IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 29 APRIL - 5 MAY 1924
This week's many stories include the racing tipster that was booked in Bridge Street for not having a hawker's licence, the revived old folk's treat in Rainford, the sacred pilgrimage to Lourdes, the difficulties of the housing shortage are played out in court, the roof fall in Sherdley Colliery and the glass theft from the Ring o’ Bells in Westfield Street.
In February 1923 a Rainford custom had been revived after a 30-year gap. The event was the annual old folks treat that Richard Pennington of Muncaster Hall had provided for many years but which ceased upon his death. Dinner and entertainment were given and the St Helens Reporter wrote at the time: "Those who were privileged to view the scene will long remember it".
On the 30th of this week the "second annual revival of the old folk's treat" took place in Rainford Village Hall in which 106 older residents were entertained to a tea and concert. Their ages ranged from 65 to 82 years and the Ormskirk Advertiser wrote: "The treat is not given as a charity but simply as a good turn and a mark of respect by members of the younger generation".
House re-possession cases were now a staple of the St Helens County Court hearings in East Street. It was a combination of the law having been loosened in favour of landlords and their patience wearing thin after waiting for their tenants to find another place or pay off arrears. Although some had not been paying their rent, most proposed evictions were because the landlord wanted their tenant's home for their own family members who were presently living in overcrowded accommodation.
The tenants who had been told to vacate generally said they were prepared to move but the housing crisis in St Helens meant they could not find another place to live. The difficulty was made worse if the tenant had a large family. That situation placed the judge in the weekly County Court hearings in East Street in a dilemma.
On the 30th John Duffy from Appleton Street sought possession of the house he owned in Bentinck Street in Sutton that he had acquired in 1919. Robert Cain had been a tenant there for twelve years and had six children. After hearing the details of the case the judge said:
"Well, I am sorry. You see how things are. Here you have in one house, with one room downstairs and two upstairs, a man living with his wife, his married son and daughter-in-law, his grandchild, a married daughter and another son sleeping in a passage, and he has got to turn out in order to get in his own house, a man who has been twelve and a half years in the place in which he is now living with six children, the eldest of whom is fifteen. Of course, I have nothing to do with the shortage of houses. I have to make the order. Meanwhile, I don't know where Cain is to go."
John Duffy, who was a miner, also sought possession of another house that he owned in Bentinck Street. He wanted the house for his married daughter but Caleb Roby currently occupied it and he told the judge: "I have had over half a dozen people looking for a house for me for six years. I don't know what I am going to do in the next six months." But he didn’t get six months to find another residence. The judge told Robert Cain and Caleb Roby: "I will give both of you three months to get out in. I can't do better. I am sorry; I am bound to make the order."
The St Helens Referees Society met at the YMCA every week and discussed what was described once in the Echo as the "knotty points" of association football. On May 1st the St Helens whistle-blowers played a match themselves against Liverpool referees. The man given the task of refereeing the referees was S. Peers, a former first division ref.
Underground roof collapses were the most common cause of deaths in coalmines. But as they rarely resulted in multiple fatalities, such accidents often did not receive much of a write-up in the newspapers. On the 2nd Felix McEwan of Peckers Hill Road in Sutton was struck down by a roof fall while working down Sherdley Colliery. The 61-year-old was dug out from the debris that encased him and conveyed to the nearby St Helens Hospital but died soon after admission.
The St Helens Reporter was published on May 2nd and described how a large contingent of pilgrims from the town would be taking part in a sacred pilgrimage to Lourdes in July. In total more than 1,200 persons from Lancashire were making the trip, although only 100 of them would be sick or infirm with the majority simply going on a religious pilgrimage.
However, a special team of doctors and nurses and volunteer stretcher bearers would be making the journey on special trains and steamers to support those that would be praying for miracle cures. The Archbishop of Liverpool would head the party, which would also include Father Riley of Lowe House and Father Holden of Sutton Manor.
Uncle Ben's Children's Reporter this week revealed the winner of its most popular boys' name contest. That was Elsie Tilley of Colliers Road who had put Harry as her favourite name, followed by Jack and Tom. Uncle Ben had given the members of his club a total of six names – with Fred, Edward and Charles being the other three – and asked them to select their three most favourite. All six are, of course, still quite popular today, although Charles was by far the least liked by the children in 1923.
Although gambling was largely illegal, betting could be undertaken at racecourses and via certain authorised agents. And there was nothing to stop tipsters from operating – although in St Helens if they sold racing tips on the street they were acting as hawkers and needed a licence. On the 3rd George Epworth from Everton appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with acting as a pedlar without a certificate and causing an obstruction.
Inspector Anders told the magistrates that at 8:30pm on the previous evening he had seen a large crowd on the corner of Bridge Street and Tontine Street. The throng extended six yards over the footpath and he said some pedestrians needed to walk in the road to get past the crowd. The inspector said at first he had thought a fight was in progress but later saw George Epworth by the billiard hall selling tickets for either 6d or a shilling with the name of a horse stamped upon them.
The tipster did what so many other sales persons from out of town did when prosecuted for not possessing a hawker’s licence in St Helens. Epworth complained that he had visited towns up and down the country but had never before been asked for a licence. But what other boroughs did was of no concern to the St Helens Bench and the turf adviser – as he liked to call himself – was fined £1.
The 4th was the St Helens Labour Party's annual May demonstration, a gathering that always took place on waste ground in Bridge Street on the nearest Sunday to May 1st. There was much praise of Lenin who had died in January. One speaker said Lenin’s name would be "written in history when the names of Lloyd George, Asquith and Churchill had been forgotten".
Also on the 4th the Parr Temperance Prize Band played a number of selections in Gaskell Park. This appears to have been the first of 24 concerts from twelve local bands over the summer with each paid £5 10 shillings for their performance.
And finally, you wouldn't think it was considered worthwhile for the police to pursue a prosecution for an item worth just 4½d. But a century ago a crime was a crime and on the 5th Jane Price appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with stealing a glass worth that amount. The woman from Westfield Street was accused of taking it from the Ring o’ Bells pub near her home.
After initially denying the theft, Mrs Price said she had bought a glass of beer at the pub but had not finished drinking it by closing time and so had taken the glass home with the intention of returning it later. The case was dismissed upon the woman paying the 15 shillings costs of the case.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the laying of the foundation stone for the new Lowe House Church, the brave rescue of a toddler from a Sutton reservoir and the man reported as having escaped from Rainhill Lunatic Asylum.
In February 1923 a Rainford custom had been revived after a 30-year gap. The event was the annual old folks treat that Richard Pennington of Muncaster Hall had provided for many years but which ceased upon his death. Dinner and entertainment were given and the St Helens Reporter wrote at the time: "Those who were privileged to view the scene will long remember it".
On the 30th of this week the "second annual revival of the old folk's treat" took place in Rainford Village Hall in which 106 older residents were entertained to a tea and concert. Their ages ranged from 65 to 82 years and the Ormskirk Advertiser wrote: "The treat is not given as a charity but simply as a good turn and a mark of respect by members of the younger generation".
House re-possession cases were now a staple of the St Helens County Court hearings in East Street. It was a combination of the law having been loosened in favour of landlords and their patience wearing thin after waiting for their tenants to find another place or pay off arrears. Although some had not been paying their rent, most proposed evictions were because the landlord wanted their tenant's home for their own family members who were presently living in overcrowded accommodation.
The tenants who had been told to vacate generally said they were prepared to move but the housing crisis in St Helens meant they could not find another place to live. The difficulty was made worse if the tenant had a large family. That situation placed the judge in the weekly County Court hearings in East Street in a dilemma.
On the 30th John Duffy from Appleton Street sought possession of the house he owned in Bentinck Street in Sutton that he had acquired in 1919. Robert Cain had been a tenant there for twelve years and had six children. After hearing the details of the case the judge said:
"Well, I am sorry. You see how things are. Here you have in one house, with one room downstairs and two upstairs, a man living with his wife, his married son and daughter-in-law, his grandchild, a married daughter and another son sleeping in a passage, and he has got to turn out in order to get in his own house, a man who has been twelve and a half years in the place in which he is now living with six children, the eldest of whom is fifteen. Of course, I have nothing to do with the shortage of houses. I have to make the order. Meanwhile, I don't know where Cain is to go."
John Duffy, who was a miner, also sought possession of another house that he owned in Bentinck Street. He wanted the house for his married daughter but Caleb Roby currently occupied it and he told the judge: "I have had over half a dozen people looking for a house for me for six years. I don't know what I am going to do in the next six months." But he didn’t get six months to find another residence. The judge told Robert Cain and Caleb Roby: "I will give both of you three months to get out in. I can't do better. I am sorry; I am bound to make the order."
The St Helens Referees Society met at the YMCA every week and discussed what was described once in the Echo as the "knotty points" of association football. On May 1st the St Helens whistle-blowers played a match themselves against Liverpool referees. The man given the task of refereeing the referees was S. Peers, a former first division ref.
The St Helens Reporter was published on May 2nd and described how a large contingent of pilgrims from the town would be taking part in a sacred pilgrimage to Lourdes in July. In total more than 1,200 persons from Lancashire were making the trip, although only 100 of them would be sick or infirm with the majority simply going on a religious pilgrimage.
However, a special team of doctors and nurses and volunteer stretcher bearers would be making the journey on special trains and steamers to support those that would be praying for miracle cures. The Archbishop of Liverpool would head the party, which would also include Father Riley of Lowe House and Father Holden of Sutton Manor.
Uncle Ben's Children's Reporter this week revealed the winner of its most popular boys' name contest. That was Elsie Tilley of Colliers Road who had put Harry as her favourite name, followed by Jack and Tom. Uncle Ben had given the members of his club a total of six names – with Fred, Edward and Charles being the other three – and asked them to select their three most favourite. All six are, of course, still quite popular today, although Charles was by far the least liked by the children in 1923.
Although gambling was largely illegal, betting could be undertaken at racecourses and via certain authorised agents. And there was nothing to stop tipsters from operating – although in St Helens if they sold racing tips on the street they were acting as hawkers and needed a licence. On the 3rd George Epworth from Everton appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with acting as a pedlar without a certificate and causing an obstruction.
Inspector Anders told the magistrates that at 8:30pm on the previous evening he had seen a large crowd on the corner of Bridge Street and Tontine Street. The throng extended six yards over the footpath and he said some pedestrians needed to walk in the road to get past the crowd. The inspector said at first he had thought a fight was in progress but later saw George Epworth by the billiard hall selling tickets for either 6d or a shilling with the name of a horse stamped upon them.
The tipster did what so many other sales persons from out of town did when prosecuted for not possessing a hawker’s licence in St Helens. Epworth complained that he had visited towns up and down the country but had never before been asked for a licence. But what other boroughs did was of no concern to the St Helens Bench and the turf adviser – as he liked to call himself – was fined £1.
The 4th was the St Helens Labour Party's annual May demonstration, a gathering that always took place on waste ground in Bridge Street on the nearest Sunday to May 1st. There was much praise of Lenin who had died in January. One speaker said Lenin’s name would be "written in history when the names of Lloyd George, Asquith and Churchill had been forgotten".
Also on the 4th the Parr Temperance Prize Band played a number of selections in Gaskell Park. This appears to have been the first of 24 concerts from twelve local bands over the summer with each paid £5 10 shillings for their performance.
And finally, you wouldn't think it was considered worthwhile for the police to pursue a prosecution for an item worth just 4½d. But a century ago a crime was a crime and on the 5th Jane Price appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with stealing a glass worth that amount. The woman from Westfield Street was accused of taking it from the Ring o’ Bells pub near her home.
After initially denying the theft, Mrs Price said she had bought a glass of beer at the pub but had not finished drinking it by closing time and so had taken the glass home with the intention of returning it later. The case was dismissed upon the woman paying the 15 shillings costs of the case.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the laying of the foundation stone for the new Lowe House Church, the brave rescue of a toddler from a Sutton reservoir and the man reported as having escaped from Rainhill Lunatic Asylum.
This week's many stories include the racing tipster that was booked in Bridge Street for not having a hawker's licence, the revived old folk's treat in Rainford, the sacred pilgrimage to Lourdes, the difficulties of the housing shortage are played out in court, the roof fall in Sherdley Colliery and the glass theft from the Ring o’ Bells in Westfield Street.
In February 1923 a Rainford custom had been revived after a 30-year gap. The event was the annual old folks treat that Richard Pennington of Muncaster Hall had provided for many years but which ceased upon his death.
Dinner and entertainment were given and the St Helens Reporter wrote at the time: "Those who were privileged to view the scene will long remember it".
On the 30th of this week the "second annual revival of the old folk's treat" took place in Rainford Village Hall in which 106 older residents were entertained to a tea and concert.
Their ages ranged from 65 to 82 years and the Ormskirk Advertiser wrote: "The treat is not given as a charity but simply as a good turn and a mark of respect by members of the younger generation".
House re-possession cases were now a staple of the St Helens County Court hearings in East Street.
It was a combination of the law having been loosened in favour of landlords and their patience wearing thin after waiting for their tenants to find another place or pay off arrears.
Although some had not been paying their rent, most proposed evictions were because the landlord wanted their tenant's home for their own family members who were presently living in overcrowded accommodation.
The tenants who had been told to vacate generally said they were prepared to move but the housing crisis in St Helens meant they could not find another place to live. The difficulty was made worse if the tenant had a large family.
That situation placed the judge in the weekly County Court hearings in East Street in a dilemma.
On the 30th John Duffy from Appleton Street sought possession of the house he owned in Bentinck Street in Sutton that he had acquired in 1919.
Robert Cain had been a tenant there for twelve years and had six children. After hearing the details of the case the judge said:
"Well, I am sorry. You see how things are. Here you have in one house, with one room downstairs and two upstairs, a man living with his wife, his married son and daughter-in-law, his grandchild, a married daughter and another son sleeping in a passage, and he has got to turn out in order to get in his own house, a man who has been twelve and a half years in the place in which he is now living with six children, the eldest of whom is fifteen.
"Of course, I have nothing to do with the shortage of houses. I have to make the order. Meanwhile, I don't know where Cain is to go."
John Duffy, who was a miner, also sought possession of another house that he owned in Bentinck Street.
He wanted the house for his married daughter but Caleb Roby currently occupied it and he told the judge:
"I have had over half a dozen people looking for a house for me for six years. I don't know what I am going to do in the next six months."
But he didn’t get six months to find another residence. The judge told Robert Cain and Caleb Roby: "I will give both of you three months to get out in. I can't do better. I am sorry; I am bound to make the order."
The St Helens Referees Society met at the YMCA every week and discussed what was described once in the Echo as the "knotty points" of association football.
On May 1st the St Helens whistle-blowers played a match themselves against Liverpool referees.
The man given the task of refereeing the referees was S. Peers, a former first division ref.
Underground roof collapses were the most common cause of deaths in coalmines. But as they rarely resulted in multiple fatalities, such accidents often did not receive much of a write-up in the newspapers.
On the 2nd Felix McEwan of Peckers Hill Road in Sutton was struck down by a roof fall while working down Sherdley Colliery.
The 61-year-old was dug out from the debris that encased him and conveyed to the nearby St Helens Hospital but died soon after admission.
The St Helens Reporter was published on May 2nd and described how a large contingent of pilgrims from the town would be taking part in a sacred pilgrimage to Lourdes in July.
In total more than 1,200 persons from Lancashire were making the trip, although only 100 of them would be sick or infirm with the majority simply going on a religious pilgrimage.
However, a special team of doctors and nurses and volunteer stretcher bearers would be making the journey on special trains and steamers to support those that would be praying for miracle cures.
The Archbishop of Liverpool would head the party, which would also include Father Riley of Lowe House and Father Holden of Sutton Manor.
Uncle Ben's Children's Reporter this week revealed the winner of its most popular boys' name contest.
That was Elsie Tilley of Colliers Road who had put Harry as her favourite name, followed by Jack and Tom.
Uncle Ben had given the members of his club a total of six names – with Fred, Edward and Charles being the other three – and asked them to select their three most favourite.
All six are, of course, still quite popular today, although Charles was by far the least liked by the children in 1923.
Although gambling was largely illegal, betting could be undertaken at racecourses and via certain authorised agents.
And there was nothing to stop tipsters from operating – although in St Helens if they sold racing tips on the street they were acting as hawkers and needed a licence.
On the 3rd George Epworth from Everton appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with acting as a pedlar without a certificate and causing an obstruction.
Inspector Anders told the magistrates that at 8:30pm on the previous evening he had seen a large crowd on the corner of Bridge Street and Tontine Street.
The throng extended six yards over the footpath and he said some pedestrians needed to walk in the road to get past the crowd.
The inspector said at first he had thought a fight was in progress but later saw George Epworth by the billiard hall selling tickets for either 6d or a shilling with the name of a horse stamped upon them.
The tipster did what so many other sales persons from out of town did when prosecuted for not possessing a hawker’s licence in St Helens.
Epworth complained that he had visited towns up and down the country but had never before been asked for a licence.
But what other boroughs did was of no concern to the St Helens Bench and the turf adviser – as he liked to call himself – was fined £1.
The 4th was the St Helens Labour Party's annual May demonstration, a gathering that always took place on waste ground in Bridge Street on the nearest Sunday to May 1st.
There was much praise of Lenin who had died in January. One speaker said Lenin’s name would be "written in history when the names of Lloyd George, Asquith and Churchill had been forgotten".
Also on the 4th the Parr Temperance Prize Band played a number of selections in Gaskell Park.
This appears to have been the first of 24 concerts from twelve local bands over the summer with each paid £5 10 shillings for their performance.
And finally, you wouldn't think it was considered worthwhile for the police to pursue a prosecution for an item worth just 4½d.
But a century ago a crime was a crime and on the 5th Jane Price appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with stealing a glass worth that amount.
The woman from Westfield Street was accused of taking it from the Ring o’ Bells pub near her home.
After initially denying the theft, Mrs Price said she had bought a glass of beer at the pub but had not finished drinking it by closing time and so had taken the glass home with the intention of returning it later.
The case was dismissed upon the woman paying the 15 shillings costs of the case.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the laying of the foundation stone for the new Lowe House Church, the brave rescue of a toddler from a Sutton reservoir and the man reported as having escaped from Rainhill Lunatic Asylum.
In February 1923 a Rainford custom had been revived after a 30-year gap. The event was the annual old folks treat that Richard Pennington of Muncaster Hall had provided for many years but which ceased upon his death.
Dinner and entertainment were given and the St Helens Reporter wrote at the time: "Those who were privileged to view the scene will long remember it".
On the 30th of this week the "second annual revival of the old folk's treat" took place in Rainford Village Hall in which 106 older residents were entertained to a tea and concert.
Their ages ranged from 65 to 82 years and the Ormskirk Advertiser wrote: "The treat is not given as a charity but simply as a good turn and a mark of respect by members of the younger generation".
House re-possession cases were now a staple of the St Helens County Court hearings in East Street.
It was a combination of the law having been loosened in favour of landlords and their patience wearing thin after waiting for their tenants to find another place or pay off arrears.
Although some had not been paying their rent, most proposed evictions were because the landlord wanted their tenant's home for their own family members who were presently living in overcrowded accommodation.
The tenants who had been told to vacate generally said they were prepared to move but the housing crisis in St Helens meant they could not find another place to live. The difficulty was made worse if the tenant had a large family.
That situation placed the judge in the weekly County Court hearings in East Street in a dilemma.
On the 30th John Duffy from Appleton Street sought possession of the house he owned in Bentinck Street in Sutton that he had acquired in 1919.
Robert Cain had been a tenant there for twelve years and had six children. After hearing the details of the case the judge said:
"Well, I am sorry. You see how things are. Here you have in one house, with one room downstairs and two upstairs, a man living with his wife, his married son and daughter-in-law, his grandchild, a married daughter and another son sleeping in a passage, and he has got to turn out in order to get in his own house, a man who has been twelve and a half years in the place in which he is now living with six children, the eldest of whom is fifteen.
"Of course, I have nothing to do with the shortage of houses. I have to make the order. Meanwhile, I don't know where Cain is to go."
John Duffy, who was a miner, also sought possession of another house that he owned in Bentinck Street.
He wanted the house for his married daughter but Caleb Roby currently occupied it and he told the judge:
"I have had over half a dozen people looking for a house for me for six years. I don't know what I am going to do in the next six months."
But he didn’t get six months to find another residence. The judge told Robert Cain and Caleb Roby: "I will give both of you three months to get out in. I can't do better. I am sorry; I am bound to make the order."
The St Helens Referees Society met at the YMCA every week and discussed what was described once in the Echo as the "knotty points" of association football.
On May 1st the St Helens whistle-blowers played a match themselves against Liverpool referees.
The man given the task of refereeing the referees was S. Peers, a former first division ref.
Underground roof collapses were the most common cause of deaths in coalmines. But as they rarely resulted in multiple fatalities, such accidents often did not receive much of a write-up in the newspapers.
The 61-year-old was dug out from the debris that encased him and conveyed to the nearby St Helens Hospital but died soon after admission.
The St Helens Reporter was published on May 2nd and described how a large contingent of pilgrims from the town would be taking part in a sacred pilgrimage to Lourdes in July.
In total more than 1,200 persons from Lancashire were making the trip, although only 100 of them would be sick or infirm with the majority simply going on a religious pilgrimage.
However, a special team of doctors and nurses and volunteer stretcher bearers would be making the journey on special trains and steamers to support those that would be praying for miracle cures.
The Archbishop of Liverpool would head the party, which would also include Father Riley of Lowe House and Father Holden of Sutton Manor.
Uncle Ben's Children's Reporter this week revealed the winner of its most popular boys' name contest.
That was Elsie Tilley of Colliers Road who had put Harry as her favourite name, followed by Jack and Tom.
Uncle Ben had given the members of his club a total of six names – with Fred, Edward and Charles being the other three – and asked them to select their three most favourite.
All six are, of course, still quite popular today, although Charles was by far the least liked by the children in 1923.
Although gambling was largely illegal, betting could be undertaken at racecourses and via certain authorised agents.
And there was nothing to stop tipsters from operating – although in St Helens if they sold racing tips on the street they were acting as hawkers and needed a licence.
On the 3rd George Epworth from Everton appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with acting as a pedlar without a certificate and causing an obstruction.
Inspector Anders told the magistrates that at 8:30pm on the previous evening he had seen a large crowd on the corner of Bridge Street and Tontine Street.
The throng extended six yards over the footpath and he said some pedestrians needed to walk in the road to get past the crowd.
The inspector said at first he had thought a fight was in progress but later saw George Epworth by the billiard hall selling tickets for either 6d or a shilling with the name of a horse stamped upon them.
The tipster did what so many other sales persons from out of town did when prosecuted for not possessing a hawker’s licence in St Helens.
Epworth complained that he had visited towns up and down the country but had never before been asked for a licence.
But what other boroughs did was of no concern to the St Helens Bench and the turf adviser – as he liked to call himself – was fined £1.
The 4th was the St Helens Labour Party's annual May demonstration, a gathering that always took place on waste ground in Bridge Street on the nearest Sunday to May 1st.
There was much praise of Lenin who had died in January. One speaker said Lenin’s name would be "written in history when the names of Lloyd George, Asquith and Churchill had been forgotten".
Also on the 4th the Parr Temperance Prize Band played a number of selections in Gaskell Park.
This appears to have been the first of 24 concerts from twelve local bands over the summer with each paid £5 10 shillings for their performance.
And finally, you wouldn't think it was considered worthwhile for the police to pursue a prosecution for an item worth just 4½d.
But a century ago a crime was a crime and on the 5th Jane Price appeared in St Helens Police Court charged with stealing a glass worth that amount.
The woman from Westfield Street was accused of taking it from the Ring o’ Bells pub near her home.
After initially denying the theft, Mrs Price said she had bought a glass of beer at the pub but had not finished drinking it by closing time and so had taken the glass home with the intention of returning it later.
The case was dismissed upon the woman paying the 15 shillings costs of the case.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the laying of the foundation stone for the new Lowe House Church, the brave rescue of a toddler from a Sutton reservoir and the man reported as having escaped from Rainhill Lunatic Asylum.