IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (29th April - 5th May 1919)
This week's many stories include the Thatto Heath fire that gutted a house, the St Helens boy burglars are back in court, there is an extraordinary court battle between the Mayor of St Helens and Colonel Hughes of Sherdley Hall, the Morley Street freak chicken, the Sutton bread man's court case and history is made at St Anne's Church in Sutton.
We begin on the 30th with the Thatto Heath fire that destroyed a house. The alarm was raised when PC McHale saw flames inside 47 Heath Street and telephoned the fire brigade, who were soon on the scene. The fire had by then taken a good hold on the sitting room and bedroom of the four-room terraced property and the Reporter wrote of concern for the occupier, Sylvester Johnson:
"The front door and window had been burnt away, and the flames were licking up the sides of the building. Great anxiety was felt as to the safety of the occupant. Eventually, Supt. Bainbridge and Fireman Hurst secured an entrance to the bedroom, with a scaling ladder, the floor having partially collapsed and the bed being on fire. A thorough search of the room showed there was no one sleeping there, and shortly afterwards the tenant returned. We understand the house, which was completely gutted, was not insured."
An extraordinary County Court hearing took place on the 30th when Colonel Michael Hughes of Sherdley Hall (but who rarely lived there) and the Mayor of St Helens, Alderman Henry Bates, sued each other. The Colonel (pictured above, right) sought an "order of ejectment" to evict Bates (pictured left) from his residence at Sutton Hall and the mayor brought his own action for unpaid salary.
From 1906 until 1918 Bates had been employed as Hughes' agent for the extensive Sherdley Estate. That included Sherdley Park, many Sutton farms and houses and land in Lea Green, Eccleston, Great Sankey, Peasley Cross, Fiddlers Ferry and Penketh. A number of coal seams that belonged to Hughes were also leased to mining companies.
The colonel had given permission for Bates to serve three terms as mayor from 1915. However he felt his work on the estate was suffering and so denied him permission for a fourth term. Bates felt that he really didn't need his boss's approval and so he accepted the invitation from his fellow councillors to serve again as the town's first citizen.
That was for a record-breaking fourth consecutive term and as the ceremonial mayors of St Helens of today only ever serve a single year, his record is very unlikely to be broken. For accepting the mayoralty for a fourth term Bates was immediately sacked by Colonel Hughes, who in his letter of dismissal wrote: "I have one favour to ask, and that is, that once having left Sutton Hall you never set foot on any part of my property again."
However he chose to remain at the Sherdley Estate agent's residence as Bates said with the housing shortage he couldn't find anywhere else to live. Hence the court case in which a number of remarkable letters were read out, including one from last October that Hughes had sent to the council.
This the St Helens Reporter dubbed "amazing" and the St Helens Newspaper called "extraordinary". In the letter Hughes called for the councillors to be replaced by individuals: "…who will exercise care and consideration in the administration. The squandering of the ratepayers' money during the last twelve months in order to curry favour with Government officials has, in my opinion, been scandalous."
Although County Court Judge Thomas ruled in Bates' favour and awarded him £271 in back salary, victory was bittersweet. Not only did he lose his home and a large income, accusations were made at the hearing that Bates had used his terms of mayor to avoid military service.
Some history was made at St Anne's Church in Sutton (pictured above) on the 30th when women were admitted for the first time as members of their Catholic Social Guild. This met every week to hear lectures and discuss subjects of interest. The St Helens Reporter wrote that Fr. Ignatius had dealt with his subject this week in a "masterly manner".
The plumbers of St Helens went on strike this week demanding more pay and reduced hours. There were up to fifty of them but those contracted with the large works in the town were not affected by the dispute.
On May 1st two of the four St Helens boy burglars – that the Reporter had called a "youthful gang of marauders" – appeared at the Liverpool Quarter Sessions. The St Helens magistrates had previously sent a 14-year-old member of the quartet to a reformatory for five years and a 13-year-old had been put on probation.
However John Burke and John Shepherd were considered to have been the worst offenders. They and their "fence" John Richardson from Gladstone Street had been committed to the Sessions for trial as longer sentences were available.
17-year-old Burke from Sidney Street was seen as the group's ringleader and he was charged with 13 burglaries over six months and 16-year-old Shepherd from Drake Street was charged in connection with 8 cases.
The lads had broken into Cowley, Rivington Road and St Teresa's schools, as well as the St Helens Bowling Club, Eccleston Conservative Club, Victoria Park museum and a number of private houses and taken money, jewellery and cigarettes.
John Burke's mother pleaded with the court to be allowed to have her son back home. She kept a small grocer's shop and had been separated from her husband for thirteen years. She said life had been a hard struggle without a husband and John was her only son and she had been much affected by what he had done.
The Chairman of the Sessions said they were sorry for the parents but they had to consider what was best for the boys. They were both sent to a Borstal institution for three years and the receiver Richardson received a four month prison sentence, in addition to the two months he had already spent on remand.
This week workers in the St Helens bottlemaking industry gave their employers – or "masters" as they were known – seven days notice of strike action unless their demands were met. The men were seeking a 25% increase in their rates of pay to compensate for a reduction in wages caused by a switch to a 40-hour working week. This had been made in part to allow the hiring of more demobilised soldiers.
It wasn't until the 1930s that sliced bread was available in Britain. A century ago loaves were sold unwrapped and bakers were required to have scales, so bread could be weighed for the customer. On the 2nd Noah Greenough from Sutton Road pleaded guilty in the Police Court to not having a one-pound weight in his vehicle.
Inspector Blackhurst had stopped the baker's bread van in Peckers Hill Road and found inside two-dozen 1lb loaves and a number of 2lb loaves. However Noah only had a 2lb weight and so couldn't weigh the smaller bread.
Some of the latter loaves had got stuck together, which showed – according to the inspector – that they hadn't been weighed since coming out of the oven. The baker told the Bench that he never sold the 1lb loaves separately but always two together. However he was still fined £1.
Alex Watson appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with driving a motorcycle with its rear identification plate obscured and failing to produce his licence on demand. Mr Watson from Robins Lane told the court that he had served in France and been both gassed and wounded.
He said he had been "ordered" to get as much outdoor exercise as possible. The magistrates fined him ten shillings on the first charge and dismissed the second upon payment of costs.
Another unnamed victim of the war appeared at the hearing charged with trespassing on the railway. The woman along with a girl had been caught on a siding in between Sutton Manor Colliery and Lea Green Colliery.
Six small boys were also present but they ran off when they saw the police. They had all clearly gone there to steal coal but as they had not been caught in possession of any, were instead charged with trespassing.
The woman pleaded to be "let off" as she was a widow with six small children, her husband having been killed in the war. However she admitted being in receipt of £2 12s a week – which wasn't a bad income – and she and the girl were fined 15 shillings each.
Anastatia Lawrence from Bell Lane learnt an expensive lesson in court. She had decided to take in four lodgers – probably coal miners at Sutton Manor Colliery. However the wartime regulations for boarders were still in place, which included obtaining a certificate of nationality of each lodger. She told the magistrates: "I had never taken in lodgers before and did not know the rules", but was fined 30 shillings just the same.
Although some churches in 1919 were complaining of poor attendances, All Saints Church in Ellamsbridge Road in Sutton was packed on the 5th. It was because the Bishop of Liverpool was in attendance performing a confirmation service for over 130 candidates from Sutton, Parr and Parr Mount.
And finally what was described as a "freak chicken" was hatched in Morley Street on the 5th. The bird had four legs, four wings and two tails. However the white leghorn only lasted ten minutes before it expired. In 1872 a Sutton farmer called Mr. Gavin had claimed that a new-born calf had two distinct bodies, each with its own tail and hind legs and with five legs at its rear.
Next week's stories will include the St Helens Fresh Air Fund, Annie Murphy's 70th court appearance, plans for a 3-day peace celebration in St Helens, 'The Sunday Fairy' children's magazine, the gift of a silver mace to the Corporation and an ex-soldier from Gerards Bridge who'd been shot through the lungs is charged with wife neglect.
We begin on the 30th with the Thatto Heath fire that destroyed a house. The alarm was raised when PC McHale saw flames inside 47 Heath Street and telephoned the fire brigade, who were soon on the scene. The fire had by then taken a good hold on the sitting room and bedroom of the four-room terraced property and the Reporter wrote of concern for the occupier, Sylvester Johnson:
"The front door and window had been burnt away, and the flames were licking up the sides of the building. Great anxiety was felt as to the safety of the occupant. Eventually, Supt. Bainbridge and Fireman Hurst secured an entrance to the bedroom, with a scaling ladder, the floor having partially collapsed and the bed being on fire. A thorough search of the room showed there was no one sleeping there, and shortly afterwards the tenant returned. We understand the house, which was completely gutted, was not insured."
From 1906 until 1918 Bates had been employed as Hughes' agent for the extensive Sherdley Estate. That included Sherdley Park, many Sutton farms and houses and land in Lea Green, Eccleston, Great Sankey, Peasley Cross, Fiddlers Ferry and Penketh. A number of coal seams that belonged to Hughes were also leased to mining companies.
The colonel had given permission for Bates to serve three terms as mayor from 1915. However he felt his work on the estate was suffering and so denied him permission for a fourth term. Bates felt that he really didn't need his boss's approval and so he accepted the invitation from his fellow councillors to serve again as the town's first citizen.
That was for a record-breaking fourth consecutive term and as the ceremonial mayors of St Helens of today only ever serve a single year, his record is very unlikely to be broken. For accepting the mayoralty for a fourth term Bates was immediately sacked by Colonel Hughes, who in his letter of dismissal wrote: "I have one favour to ask, and that is, that once having left Sutton Hall you never set foot on any part of my property again."
However he chose to remain at the Sherdley Estate agent's residence as Bates said with the housing shortage he couldn't find anywhere else to live. Hence the court case in which a number of remarkable letters were read out, including one from last October that Hughes had sent to the council.
This the St Helens Reporter dubbed "amazing" and the St Helens Newspaper called "extraordinary". In the letter Hughes called for the councillors to be replaced by individuals: "…who will exercise care and consideration in the administration. The squandering of the ratepayers' money during the last twelve months in order to curry favour with Government officials has, in my opinion, been scandalous."
Although County Court Judge Thomas ruled in Bates' favour and awarded him £271 in back salary, victory was bittersweet. Not only did he lose his home and a large income, accusations were made at the hearing that Bates had used his terms of mayor to avoid military service.
The plumbers of St Helens went on strike this week demanding more pay and reduced hours. There were up to fifty of them but those contracted with the large works in the town were not affected by the dispute.
On May 1st two of the four St Helens boy burglars – that the Reporter had called a "youthful gang of marauders" – appeared at the Liverpool Quarter Sessions. The St Helens magistrates had previously sent a 14-year-old member of the quartet to a reformatory for five years and a 13-year-old had been put on probation.
However John Burke and John Shepherd were considered to have been the worst offenders. They and their "fence" John Richardson from Gladstone Street had been committed to the Sessions for trial as longer sentences were available.
17-year-old Burke from Sidney Street was seen as the group's ringleader and he was charged with 13 burglaries over six months and 16-year-old Shepherd from Drake Street was charged in connection with 8 cases.
The lads had broken into Cowley, Rivington Road and St Teresa's schools, as well as the St Helens Bowling Club, Eccleston Conservative Club, Victoria Park museum and a number of private houses and taken money, jewellery and cigarettes.
John Burke's mother pleaded with the court to be allowed to have her son back home. She kept a small grocer's shop and had been separated from her husband for thirteen years. She said life had been a hard struggle without a husband and John was her only son and she had been much affected by what he had done.
The Chairman of the Sessions said they were sorry for the parents but they had to consider what was best for the boys. They were both sent to a Borstal institution for three years and the receiver Richardson received a four month prison sentence, in addition to the two months he had already spent on remand.
This week workers in the St Helens bottlemaking industry gave their employers – or "masters" as they were known – seven days notice of strike action unless their demands were met. The men were seeking a 25% increase in their rates of pay to compensate for a reduction in wages caused by a switch to a 40-hour working week. This had been made in part to allow the hiring of more demobilised soldiers.
It wasn't until the 1930s that sliced bread was available in Britain. A century ago loaves were sold unwrapped and bakers were required to have scales, so bread could be weighed for the customer. On the 2nd Noah Greenough from Sutton Road pleaded guilty in the Police Court to not having a one-pound weight in his vehicle.
Inspector Blackhurst had stopped the baker's bread van in Peckers Hill Road and found inside two-dozen 1lb loaves and a number of 2lb loaves. However Noah only had a 2lb weight and so couldn't weigh the smaller bread.
Some of the latter loaves had got stuck together, which showed – according to the inspector – that they hadn't been weighed since coming out of the oven. The baker told the Bench that he never sold the 1lb loaves separately but always two together. However he was still fined £1.
Alex Watson appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with driving a motorcycle with its rear identification plate obscured and failing to produce his licence on demand. Mr Watson from Robins Lane told the court that he had served in France and been both gassed and wounded.
He said he had been "ordered" to get as much outdoor exercise as possible. The magistrates fined him ten shillings on the first charge and dismissed the second upon payment of costs.
Another unnamed victim of the war appeared at the hearing charged with trespassing on the railway. The woman along with a girl had been caught on a siding in between Sutton Manor Colliery and Lea Green Colliery.
Six small boys were also present but they ran off when they saw the police. They had all clearly gone there to steal coal but as they had not been caught in possession of any, were instead charged with trespassing.
The woman pleaded to be "let off" as she was a widow with six small children, her husband having been killed in the war. However she admitted being in receipt of £2 12s a week – which wasn't a bad income – and she and the girl were fined 15 shillings each.
Anastatia Lawrence from Bell Lane learnt an expensive lesson in court. She had decided to take in four lodgers – probably coal miners at Sutton Manor Colliery. However the wartime regulations for boarders were still in place, which included obtaining a certificate of nationality of each lodger. She told the magistrates: "I had never taken in lodgers before and did not know the rules", but was fined 30 shillings just the same.
Although some churches in 1919 were complaining of poor attendances, All Saints Church in Ellamsbridge Road in Sutton was packed on the 5th. It was because the Bishop of Liverpool was in attendance performing a confirmation service for over 130 candidates from Sutton, Parr and Parr Mount.
And finally what was described as a "freak chicken" was hatched in Morley Street on the 5th. The bird had four legs, four wings and two tails. However the white leghorn only lasted ten minutes before it expired. In 1872 a Sutton farmer called Mr. Gavin had claimed that a new-born calf had two distinct bodies, each with its own tail and hind legs and with five legs at its rear.
Next week's stories will include the St Helens Fresh Air Fund, Annie Murphy's 70th court appearance, plans for a 3-day peace celebration in St Helens, 'The Sunday Fairy' children's magazine, the gift of a silver mace to the Corporation and an ex-soldier from Gerards Bridge who'd been shot through the lungs is charged with wife neglect.