IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (27th FEB. - 5th MARCH 1923)
This week's many stories include an appeal for St Helens butchers to humanely slaughter their animals, the Hippodrome Theatre moves towards becoming a dedicated cinema, the pioneering vocational training centre in St Helens, the farmer's kind consideration for his horses (but not his workers!) in the Rainford snow and why the St Helens brigade that attended a huge fire at Penketh were told to go home.
Adverts often used testimonials from users to help sell their products. This one was published in a Darlington newspaper on February 27th: "My baby had a breaking out of small pimples and blotches on his face and hands. Later the skin began to peel off, leaving the affected parts very tender. The pimples itched and burned at night causing him to be very restless. I sent for a free sample of Cuticura Soap and Ointment and after using he got relief. I purchased more which completely healed him in three weeks." (Signed) Mrs. A. Henry, 240, Boundary Rd., St. Helen's, Lancs, Eng. Cuticura is a product that has stood the test of time having lasted over 150 years.
The Hippodrome moved further along the road towards becoming a cinema on March 1st when the theatre applied to St Helens magistrates for a full picture licence. The Corporation Street music hall had been awarded a partial licence several years earlier allowing it to show newsreels in between the turns. That had then been extended to show other short films, such as highlights of boxing matches. Now they wanted to put on full-length films, although they said their primary function would remain as a theatre.
However, there were eight other cinemas in St Helens and they did not appreciate the prospect of competition, claiming most of them had been running at a loss during the past year because of the high levels of unemployment in the town. The picture houses also felt it would be unfair to allow the Hippodrome a full cinema licence, as unlike them, it was allowed to sell alcohol. But the Hippodrome's solicitor told the Licensing Sessions hearing that his client would not serve alcohol when screening feature films and they had no desire to enter into full competition with the dedicated cinemas in the town.
That was because the Hippodrome's management intended to run the "large and costly pictures" that were not usually exhibited in St Helens – and then only on an occasional basis. The managing director of the firm said that many theatres and music halls throughout the country also held cinema licences and he had never heard of objections being made before. Alter a lengthy hearing the licence was granted to the Hippodrome, which would before long abandon theatrical productions and devote its entertainment exclusively to films.
At the same hearing the proprietors of the Thatto Heath Empire were allowed to give "wireless entertainment" to the public. Talking of the new radio medium, a letter from a chap in Vicarage Place in Prescot that was published in the St Helens Reporter on the 2nd criticised so-called "wireless pirates". For around forty years until the pirate ships of the late 1950s and 1960s took to the air, anyone not paying a licence fee to use their radio set was often given that name by newspapers. The letter stated that those constructing their own wireless sets at home did not always take out a licence and were thus defrauding the newly created British Broadcasting Company.
"The Greatest Sensation For Years Has Been Caused By….." was the large headline to an advert in the Reporter. What could that have been? The ending of the war? The introduction of the wireless set? The boom in motor vehicles? No, it was ….the opening of Milletts government surplus stores in Ormskirk Street that was offering a "gigantic selection of new English and Colonial surplus goods at amazingly low prices".
St Helens had its own vocational training centre in Arthur Street (off Liverpool Road) that had been set up to support teenage boys in the wake of the unemployment crisis. The St Helens Reporter wrote: "Seldom have boys had such an unique opportunity of partaking of the undoubted benefits, physical and mental, provided by this pioneer of the unemployment centres of the country. Although the boys are being “placed” [with jobs in industry] rapidly, yet the numbers keep up, which is a convincing testimonial to the success of the school."
The Reporter also published this article about a farmer's kind consideration for his horses – but not his workers: "On Wednesday of last week the district of Rainford was covered with snow four or five inches deep. A Bickerstaffe farmer, with a heart overwhelming with kindness towards dumb animals, decided that the weather conditions were too bad for his horses to turn out. Calling two of his men, he ordered them to get a wheelbarrow, and trundle a pig, weighing about 10 stone, to a little general shop at School Brow, Rainford, a distance of about two-and-a-half miles. This was accordingly done. What the average farm labourer would think to himself if he had to trudge a barrow through such a deep snow all that distance is better left unsaid. However, the farmer's thoughts for his horses is beyond question."
School Brow (pictured above) was the road in Rainford from Pasture Lane to the Derby Arms. By 1923 it had become part of Church Road but people still called the bend School Brow, and some, I think, still do.
In St Helens Police Court on the 2nd, Frederick Evans of Market Street was charged with persistent cruelty to his wife, Sarah. In reality this was another application to a court for a separation order, which, if issued, came with legally enforceable maintenance payments. But before the magistrates would grant the order it was customary for both parties to publicly throw dirt at each other to the great delight of newspaper readers.
Frederick and Sarah Evans had married in 1916 and had four children. Mrs Evans told the Bench that her husband had abused her and threatened to turn her out of their house. On other occasions, she said, Frederick had thrown water at her and beaten her, which had made one side of her face turn black and blue. It was common in such cases for husbands to make their own counter allegations against their wives, usually, I expect, claims that were often unfounded or exaggerated. However, those made by Frederick Evans appear to have made an impression upon the Bench.
He insisted that he had not been cruel to his wife but admitted losing his temper once or twice because his wife had called him abusive names. Evans attributed the trouble to his children who he called "very troublesome" and claimed his wife did not look after them properly. The police, he said, had brought their 9-year-old child home at 2 o’clock in the morning whilst their mother had been away at Prescot, leaving him to look after the kids. Sarah had also taken a woman into their house that had come out of prison and he claimed she liked anyone who was "criminal like".
By the 1920s such hearings could last an hour or so and the newspaper reports although detailed were little more than summaries. I would have liked to have known if the magistrates had asked Evans why he felt that as the father of four children he did not feel responsible for instilling discipline into them. And why when he had been left in charge of the kids, did he consider it to be his wife's fault that their 9-year-old had stayed out till 2am?
Whatever was or was not said in court, the magistrates accepted that the relationship had broken down and issued the separation order with Evans ordered to pay his wife 6 shillings a week maintenance. However, surprisingly, the husband was awarded custody of the children with his claims about his wife's associations, seemingly having resonated with the Bench. I wonder how he got on looking after their kids on his own?
Also on the 2nd, the third annual meeting of the St Helens and District Branch of the RSPCA took place at the Town Hall. The Mayor chaired the event, although the attendance was described as only meagre. One speaker from the society criticised the "awful conditions" that were prevalent in slaughter houses and called on St Helens to introduce a bye-law compelling butchers to kill their animals in a humane manner.
By that Captain Durham meant that the animal that was going to be slaughtered should first be stunned. The town, he said, did not undertake any humane slaughtering at all, unless it took place in isolated places. Captain Durham explained that St Helens' butchers were too conservative and said what had been good enough for their fathers was good enough for them. There was also criticism expressed of the capture of wild birds and the cruelty of caging them up. The RSPCA's teaching, Captain Durham said, was "fair play for the animals".
And finally, a huge fire at Penketh in the early hours of the 5th caused damage estimated at £175,000 – that's around £12 million in today's money. The central block of the works of the Penketh Tanning Company were totally destroyed by the blaze. The St Helens and Warrington fire brigades both attended the inferno but as there was only sufficient water available for one engine, the St Helens men returned home.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the marauding cats and dogs at Windlehurst, the army huts occupied by Sutton Manor miners, the St Helens Town Clerk is sacked for refusing to take a pay cut and the means-tested old age pension.
Adverts often used testimonials from users to help sell their products. This one was published in a Darlington newspaper on February 27th: "My baby had a breaking out of small pimples and blotches on his face and hands. Later the skin began to peel off, leaving the affected parts very tender. The pimples itched and burned at night causing him to be very restless. I sent for a free sample of Cuticura Soap and Ointment and after using he got relief. I purchased more which completely healed him in three weeks." (Signed) Mrs. A. Henry, 240, Boundary Rd., St. Helen's, Lancs, Eng. Cuticura is a product that has stood the test of time having lasted over 150 years.
The Hippodrome moved further along the road towards becoming a cinema on March 1st when the theatre applied to St Helens magistrates for a full picture licence. The Corporation Street music hall had been awarded a partial licence several years earlier allowing it to show newsreels in between the turns. That had then been extended to show other short films, such as highlights of boxing matches. Now they wanted to put on full-length films, although they said their primary function would remain as a theatre.
However, there were eight other cinemas in St Helens and they did not appreciate the prospect of competition, claiming most of them had been running at a loss during the past year because of the high levels of unemployment in the town. The picture houses also felt it would be unfair to allow the Hippodrome a full cinema licence, as unlike them, it was allowed to sell alcohol. But the Hippodrome's solicitor told the Licensing Sessions hearing that his client would not serve alcohol when screening feature films and they had no desire to enter into full competition with the dedicated cinemas in the town.
That was because the Hippodrome's management intended to run the "large and costly pictures" that were not usually exhibited in St Helens – and then only on an occasional basis. The managing director of the firm said that many theatres and music halls throughout the country also held cinema licences and he had never heard of objections being made before. Alter a lengthy hearing the licence was granted to the Hippodrome, which would before long abandon theatrical productions and devote its entertainment exclusively to films.
At the same hearing the proprietors of the Thatto Heath Empire were allowed to give "wireless entertainment" to the public. Talking of the new radio medium, a letter from a chap in Vicarage Place in Prescot that was published in the St Helens Reporter on the 2nd criticised so-called "wireless pirates". For around forty years until the pirate ships of the late 1950s and 1960s took to the air, anyone not paying a licence fee to use their radio set was often given that name by newspapers. The letter stated that those constructing their own wireless sets at home did not always take out a licence and were thus defrauding the newly created British Broadcasting Company.
"The Greatest Sensation For Years Has Been Caused By….." was the large headline to an advert in the Reporter. What could that have been? The ending of the war? The introduction of the wireless set? The boom in motor vehicles? No, it was ….the opening of Milletts government surplus stores in Ormskirk Street that was offering a "gigantic selection of new English and Colonial surplus goods at amazingly low prices".
St Helens had its own vocational training centre in Arthur Street (off Liverpool Road) that had been set up to support teenage boys in the wake of the unemployment crisis. The St Helens Reporter wrote: "Seldom have boys had such an unique opportunity of partaking of the undoubted benefits, physical and mental, provided by this pioneer of the unemployment centres of the country. Although the boys are being “placed” [with jobs in industry] rapidly, yet the numbers keep up, which is a convincing testimonial to the success of the school."
The Reporter also published this article about a farmer's kind consideration for his horses – but not his workers: "On Wednesday of last week the district of Rainford was covered with snow four or five inches deep. A Bickerstaffe farmer, with a heart overwhelming with kindness towards dumb animals, decided that the weather conditions were too bad for his horses to turn out. Calling two of his men, he ordered them to get a wheelbarrow, and trundle a pig, weighing about 10 stone, to a little general shop at School Brow, Rainford, a distance of about two-and-a-half miles. This was accordingly done. What the average farm labourer would think to himself if he had to trudge a barrow through such a deep snow all that distance is better left unsaid. However, the farmer's thoughts for his horses is beyond question."
In St Helens Police Court on the 2nd, Frederick Evans of Market Street was charged with persistent cruelty to his wife, Sarah. In reality this was another application to a court for a separation order, which, if issued, came with legally enforceable maintenance payments. But before the magistrates would grant the order it was customary for both parties to publicly throw dirt at each other to the great delight of newspaper readers.
Frederick and Sarah Evans had married in 1916 and had four children. Mrs Evans told the Bench that her husband had abused her and threatened to turn her out of their house. On other occasions, she said, Frederick had thrown water at her and beaten her, which had made one side of her face turn black and blue. It was common in such cases for husbands to make their own counter allegations against their wives, usually, I expect, claims that were often unfounded or exaggerated. However, those made by Frederick Evans appear to have made an impression upon the Bench.
He insisted that he had not been cruel to his wife but admitted losing his temper once or twice because his wife had called him abusive names. Evans attributed the trouble to his children who he called "very troublesome" and claimed his wife did not look after them properly. The police, he said, had brought their 9-year-old child home at 2 o’clock in the morning whilst their mother had been away at Prescot, leaving him to look after the kids. Sarah had also taken a woman into their house that had come out of prison and he claimed she liked anyone who was "criminal like".
By the 1920s such hearings could last an hour or so and the newspaper reports although detailed were little more than summaries. I would have liked to have known if the magistrates had asked Evans why he felt that as the father of four children he did not feel responsible for instilling discipline into them. And why when he had been left in charge of the kids, did he consider it to be his wife's fault that their 9-year-old had stayed out till 2am?
Whatever was or was not said in court, the magistrates accepted that the relationship had broken down and issued the separation order with Evans ordered to pay his wife 6 shillings a week maintenance. However, surprisingly, the husband was awarded custody of the children with his claims about his wife's associations, seemingly having resonated with the Bench. I wonder how he got on looking after their kids on his own?
Also on the 2nd, the third annual meeting of the St Helens and District Branch of the RSPCA took place at the Town Hall. The Mayor chaired the event, although the attendance was described as only meagre. One speaker from the society criticised the "awful conditions" that were prevalent in slaughter houses and called on St Helens to introduce a bye-law compelling butchers to kill their animals in a humane manner.
By that Captain Durham meant that the animal that was going to be slaughtered should first be stunned. The town, he said, did not undertake any humane slaughtering at all, unless it took place in isolated places. Captain Durham explained that St Helens' butchers were too conservative and said what had been good enough for their fathers was good enough for them. There was also criticism expressed of the capture of wild birds and the cruelty of caging them up. The RSPCA's teaching, Captain Durham said, was "fair play for the animals".
And finally, a huge fire at Penketh in the early hours of the 5th caused damage estimated at £175,000 – that's around £12 million in today's money. The central block of the works of the Penketh Tanning Company were totally destroyed by the blaze. The St Helens and Warrington fire brigades both attended the inferno but as there was only sufficient water available for one engine, the St Helens men returned home.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the marauding cats and dogs at Windlehurst, the army huts occupied by Sutton Manor miners, the St Helens Town Clerk is sacked for refusing to take a pay cut and the means-tested old age pension.
This week's many stories include an appeal for St Helens butchers to humanely slaughter their animals, the Hippodrome Theatre moves towards becoming a dedicated cinema, the pioneering vocational training centre in St Helens, the farmer's kind consideration for his horses (but not his workers!) in the Rainford snow and why the St Helens brigade that attended a huge fire at Penketh were told to go home.
Adverts often used testimonials from users to help sell their products. This one was published in a Darlington newspaper on February 27th:
"My baby had a breaking out of small pimples and blotches on his face and hands. Later the skin began to peel off, leaving the affected parts very tender. The pimples itched and burned at night causing him to be very restless.
"I sent for a free sample of Cuticura Soap and Ointment and after using he got relief. I purchased more which completely healed him in three weeks." (Signed) Mrs. A. Henry, 240, Boundary Rd., St. Helen's, Lancs, Eng.
Cuticura is a product that has stood the test of time having lasted over 150 years.
The Hippodrome moved further along the road towards becoming a cinema on March 1st when the theatre applied to St Helens magistrates for a full picture licence.
The Corporation Street music hall had been awarded a partial licence several years earlier allowing it to show newsreels in between the turns.
That had then been extended to show other short films, such as highlights of boxing matches.
Now they wanted to put on full-length films, although they said their primary function would remain as a theatre.
However, there were eight other cinemas in St Helens and they did not appreciate the prospect of competition, claiming most of them had been running at a loss during the past year because of the high levels of unemployment in the town.
The picture houses also felt it would be unfair to allow the Hippodrome a full cinema licence, as unlike them, it was allowed to sell alcohol.
But the Hippodrome's solicitor told the Licensing Sessions hearing that his client would not serve alcohol when screening feature films and they had no desire to enter into full competition with the dedicated cinemas in the town.
That was because the Hippodrome's management intended to run the "large and costly pictures" that were not usually exhibited in St Helens – and then only on an occasional basis.
The managing director of the firm said that many theatres and music halls throughout the country also held cinema licences and he had never heard of objections being made before.
Alter a lengthy hearing the licence was granted to the Hippodrome, which would before long abandon theatrical productions and devote its entertainment exclusively to films.
At the same hearing the proprietors of the Thatto Heath Empire were allowed to give "wireless entertainment" to the public.
Talking of the new radio medium, a letter from a chap in Vicarage Place in Prescot that was published in the St Helens Reporter on the 2nd criticised so-called "wireless pirates".
For around forty years until the pirate ships of the late 1950s and 1960s took to the air, anyone not paying a licence fee to use their radio set was often given that name by newspapers.
The letter stated that those constructing their own wireless sets at home did not always take out a licence and were thus defrauding the newly created British Broadcasting Company.
"The Greatest Sensation For Years Has Been Caused By….." was the large headline to an advert in the Reporter. What could that have been? The ending of the war? The introduction of the wireless set? The boom in motor vehicles?
No, it was ….the opening of Milletts government surplus stores in Ormskirk Street that was offering a "gigantic selection of new English and Colonial surplus goods at amazingly low prices".
St Helens had its own vocational training centre in Arthur Street (off Liverpool Road) that had been set up to support teenage boys in the wake of the unemployment crisis. The St Helens Reporter wrote:
"Seldom have boys had such an unique opportunity of partaking of the undoubted benefits, physical and mental, provided by this pioneer of the unemployment centres of the country.
"Although the boys are being “placed” [with jobs in industry] rapidly, yet the numbers keep up, which is a convincing testimonial to the success of the school."
The Reporter also published this article about a farmer's kind consideration for his horses – but not his workers:
"On Wednesday of last week the district of Rainford was covered with snow four or five inches deep. A Bickerstaffe farmer, with a heart overwhelming with kindness towards dumb animals, decided that the weather conditions were too bad for his horses to turn out.
"Calling two of his men, he ordered them to get a wheelbarrow, and trundle a pig, weighing about 10 stone, to a little general shop at School Brow, Rainford, a distance of about two-and-a-half miles.
"This was accordingly done. What the average farm labourer would think to himself if he had to trudge a barrow through such a deep snow all that distance is better left unsaid. However, the farmer's thoughts for his horses is beyond question."
School Brow (pictured above) was the road in Rainford from Pasture Lane to the Derby Arms. By 1923 it had become part of Church Road but people still called the bend School Brow, and some, I think, still do.
In St Helens Police Court on the 2nd, Frederick Evans of Market Street was charged with persistent cruelty to his wife, Sarah.
In reality this was another application to a court for a separation order, which, if issued, came with legally enforceable maintenance payments.
But before the magistrates would grant the order it was customary for both parties to publicly throw dirt at each other to the great delight of newspaper readers.
Frederick and Sarah Evans had married in 1916 and had four children. Mrs Evans told the Bench that her husband had abused her and threatened to turn her out of their house.
On other occasions, she said, Frederick had thrown water at her and beaten her, which had made one side of her face turn black and blue.
It was common in such cases for husbands to make their own counter allegations against their wives, usually, I expect, claims that were often unfounded or exaggerated.
However, those made by Frederick Evans appear to have made an impression upon the Bench.
He insisted that he had not been cruel to his wife but admitted losing his temper once or twice because his wife had called him abusive names.
Evans attributed the trouble to his children who he called "very troublesome" and claimed his wife did not look after them properly.
The police, he said, had brought their 9-year-old child home at 2 o’clock in the morning whilst their mother had been away at Prescot, leaving him to look after the kids.
Sarah had also taken a woman into their house that had come out of prison and he claimed she liked anyone who was "criminal like".
By the 1920s such hearings could last an hour or so and the newspaper reports although detailed were little more than summaries.
I would have liked to have known if the magistrates had asked Evans why he felt that as the father of four children he did not feel responsible for instilling discipline into them.
And why when he had been left in charge of the kids, did he consider it to be his wife's fault that their 9-year-old had stayed out till 2am?
Whatever was or was not said in court, the magistrates accepted that the relationship had broken down and issued the separation order with Evans ordered to pay his wife 6 shillings a week maintenance.
However, surprisingly, the husband was awarded custody of the children with his claims about his wife's associations, seemingly having resonated with the Bench. I wonder how he got on looking after their kids on his own?
Also on the 2nd, the third annual meeting of the St Helens and District Branch of the RSPCA took place at the Town Hall. The Mayor chaired the event, although the attendance was described as only meagre.
One speaker from the society criticised the "awful conditions" that were prevalent in slaughter houses and called on St Helens to introduce a bye-law compelling butchers to kill their animals in a humane manner.
By that Captain Durham meant that the animal that was going to be slaughtered should first be stunned. The town, he said, did not undertake any humane slaughtering at all, unless it took place in isolated places.
Captain Durham explained that St Helens' butchers were too conservative and said what had been good enough for their fathers was good enough for them.
There was also criticism expressed of the capture of wild birds and the cruelty of caging them up. The RSPCA's teaching, Captain Durham said, was "fair play for the animals".
And finally, a huge fire at Penketh in the early hours of the 5th caused damage estimated at £175,000 – that's around £12 million in today's money.
The central block of the works of the Penketh Tanning Company were totally destroyed by the blaze.
The St Helens and Warrington fire brigades both attended the inferno but as there was only sufficient water available for one engine, the St Helens men returned home.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the marauding cats and dogs at Windlehurst, the army huts occupied by Sutton Manor miners, the St Helens Town Clerk is sacked for refusing to take a pay cut and the means-tested old age pension.
Adverts often used testimonials from users to help sell their products. This one was published in a Darlington newspaper on February 27th:
"My baby had a breaking out of small pimples and blotches on his face and hands. Later the skin began to peel off, leaving the affected parts very tender. The pimples itched and burned at night causing him to be very restless.
"I sent for a free sample of Cuticura Soap and Ointment and after using he got relief. I purchased more which completely healed him in three weeks." (Signed) Mrs. A. Henry, 240, Boundary Rd., St. Helen's, Lancs, Eng.
Cuticura is a product that has stood the test of time having lasted over 150 years.
The Hippodrome moved further along the road towards becoming a cinema on March 1st when the theatre applied to St Helens magistrates for a full picture licence.
The Corporation Street music hall had been awarded a partial licence several years earlier allowing it to show newsreels in between the turns.
That had then been extended to show other short films, such as highlights of boxing matches.
Now they wanted to put on full-length films, although they said their primary function would remain as a theatre.
However, there were eight other cinemas in St Helens and they did not appreciate the prospect of competition, claiming most of them had been running at a loss during the past year because of the high levels of unemployment in the town.
The picture houses also felt it would be unfair to allow the Hippodrome a full cinema licence, as unlike them, it was allowed to sell alcohol.
But the Hippodrome's solicitor told the Licensing Sessions hearing that his client would not serve alcohol when screening feature films and they had no desire to enter into full competition with the dedicated cinemas in the town.
That was because the Hippodrome's management intended to run the "large and costly pictures" that were not usually exhibited in St Helens – and then only on an occasional basis.
The managing director of the firm said that many theatres and music halls throughout the country also held cinema licences and he had never heard of objections being made before.
Alter a lengthy hearing the licence was granted to the Hippodrome, which would before long abandon theatrical productions and devote its entertainment exclusively to films.
At the same hearing the proprietors of the Thatto Heath Empire were allowed to give "wireless entertainment" to the public.
Talking of the new radio medium, a letter from a chap in Vicarage Place in Prescot that was published in the St Helens Reporter on the 2nd criticised so-called "wireless pirates".
For around forty years until the pirate ships of the late 1950s and 1960s took to the air, anyone not paying a licence fee to use their radio set was often given that name by newspapers.
The letter stated that those constructing their own wireless sets at home did not always take out a licence and were thus defrauding the newly created British Broadcasting Company.
"The Greatest Sensation For Years Has Been Caused By….." was the large headline to an advert in the Reporter. What could that have been? The ending of the war? The introduction of the wireless set? The boom in motor vehicles?
No, it was ….the opening of Milletts government surplus stores in Ormskirk Street that was offering a "gigantic selection of new English and Colonial surplus goods at amazingly low prices".
St Helens had its own vocational training centre in Arthur Street (off Liverpool Road) that had been set up to support teenage boys in the wake of the unemployment crisis. The St Helens Reporter wrote:
"Seldom have boys had such an unique opportunity of partaking of the undoubted benefits, physical and mental, provided by this pioneer of the unemployment centres of the country.
"Although the boys are being “placed” [with jobs in industry] rapidly, yet the numbers keep up, which is a convincing testimonial to the success of the school."
The Reporter also published this article about a farmer's kind consideration for his horses – but not his workers:
"On Wednesday of last week the district of Rainford was covered with snow four or five inches deep. A Bickerstaffe farmer, with a heart overwhelming with kindness towards dumb animals, decided that the weather conditions were too bad for his horses to turn out.
"Calling two of his men, he ordered them to get a wheelbarrow, and trundle a pig, weighing about 10 stone, to a little general shop at School Brow, Rainford, a distance of about two-and-a-half miles.
"This was accordingly done. What the average farm labourer would think to himself if he had to trudge a barrow through such a deep snow all that distance is better left unsaid. However, the farmer's thoughts for his horses is beyond question."
In St Helens Police Court on the 2nd, Frederick Evans of Market Street was charged with persistent cruelty to his wife, Sarah.
In reality this was another application to a court for a separation order, which, if issued, came with legally enforceable maintenance payments.
But before the magistrates would grant the order it was customary for both parties to publicly throw dirt at each other to the great delight of newspaper readers.
Frederick and Sarah Evans had married in 1916 and had four children. Mrs Evans told the Bench that her husband had abused her and threatened to turn her out of their house.
On other occasions, she said, Frederick had thrown water at her and beaten her, which had made one side of her face turn black and blue.
It was common in such cases for husbands to make their own counter allegations against their wives, usually, I expect, claims that were often unfounded or exaggerated.
However, those made by Frederick Evans appear to have made an impression upon the Bench.
He insisted that he had not been cruel to his wife but admitted losing his temper once or twice because his wife had called him abusive names.
Evans attributed the trouble to his children who he called "very troublesome" and claimed his wife did not look after them properly.
The police, he said, had brought their 9-year-old child home at 2 o’clock in the morning whilst their mother had been away at Prescot, leaving him to look after the kids.
Sarah had also taken a woman into their house that had come out of prison and he claimed she liked anyone who was "criminal like".
By the 1920s such hearings could last an hour or so and the newspaper reports although detailed were little more than summaries.
I would have liked to have known if the magistrates had asked Evans why he felt that as the father of four children he did not feel responsible for instilling discipline into them.
And why when he had been left in charge of the kids, did he consider it to be his wife's fault that their 9-year-old had stayed out till 2am?
Whatever was or was not said in court, the magistrates accepted that the relationship had broken down and issued the separation order with Evans ordered to pay his wife 6 shillings a week maintenance.
However, surprisingly, the husband was awarded custody of the children with his claims about his wife's associations, seemingly having resonated with the Bench. I wonder how he got on looking after their kids on his own?
Also on the 2nd, the third annual meeting of the St Helens and District Branch of the RSPCA took place at the Town Hall. The Mayor chaired the event, although the attendance was described as only meagre.
One speaker from the society criticised the "awful conditions" that were prevalent in slaughter houses and called on St Helens to introduce a bye-law compelling butchers to kill their animals in a humane manner.
By that Captain Durham meant that the animal that was going to be slaughtered should first be stunned. The town, he said, did not undertake any humane slaughtering at all, unless it took place in isolated places.
Captain Durham explained that St Helens' butchers were too conservative and said what had been good enough for their fathers was good enough for them.
There was also criticism expressed of the capture of wild birds and the cruelty of caging them up. The RSPCA's teaching, Captain Durham said, was "fair play for the animals".
And finally, a huge fire at Penketh in the early hours of the 5th caused damage estimated at £175,000 – that's around £12 million in today's money.
The central block of the works of the Penketh Tanning Company were totally destroyed by the blaze.
The St Helens and Warrington fire brigades both attended the inferno but as there was only sufficient water available for one engine, the St Helens men returned home.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the marauding cats and dogs at Windlehurst, the army huts occupied by Sutton Manor miners, the St Helens Town Clerk is sacked for refusing to take a pay cut and the means-tested old age pension.