], addressing the five prisoners collectively, asked them if they were prepared to find bail.
"Tissyman was the first to answer. “Personally I am not,” he said. “I have done nothing to deserve this.” [Rev.] Laughland – “I think I can help the court if it will allow me five minutes in which to say what I have to say. The police on this occasion made a terrible blunder – whether through undue nervousness or otherwise I am not prepared to say. I suggest to the Deputy-Stipendiary that whatever he does with the supposed leaders or principals, he should immediately release all those others who were following us blindly because of the promise we made that we would not lead them into trouble.
"“We had no idea that the police were going so brutally and so cruelly to smash the heads of a few individuals who were quite peacefully gathered together in the Art Gallery. We had permission from the Finance Committee to hold meetings on the plateau. I was not trying to disturb the peace, but I was clubbed into unconsciousness, and they hit me on the head with their clubs three times while I was lying full length on the floor.”
"When the accused were charged at the main bridewell [police lock up] with unlawful assembly and violence Laughland [had] replied to the first charge: “I have a letter from the Finance Committee.” To the second charge he said, “That is absolutely untrue. It is a trumped-up charge by the police authorities to cover up their own illegal action in bludgeoning peaceful citizens who, within their rights, had quietly and in an orderly manner walked into the Art Gallery, not with any intention of riotous conduct of any description.”"
The leaders would eventually be bound over or sentenced to a token day in prison, which as they had already spent that much in custody, meant they would automatically be released. I'm pleased to say that the Recorder at their trial was quite critical of the Liverpool police. Such events were becoming commonplace throughout the country, as the unemployed protested against their situation and the police overreacted.
Next week's stories will include the boys that placed sentries round the market while stealing from stalls, the Clock Face work relief scheme is suspended, the St Helens MP takes on Bolsheviks and comic Tommy Handley performs at the Hippodrome.
This week's stories include the sisterly state of terror in Rainford, the Thatto Heath miner who refused to look after his family, the Borough Road tenant's foolish refusal to pay all her rent, street betting in Hall Street and a brutal police assault on the Walker Art Gallery.
We begin with the Lancashire Evening Post's brief reference on the 13th to a "kinema" licence being granted by the St Helens Licensing Justices to the County Asylum at Rainhill.
This would allow the inmates to watch "kinema performances" from time to time.
The critical housing shortage meant people were packed into houses like never before and the inevitable disputes occurred.
The St Helens County Sessions adjudicated on cases from places just outside the borough and heard on the 13th how sisterly love in Rainford had been tested beyond its limits.
Elizabeth Greaves – along with her husband and two children – had for some time been living in the village with her sister Susannah Birchall.
When it was stated in court that a total of six people shared the same bedroom, Mrs Greaves interjected:
"Yes, but there was a partition between. We made it into two rooms, and we did not sleep in the same bed."
That remark suggests there were two beds in the room with the Greaves family of four having to sleep in the same bed – a far from unusual arrangement.
Unsurprisingly, the sisters rowed about the set up, as, apparently, a lodger also slept with Mrs Birchall!
That led to the latter threatening her sister, challenging her to fight and threatening to blow her brains out.
And according to Mrs Greaves' solicitor, the woman also "brandished a carving knife about and put complainant in a state of terror."
However, her family had now found other lodgings and the magistrates appealed to both parties to make up their quarrel.
So after talking the matter over privately with the police court missionary (probation officer), the case was withdrawn.
The highlight of the second in the new weekly series of boxing contests at "The Ring" in the Volunteer Hall on the 13th featured the St Helens champion boxer Ernie Proudlove (shown above as a young man and in later years) against Jack Quirk of Whitehaven.
They bred them tough in those days with Ernie from Herbert Street having a day job as a miner and then travelling to fights during the evening or at weekends.
However, Ernie was now approaching the end of his career and had to retire from the fight with a dislocated thumb.
At a time when finding accommodation was extremely difficult, it does seem a foolish thing for tenants not to pay their rent if they could afford to do so.
A woman called Ellen Lord from Borough Road appeared in St Helens County Court on the 14th to face an application for ejection.
Mrs Lord's rent was 8s 11d a week but she had amassed arrears of £23 17s 7d, in part through her refusal to pay rates' increases.
Of course, the money for the rates was included in tenants' rent and the landlord passed it onto the council.
But Mrs Lord refused to pay more than 6s 3d and had told another tenant to do the same.
Her case had been before the court on three occasions and the judge said she could not expect a landlord to let her live in his house on those terms.
The ejectment or eviction order was granted, although Mrs Lord was given two months to find another house.
During the last fortnight representatives of the newly formed Unemployed Organisation of St Helens had held a stormy meeting with the mayor and then in the following week addressed the Town Council pleading for help.
Their secretary, James Charnock, had told the councillors that in 1914 when soldiers were being recruited to fight the war, the cry had been "single men first." Now, he said, the cry was "single men must starve".
The problem was that dole money for the unemployed was only available for a limited time and once entitlement ran out, an application for so-called outdoor relief needed to be made to the Prescot Guardians, who administered the Poor Law.
However, single men (and women) got nothing and family men who were successful did not receive much.
On the 15th a letter that the Unemployed Organisation had sent to the Prescot Guardians in Whiston asking them to increase their payments was published in the press.
What is particularly interesting is that the weekly rates of relief that were payable to those in need were listed.
So we now know that a man and his wife were expected to live on 14 shillings, with 4 shillings extra for each of their first 3 children and 3 shillings for each subsequent child.
Many of the 4,000 plus unemployed men in St Helens had been miners who before the slump had probably been earning around £4 - 5 per week, possibly more.
Now if that man had a wife and two children he would presently receive from the Guardians the princely sum of £1 2 shillings, with around 8 shillings of that going in rent.
But the cash despite being very low would keep a family alive and out of Whiston Workhouse.
That would have cost the St Helens taxpayer a lot more and in time the Guardians would agree to increase the rates of relief that were being paid.
What enraged the authorities was having to pick up the bill to maintain a family when the father wouldn't do it.
On the same day a miner called Richard Murphy from Sandon Street in Thatto Heath appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with neglecting his wife and family.
The prosecution said that Murphy could earn good money as a miner but drank away most of his wages, adding: "He did not provide a home for his family, and was utterly indifferent as to their welfare."
Mrs Murphy told the court that they had been married eleven years and had eight children, six of whom were living at home.
She said her husband had always drunk a lot and eight days ago he had eaten the only bread in the house and then went out to draw his pension.
It sounds like Murphy was in receipt of an army pension from the war and sometimes after drawing it from the post office, the recipient would go off on a bender.
Richard Murphy certainty disappeared for a week leaving the family penniless and as a result three of their children had to go into the workhouse.
The man was sent to prison for twenty-eight days with hard labour and although the sentence sounds richly deserved, it was no help to Mrs Murphy.
Before the introduction of electric and gas refrigerators, many people preserved food by packing it with ice in an icebox or cabinet.
In the St Helens Reporter on the 16th an advert said: "ICE! ICE!! ICE!!! – Crystal ice motor delivery, 101, Lowe St., St. Helens."
The Universal Bazaar of Church Street and the Covered Market were advertising the "Opening Of Santa Claus' Headquarters".
It was their 15th annual Christmas Club that was being promoted and available were "All The Latest Dolls, Toys, Novelties etc.", including special lines of rocking horses, teddy bears from 3/6 to 21/- and dolls prams from 24/-.
Also styling themselves as the "St. Helens Bargain Centre", the Universal Bazaar was also stocking toy steam engines, "motor cars (pedal propelled)", magic lanterns, cinematographs etc.
Oxleys were also advertising their Christmas Club from their Barrow Street store that they called 'Babyland'. The shop's strapline was "‘Liverpool’ In St. Helens".
"Immense choice in Toys and Fancy Goods, not to mention Underwear, Overwear, Hosiery, Piece Goods, Babywear, Prams, etc., etc.", they wrote.
In court on the 16th was Mary Corrigan from Critchley Street in Parr who was summoned for committing a breach of the peace and was bound over.
The woman had thrown a flowerpot and sugar basin at her husband's head!
Many shops baked their own bread, which, of course, was unsliced and sold by weight at a set price.
Spot checks were regularly made and on the 19th Albert Everson was fined ten shillings and costs in St Helens Police Court for "exposing loaves of bread for sale which did not weigh the even pound".
The bread sampled was underweight, in other words.
Mr Everson explained that he had allowed 1lb 2oz of dough for each loaf, but it was impossible to say that after baking that the bread would result in an exact pound.
Also in court was Michael Forrester from Derbyshire Hill Road who faced two charges of street betting in Hall Street (pictured above in the foreground).
These concerned the passing of football coupons and betting slips on two consecutive days.
Two police officers had been concealed just six yards away (probably within a house) and with the aid of a pair of binoculars were able to see that football coupons had been passed.
Forrester only had one arm and denied taking any bets on the first day and simply being a messenger on the second day – but was fined £10 or 28 days.
It was the usual practice for the illegal betting operations to pay all the fines of its staff – seeing the cost as an overhead.
And, as usual, my final item features the article in the Echo this week that had nothing to do with St Helens but made me smile or shake my head in disbelief the most.
It was the latter again this week with a brutal assault by the Liverpool police on a peaceful gathering of unemployed men in the Walker Art Gallery.
A female former councillor, an ex-police sergeant and the minister of the Pembroke Chapel in Liverpool had led the meeting. As you can imagine there was extensive coverage in the Echo and this is an edited selection:
"The invasion of the Art Gallery by the unemployed had its sequel this morning at the City Police Court, when 156 persons were brought up. The same charge was laid against all of them.
"It was that of “unlawfully assembling with others to the danger of the public peace and to the terror of his Majesty's subjects in Lime-street on the 12th inst.”
"To this was added a second charge – that of “unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembling, with others, to the terror of his Majesty's subjects, and by force and violence committing a breach of the public peace in Lime Street and William Brown-street on the 12th inst.”
"The first batch of prisoners called up was five in number – and included Mrs. Bamber [ex-councillor and a trade unionist], the Rev. J. Vint Laughland, and Robert Tissyman [ex-police sergeant].
"Mr. Laughland had his head swathed in a bandage, and Tissyman was similarly bandaged, and carried his right arm, which was fractured, in a sling.
"A remand for seven days having been asked for by the police, Mr. Kinghorn [magistrate], addressing the five prisoners collectively, asked them if they were prepared to find bail.
"Tissyman was the first to answer. “Personally I am not,” he said. “I have done nothing to deserve this.”
"[Rev.] Laughland – “I think I can help the court if it will allow me five minutes in which to say what I have to say.
"“The police on this occasion made a terrible blunder – whether through undue nervousness or otherwise I am not prepared to say.
"“I suggest to the Deputy-Stipendiary that whatever he does with the supposed leaders or principals, he should immediately release all those others who were following us blindly because of the promise we made that we would not lead them into trouble.
"“We had no idea that the police were going so brutally and so cruelly to smash the heads of a few individuals who were quite peacefully gathered together in the Art Gallery.
"“We had permission from the Finance Committee to hold meetings on the plateau.
"“I was not trying to disturb the peace, but I was clubbed into unconsciousness, and they hit me on the head with their clubs three times while I was lying full length on the floor.”
"When the accused were charged at the main bridewell [police lock up] with unlawful assembly and violence Laughland [had] replied to the first charge: “I have a letter from the Finance Committee.”
"To the second charge he said, “That is absolutely untrue. It is a trumped-up charge by the police authorities to cover up their own illegal action in bludgeoning peaceful citizens who, within their rights, had quietly and in an orderly manner walked into the Art Gallery, not with any intention of riotous conduct of any description.”"
The leaders would eventually be bound over or sentenced to a token day in prison, which as they had already spent that much in custody, meant they would automatically be released.
I'm pleased to say that the Recorder at their trial was quite critical of the Liverpool police.
Such events were becoming commonplace throughout the country, as the unemployed protested against their situation and the police overreacted.
Next week's stories will include the boys that placed sentries round the market while stealing from stalls, the Clock Face work relief scheme is suspended, the St Helens MP takes on Bolsheviks and comic Tommy Handley performs at the Hippodrome.
We begin with the Lancashire Evening Post's brief reference on the 13th to a "kinema" licence being granted by the St Helens Licensing Justices to the County Asylum at Rainhill.
This would allow the inmates to watch "kinema performances" from time to time.
The critical housing shortage meant people were packed into houses like never before and the inevitable disputes occurred.
The St Helens County Sessions adjudicated on cases from places just outside the borough and heard on the 13th how sisterly love in Rainford had been tested beyond its limits.
Elizabeth Greaves – along with her husband and two children – had for some time been living in the village with her sister Susannah Birchall.
When it was stated in court that a total of six people shared the same bedroom, Mrs Greaves interjected:
"Yes, but there was a partition between. We made it into two rooms, and we did not sleep in the same bed."
That remark suggests there were two beds in the room with the Greaves family of four having to sleep in the same bed – a far from unusual arrangement.
Unsurprisingly, the sisters rowed about the set up, as, apparently, a lodger also slept with Mrs Birchall!
That led to the latter threatening her sister, challenging her to fight and threatening to blow her brains out.
And according to Mrs Greaves' solicitor, the woman also "brandished a carving knife about and put complainant in a state of terror."
However, her family had now found other lodgings and the magistrates appealed to both parties to make up their quarrel.
So after talking the matter over privately with the police court missionary (probation officer), the case was withdrawn.
They bred them tough in those days with Ernie from Herbert Street having a day job as a miner and then travelling to fights during the evening or at weekends.
However, Ernie was now approaching the end of his career and had to retire from the fight with a dislocated thumb.
At a time when finding accommodation was extremely difficult, it does seem a foolish thing for tenants not to pay their rent if they could afford to do so.
A woman called Ellen Lord from Borough Road appeared in St Helens County Court on the 14th to face an application for ejection.
Mrs Lord's rent was 8s 11d a week but she had amassed arrears of £23 17s 7d, in part through her refusal to pay rates' increases.
Of course, the money for the rates was included in tenants' rent and the landlord passed it onto the council.
But Mrs Lord refused to pay more than 6s 3d and had told another tenant to do the same.
Her case had been before the court on three occasions and the judge said she could not expect a landlord to let her live in his house on those terms.
The ejectment or eviction order was granted, although Mrs Lord was given two months to find another house.
During the last fortnight representatives of the newly formed Unemployed Organisation of St Helens had held a stormy meeting with the mayor and then in the following week addressed the Town Council pleading for help.
Their secretary, James Charnock, had told the councillors that in 1914 when soldiers were being recruited to fight the war, the cry had been "single men first." Now, he said, the cry was "single men must starve".
The problem was that dole money for the unemployed was only available for a limited time and once entitlement ran out, an application for so-called outdoor relief needed to be made to the Prescot Guardians, who administered the Poor Law.
However, single men (and women) got nothing and family men who were successful did not receive much.
On the 15th a letter that the Unemployed Organisation had sent to the Prescot Guardians in Whiston asking them to increase their payments was published in the press.
What is particularly interesting is that the weekly rates of relief that were payable to those in need were listed.
So we now know that a man and his wife were expected to live on 14 shillings, with 4 shillings extra for each of their first 3 children and 3 shillings for each subsequent child.
Many of the 4,000 plus unemployed men in St Helens had been miners who before the slump had probably been earning around £4 - 5 per week, possibly more.
Now if that man had a wife and two children he would presently receive from the Guardians the princely sum of £1 2 shillings, with around 8 shillings of that going in rent.
But the cash despite being very low would keep a family alive and out of Whiston Workhouse.
That would have cost the St Helens taxpayer a lot more and in time the Guardians would agree to increase the rates of relief that were being paid.
What enraged the authorities was having to pick up the bill to maintain a family when the father wouldn't do it.
On the same day a miner called Richard Murphy from Sandon Street in Thatto Heath appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with neglecting his wife and family.
The prosecution said that Murphy could earn good money as a miner but drank away most of his wages, adding: "He did not provide a home for his family, and was utterly indifferent as to their welfare."
Mrs Murphy told the court that they had been married eleven years and had eight children, six of whom were living at home.
She said her husband had always drunk a lot and eight days ago he had eaten the only bread in the house and then went out to draw his pension.
It sounds like Murphy was in receipt of an army pension from the war and sometimes after drawing it from the post office, the recipient would go off on a bender.
Richard Murphy certainty disappeared for a week leaving the family penniless and as a result three of their children had to go into the workhouse.
The man was sent to prison for twenty-eight days with hard labour and although the sentence sounds richly deserved, it was no help to Mrs Murphy.
Before the introduction of electric and gas refrigerators, many people preserved food by packing it with ice in an icebox or cabinet.
In the St Helens Reporter on the 16th an advert said: "ICE! ICE!! ICE!!! – Crystal ice motor delivery, 101, Lowe St., St. Helens."
The Universal Bazaar of Church Street and the Covered Market were advertising the "Opening Of Santa Claus' Headquarters".
It was their 15th annual Christmas Club that was being promoted and available were "All The Latest Dolls, Toys, Novelties etc.", including special lines of rocking horses, teddy bears from 3/6 to 21/- and dolls prams from 24/-.
Also styling themselves as the "St. Helens Bargain Centre", the Universal Bazaar was also stocking toy steam engines, "motor cars (pedal propelled)", magic lanterns, cinematographs etc.
Oxleys were also advertising their Christmas Club from their Barrow Street store that they called 'Babyland'. The shop's strapline was "‘Liverpool’ In St. Helens".
"Immense choice in Toys and Fancy Goods, not to mention Underwear, Overwear, Hosiery, Piece Goods, Babywear, Prams, etc., etc.", they wrote.
In court on the 16th was Mary Corrigan from Critchley Street in Parr who was summoned for committing a breach of the peace and was bound over.
The woman had thrown a flowerpot and sugar basin at her husband's head!
Many shops baked their own bread, which, of course, was unsliced and sold by weight at a set price.
Spot checks were regularly made and on the 19th Albert Everson was fined ten shillings and costs in St Helens Police Court for "exposing loaves of bread for sale which did not weigh the even pound".
The bread sampled was underweight, in other words.
Mr Everson explained that he had allowed 1lb 2oz of dough for each loaf, but it was impossible to say that after baking that the bread would result in an exact pound.
These concerned the passing of football coupons and betting slips on two consecutive days.
Two police officers had been concealed just six yards away (probably within a house) and with the aid of a pair of binoculars were able to see that football coupons had been passed.
Forrester only had one arm and denied taking any bets on the first day and simply being a messenger on the second day – but was fined £10 or 28 days.
It was the usual practice for the illegal betting operations to pay all the fines of its staff – seeing the cost as an overhead.
And, as usual, my final item features the article in the Echo this week that had nothing to do with St Helens but made me smile or shake my head in disbelief the most.
It was the latter again this week with a brutal assault by the Liverpool police on a peaceful gathering of unemployed men in the Walker Art Gallery.
A female former councillor, an ex-police sergeant and the minister of the Pembroke Chapel in Liverpool had led the meeting. As you can imagine there was extensive coverage in the Echo and this is an edited selection:
"The invasion of the Art Gallery by the unemployed had its sequel this morning at the City Police Court, when 156 persons were brought up. The same charge was laid against all of them.
"It was that of “unlawfully assembling with others to the danger of the public peace and to the terror of his Majesty's subjects in Lime-street on the 12th inst.”
"To this was added a second charge – that of “unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembling, with others, to the terror of his Majesty's subjects, and by force and violence committing a breach of the public peace in Lime Street and William Brown-street on the 12th inst.”
"The first batch of prisoners called up was five in number – and included Mrs. Bamber [ex-councillor and a trade unionist], the Rev. J. Vint Laughland, and Robert Tissyman [ex-police sergeant].
"Mr. Laughland had his head swathed in a bandage, and Tissyman was similarly bandaged, and carried his right arm, which was fractured, in a sling.
"A remand for seven days having been asked for by the police, Mr. Kinghorn [magistrate], addressing the five prisoners collectively, asked them if they were prepared to find bail.
"Tissyman was the first to answer. “Personally I am not,” he said. “I have done nothing to deserve this.”
"[Rev.] Laughland – “I think I can help the court if it will allow me five minutes in which to say what I have to say.
"“The police on this occasion made a terrible blunder – whether through undue nervousness or otherwise I am not prepared to say.
"“I suggest to the Deputy-Stipendiary that whatever he does with the supposed leaders or principals, he should immediately release all those others who were following us blindly because of the promise we made that we would not lead them into trouble.
"“We had no idea that the police were going so brutally and so cruelly to smash the heads of a few individuals who were quite peacefully gathered together in the Art Gallery.
"“We had permission from the Finance Committee to hold meetings on the plateau.
"“I was not trying to disturb the peace, but I was clubbed into unconsciousness, and they hit me on the head with their clubs three times while I was lying full length on the floor.”
"When the accused were charged at the main bridewell [police lock up] with unlawful assembly and violence Laughland [had] replied to the first charge: “I have a letter from the Finance Committee.”
"To the second charge he said, “That is absolutely untrue. It is a trumped-up charge by the police authorities to cover up their own illegal action in bludgeoning peaceful citizens who, within their rights, had quietly and in an orderly manner walked into the Art Gallery, not with any intention of riotous conduct of any description.”"
The leaders would eventually be bound over or sentenced to a token day in prison, which as they had already spent that much in custody, meant they would automatically be released.
I'm pleased to say that the Recorder at their trial was quite critical of the Liverpool police.
Such events were becoming commonplace throughout the country, as the unemployed protested against their situation and the police overreacted.
Next week's stories will include the boys that placed sentries round the market while stealing from stalls, the Clock Face work relief scheme is suspended, the St Helens MP takes on Bolsheviks and comic Tommy Handley performs at the Hippodrome.