IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (25th - 31st JULY 1922)
This week's many stories include the churchyard desecration at Sutton, the anti-war demonstration in Bridge Street, the Langtree Street benefit cheat, a death at Lea Green Colliery and a couple mark their silver wedding anniversary by separating and throwing dirt at each other in court.
We begin on the 25th when the Liverpool Echo reported that a case of smallpox had been reported at St Helens. The patient had been out of the district in connection with a bowling competition and so was thought to have contracted the disease elsewhere. The person was reported as having been isolated and all their contacts "dealt with", as the newspaper put it.
The so-called "crippled children's" annual treat was held on the 27th at The Woodlands in Eccleston Park, the beautiful home of Alderman James Crooks. Usually around 150 disabled boys and girls were conveyed to the timber merchant's house for tea and entertainment that often included a ventriloquist and Punch and Judy.
"Churchyard Desecration – Disgraceful Scene At Sutton – Brother And Sister Struggle Over Mother’s Grave", were the headlines to a very lengthy article in the St Helens Reporter on the 28th describing an incident in St Nicholas churchyard. It was another case of a family at war and concerned Walter Cotton of Taylor Street in Sutton and his sister and sister-in-law. The mother of the Clock Face Colliery miner had lived with him for a few months until her recent death – but for five years previously she'd resided with her daughter in Manchester.
When the mother passed away, Walter didn't bother to let his sister know and on the day when trouble broke out, the woman had travelled from Manchester to place a wreath on her mother's grave. Cotton reckoned that his mother had told him that when she died she didn't want flowers on her grave and so he made a grab for the wreath.
His reckless act knocked over Jane Lowe, his sister-in-law, who was unconscious for a while. As a result she had to spend a week in bed at her home in Houghton Road. Cotton argued that what had occurred had been an accident but his sister and sister-in-law considered it an aggravated assault and so took out a summons. The miner was fined £5.
John Woodward from Central Street was also in court on the 28th charged with assaulting Annie Deakin. The latter claimed that Woodward had approached her when standing at her front door and told her to go inside. Annie then claimed that he'd followed her into her home and punched her on her legs and body, leaving her "black and blue all over".
However, John Woodward told a somewhat different tale. He claimed that the woman had "let wing" at him with her fist and had caused some of her injuries by accidentally falling against a fireguard. Woodward added that the woman had also flung a vase at him and all he had done was act in self-defence. But as he could not prove his claim, Woodward was bound over to keep the peace for six months.
The inquest on John Jones of Nutgrove Road was heard in St Helens Town Hall on the 28th. The 34-year-old had worked at Lea Green Colliery (pictured above) and, along with a colleague, had been told to take down a large stone that was embedded in the pit roof underground. The stone measured 6 feet by 2 ft 6 inches and had to be removed so that the roof could be made higher. However, during the act of removal, the stone suddenly dropped. It knocked Jones down and then rolled upon his head. Upon being extricated from the rubble, the mineworker was found to be dead.
At a court hearing on the 29th, it was revealed how PC Tinsley had got some early morning exercise after chasing a coal thief. So prevalent had been the stealing from the waste heaps at Sherdley Colliery that plain-clothed police had been stationed there on watch. PC Tinsley stated that at 6:20am he had seen William Finney of Peasley Cross Lane taking bits of coal out of a waste heap and placing them into a sack. Upon going towards the man, Finney ran off and the constable had to chase his quarry for 1½ miles before apprehending him.
That was after he had dashed into a house in Peasley Cross Lane, despite not being acquainted with its occupants. Finney denied that the stolen coal that the police had found was his and complained that no notice had been put up prohibiting coal picking out of the waste heap. Superintendent Dunn commented to the Bench that if he had not known he was doing wrong, why did he take to his heels when the policeman approached? The man was fined 5 shillings.
The St Helens magistrates considered any breach of licensing conditions for places of entertainment as serious. The Reporter also described how the manager of the Theatre Royal had been prosecuted for having his theatre open later than the permitted hours. Harry Johnson had been running a talent contest, strangely called a "go-as-you please competition for amateurs". About forty acts had taken part and the evening overran.
Johnson was only licensed to keep his Corporation Street theatre open until 11:30pm – but the audience did not leave until ten to one. The Bench said it was a serious offence and if it happened again it would prove serious for him with the possibility of the loss of his licence. However, on this occasion they would dismiss the charge upon payment of 20 shillings costs.
The Reporter also described an application for a separation order that had been made in St Helens Police Court this week in which Elizabeth Clark accused her husband of desertion. The couple had been married for 25 years and in recent times had resided in Higher Parr Street. The husband Moses Clark said his wife had not been the same since she started attending spiritualist meetings and he accused her of telling him to leave home on several occasions.
That Mrs Clark refuted and she also denied hitting him across the face with some cold beef fat and on another occasion threatening her husband with a knife unless he left home. The wife wanted 30 shillings a week in maintenance and the husband offered 13s 6d. The Bench were not convinced that the Clark's long marriage was over and felt reconciliation was possible. And so they adjourned the case for a month to see if the couple could make up and in the meantime Mrs Clark was allowed a pound a week in maintenance.
Historically, the term demonstration would normally refer to a march and meeting in favour of something, often in support of an organisation. However, the demonstration that took place in Bridge Street in St Helens on the 30th was most definitely against something – war. Marchers carried banners bearing slogans such as "Mothers, Will You Let Your Sons Go to the Next Great Slaughter?" and "War is Woe".
The meeting was in connection with the national ‘No More War Movement’ that had been founded in 1921 and it took place on the waste ground in Bridge Street (by where the Savoy cinema would later be built). The Mayor of St Helens, Cllr. Richard Ellison, presided and in his keynote speech said the last conflict had been fought because it was considered inevitable with many believing it was the war to end all war.
But Cllr. Ellison said he was alarmed by some of the recent talk of the Prime Minister (Lloyd George) who had suggested that another war could be just around the corner. Although the No More War Movement had the backing of some well-known figures in the country, its embracing of socialism curtailed its national appeal.
There was harsh punishment for those found guilty of cheating the 1920s benefit system. In St Helens Police Court on the 31st, James Worley of Langtree Street was charged with wrongfully obtaining relief from the Prescot Guardians, the body that administered the Poor Law.
The former soldier with a wife and three children was in receipt of an army pension of 19 shillings 1d but had failed to inform the authorities. In response to a question on a form asking if the claimant received a pension, Worley had written "Nil". In total he had received £22 1s 2d in relief payments that he had no entitlement to and Worley was sent to prison for 28 days.
Next week's stories will include the Market Street families that were at each other's throats, the singing RAF deserter in Oxford Street, the Bold farmer's gun pretence and the Sutton Manor story of the piano removal coal man and the frisky horse.
We begin on the 25th when the Liverpool Echo reported that a case of smallpox had been reported at St Helens. The patient had been out of the district in connection with a bowling competition and so was thought to have contracted the disease elsewhere. The person was reported as having been isolated and all their contacts "dealt with", as the newspaper put it.
The so-called "crippled children's" annual treat was held on the 27th at The Woodlands in Eccleston Park, the beautiful home of Alderman James Crooks. Usually around 150 disabled boys and girls were conveyed to the timber merchant's house for tea and entertainment that often included a ventriloquist and Punch and Judy.
When the mother passed away, Walter didn't bother to let his sister know and on the day when trouble broke out, the woman had travelled from Manchester to place a wreath on her mother's grave. Cotton reckoned that his mother had told him that when she died she didn't want flowers on her grave and so he made a grab for the wreath.
His reckless act knocked over Jane Lowe, his sister-in-law, who was unconscious for a while. As a result she had to spend a week in bed at her home in Houghton Road. Cotton argued that what had occurred had been an accident but his sister and sister-in-law considered it an aggravated assault and so took out a summons. The miner was fined £5.
John Woodward from Central Street was also in court on the 28th charged with assaulting Annie Deakin. The latter claimed that Woodward had approached her when standing at her front door and told her to go inside. Annie then claimed that he'd followed her into her home and punched her on her legs and body, leaving her "black and blue all over".
However, John Woodward told a somewhat different tale. He claimed that the woman had "let wing" at him with her fist and had caused some of her injuries by accidentally falling against a fireguard. Woodward added that the woman had also flung a vase at him and all he had done was act in self-defence. But as he could not prove his claim, Woodward was bound over to keep the peace for six months.
At a court hearing on the 29th, it was revealed how PC Tinsley had got some early morning exercise after chasing a coal thief. So prevalent had been the stealing from the waste heaps at Sherdley Colliery that plain-clothed police had been stationed there on watch. PC Tinsley stated that at 6:20am he had seen William Finney of Peasley Cross Lane taking bits of coal out of a waste heap and placing them into a sack. Upon going towards the man, Finney ran off and the constable had to chase his quarry for 1½ miles before apprehending him.
That was after he had dashed into a house in Peasley Cross Lane, despite not being acquainted with its occupants. Finney denied that the stolen coal that the police had found was his and complained that no notice had been put up prohibiting coal picking out of the waste heap. Superintendent Dunn commented to the Bench that if he had not known he was doing wrong, why did he take to his heels when the policeman approached? The man was fined 5 shillings.
The St Helens magistrates considered any breach of licensing conditions for places of entertainment as serious. The Reporter also described how the manager of the Theatre Royal had been prosecuted for having his theatre open later than the permitted hours. Harry Johnson had been running a talent contest, strangely called a "go-as-you please competition for amateurs". About forty acts had taken part and the evening overran.
Johnson was only licensed to keep his Corporation Street theatre open until 11:30pm – but the audience did not leave until ten to one. The Bench said it was a serious offence and if it happened again it would prove serious for him with the possibility of the loss of his licence. However, on this occasion they would dismiss the charge upon payment of 20 shillings costs.
The Reporter also described an application for a separation order that had been made in St Helens Police Court this week in which Elizabeth Clark accused her husband of desertion. The couple had been married for 25 years and in recent times had resided in Higher Parr Street. The husband Moses Clark said his wife had not been the same since she started attending spiritualist meetings and he accused her of telling him to leave home on several occasions.
That Mrs Clark refuted and she also denied hitting him across the face with some cold beef fat and on another occasion threatening her husband with a knife unless he left home. The wife wanted 30 shillings a week in maintenance and the husband offered 13s 6d. The Bench were not convinced that the Clark's long marriage was over and felt reconciliation was possible. And so they adjourned the case for a month to see if the couple could make up and in the meantime Mrs Clark was allowed a pound a week in maintenance.
Historically, the term demonstration would normally refer to a march and meeting in favour of something, often in support of an organisation. However, the demonstration that took place in Bridge Street in St Helens on the 30th was most definitely against something – war. Marchers carried banners bearing slogans such as "Mothers, Will You Let Your Sons Go to the Next Great Slaughter?" and "War is Woe".
The meeting was in connection with the national ‘No More War Movement’ that had been founded in 1921 and it took place on the waste ground in Bridge Street (by where the Savoy cinema would later be built). The Mayor of St Helens, Cllr. Richard Ellison, presided and in his keynote speech said the last conflict had been fought because it was considered inevitable with many believing it was the war to end all war.
But Cllr. Ellison said he was alarmed by some of the recent talk of the Prime Minister (Lloyd George) who had suggested that another war could be just around the corner. Although the No More War Movement had the backing of some well-known figures in the country, its embracing of socialism curtailed its national appeal.
There was harsh punishment for those found guilty of cheating the 1920s benefit system. In St Helens Police Court on the 31st, James Worley of Langtree Street was charged with wrongfully obtaining relief from the Prescot Guardians, the body that administered the Poor Law.
The former soldier with a wife and three children was in receipt of an army pension of 19 shillings 1d but had failed to inform the authorities. In response to a question on a form asking if the claimant received a pension, Worley had written "Nil". In total he had received £22 1s 2d in relief payments that he had no entitlement to and Worley was sent to prison for 28 days.
Next week's stories will include the Market Street families that were at each other's throats, the singing RAF deserter in Oxford Street, the Bold farmer's gun pretence and the Sutton Manor story of the piano removal coal man and the frisky horse.
This week's many stories include the churchyard desecration at Sutton, the anti-war demonstration in Bridge Street, the Langtree Street benefit cheat, a death at Lea Green Colliery and a couple mark their silver wedding anniversary by separating and throwing dirt at each other in court.
We begin on the 25th when the Liverpool Echo reported that a case of smallpox had been reported at St Helens.
The patient had been out of the district in connection with a bowling competition and so was thought to have contracted the disease elsewhere.
The person was reported as having been isolated and all their contacts "dealt with", as the newspaper put it.
The so-called "crippled children's" annual treat was held on the 27th at The Woodlands in Eccleston Park, the beautiful home of Alderman James Crooks.
Usually around 150 disabled boys and girls were conveyed to the timber merchant's house for tea and entertainment that often included a ventriloquist and Punch and Judy.
"Churchyard Desecration – Disgraceful Scene At Sutton – Brother And Sister Struggle Over Mother’s Grave", were the headlines to a very lengthy article in the St Helens Reporter on the 28th describing an incident in St Nicholas churchyard.
It was another case of a family at war and concerned Walter Cotton of Taylor Street in Sutton and his sister and sister-in-law.
The mother of the Clock Face Colliery miner had lived with him for a few months until her recent death – but for five years previously she'd resided with her daughter in Manchester.
When the mother passed away, Walter didn't bother to let his sister know and on the day when trouble broke out, the woman had travelled from Manchester to place a wreath on her mother's grave.
Cotton reckoned that his mother had told him that when she died she didn't want flowers on her grave and so he made a grab for the wreath.
His reckless act knocked over Jane Lowe, his sister-in-law, who was unconscious for a while. As a result she had to spend a week in bed at her home in Houghton Road.
Cotton argued that what had occurred had been an accident but his sister and sister-in-law considered it an aggravated assault and so took out a summons. The miner was fined £5.
John Woodward from Central Street was also in court on the 28th charged with assaulting Annie Deakin.
The latter claimed that Woodward had approached her when standing at her front door and told her to go inside.
Annie then claimed that he'd followed her into her home and punched her on her legs and body, leaving her "black and blue all over".
However, John Woodward told a somewhat different tale. He claimed that the woman had "let wing" at him with her fist and had caused some of her injuries by accidentally falling against a fireguard.
Woodward added that the woman had also flung a vase at him and all he had done was act in self-defence.
But as he could not prove his claim, Woodward was bound over to keep the peace for six months.
The inquest on John Jones of Nutgrove Road was heard in St Helens Town Hall on the 28th.
The 34-year-old had worked at Lea Green Colliery (pictured above) and, along with a colleague, had been told to take down a large stone that was embedded in the pit roof underground.
The stone measured 6 feet by 2 ft 6 inches and had to be removed so that the roof could be made higher.
However, during the act of removal, the stone suddenly dropped. It knocked Jones down and then rolled upon his head. Upon being extricated from the rubble, the mineworker was found to be dead.
At a court hearing on the 29th, it was revealed how PC Tinsley had got some early morning exercise after chasing a coal thief.
So prevalent had been the stealing from the waste heaps at Sherdley Colliery that plain-clothed police had been stationed there on watch.
PC Tinsley stated that at 6:20am he had seen William Finney of Peasley Cross Lane taking bits of coal out of a waste heap and placing them into a sack.
Upon going towards the man, Finney ran off and the constable had to chase his quarry for 1½ miles before apprehending him.
That was after he had dashed into a house in Peasley Cross Lane, despite not being acquainted with its occupants.
Finney denied that the stolen coal that the police had found was his and complained that no notice had been put up prohibiting coal picking out of the waste heap.
Superintendent Dunn commented to the Bench that if he had not known he was doing wrong, why did he take to his heels when the policeman approached? The man was fined 5 shillings.
The St Helens magistrates considered any breach of licensing conditions for places of entertainment as serious.
The Reporter also described how the manager of the Theatre Royal had been prosecuted for having his theatre open later than the permitted hours.
Harry Johnson had been running a talent contest, strangely called a "go-as-you please competition for amateurs". About forty acts had taken part and the evening overran.
Johnson was only licensed to keep his Corporation Street theatre open until 11:30pm – but the audience did not leave until ten to one.
The Bench said it was a serious offence and if it happened again it would prove serious for him with the possibility of the loss of his licence.
However, on this occasion they would dismiss the charge upon payment of 20 shillings costs.
The Reporter also described an application for a separation order that had been made in St Helens Police Court this week in which Elizabeth Clark accused her husband of desertion.
The couple had been married for 25 years and in recent times had resided in Higher Parr Street.
The husband Moses Clark said his wife had not been the same since she started attending spiritualist meetings and he accused her of telling him to leave home on several occasions.
That Mrs Clark refuted and she also denied hitting him across the face with some cold beef fat and on another occasion threatening her husband with a knife unless he left home.
The wife wanted 30 shillings a week in maintenance and the husband offered 13s 6d.
The Bench were not convinced that the Clark's long marriage was over and felt reconciliation was possible.
And so they adjourned the case for a month to see if the couple could make up and in the meantime Mrs Clark was allowed a pound a week in maintenance.
Historically, the term demonstration would normally refer to a march and meeting in favour of something, often in support of an organisation.
However, the demonstration that took place in Bridge Street in St Helens on the 30th was most definitely against something – war.
Marchers carried banners bearing slogans such as "Mothers, Will You Let Your Sons Go to the Next Great Slaughter?" and "War is Woe".
The meeting was in connection with the national ‘No More War Movement’ that had been founded in 1921 and it took place on the waste ground in Bridge Street (by where the Savoy cinema would later be built).
The Mayor of St Helens, Cllr. Richard Ellison, presided and in his keynote speech said the last conflict had been fought because it was considered inevitable with many believing it was the war to end all war.
But Cllr. Ellison said he was alarmed by some of the recent talk of the Prime Minister (Lloyd George) who had suggested that another war could be just around the corner.
Although the No More War Movement had the backing of some well-known figures in the country, its embracing of socialism curtailed its national appeal.
There was harsh punishment for those found guilty of cheating the 1920s benefit system.
In St Helens Police Court on the 31st, James Worley of Langtree Street was charged with wrongfully obtaining relief from the Prescot Guardians, the body that administered the Poor Law.
The former soldier with a wife and three children was in receipt of an army pension of 19 shillings 1d but had failed to inform the authorities.
In response to a question on a form asking if the claimant received a pension, Worley had written "Nil".
In total he had received £22 1s 2d in relief payments that he had no entitlement to and Worley was sent to prison for 28 days.
Next week's stories will include the Market Street families that were at each other's throats, the singing RAF deserter in Oxford Street, the Bold farmer's gun pretence and the Sutton Manor story of the piano removal coal man and the frisky horse.
We begin on the 25th when the Liverpool Echo reported that a case of smallpox had been reported at St Helens.
The patient had been out of the district in connection with a bowling competition and so was thought to have contracted the disease elsewhere.
The person was reported as having been isolated and all their contacts "dealt with", as the newspaper put it.
The so-called "crippled children's" annual treat was held on the 27th at The Woodlands in Eccleston Park, the beautiful home of Alderman James Crooks.
Usually around 150 disabled boys and girls were conveyed to the timber merchant's house for tea and entertainment that often included a ventriloquist and Punch and Judy.
It was another case of a family at war and concerned Walter Cotton of Taylor Street in Sutton and his sister and sister-in-law.
The mother of the Clock Face Colliery miner had lived with him for a few months until her recent death – but for five years previously she'd resided with her daughter in Manchester.
When the mother passed away, Walter didn't bother to let his sister know and on the day when trouble broke out, the woman had travelled from Manchester to place a wreath on her mother's grave.
Cotton reckoned that his mother had told him that when she died she didn't want flowers on her grave and so he made a grab for the wreath.
His reckless act knocked over Jane Lowe, his sister-in-law, who was unconscious for a while. As a result she had to spend a week in bed at her home in Houghton Road.
Cotton argued that what had occurred had been an accident but his sister and sister-in-law considered it an aggravated assault and so took out a summons. The miner was fined £5.
John Woodward from Central Street was also in court on the 28th charged with assaulting Annie Deakin.
The latter claimed that Woodward had approached her when standing at her front door and told her to go inside.
Annie then claimed that he'd followed her into her home and punched her on her legs and body, leaving her "black and blue all over".
However, John Woodward told a somewhat different tale. He claimed that the woman had "let wing" at him with her fist and had caused some of her injuries by accidentally falling against a fireguard.
Woodward added that the woman had also flung a vase at him and all he had done was act in self-defence.
But as he could not prove his claim, Woodward was bound over to keep the peace for six months.
The inquest on John Jones of Nutgrove Road was heard in St Helens Town Hall on the 28th.
The stone measured 6 feet by 2 ft 6 inches and had to be removed so that the roof could be made higher.
However, during the act of removal, the stone suddenly dropped. It knocked Jones down and then rolled upon his head. Upon being extricated from the rubble, the mineworker was found to be dead.
At a court hearing on the 29th, it was revealed how PC Tinsley had got some early morning exercise after chasing a coal thief.
So prevalent had been the stealing from the waste heaps at Sherdley Colliery that plain-clothed police had been stationed there on watch.
PC Tinsley stated that at 6:20am he had seen William Finney of Peasley Cross Lane taking bits of coal out of a waste heap and placing them into a sack.
Upon going towards the man, Finney ran off and the constable had to chase his quarry for 1½ miles before apprehending him.
That was after he had dashed into a house in Peasley Cross Lane, despite not being acquainted with its occupants.
Finney denied that the stolen coal that the police had found was his and complained that no notice had been put up prohibiting coal picking out of the waste heap.
Superintendent Dunn commented to the Bench that if he had not known he was doing wrong, why did he take to his heels when the policeman approached? The man was fined 5 shillings.
The St Helens magistrates considered any breach of licensing conditions for places of entertainment as serious.
The Reporter also described how the manager of the Theatre Royal had been prosecuted for having his theatre open later than the permitted hours.
Harry Johnson had been running a talent contest, strangely called a "go-as-you please competition for amateurs". About forty acts had taken part and the evening overran.
Johnson was only licensed to keep his Corporation Street theatre open until 11:30pm – but the audience did not leave until ten to one.
The Bench said it was a serious offence and if it happened again it would prove serious for him with the possibility of the loss of his licence.
However, on this occasion they would dismiss the charge upon payment of 20 shillings costs.
The Reporter also described an application for a separation order that had been made in St Helens Police Court this week in which Elizabeth Clark accused her husband of desertion.
The couple had been married for 25 years and in recent times had resided in Higher Parr Street.
The husband Moses Clark said his wife had not been the same since she started attending spiritualist meetings and he accused her of telling him to leave home on several occasions.
That Mrs Clark refuted and she also denied hitting him across the face with some cold beef fat and on another occasion threatening her husband with a knife unless he left home.
The wife wanted 30 shillings a week in maintenance and the husband offered 13s 6d.
The Bench were not convinced that the Clark's long marriage was over and felt reconciliation was possible.
And so they adjourned the case for a month to see if the couple could make up and in the meantime Mrs Clark was allowed a pound a week in maintenance.
Historically, the term demonstration would normally refer to a march and meeting in favour of something, often in support of an organisation.
However, the demonstration that took place in Bridge Street in St Helens on the 30th was most definitely against something – war.
Marchers carried banners bearing slogans such as "Mothers, Will You Let Your Sons Go to the Next Great Slaughter?" and "War is Woe".
The meeting was in connection with the national ‘No More War Movement’ that had been founded in 1921 and it took place on the waste ground in Bridge Street (by where the Savoy cinema would later be built).
The Mayor of St Helens, Cllr. Richard Ellison, presided and in his keynote speech said the last conflict had been fought because it was considered inevitable with many believing it was the war to end all war.
But Cllr. Ellison said he was alarmed by some of the recent talk of the Prime Minister (Lloyd George) who had suggested that another war could be just around the corner.
Although the No More War Movement had the backing of some well-known figures in the country, its embracing of socialism curtailed its national appeal.
There was harsh punishment for those found guilty of cheating the 1920s benefit system.
In St Helens Police Court on the 31st, James Worley of Langtree Street was charged with wrongfully obtaining relief from the Prescot Guardians, the body that administered the Poor Law.
The former soldier with a wife and three children was in receipt of an army pension of 19 shillings 1d but had failed to inform the authorities.
In response to a question on a form asking if the claimant received a pension, Worley had written "Nil".
In total he had received £22 1s 2d in relief payments that he had no entitlement to and Worley was sent to prison for 28 days.
Next week's stories will include the Market Street families that were at each other's throats, the singing RAF deserter in Oxford Street, the Bold farmer's gun pretence and the Sutton Manor story of the piano removal coal man and the frisky horse.