150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (14th - 20th NOVEMBER 1872)
This week's stories include the extraordinary death of a patient at the Haydock Lodge Lunatic Asylum, the man accused of being a knobstick at Pilks' glassworks, the bleeding horse that was beaten because it couldn't haul bricks up Croppers Hill, the boys stealing lead off the glasshouse roof and the troublesome soldier at the bottleworks that punched a policeman on the nose.
We begin on the 14th with a meeting of the Prescot Guardians, the folk who managed Whiston Workhouse where St Helens and Prescot paupers ended up. There were currently 326 inmates in the institution of which 131 were children. Their best day of the year was undoubtedly when the workhouse held its Christmas dinner, which rarely took place on December 25th itself. Not only was an excellent meal served but entertainment was also provided. But there was never any guarantee that the festivity would take place and each November the Guardians needed to grant permission because of its cost.
At the meeting guardian John Birchall said he had for several years requested permission to give the children a Christmas treat, believing it had "given satisfaction, and been beneficial to the inmates generally". Several gentlemen had offered to help on the day and Mr Birchall insisted that the event had never led to any complaints. None of the Guardians wanted to play Scrooge and so permission was granted for the Christmas dinner to take place on January 2nd, rather oddly.
In September part of the Haydock Lodge Lunatic Asylum – as it was known – was destroyed by fire after workmen undertaking some redecorating had been careless with a candle. Although the Rainhill County Lunatic Asylum was the main hospital for accommodating those deemed to be mentally ill, the smaller Haydock Lodge was the institution for the better off who could afford private treatment. Situated on the main road between Ashton and Newton-le-Willows, the asylum provided accommodation for 250 patients.
Haydock Lodge received some more bad publicity on the 15th when a special inquiry by magistrates revealed that a "gentleman" patient had died in dubious circumstances. William Lord had been an inmate of the asylum for a month before dying from severe injuries to his chest and ribs. Several days before his demise, Lord had been found badly hurt at the bottom of a flight of steps. The assumption was that he had accidentally fallen down them. But when visited by his wife, Lord alleged that an attendant and a patient called Booth had thrown him down the stairs and also claimed that they had previously abused him.
The only evidence to support his claim was that on the day before the fall, the inmate called Booth had been discovered kneeling on Lord. But Booth had also since died, there had been no witnesses to the stairs incident and the attendants denied any wrongdoing. And, of course, the mentally ill have a low threshold of credibility and being deceased, William Lord could not amplify his complaint. So the magistrates exonerated the attendants – but the good name of the institution was not completely redeemed. The headline to the report on the enquiry in the St Helens Newspaper was "Death From Violence In A Lunatic Asylum". Even a newspaper called the Cheltenham Mercury had as its headline "Shocking Death In A Lunatic Asylum".
Ginger & Robertson's Christy Minstrels performed at the Volunteer Hall in Mill Street in St Helens on the 16th. This was one of several blackface troupes that claimed to be the original Minstrels, with each having one or two former members of the original troupe within their ranks – something that the Drifters would later copy! "Fun without vulgarity" promised the minstrels' advert in the Newspaper with admission prices ranging from 6d to 1s 6d.
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 16th John McAuliffe was charged with the intimidation of James Kelly at Pilkington's glassworks (pictured above in the 1870s). The prosecution case was that McAuliffe and two other men – who were now reported to have absconded – had worked for Pilks. However, they became dissatisfied with their wages and, after serving the required notice, had quit their jobs.
James Kelly replaced one of the men at the glassworks but two of those that had quit had called him a knobstick and one had struck him. McAuliffe had not been one of them and all he had said to Kelly was that he'd been a mean man for taking their place. Although it was proved that McAuliffe had restrained the two others, the Chairman of the Bench said he had been involved in interfering with Kelly and sent him to prison for 14 days.
A soldier on leave called Michael Heron appeared in court after punching PC Geddes on the nose. The constable told the Bench that Heron had been causing a nuisance at Shaw's bottleworks and he had been asked to eject him. The soldier resisted and it had been only by "very great exertion" that he had been brought to the police station. Heron was fined 20 shillings and costs.
The St Helens Newspaper also covered national and international news. "Terrible Conflagration At Boston – Many Lives Lost – Enormous Loss Of Property", were the headlines to their report on the 16th into what would become known as the "Great Boston Fire". More than 30 died and 776 buildings were destroyed. One unusual feature that slowed the battle against the blaze was that the firemen's horses that hauled their apparatus had flu and so could not be used.
The new management at the St Helens Theatre Royal – in the building we know as the Citadel – was focussing more on drama than music hall fare. An advertisement in the Newspaper described how the world famous "tragedian" Charles Dillon had been booked to appear at the theatre. He was one of the most famous actors in the country and played many Shakespearean roles.
Two boys were in trouble on the 18th. William McNevin and John O’Donoghue were charged in St Helens Petty Sessions with doing wilful damage to property belonging to Pilkingtons. In fact they had been on the roof of their glasshouse stealing lead! John Marsden had been with the pair at the time but after being caught by a watchman after a chase, had – as the Newspaper put it – "betrayed the others to save himself". To make matters worse the lads all worked at Pilkingtons and were each fined 2s 6d and costs and, probably, lost their jobs.
Croppers Hill was also known as Combshop Brow. As the name suggests it was given that moniker because it had been the main site in St Helens where combs were produced. These were made of ivory, linking the town with the slave trade. Combshop Brow was mentioned in the next case when Robert Johnson from Parr was charged with cruelty to a horse while working it in an unfit state.
PC Callister told the court that he had seen the horse trying to pull a load of bricks over Combshop Brow – but the animal did not possess the strength to get up the hill. There was a wound on its leg from which blood flowed down to its hoof and the driver had been urging the horse up the slope by giving the animal repeated blows. Johnson was dismissive of the charge telling the magistrates that his horse was only carrying 27 cwt of bricks and it could have easily handled twice that weight. He said he had bought the horse in Rainford and it was "without a blemish".
The Chairman of the Bench called the claim of a horse capable of hauling 54 cwt up such a hill as Combshop Brow as "nonsense". However, Johnson had brought a witness to the court called John Swift who claimed that the horse had been in an excellent condition earlier that same day. The Bench ruled that some doubt had crept into the case and decided to dismiss the charge.
Just how respectable you and your family were perceived would often influence the magistrates when sentencing offenders in court. On the 20th Bridget Purcell – who in the 1871 census was 42 and living in Greenough Street in St Helens – was charged in the Petty Sessions with stealing 10lbs of coal from Ravenhead Colliery. Watchman Thomas Meredith gave evidence of seeing the woman picking up coal from the stuff heap and placing it in her apron. The stuff heap was another name for the colliery waste heap that often contained bits of usable coal.
Most persons – including children – brought to court for such a crime were given a short prison sentence. But the Newspaper wrote: "The husband of the prisoner, it appears, is a very respectable working man, who has always borne a good character, and in consideration of this fact, the magistrates discharged the woman with a caution."
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the sibling violence in Peasley Cross, the Women's Rights Movement comes to St Helens, the campaign against the expensive new town hall and the one-armed beggar that had to pay his own fare to prison.
We begin on the 14th with a meeting of the Prescot Guardians, the folk who managed Whiston Workhouse where St Helens and Prescot paupers ended up. There were currently 326 inmates in the institution of which 131 were children. Their best day of the year was undoubtedly when the workhouse held its Christmas dinner, which rarely took place on December 25th itself. Not only was an excellent meal served but entertainment was also provided. But there was never any guarantee that the festivity would take place and each November the Guardians needed to grant permission because of its cost.
At the meeting guardian John Birchall said he had for several years requested permission to give the children a Christmas treat, believing it had "given satisfaction, and been beneficial to the inmates generally". Several gentlemen had offered to help on the day and Mr Birchall insisted that the event had never led to any complaints. None of the Guardians wanted to play Scrooge and so permission was granted for the Christmas dinner to take place on January 2nd, rather oddly.
In September part of the Haydock Lodge Lunatic Asylum – as it was known – was destroyed by fire after workmen undertaking some redecorating had been careless with a candle. Although the Rainhill County Lunatic Asylum was the main hospital for accommodating those deemed to be mentally ill, the smaller Haydock Lodge was the institution for the better off who could afford private treatment. Situated on the main road between Ashton and Newton-le-Willows, the asylum provided accommodation for 250 patients.
Haydock Lodge received some more bad publicity on the 15th when a special inquiry by magistrates revealed that a "gentleman" patient had died in dubious circumstances. William Lord had been an inmate of the asylum for a month before dying from severe injuries to his chest and ribs. Several days before his demise, Lord had been found badly hurt at the bottom of a flight of steps. The assumption was that he had accidentally fallen down them. But when visited by his wife, Lord alleged that an attendant and a patient called Booth had thrown him down the stairs and also claimed that they had previously abused him.
The only evidence to support his claim was that on the day before the fall, the inmate called Booth had been discovered kneeling on Lord. But Booth had also since died, there had been no witnesses to the stairs incident and the attendants denied any wrongdoing. And, of course, the mentally ill have a low threshold of credibility and being deceased, William Lord could not amplify his complaint. So the magistrates exonerated the attendants – but the good name of the institution was not completely redeemed. The headline to the report on the enquiry in the St Helens Newspaper was "Death From Violence In A Lunatic Asylum". Even a newspaper called the Cheltenham Mercury had as its headline "Shocking Death In A Lunatic Asylum".
Ginger & Robertson's Christy Minstrels performed at the Volunteer Hall in Mill Street in St Helens on the 16th. This was one of several blackface troupes that claimed to be the original Minstrels, with each having one or two former members of the original troupe within their ranks – something that the Drifters would later copy! "Fun without vulgarity" promised the minstrels' advert in the Newspaper with admission prices ranging from 6d to 1s 6d.
James Kelly replaced one of the men at the glassworks but two of those that had quit had called him a knobstick and one had struck him. McAuliffe had not been one of them and all he had said to Kelly was that he'd been a mean man for taking their place. Although it was proved that McAuliffe had restrained the two others, the Chairman of the Bench said he had been involved in interfering with Kelly and sent him to prison for 14 days.
A soldier on leave called Michael Heron appeared in court after punching PC Geddes on the nose. The constable told the Bench that Heron had been causing a nuisance at Shaw's bottleworks and he had been asked to eject him. The soldier resisted and it had been only by "very great exertion" that he had been brought to the police station. Heron was fined 20 shillings and costs.
The St Helens Newspaper also covered national and international news. "Terrible Conflagration At Boston – Many Lives Lost – Enormous Loss Of Property", were the headlines to their report on the 16th into what would become known as the "Great Boston Fire". More than 30 died and 776 buildings were destroyed. One unusual feature that slowed the battle against the blaze was that the firemen's horses that hauled their apparatus had flu and so could not be used.
The new management at the St Helens Theatre Royal – in the building we know as the Citadel – was focussing more on drama than music hall fare. An advertisement in the Newspaper described how the world famous "tragedian" Charles Dillon had been booked to appear at the theatre. He was one of the most famous actors in the country and played many Shakespearean roles.
Two boys were in trouble on the 18th. William McNevin and John O’Donoghue were charged in St Helens Petty Sessions with doing wilful damage to property belonging to Pilkingtons. In fact they had been on the roof of their glasshouse stealing lead! John Marsden had been with the pair at the time but after being caught by a watchman after a chase, had – as the Newspaper put it – "betrayed the others to save himself". To make matters worse the lads all worked at Pilkingtons and were each fined 2s 6d and costs and, probably, lost their jobs.
Croppers Hill was also known as Combshop Brow. As the name suggests it was given that moniker because it had been the main site in St Helens where combs were produced. These were made of ivory, linking the town with the slave trade. Combshop Brow was mentioned in the next case when Robert Johnson from Parr was charged with cruelty to a horse while working it in an unfit state.
PC Callister told the court that he had seen the horse trying to pull a load of bricks over Combshop Brow – but the animal did not possess the strength to get up the hill. There was a wound on its leg from which blood flowed down to its hoof and the driver had been urging the horse up the slope by giving the animal repeated blows. Johnson was dismissive of the charge telling the magistrates that his horse was only carrying 27 cwt of bricks and it could have easily handled twice that weight. He said he had bought the horse in Rainford and it was "without a blemish".
The Chairman of the Bench called the claim of a horse capable of hauling 54 cwt up such a hill as Combshop Brow as "nonsense". However, Johnson had brought a witness to the court called John Swift who claimed that the horse had been in an excellent condition earlier that same day. The Bench ruled that some doubt had crept into the case and decided to dismiss the charge.
Just how respectable you and your family were perceived would often influence the magistrates when sentencing offenders in court. On the 20th Bridget Purcell – who in the 1871 census was 42 and living in Greenough Street in St Helens – was charged in the Petty Sessions with stealing 10lbs of coal from Ravenhead Colliery. Watchman Thomas Meredith gave evidence of seeing the woman picking up coal from the stuff heap and placing it in her apron. The stuff heap was another name for the colliery waste heap that often contained bits of usable coal.
Most persons – including children – brought to court for such a crime were given a short prison sentence. But the Newspaper wrote: "The husband of the prisoner, it appears, is a very respectable working man, who has always borne a good character, and in consideration of this fact, the magistrates discharged the woman with a caution."
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the sibling violence in Peasley Cross, the Women's Rights Movement comes to St Helens, the campaign against the expensive new town hall and the one-armed beggar that had to pay his own fare to prison.
This week's stories include the extraordinary death of a patient at the Haydock Lodge Lunatic Asylum, the man accused of being a knobstick at Pilks' glassworks, the bleeding horse that was beaten because it couldn't haul bricks up Croppers Hill, the boys stealing lead off the glasshouse roof and the troublesome soldier at the bottleworks that punched a policeman on the nose.
We begin on the 14th with a meeting of the Prescot Guardians, the folk who managed Whiston Workhouse where St Helens and Prescot paupers ended up.
There were currently 326 inmates in the institution of which 131 were children.
Their best day of the year was undoubtedly when the workhouse held its Christmas dinner, which rarely took place on December 25th itself. Not only was an excellent meal served but entertainment was also provided.
But there was never any guarantee that the festivity would take place and each November the Guardians needed to grant permission because of its cost.
At the meeting guardian John Birchall said he had for several years requested permission to give the children a Christmas treat, believing it had "given satisfaction, and been beneficial to the inmates generally".
Several gentlemen had offered to help on the day and Mr Birchall insisted that the event had never led to any complaints.
None of the Guardians wanted to play Scrooge and so permission was granted for the Christmas dinner to take place on January 2nd, rather oddly.
In September part of the Haydock Lodge Lunatic Asylum – as it was known – was destroyed by fire after workmen undertaking some redecorating had been careless with a candle.
Although the Rainhill County Lunatic Asylum was the main hospital for accommodating those deemed to be mentally ill, the smaller Haydock Lodge was the institution for the better off who could afford private treatment.
Situated on the main road between Ashton and Newton-le-Willows, the asylum provided accommodation for 250 patients.
Haydock Lodge received some more bad publicity on the 15th when a special inquiry by magistrates revealed that a "gentleman" patient had died in dubious circumstances.
William Lord had been an inmate of the asylum for a month before dying from severe injuries to his chest and ribs.
Several days before his demise, Lord had been found badly hurt at the bottom of a flight of steps.
The assumption was that he had accidentally fallen down them. But when visited by his wife, Lord alleged that an attendant and a patient called Booth had thrown him down the stairs and also claimed that they had previously abused him.
The only evidence to support his claim was that on the day before the fall, the inmate called Booth had been discovered kneeling on Lord.
But Booth had also since died, there had been no witnesses to the stairs incident and the attendants denied any wrongdoing.
And, of course, the mentally ill have a low threshold of credibility and being deceased, William Lord could not amplify his complaint.
So the magistrates exonerated the attendants – but the good name of the institution was not completely redeemed.
The headline to the report on the enquiry in the St Helens Newspaper was "Death From Violence In A Lunatic Asylum".
Even a newspaper called the Cheltenham Mercury had as its headline "Shocking Death In A Lunatic Asylum".
Ginger & Robertson's Christy Minstrels performed at the Volunteer Hall in Mill Street in St Helens on the 16th.
This was one of several blackface troupes that claimed to be the original Minstrels, with each having one or two former members of the original troupe within their ranks – something that the Drifters would later copy!
"Fun without vulgarity" promised the minstrels' advert in the Newspaper with admission prices ranging from 6d to 1s 6d.
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 16th John McAuliffe was charged with the intimidation of James Kelly at Pilkington's glassworks (pictured above in the 1870s).
The prosecution case was that McAuliffe and two other men – who were now reported to have absconded – had worked for Pilks.
However, they became dissatisfied with their wages and, after serving the required notice, had quit their jobs.
James Kelly replaced one of the men at the glassworks but two of those that had quit had called him a knobstick and one had struck him.
McAuliffe had not been one of them and all he had said to Kelly was that he'd been a mean man for taking their place.
Although it was proved that McAuliffe had restrained the two others, the Chairman of the Bench said he had been involved in interfering with Kelly and sent him to prison for 14 days.
A soldier on leave called Michael Heron appeared in court after punching PC Geddes on the nose.
The constable told the Bench that Heron had been causing a nuisance at Shaw's bottleworks and he had been asked to eject him.
The soldier resisted and it had been only by "very great exertion" that he had been brought to the police station. Heron was fined 20 shillings and costs.
The St Helens Newspaper also covered national and international news. "Terrible Conflagration At Boston – Many Lives Lost – Enormous Loss Of Property", were the headlines to their report on the 16th into what would become known as the "Great Boston Fire".
More than 30 died and 776 buildings were destroyed. One unusual feature that slowed the battle against the blaze was that the firemen's horses that hauled their apparatus had flu and so could not be used.
The new management at the St Helens Theatre Royal – in the building we know as the Citadel – was focussing more on drama than music hall fare.
An advertisement in the Newspaper described how the world famous "tragedian" Charles Dillon had been booked to appear at the theatre.
He was one of the most famous actors in the country and played many Shakespearean roles.
Two boys were in trouble on the 18th. William McNevin and John O’Donoghue were charged in St Helens Petty Sessions with doing wilful damage to property belonging to Pilkingtons.
In fact they had been on the roof of their glasshouse stealing lead! John Marsden had been with the pair at the time but after being caught by a watchman after a chase, had – as the Newspaper put it – "betrayed the others to save himself".
To make matters worse the lads all worked at Pilkingtons and were each fined 2s 6d and costs and, probably, lost their jobs.
Croppers Hill was also known as Combshop Brow. As the name suggests it was given that moniker because it had been the main site in St Helens where combs were produced. These were made of ivory, linking the town with the slave trade.
Combshop Brow was mentioned in the next case when Robert Johnson from Parr was charged with cruelty to a horse while working it in an unfit state.
PC Callister told the court that he had seen the horse trying to pull a load of bricks over Combshop Brow – but the animal did not possess the strength to get up the hill.
There was a wound on its leg from which blood flowed down to its hoof and the driver had been urging the horse up the slope by giving the animal repeated blows.
Johnson was dismissive of the charge telling the magistrates that his horse was only carrying 27 cwt of bricks and it could have easily handled twice that weight.
He said he had bought the horse in Rainford and it was "without a blemish".
The Chairman of the Bench called the claim of a horse capable of hauling 54 cwt up such a hill as Combshop Brow as "nonsense".
However, Johnson had brought a witness to the court called John Swift who claimed that the horse had been in an excellent condition earlier that same day.
The Bench ruled that some doubt had crept into the case and decided to dismiss the charge.
Just how respectable you and your family were perceived would often influence the magistrates when sentencing offenders in court.
On the 20th Bridget Purcell – who in the 1871 census was 42 and living in Greenough Street in St Helens – was charged in the Petty Sessions with stealing 10lbs of coal from Ravenhead Colliery.
Watchman Thomas Meredith gave evidence of seeing the woman picking up coal from the stuff heap and placing it in her apron. The stuff heap was another name for the colliery waste heap that often contained bits of usable coal.
Most persons – including children – brought to court for such a crime were given a short prison sentence. But the Newspaper wrote:
"The husband of the prisoner, it appears, is a very respectable working man, who has always borne a good character, and in consideration of this fact, the magistrates discharged the woman with a caution."
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the sibling violence in Peasley Cross, the Women's Rights Movement comes to St Helens, the campaign against the expensive new town hall and the one-armed beggar that had to pay his own fare to prison.
We begin on the 14th with a meeting of the Prescot Guardians, the folk who managed Whiston Workhouse where St Helens and Prescot paupers ended up.
There were currently 326 inmates in the institution of which 131 were children.
Their best day of the year was undoubtedly when the workhouse held its Christmas dinner, which rarely took place on December 25th itself. Not only was an excellent meal served but entertainment was also provided.
But there was never any guarantee that the festivity would take place and each November the Guardians needed to grant permission because of its cost.
At the meeting guardian John Birchall said he had for several years requested permission to give the children a Christmas treat, believing it had "given satisfaction, and been beneficial to the inmates generally".
Several gentlemen had offered to help on the day and Mr Birchall insisted that the event had never led to any complaints.
None of the Guardians wanted to play Scrooge and so permission was granted for the Christmas dinner to take place on January 2nd, rather oddly.
In September part of the Haydock Lodge Lunatic Asylum – as it was known – was destroyed by fire after workmen undertaking some redecorating had been careless with a candle.
Although the Rainhill County Lunatic Asylum was the main hospital for accommodating those deemed to be mentally ill, the smaller Haydock Lodge was the institution for the better off who could afford private treatment.
Situated on the main road between Ashton and Newton-le-Willows, the asylum provided accommodation for 250 patients.
Haydock Lodge received some more bad publicity on the 15th when a special inquiry by magistrates revealed that a "gentleman" patient had died in dubious circumstances.
William Lord had been an inmate of the asylum for a month before dying from severe injuries to his chest and ribs.
Several days before his demise, Lord had been found badly hurt at the bottom of a flight of steps.
The assumption was that he had accidentally fallen down them. But when visited by his wife, Lord alleged that an attendant and a patient called Booth had thrown him down the stairs and also claimed that they had previously abused him.
The only evidence to support his claim was that on the day before the fall, the inmate called Booth had been discovered kneeling on Lord.
But Booth had also since died, there had been no witnesses to the stairs incident and the attendants denied any wrongdoing.
And, of course, the mentally ill have a low threshold of credibility and being deceased, William Lord could not amplify his complaint.
So the magistrates exonerated the attendants – but the good name of the institution was not completely redeemed.
The headline to the report on the enquiry in the St Helens Newspaper was "Death From Violence In A Lunatic Asylum".
Even a newspaper called the Cheltenham Mercury had as its headline "Shocking Death In A Lunatic Asylum".
Ginger & Robertson's Christy Minstrels performed at the Volunteer Hall in Mill Street in St Helens on the 16th.
This was one of several blackface troupes that claimed to be the original Minstrels, with each having one or two former members of the original troupe within their ranks – something that the Drifters would later copy!
"Fun without vulgarity" promised the minstrels' advert in the Newspaper with admission prices ranging from 6d to 1s 6d.
The prosecution case was that McAuliffe and two other men – who were now reported to have absconded – had worked for Pilks.
However, they became dissatisfied with their wages and, after serving the required notice, had quit their jobs.
James Kelly replaced one of the men at the glassworks but two of those that had quit had called him a knobstick and one had struck him.
McAuliffe had not been one of them and all he had said to Kelly was that he'd been a mean man for taking their place.
Although it was proved that McAuliffe had restrained the two others, the Chairman of the Bench said he had been involved in interfering with Kelly and sent him to prison for 14 days.
A soldier on leave called Michael Heron appeared in court after punching PC Geddes on the nose.
The constable told the Bench that Heron had been causing a nuisance at Shaw's bottleworks and he had been asked to eject him.
The soldier resisted and it had been only by "very great exertion" that he had been brought to the police station. Heron was fined 20 shillings and costs.
The St Helens Newspaper also covered national and international news. "Terrible Conflagration At Boston – Many Lives Lost – Enormous Loss Of Property", were the headlines to their report on the 16th into what would become known as the "Great Boston Fire".
More than 30 died and 776 buildings were destroyed. One unusual feature that slowed the battle against the blaze was that the firemen's horses that hauled their apparatus had flu and so could not be used.
The new management at the St Helens Theatre Royal – in the building we know as the Citadel – was focussing more on drama than music hall fare.
An advertisement in the Newspaper described how the world famous "tragedian" Charles Dillon had been booked to appear at the theatre.
He was one of the most famous actors in the country and played many Shakespearean roles.
Two boys were in trouble on the 18th. William McNevin and John O’Donoghue were charged in St Helens Petty Sessions with doing wilful damage to property belonging to Pilkingtons.
In fact they had been on the roof of their glasshouse stealing lead! John Marsden had been with the pair at the time but after being caught by a watchman after a chase, had – as the Newspaper put it – "betrayed the others to save himself".
To make matters worse the lads all worked at Pilkingtons and were each fined 2s 6d and costs and, probably, lost their jobs.
Croppers Hill was also known as Combshop Brow. As the name suggests it was given that moniker because it had been the main site in St Helens where combs were produced. These were made of ivory, linking the town with the slave trade.
Combshop Brow was mentioned in the next case when Robert Johnson from Parr was charged with cruelty to a horse while working it in an unfit state.
PC Callister told the court that he had seen the horse trying to pull a load of bricks over Combshop Brow – but the animal did not possess the strength to get up the hill.
There was a wound on its leg from which blood flowed down to its hoof and the driver had been urging the horse up the slope by giving the animal repeated blows.
Johnson was dismissive of the charge telling the magistrates that his horse was only carrying 27 cwt of bricks and it could have easily handled twice that weight.
He said he had bought the horse in Rainford and it was "without a blemish".
The Chairman of the Bench called the claim of a horse capable of hauling 54 cwt up such a hill as Combshop Brow as "nonsense".
However, Johnson had brought a witness to the court called John Swift who claimed that the horse had been in an excellent condition earlier that same day.
The Bench ruled that some doubt had crept into the case and decided to dismiss the charge.
Just how respectable you and your family were perceived would often influence the magistrates when sentencing offenders in court.
On the 20th Bridget Purcell – who in the 1871 census was 42 and living in Greenough Street in St Helens – was charged in the Petty Sessions with stealing 10lbs of coal from Ravenhead Colliery.
Watchman Thomas Meredith gave evidence of seeing the woman picking up coal from the stuff heap and placing it in her apron. The stuff heap was another name for the colliery waste heap that often contained bits of usable coal.
Most persons – including children – brought to court for such a crime were given a short prison sentence. But the Newspaper wrote:
"The husband of the prisoner, it appears, is a very respectable working man, who has always borne a good character, and in consideration of this fact, the magistrates discharged the woman with a caution."
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the sibling violence in Peasley Cross, the Women's Rights Movement comes to St Helens, the campaign against the expensive new town hall and the one-armed beggar that had to pay his own fare to prison.