St Helens History This Week

Bringing History to Life from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago!

Bringing History to Life from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago!

ST HELENS 150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
This page is a series of weekly articles that describe llfe in the Lancashire town in the 1870s and which are updated every Sunday morning.
150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
This page is a series of weekly articles that describe llfe in St Helens in Lancashire in the 1870s and which are updated every Sunday morning.
Sinkers summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (6th - 12th DECEMBER 1871)

This week's stories include the contagious diseases raging in St Helens, the Pocket Nook rail crash that killed a Sutton stoker, the 3-hour curling match that took place on the ice at Rainhill, the cosy pay rises for a Newton-le-Willows workforce, more on the Whiston water well problem and the curious controversy over school boards designed to educate the 2 million children in England with no access to education.
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Junction Hotel Rainford summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (29th NOV. - 5th DEC. 1871)

This week's many stories include a complaint about disgusting betting and drinking exhibitions in Rainford, the high death-rate from measles and smallpox in St Helens, Young Juba the negro comic appears at the Theatre Royal, another serious fire takes place at Newton, the fight at the Junction Hotel in Rainford that the landlord allegedly allowed and the gipsy fortune tellers who were not able to locate their own horses.
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Beechams magic cure summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (22nd - 28th NOVEMER 1871)

This week's stories include a rabies death in Newton-le-Willows, the testimonial that paid tribute to Beecham's magic cure, the husband who attacked his wife for serving him breakfast in a pub, a drunken Haydock miner's canal death, the artists performing at the Theatre Royal, the man who went to great lengths to fall down a hole, the strange Birmingham imposter scam and there is another wearing apparel theft.
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Liverpool Mercury summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (15th - 21st NOVEMER 1871)

This week's stories include the burglars who infested St Helens when families went to church strike in Robins Lane, a new Chamber of Commerce is created for St Helens, the sending back to prison of a ticket-of-leave man, the artists performing at the Theatre Royal, the movement to limit the working day to 9 hours gains ground and the drunken passenger at Newton who nearly lost his life on the railway.
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Volunteer Hall summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (8th - 14th NOVEMER 1871)

This week's stories include the annual Lowe House Tea Party and Ball in the Volunteer Hall, the horrendous death at a St Helens chemical works, the successful campaign for a nine-hour working day in Newton-le-Willows, the Billinge miners' clog fight that ended in death, the St Helens Amateur Dramatic Society's charity show, a new mayor is chosen for St Helens and the local election impersonators appear in court.
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Liverpool Road summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (1st - 7th NOVEMER 1871)

This week's stories include the St Helens' miners demand for more pay, the old woman from Gerards Bridge who set herself on fire with a candle, St Helens controversially sets up a committee to provide a relief fund for the fire-ravaged people of Chicago, an extraordinary first-hand account by a Wigan man of the dreadful conflagration and what might have been the last corrupt council election takes place in St Helens.
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Slave troupe summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (25th - 31st OCTOBER 1871)

This week's many stories include the smallpox epidemic in the Irish district of Greenbank, concern that the cost of the proposed new St Helens town hall would lead to an increase in the rates, a plea from a Haydock miner over the blacklisting of a colleague, the notorious poacher from Billinge, the acrobatic acme of quickness in Earlestown and a dispute over a pigeon race is heard in St Helens County Court.
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Whiston infirmary summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (18th - 24th OCTOBER 1871)

This week's stories include the drunken cooks at Whiston Workhouse, the leaking fever sheds at Whiston, the officer appointed to deal with vaccination defaulters, the persecuted German Catholics whose emigrant train struck a goods train, the death of a Rainford platelayer, the Newton Bowling Club hold a dinner, the Vicar of St Thomas Church complains that the poor are ungrateful to the rich and the discussion over whether St Peter's in Parr should pay for the flagging of the street.
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Chicago fire summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (11th - 17th OCTOBER 1871)

This week's stories include the Church hearing into a St Helens vicar accused of indecently assaulting a child, the father and son who died together down Peasley Cross Colliery, a murderous assault on a man in Eccleston, the serio-comics and black minstrel entertainers at the Theatre Royal, the Newton reformatory thief, the captain who dumped his boat in St Helens and a vivid account of the Great Chicago Fire.
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Station rails summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (4th - 10th OCTOBER 1871)

This week's stories include the two thousand St Helens children that never attended school, a man is run over while walking along the railway line at Sutton Oak, the unfriendly man who cheated the Prescot friendly society, the Haydock Park farm sale, improvements are planned for the approaches to St Helens Station and the anti-vaccinator from Preston who fought against the compulsory vaccination of his child.
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St Peters church summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (27th SEPT. - 3rd OCT. 1871)

This week's stories include the sacrilegious burglary at St Peter's Church in Parr, anger is expressed at a St Helens Water Committee meeting when members are told of major problems in the boring of their new Whiston well, a memorial stone is laid for a new Congregational Church Sunday school at Peasley Cross and the squabbling women of Blackbrook accused of saying the most abusive and filthy epithets!
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