150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 15 - 21 DECEMBER 1875
This week's many stories include the proposed new St Helens coat of arms and motto, the punch up in the Clock Face Inn, the family fight in the Lamb over the landlord's brutal treatment of his wife, the widow prosecuted for having nine lodgers sleeping in an unregistered house and the Rainford coal boss killed while walking on the railway line.
We begin on the 15th when a special meeting of St Helens Town Council took place to consider a report from a committee that had been appointed to select a coat of arms and motto for the borough. The committee stated that they had met several times but could not decide on a coat of arms. And so they had asked the Herald's Office to design one that would incorporate the four old townships of Eccleston, Windle, Parr and Sutton (including Bold).
The design that the committee had received was considered acceptable, with the shield bearing the arms of the Gerard and Parr families surmounted by what was described as a Lancashire lion and crest. But the motto beneath the shield was far more controversial. It said 'Adjurante Deolabore Proficimus' (meaning "with the assistance of God, we have prospered by labour").
However, some councillors were opposed to the slogan and Richard Pilkington suggested 'Ex Terra Lucem' (meaning "from the earth light") instead. That, he argued, was more appropriate for St Helens because the town's material wealth depended largely on its coal. The debate over the motto would continue for some time, with some, including the St Helens Newspaper, quite hostile to both suggestions.
"The melancholy event has caused quite a gloom in the neighbourhood", wrote the Newspaper on the 18th in describing the death in Rainford of Henry Marcus. The 73-year-old was the managing director of the village's Victoria Colliery, which was situated in Old Lane. Mr Marcus had in the late afternoon been walking along the railway line connecting his colliery office with Rainford Junction station. That was in order to catch a train for Liverpool where he lived.
It was probably a journey that the elderly man had made countless times, despite the fact that walking on the line was highly dangerous – especially so for a man who was deaf. And so it appears that Henry did not hear the engine coming up behind him that knocked him down. At his inquest, which was held at the Eagle and Child in Rainford, the train driver said he had sounded his whistle on seeing Mr Marcus but did not have time to shut off steam and prevent the accident.
Widows did not have many options when it came to making a living. Remarrying was the best one but otherwise taking in lodgers was second best. But their small, cottage-like houses soon became crammed with bodies and the Nuisance Inspector, Henry Turner, would hear about it and come knocking. Mr Turner was particularly concerned about unregistered lodging houses and would invariably make his unannounced visits around midnight when the full complement of lodgers was likely to be at home and in bed. Not that there were many beds in these houses for the lodgers to share.
This week Hannah Glynn of Pottery Street was summoned to St Helens Petty Sessions for having nine lodgers sleeping in her unregistered house. Mr Turner said he had turned up at the house at 5 minutes past midnight and in the first room downstairs he had found Mrs Glynn with her two children. Then in one room upstairs he found two beds with three men sleeping in one and two men in the other. There was also a third room in which a man, woman and three children were sleeping.
Mrs Glynn told the Bench that she was a widow with her husband having been killed in a coal mine two years before and she had no other means of making a living. John Glynn had died at Sherdley Colliery when struck down by a wall of coal with the 34-year-old ending up buried in about 18 cwt of debris. It was very unlikely that the woman would have received any compensation for her husband's death and, because of her personal circumstances, Mrs Glynn was only fined a mitigated penalty of 1 shilling and court costs.
A family feud between two licensees was outlined in the courtroom. Richard Davies was the landlord of the Lamb Hotel in College Street and he had summoned his mother-in-law, Ellen Silcock, who kept a beerhouse in Westfield Street, accusing her of assault. Henry Molyneux, Davies' brother-in-law, was also charged with assaulting him.
Davies' wife had been ill for some time and on the 2nd of this month her mother Ellen Silcock had gone to see her. Ellen was accused of abusing Richard in the bar of the Lamb in the presence of customers, but he claimed that rather than have any altercation with her, he had left the pub. Later that day Ellen returned to the Lamb with her son Henry and she had renewed their quarrel. The pair was accused of throwing a total of eight glasses at Richard, one of which had struck him in the face and another on his right eye, which had been cut severely. The police were then called and turned both mother and son out.
That was Richard's story and I'm sure you will not be surprised to hear that Ellen Silcock had a very different take on things! She alleged that Davies's brutal treatment of his wife was behind the affair, however, the magistrates said they were not prepared to go into that, as it was only what had happened on the day in question that concerned them. So they were told that Henry Molyneux, Davies' brother-in-law, was subject to fits and he was cruelly nicknamed by Davies "Fitty Harry".
It was claimed that on that afternoon, the Lamb's landlord had again used his cruel epithet against Molyneux and then struck him in his face and chucked a glass at him. Davies' wife gave evidence that she had invited her mother to come to her house on the day in question and had asked her to remain, as she was afraid her husband would murder her. The magistrates said they considered that an assault had been committed but, considering all the circumstances, they were only prepared to inflict a nominal fine of 1 shilling in each case, as well as damages for the broken glasses.
Another family row was described when James and Jane Isherwood were summoned for assaulting Mary Green. Jane was the sister of Robert Green, Mary's husband and fisticuffs had been flying in the Clock Face Inn. The two sides of the family had not been on speaking terms for some time and when they accidentally met a punch-up took place. Even Jane Isherwood was accused of knocking Mary Green down. But the magistrates decided it was six-of-one and half-a-dozen of the other and the case was dismissed.
There was a somewhat contradictory notice published in the St Helens Newspaper on the 21st concerning the Theatre Royal in the building we know as the Citadel. Under the headline "Now open for the winter season. Re-decorated and beautified," it said, "The theatre is now closed until Christmas Eve". But it was only a brief closure because of preparations for the annual panto, which the theatre was renowned for during the 1870s.
From December 24th, "The grand comic pantomime, Beauty and the Beast", was going to be performed. As usual no end date was stated in the paper. Such productions that involved some expense were typically open-ended and would only stop being presented when audiences stopped paying to see it.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the harsh punishment for the theft of a pinafore, the wicked stepmother who battered two small boys, the fowl deed that occurred at Rainhill Asylum and the wife beater who signed the pledge.
We begin on the 15th when a special meeting of St Helens Town Council took place to consider a report from a committee that had been appointed to select a coat of arms and motto for the borough. The committee stated that they had met several times but could not decide on a coat of arms. And so they had asked the Herald's Office to design one that would incorporate the four old townships of Eccleston, Windle, Parr and Sutton (including Bold).
The design that the committee had received was considered acceptable, with the shield bearing the arms of the Gerard and Parr families surmounted by what was described as a Lancashire lion and crest. But the motto beneath the shield was far more controversial. It said 'Adjurante Deolabore Proficimus' (meaning "with the assistance of God, we have prospered by labour").
However, some councillors were opposed to the slogan and Richard Pilkington suggested 'Ex Terra Lucem' (meaning "from the earth light") instead. That, he argued, was more appropriate for St Helens because the town's material wealth depended largely on its coal. The debate over the motto would continue for some time, with some, including the St Helens Newspaper, quite hostile to both suggestions.
"The melancholy event has caused quite a gloom in the neighbourhood", wrote the Newspaper on the 18th in describing the death in Rainford of Henry Marcus. The 73-year-old was the managing director of the village's Victoria Colliery, which was situated in Old Lane. Mr Marcus had in the late afternoon been walking along the railway line connecting his colliery office with Rainford Junction station. That was in order to catch a train for Liverpool where he lived.
Widows did not have many options when it came to making a living. Remarrying was the best one but otherwise taking in lodgers was second best. But their small, cottage-like houses soon became crammed with bodies and the Nuisance Inspector, Henry Turner, would hear about it and come knocking. Mr Turner was particularly concerned about unregistered lodging houses and would invariably make his unannounced visits around midnight when the full complement of lodgers was likely to be at home and in bed. Not that there were many beds in these houses for the lodgers to share.
This week Hannah Glynn of Pottery Street was summoned to St Helens Petty Sessions for having nine lodgers sleeping in her unregistered house. Mr Turner said he had turned up at the house at 5 minutes past midnight and in the first room downstairs he had found Mrs Glynn with her two children. Then in one room upstairs he found two beds with three men sleeping in one and two men in the other. There was also a third room in which a man, woman and three children were sleeping.
Mrs Glynn told the Bench that she was a widow with her husband having been killed in a coal mine two years before and she had no other means of making a living. John Glynn had died at Sherdley Colliery when struck down by a wall of coal with the 34-year-old ending up buried in about 18 cwt of debris. It was very unlikely that the woman would have received any compensation for her husband's death and, because of her personal circumstances, Mrs Glynn was only fined a mitigated penalty of 1 shilling and court costs.
A family feud between two licensees was outlined in the courtroom. Richard Davies was the landlord of the Lamb Hotel in College Street and he had summoned his mother-in-law, Ellen Silcock, who kept a beerhouse in Westfield Street, accusing her of assault. Henry Molyneux, Davies' brother-in-law, was also charged with assaulting him.
Davies' wife had been ill for some time and on the 2nd of this month her mother Ellen Silcock had gone to see her. Ellen was accused of abusing Richard in the bar of the Lamb in the presence of customers, but he claimed that rather than have any altercation with her, he had left the pub. Later that day Ellen returned to the Lamb with her son Henry and she had renewed their quarrel. The pair was accused of throwing a total of eight glasses at Richard, one of which had struck him in the face and another on his right eye, which had been cut severely. The police were then called and turned both mother and son out.
That was Richard's story and I'm sure you will not be surprised to hear that Ellen Silcock had a very different take on things! She alleged that Davies's brutal treatment of his wife was behind the affair, however, the magistrates said they were not prepared to go into that, as it was only what had happened on the day in question that concerned them. So they were told that Henry Molyneux, Davies' brother-in-law, was subject to fits and he was cruelly nicknamed by Davies "Fitty Harry".
It was claimed that on that afternoon, the Lamb's landlord had again used his cruel epithet against Molyneux and then struck him in his face and chucked a glass at him. Davies' wife gave evidence that she had invited her mother to come to her house on the day in question and had asked her to remain, as she was afraid her husband would murder her. The magistrates said they considered that an assault had been committed but, considering all the circumstances, they were only prepared to inflict a nominal fine of 1 shilling in each case, as well as damages for the broken glasses.
There was a somewhat contradictory notice published in the St Helens Newspaper on the 21st concerning the Theatre Royal in the building we know as the Citadel. Under the headline "Now open for the winter season. Re-decorated and beautified," it said, "The theatre is now closed until Christmas Eve". But it was only a brief closure because of preparations for the annual panto, which the theatre was renowned for during the 1870s.
From December 24th, "The grand comic pantomime, Beauty and the Beast", was going to be performed. As usual no end date was stated in the paper. Such productions that involved some expense were typically open-ended and would only stop being presented when audiences stopped paying to see it.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the harsh punishment for the theft of a pinafore, the wicked stepmother who battered two small boys, the fowl deed that occurred at Rainhill Asylum and the wife beater who signed the pledge.
This week's many stories include the proposed new St Helens coat of arms and motto, the punch up in the Clock Face Inn, the family fight in the Lamb over the landlord's brutal treatment of his wife, the widow prosecuted for having nine lodgers sleeping in an unregistered house and the Rainford coal boss killed while walking on the railway line.
We begin on the 15th when a special meeting of St Helens Town Council took place to consider a report from a committee that had been appointed to select a coat of arms and motto for the borough.
The committee stated that they had met several times but could not decide on a coat of arms.
And so they had asked the Herald's Office to design one that would incorporate the four old townships of Eccleston, Windle, Parr and Sutton (including Bold).
The design that the committee had received was considered acceptable, with the shield bearing the arms of the Gerard and Parr families surmounted by what was described as a Lancashire lion and crest.
But the motto beneath the shield was far more controversial.
It said 'Adjurante Deolabore Proficimus' (meaning "with the assistance of God, we have prospered by labour").
However, some councillors were opposed to the slogan and Richard Pilkington suggested 'Ex Terra Lucem' (meaning "from the earth light") instead.
That, he argued, was more appropriate for St Helens because the town's material wealth depended largely on its coal.
The debate over the motto would continue for some time, with some, including the St Helens Newspaper, quite hostile to both suggestions.
"The melancholy event has caused quite a gloom in the neighbourhood", wrote the Newspaper on the 18th in describing the death in Rainford of Henry Marcus.
The 73-year-old was the managing director of the village's Victoria Colliery, which was situated in Old Lane.
Mr Marcus had in the late afternoon been walking along the railway line connecting his colliery office with Rainford Junction station. That was in order to catch a train for Liverpool where he lived.
It was probably a journey that the elderly man had made countless times, despite the fact that walking on the line was highly dangerous – especially so for a man who was deaf.
And so it appears that Henry did not hear the engine coming up behind him that knocked him down.
At his inquest, which was held at the Eagle and Child in Rainford, the train driver said he had sounded his whistle on seeing Mr Marcus but did not have time to shut off steam and prevent the accident.
Widows did not have many options when it came to making a living. Remarrying was the best one but otherwise taking in lodgers was second best.
But their small, cottage-like houses soon became crammed with bodies and the Nuisance Inspector, Henry Turner, would hear about it and come knocking.
Mr Turner was particularly concerned about unregistered lodging houses and would invariably make his unannounced visits around midnight when the full complement of lodgers was likely to be at home and in bed.
Not that there were many beds in these houses for the lodgers to share.
This week Hannah Glynn of Pottery Street was summoned to St Helens Petty Sessions for having nine lodgers sleeping in her unregistered house.
Mr Turner said he had turned up at the house at 5 minutes past midnight and in the first room downstairs he had found Mrs Glynn with her two children.
Then in one room upstairs he found two beds with three men sleeping in one and two men in the other.
There was also a third room in which a man, woman and three children were sleeping.
Mrs Glynn told the Bench that she was a widow with her husband having been killed in a coal mine two years before and she had no other means of making a living.
John Glynn had died at Sherdley Colliery when struck down by a wall of coal with the 34-year-old ending up buried in about 18 cwt of debris.
It was very unlikely that the woman would have received any compensation for her husband's death and, because of her personal circumstances, Mrs Glynn was only fined a mitigated penalty of 1 shilling and court costs.
A family feud between two licensees was outlined in the courtroom.
Richard Davies was the landlord of the Lamb Hotel in College Street and he had summoned his mother-in-law, Ellen Silcock, who kept a beerhouse in Westfield Street, accusing her of assault.
Henry Molyneux, Davies' brother-in-law, was also charged with assaulting him.
Davies' wife had been ill for some time and on the 2nd of this month her mother Ellen Silcock had gone to see her.
Ellen was accused of abusing Richard in the bar of the Lamb in the presence of customers, but he claimed that rather than have any altercation with her, he had left the pub.
Later that day Ellen returned to the Lamb with her son Henry and she had renewed their quarrel.
The pair was accused of throwing a total of eight glasses at Richard, one of which had struck him in the face and another on his right eye, which had been cut severely.
The police were then called and turned both mother and son out.
That was Richard's story and I'm sure you will not be surprised to hear that Ellen Silcock had a very different take on things!
She alleged that Davies's brutal treatment of his wife was behind the affair, however, the magistrates said they were not prepared to go into that, as it was only what had happened on the day in question that concerned them.
So they were told that Henry Molyneux, Davies' brother-in-law, was subject to fits and he was cruelly nicknamed by Davies "Fitty Harry".
It was claimed that on that afternoon, the Lamb's landlord had again used his cruel epithet against Molyneux and then struck him in his face and chucked a glass at him.
Davies' wife gave evidence that she had invited her mother to come to her house on the day in question and had asked her to remain, as she was afraid her husband would murder her.
The magistrates said they considered that an assault had been committed but, considering all the circumstances, they were only prepared to inflict a nominal fine of 1 shilling in each case, as well as damages for the broken glasses.
Another family row was described when James and Jane Isherwood were summoned for assaulting Mary Green.
Jane was the sister of Robert Green, Mary's husband and fisticuffs had been flying in the Clock Face Inn (pictured above).
The two sides of the family had not been on speaking terms for some time and when they accidentally met a punch-up took place. Even Jane Isherwood was accused of knocking Mary Green down.
But the magistrates decided it was six-of-one and half-a-dozen of the other and the case was dismissed.
There was a somewhat contradictory notice published in the St Helens Newspaper on the 21st concerning the Theatre Royal in the building we know as the Citadel.
Under the headline "Now open for the winter season. Re-decorated and beautified," it said, "The theatre is now closed until Christmas Eve".
But it was only a brief closure because of preparations for the annual panto, which the theatre was renowned for during the 1870s.
From December 24th, "The grand comic pantomime, Beauty and the Beast", was going to be performed.
As usual no end date was stated in the paper. Such productions that involved some expense were typically open-ended and would only stop being presented when audiences stopped paying to see it.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the harsh punishment for the theft of a pinafore, the wicked stepmother who battered two small boys, the fowl deed that occurred at Rainhill Asylum and the wife beater who signed the pledge.
We begin on the 15th when a special meeting of St Helens Town Council took place to consider a report from a committee that had been appointed to select a coat of arms and motto for the borough.
The committee stated that they had met several times but could not decide on a coat of arms.
And so they had asked the Herald's Office to design one that would incorporate the four old townships of Eccleston, Windle, Parr and Sutton (including Bold).
The design that the committee had received was considered acceptable, with the shield bearing the arms of the Gerard and Parr families surmounted by what was described as a Lancashire lion and crest.
But the motto beneath the shield was far more controversial.
It said 'Adjurante Deolabore Proficimus' (meaning "with the assistance of God, we have prospered by labour").
However, some councillors were opposed to the slogan and Richard Pilkington suggested 'Ex Terra Lucem' (meaning "from the earth light") instead.
That, he argued, was more appropriate for St Helens because the town's material wealth depended largely on its coal.
The debate over the motto would continue for some time, with some, including the St Helens Newspaper, quite hostile to both suggestions.
"The melancholy event has caused quite a gloom in the neighbourhood", wrote the Newspaper on the 18th in describing the death in Rainford of Henry Marcus.
The 73-year-old was the managing director of the village's Victoria Colliery, which was situated in Old Lane.
Mr Marcus had in the late afternoon been walking along the railway line connecting his colliery office with Rainford Junction station. That was in order to catch a train for Liverpool where he lived.
It was probably a journey that the elderly man had made countless times, despite the fact that walking on the line was highly dangerous – especially so for a man who was deaf.
And so it appears that Henry did not hear the engine coming up behind him that knocked him down.
Widows did not have many options when it came to making a living. Remarrying was the best one but otherwise taking in lodgers was second best.
But their small, cottage-like houses soon became crammed with bodies and the Nuisance Inspector, Henry Turner, would hear about it and come knocking.
Mr Turner was particularly concerned about unregistered lodging houses and would invariably make his unannounced visits around midnight when the full complement of lodgers was likely to be at home and in bed.
Not that there were many beds in these houses for the lodgers to share.
This week Hannah Glynn of Pottery Street was summoned to St Helens Petty Sessions for having nine lodgers sleeping in her unregistered house.
Mr Turner said he had turned up at the house at 5 minutes past midnight and in the first room downstairs he had found Mrs Glynn with her two children.
Then in one room upstairs he found two beds with three men sleeping in one and two men in the other.
There was also a third room in which a man, woman and three children were sleeping.
Mrs Glynn told the Bench that she was a widow with her husband having been killed in a coal mine two years before and she had no other means of making a living.
John Glynn had died at Sherdley Colliery when struck down by a wall of coal with the 34-year-old ending up buried in about 18 cwt of debris.
It was very unlikely that the woman would have received any compensation for her husband's death and, because of her personal circumstances, Mrs Glynn was only fined a mitigated penalty of 1 shilling and court costs.
A family feud between two licensees was outlined in the courtroom.
Richard Davies was the landlord of the Lamb Hotel in College Street and he had summoned his mother-in-law, Ellen Silcock, who kept a beerhouse in Westfield Street, accusing her of assault.
Henry Molyneux, Davies' brother-in-law, was also charged with assaulting him.
Davies' wife had been ill for some time and on the 2nd of this month her mother Ellen Silcock had gone to see her.
Ellen was accused of abusing Richard in the bar of the Lamb in the presence of customers, but he claimed that rather than have any altercation with her, he had left the pub.
Later that day Ellen returned to the Lamb with her son Henry and she had renewed their quarrel.
The pair was accused of throwing a total of eight glasses at Richard, one of which had struck him in the face and another on his right eye, which had been cut severely.
The police were then called and turned both mother and son out.
That was Richard's story and I'm sure you will not be surprised to hear that Ellen Silcock had a very different take on things!
She alleged that Davies's brutal treatment of his wife was behind the affair, however, the magistrates said they were not prepared to go into that, as it was only what had happened on the day in question that concerned them.
So they were told that Henry Molyneux, Davies' brother-in-law, was subject to fits and he was cruelly nicknamed by Davies "Fitty Harry".
It was claimed that on that afternoon, the Lamb's landlord had again used his cruel epithet against Molyneux and then struck him in his face and chucked a glass at him.
Davies' wife gave evidence that she had invited her mother to come to her house on the day in question and had asked her to remain, as she was afraid her husband would murder her.
The magistrates said they considered that an assault had been committed but, considering all the circumstances, they were only prepared to inflict a nominal fine of 1 shilling in each case, as well as damages for the broken glasses.
Another family row was described when James and Jane Isherwood were summoned for assaulting Mary Green.
The two sides of the family had not been on speaking terms for some time and when they accidentally met a punch-up took place. Even Jane Isherwood was accused of knocking Mary Green down.
But the magistrates decided it was six-of-one and half-a-dozen of the other and the case was dismissed.
There was a somewhat contradictory notice published in the St Helens Newspaper on the 21st concerning the Theatre Royal in the building we know as the Citadel.
Under the headline "Now open for the winter season. Re-decorated and beautified," it said, "The theatre is now closed until Christmas Eve".
But it was only a brief closure because of preparations for the annual panto, which the theatre was renowned for during the 1870s.
From December 24th, "The grand comic pantomime, Beauty and the Beast", was going to be performed.
As usual no end date was stated in the paper. Such productions that involved some expense were typically open-ended and would only stop being presented when audiences stopped paying to see it.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the harsh punishment for the theft of a pinafore, the wicked stepmother who battered two small boys, the fowl deed that occurred at Rainhill Asylum and the wife beater who signed the pledge.