150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (16th - 22nd MAY 1872)
This week's stories include the cruel Sutton carter who used a strap and buckle on his daughter, the runaway Rainford apprentices face the music, how Whit Monday was marked in St Helens, an accident at St Helens railway station and the pub without beer in Kirkland Street.
We begin in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 16th, when William Arnold was charged with assaulting his daughter Elizabeth. The Sutton carter had cruelly used a strap and buckle on the 12-year-old girl for supposedly telling a lie and inflicted wounds upon her face and body. It appeared to be another example of the use of corporal punishment when in a temper, the severity of which the offender later regretted. Mr Arnold apologised to the court for the violence and the magistrates ordered him to find two sureties in £5 each to keep the peace.
Also in court on the 16th were Robert Woods and Henry Robinson, who were charged with absconding from the service of Peter Middlehurst while being bound to him as apprentice masons. Middlehurst was a Rainford builder who had taken out a summons for the arrest of the two local lads – both of whom were in their late teens – after they'd suddenly quit his employment. Why they left was not reported – but Middlehurst reckoned their absence had cost him a total loss of £14.
Apprentices were often poorly treated and forced to work very long hours. A couple of weeks earlier a young apprentice in Leyland had died after working a 32-hour-shift. He was so exhausted that he walked into a machine, although his employer claimed he was prone to fits. Robert Woods and Henry Robinson were both ordered to pay £5 each, along with court costs, or, if in default, go to prison for three months.
The lads were probably only earning 8 or 9 shillings a week and so the fines and what would likely have been a high level of costs were astronomical. So unless their family members were able to find the cash – which was less likely than not to happen – Kirkdale Gaol would have been their destination.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote this on the 18th about a recent hearing in the Petty Sessions: "Mary Pilkington, a public nuisance, was charged with being an idle, disorderly, and dissolute character, and sent to prison for a month." That was the complete report and so I can't tell you what the woman had done.
Railway accidents were very common in the 1870s, usually caused by carelessness. On the evening of the 17th, as a young man named Garner was passing from the goods side of the St Helens railway station to the passenger side, an engine came up behind him and knocked him down. A quick-witted porter pulled the young man's legs off the rails before the engine could pass over them but Garner – an apprentice to a St Helens ironmonger – was still badly injured and reported as lying in a very precarious state.
On the 18th, the St Helens Newspaper described a family row in Duke Street that had resulted in Margaret Pickavance, Cicely Penketh and John Davis being charged with breaching the peace. The women both admitted the charge – but Davis denied it strongly, saying, "unless it's against the law to stand and watch a row." However, a police officer gave evidence that he had seen the man call one of the women "several nasty names". So all the parties were ordered to find bail for a month.
Last June a public meeting attended by 500 people had been held to discuss the new concept that was arriving in St Helens – a pub without beer! In the 1870s there were very few places where people could meet and socialise – apart from the public house. Even inquests were regularly held in pubs.
So a local chap called Menzies – who reportedly was keen to "reform the habits of the working classes" – was opening establishments without drink in St Helens. Essentially, they were non-alcoholic clubrooms or temperance bars – if you like – but the idea was quite novel for the town. The venues would be non-profitmaking and each would contain a reading room containing newspapers and a smoking room.
The first British Workman Public House opened in Kirkland Street and this week on the 19th, a tea party attended by 150 supporters of the new movement was held in the Ragged School in Waterloo Street. That was presumably because their Kirkland Street building could not accommodate a gathering so large. Speakers described the success of the venture and their plans to open similar houses in the town and some vocal entertainment was provided.
The 20th was the Grand Gala & Floral Display Day at the Victoria Pleasure Gardens in Thatto Heath. It was also Whit Monday and a military band played, with admission to the gardens costing sixpence. Charles Whittle owned the gardens, whose location was close to present day Whittle Street. What was described as the "annual main of bowls" also took place on that day at the Green Dragon in Whiston.
In 1876 Prince Arthur would come to St Helens and spend a night at the Raven Inn – leading to the hostelry changing its name to the Royal Raven. But on Whit Monday, Queen Victoria's favourite son was in Liverpool and the St Helens Newspaper felt that had been one reason why many St Helens shopkeepers had closed their doors on that day:
"The tradesmen of St. Helens were tolerably unanimous in observing Whit-Monday as a holiday, and the shops were more generally closed than upon any previous Whit Monday. This may be attributed to two causes, first, that this great Lancashire holiday is becoming more generally observed. The recent Act of Parliament, constituting Whit-Monday a bank holiday, no doubt has had some effect. Then the presence of Prince Arthur in Liverpool, the opening of Sefton Park, and other attractions, doubtless induced many to avail themselves of the fine weather and take a holiday."
The Newspaper also described what it called an "incident of a startling and painful character" that had occurred recently at the annual athletic sports at Ormskirk. The owner of a windmill overlooking the site had charged 200 persons a small fee to stand on a platform and watch the proceedings. When one race took place, some of the spectators started jumping up and down. Part of the platform collapsed and a dozen persons were thrown to the ground, a distance of some 30 feet. Many were injured and it was feared that two of them would die.
On the 21st James Wren appeared in the St Helens Petty Sessions after committing a brutal assault on William Holt in Rainford. The pair had been drinking in a pub and after departing the hostelry began quarrelling. Wren produced a heavy bottle and, as the Newspaper put it, "belaboured" Holt about his head and inflicted serious wounds. The offence had only taken place some hours prior to the court appearance and the victim was still unconscious. And so Wren was remanded in custody for three days until Holt (hopefully) came round and was able to give evidence in court.
I imagine any suggestion of using scaffolding for reasons of safety while men worked on the top of tall properties would have been laughed at in the 19th century. So instead you exercised great care, suffered injuries or relied upon good luck – as in the case of Thomas Woods of Tontine Street. The lad was apprenticed to St Helens builder James Harrison and on the 22nd was working on the roof of a newly built house at Smithy Brow when he fell twenty feet to the ground. By sheer good fortune his descent passed in between the beams and the heavy fall resulted in him suffering little more than a sprained wrist. The Newspaper wrote: "The escape from more serious injury being almost miraculous."
A young woman called Sarah Arnold also had a fortunate escape this week after enduring a bad fall. The 24-year-old barmaid at the Raven Hotel had late one night gone to a back window of the pub to push up its top sash. Being unable to shift it from the inside, she sat on the window-sill in order to lean backwards and accomplish the task from outside. An attack of dizziness came on and Sarah fell into the yard beneath but fortunately did not sustain any serious injuries.
Less lucky was Thomas Ashcroft from Moss Bank who worked at Stock's colliery in Billinge. The 24-year-old was run over by colliery wagons on the 22nd and suffered a broken leg and a very badly damaged arm. Today it is unlikely that loss of life would result from such injuries. However, Tom's loss of blood and shock to his system were so great that he died on the following morning.
Next week's stories will include the mentally-ill man who died of exposure, the warring neighbours of Warrington Road, the public list of people claiming poor relief and why Whiston waterworks was wiping the smile of cynical folk's faces.
We begin in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 16th, when William Arnold was charged with assaulting his daughter Elizabeth. The Sutton carter had cruelly used a strap and buckle on the 12-year-old girl for supposedly telling a lie and inflicted wounds upon her face and body. It appeared to be another example of the use of corporal punishment when in a temper, the severity of which the offender later regretted. Mr Arnold apologised to the court for the violence and the magistrates ordered him to find two sureties in £5 each to keep the peace.
Also in court on the 16th were Robert Woods and Henry Robinson, who were charged with absconding from the service of Peter Middlehurst while being bound to him as apprentice masons. Middlehurst was a Rainford builder who had taken out a summons for the arrest of the two local lads – both of whom were in their late teens – after they'd suddenly quit his employment. Why they left was not reported – but Middlehurst reckoned their absence had cost him a total loss of £14.
Apprentices were often poorly treated and forced to work very long hours. A couple of weeks earlier a young apprentice in Leyland had died after working a 32-hour-shift. He was so exhausted that he walked into a machine, although his employer claimed he was prone to fits. Robert Woods and Henry Robinson were both ordered to pay £5 each, along with court costs, or, if in default, go to prison for three months.
The lads were probably only earning 8 or 9 shillings a week and so the fines and what would likely have been a high level of costs were astronomical. So unless their family members were able to find the cash – which was less likely than not to happen – Kirkdale Gaol would have been their destination.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote this on the 18th about a recent hearing in the Petty Sessions: "Mary Pilkington, a public nuisance, was charged with being an idle, disorderly, and dissolute character, and sent to prison for a month." That was the complete report and so I can't tell you what the woman had done.
Railway accidents were very common in the 1870s, usually caused by carelessness. On the evening of the 17th, as a young man named Garner was passing from the goods side of the St Helens railway station to the passenger side, an engine came up behind him and knocked him down. A quick-witted porter pulled the young man's legs off the rails before the engine could pass over them but Garner – an apprentice to a St Helens ironmonger – was still badly injured and reported as lying in a very precarious state.
Last June a public meeting attended by 500 people had been held to discuss the new concept that was arriving in St Helens – a pub without beer! In the 1870s there were very few places where people could meet and socialise – apart from the public house. Even inquests were regularly held in pubs.
So a local chap called Menzies – who reportedly was keen to "reform the habits of the working classes" – was opening establishments without drink in St Helens. Essentially, they were non-alcoholic clubrooms or temperance bars – if you like – but the idea was quite novel for the town. The venues would be non-profitmaking and each would contain a reading room containing newspapers and a smoking room.
The first British Workman Public House opened in Kirkland Street and this week on the 19th, a tea party attended by 150 supporters of the new movement was held in the Ragged School in Waterloo Street. That was presumably because their Kirkland Street building could not accommodate a gathering so large. Speakers described the success of the venture and their plans to open similar houses in the town and some vocal entertainment was provided.
The 20th was the Grand Gala & Floral Display Day at the Victoria Pleasure Gardens in Thatto Heath. It was also Whit Monday and a military band played, with admission to the gardens costing sixpence. Charles Whittle owned the gardens, whose location was close to present day Whittle Street. What was described as the "annual main of bowls" also took place on that day at the Green Dragon in Whiston.
In 1876 Prince Arthur would come to St Helens and spend a night at the Raven Inn – leading to the hostelry changing its name to the Royal Raven. But on Whit Monday, Queen Victoria's favourite son was in Liverpool and the St Helens Newspaper felt that had been one reason why many St Helens shopkeepers had closed their doors on that day:
"The tradesmen of St. Helens were tolerably unanimous in observing Whit-Monday as a holiday, and the shops were more generally closed than upon any previous Whit Monday. This may be attributed to two causes, first, that this great Lancashire holiday is becoming more generally observed. The recent Act of Parliament, constituting Whit-Monday a bank holiday, no doubt has had some effect. Then the presence of Prince Arthur in Liverpool, the opening of Sefton Park, and other attractions, doubtless induced many to avail themselves of the fine weather and take a holiday."
The Newspaper also described what it called an "incident of a startling and painful character" that had occurred recently at the annual athletic sports at Ormskirk. The owner of a windmill overlooking the site had charged 200 persons a small fee to stand on a platform and watch the proceedings. When one race took place, some of the spectators started jumping up and down. Part of the platform collapsed and a dozen persons were thrown to the ground, a distance of some 30 feet. Many were injured and it was feared that two of them would die.
On the 21st James Wren appeared in the St Helens Petty Sessions after committing a brutal assault on William Holt in Rainford. The pair had been drinking in a pub and after departing the hostelry began quarrelling. Wren produced a heavy bottle and, as the Newspaper put it, "belaboured" Holt about his head and inflicted serious wounds. The offence had only taken place some hours prior to the court appearance and the victim was still unconscious. And so Wren was remanded in custody for three days until Holt (hopefully) came round and was able to give evidence in court.
I imagine any suggestion of using scaffolding for reasons of safety while men worked on the top of tall properties would have been laughed at in the 19th century. So instead you exercised great care, suffered injuries or relied upon good luck – as in the case of Thomas Woods of Tontine Street. The lad was apprenticed to St Helens builder James Harrison and on the 22nd was working on the roof of a newly built house at Smithy Brow when he fell twenty feet to the ground. By sheer good fortune his descent passed in between the beams and the heavy fall resulted in him suffering little more than a sprained wrist. The Newspaper wrote: "The escape from more serious injury being almost miraculous."
A young woman called Sarah Arnold also had a fortunate escape this week after enduring a bad fall. The 24-year-old barmaid at the Raven Hotel had late one night gone to a back window of the pub to push up its top sash. Being unable to shift it from the inside, she sat on the window-sill in order to lean backwards and accomplish the task from outside. An attack of dizziness came on and Sarah fell into the yard beneath but fortunately did not sustain any serious injuries.
Less lucky was Thomas Ashcroft from Moss Bank who worked at Stock's colliery in Billinge. The 24-year-old was run over by colliery wagons on the 22nd and suffered a broken leg and a very badly damaged arm. Today it is unlikely that loss of life would result from such injuries. However, Tom's loss of blood and shock to his system were so great that he died on the following morning.
Next week's stories will include the mentally-ill man who died of exposure, the warring neighbours of Warrington Road, the public list of people claiming poor relief and why Whiston waterworks was wiping the smile of cynical folk's faces.
This week's stories include the cruel Sutton carter who used a strap and buckle on his daughter, the runaway Rainford apprentices face the music, how Whit Monday was marked in St Helens, an accident at St Helens railway station and the pub without beer in Kirkland Street.
We begin in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 16th, when William Arnold was charged with assaulting his daughter Elizabeth.
The Sutton carter had cruelly used a strap and buckle on the 12-year-old girl for supposedly telling a lie and inflicted wounds upon her face and body.
It appeared to be another example of the use of corporal punishment when in a temper, the severity of which the offender later regretted.
Mr Arnold apologised to the court for the violence and the magistrates ordered him to find two sureties in £5 each to keep the peace.
Also in court on the 16th were Robert Woods and Henry Robinson, who were charged with absconding from the service of Peter Middlehurst while being bound to him as apprentice masons.
Middlehurst was a Rainford builder who had taken out a summons for the arrest of the two local lads – both of whom were in their late teens – after they'd suddenly quit his employment.
Why they left was not reported – but Middlehurst reckoned their absence had cost him a total loss of £14.
Apprentices were often poorly treated and forced to work very long hours.
A couple of weeks earlier a young apprentice in Leyland had died after working a 32-hour-shift.
He was so exhausted that he walked into a machine, although his employer claimed he was prone to fits.
Robert Woods and Henry Robinson were both ordered to pay £5 each, along with court costs, or, if in default, go to prison for three months.
The lads were probably only earning 8 or 9 shillings a week and so the fines and what would likely have been a high level of costs were astronomical.
So unless their family members were able to find the cash – which was less likely than not to happen – Kirkdale Gaol would have been their destination.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote this on the 18th about a recent hearing in the Petty Sessions:
"Mary Pilkington, a public nuisance, was charged with being an idle, disorderly, and dissolute character, and sent to prison for a month."
That was the complete report and so I can't tell you what the woman had done.
Railway accidents were very common in the 1870s, usually caused by carelessness.
On the evening of the 17th, as a young man named Garner was passing from the goods side of the St Helens railway station to the passenger side, an engine came up behind him and knocked him down.
A quick-witted porter pulled the young man's legs off the rails before the engine could pass over them but Garner – an apprentice to a St Helens ironmonger – was still badly injured and reported as lying in a very precarious state.
On the 18th, the St Helens Newspaper described a family row in Duke Street that had resulted in Margaret Pickavance, Cicely Penketh and John Davis being charged with breaching the peace.
The women both admitted the charge – but Davis denied it strongly, saying, "unless it's against the law to stand and watch a row."
However, a police officer gave evidence that he had seen the man call one of the women "several nasty names". So all the parties were ordered to find bail for a month.
Last June a public meeting attended by 500 people had been held to discuss the new concept that was arriving in St Helens – a pub without beer!
In the 1870s there were very few places where people could meet and socialise – apart from the public house. Even inquests were regularly held in pubs.
So a local chap called Menzies – who reportedly was keen to "reform the habits of the working classes" – was opening establishments without drink in St Helens.
Essentially, they were non-alcoholic clubrooms or temperance bars – if you like – but the idea was quite novel for the town.
The venues would be non-profitmaking and each would contain a reading room containing newspapers and a smoking room.
The first British Workman Public House opened in Kirkland Street and this week on the 19th, a tea party attended by 150 supporters of the new movement was held in the Ragged School in Waterloo Street.
That was presumably because their Kirkland Street building could not accommodate a gathering so large.
Speakers described the success of the venture and their plans to open similar houses in the town and some vocal entertainment was provided.
The 20th was the Grand Gala & Floral Display Day at the Victoria Pleasure Gardens in Thatto Heath.
It was also Whit Monday and a military band played, with admission to the gardens costing sixpence.
Charles Whittle owned the gardens, whose location was close to present day Whittle Street.
What was described as the "annual main of bowls" also took place on that day at the Green Dragon in Whiston.
In 1876 Prince Arthur would come to St Helens and spend a night at the Raven Inn – leading to the hostelry changing its name to the Royal Raven.
But on Whit Monday, Queen Victoria's favourite son was in Liverpool and the St Helens Newspaper felt that had been one reason why many St Helens shopkeepers had closed their doors on that day:
"The tradesmen of St. Helens were tolerably unanimous in observing Whit-Monday as a holiday, and the shops were more generally closed than upon any previous Whit Monday.
"This may be attributed to two causes, first, that this great Lancashire holiday is becoming more generally observed. The recent Act of Parliament, constituting Whit-Monday a bank holiday, no doubt has had some effect.
"Then the presence of Prince Arthur in Liverpool, the opening of Sefton Park, and other attractions, doubtless induced many to avail themselves of the fine weather and take a holiday."
The Newspaper also described what it called an "incident of a startling and painful character" that had occurred recently at the annual athletic sports at Ormskirk.
The owner of a windmill overlooking the site had charged 200 persons a small fee to stand on a platform and watch the proceedings.
When one race took place, some of the spectators started jumping up and down.
Part of the platform collapsed and a dozen persons were thrown to the ground, a distance of some 30 feet. Many were injured and it was feared that two of them would die.
On the 21st James Wren appeared in the St Helens Petty Sessions after committing a brutal assault on William Holt in Rainford.
The pair had been drinking in a pub and after departing the hostelry began quarrelling.
Wren produced a heavy bottle and, as the Newspaper put it, "belaboured" Holt about his head and inflicted serious wounds.
The offence had only taken place some hours prior to the court appearance and the victim was still unconscious.
And so Wren was remanded in custody for three days until Holt (hopefully) came round and was able to give evidence in court.
I imagine any suggestion of using scaffolding for reasons of safety while men worked on the top of tall properties would have been laughed at in the 19th century.
So instead you exercised great care, suffered injuries or relied upon good luck – as in the case of Thomas Woods of Tontine Street.
The lad was apprenticed to St Helens builder James Harrison and on the 22nd was working on the roof of a newly built house at Smithy Brow when he fell twenty feet to the ground.
By sheer good fortune his descent passed in between the beams and the heavy fall resulted in him suffering little more than a sprained wrist. The Newspaper wrote:
"The escape from more serious injury being almost miraculous."
A young woman called Sarah Arnold also had a fortunate escape this week after enduring a bad fall.
The 24-year-old barmaid at the Raven Hotel had late one night gone to a back window of the pub to push up its top sash.
Being unable to shift it from the inside, she sat on the window-sill in order to lean backwards and accomplish the task from outside.
An attack of dizziness came on and Sarah fell into the yard beneath but fortunately did not sustain any serious injuries.
Less lucky was Thomas Ashcroft from Moss Bank who worked at Stock's colliery in Billinge.
The 24-year-old was run over by colliery wagons on the 22nd and suffered a broken leg and a very badly damaged arm.
Today it is unlikely that loss of life would result from such injuries. However, Tom's loss of blood and shock to his system were so great that he died on the following morning.
Next week's stories will include the mentally-ill man who died of exposure, the warring neighbours of Warrington Road, the public list of people claiming poor relief and why Whiston waterworks was wiping the smile of cynical folk's faces.
We begin in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 16th, when William Arnold was charged with assaulting his daughter Elizabeth.
The Sutton carter had cruelly used a strap and buckle on the 12-year-old girl for supposedly telling a lie and inflicted wounds upon her face and body.
It appeared to be another example of the use of corporal punishment when in a temper, the severity of which the offender later regretted.
Mr Arnold apologised to the court for the violence and the magistrates ordered him to find two sureties in £5 each to keep the peace.
Also in court on the 16th were Robert Woods and Henry Robinson, who were charged with absconding from the service of Peter Middlehurst while being bound to him as apprentice masons.
Middlehurst was a Rainford builder who had taken out a summons for the arrest of the two local lads – both of whom were in their late teens – after they'd suddenly quit his employment.
Why they left was not reported – but Middlehurst reckoned their absence had cost him a total loss of £14.
Apprentices were often poorly treated and forced to work very long hours.
A couple of weeks earlier a young apprentice in Leyland had died after working a 32-hour-shift.
He was so exhausted that he walked into a machine, although his employer claimed he was prone to fits.
Robert Woods and Henry Robinson were both ordered to pay £5 each, along with court costs, or, if in default, go to prison for three months.
The lads were probably only earning 8 or 9 shillings a week and so the fines and what would likely have been a high level of costs were astronomical.
So unless their family members were able to find the cash – which was less likely than not to happen – Kirkdale Gaol would have been their destination.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote this on the 18th about a recent hearing in the Petty Sessions:
"Mary Pilkington, a public nuisance, was charged with being an idle, disorderly, and dissolute character, and sent to prison for a month."
That was the complete report and so I can't tell you what the woman had done.
Railway accidents were very common in the 1870s, usually caused by carelessness.
On the evening of the 17th, as a young man named Garner was passing from the goods side of the St Helens railway station to the passenger side, an engine came up behind him and knocked him down.
A quick-witted porter pulled the young man's legs off the rails before the engine could pass over them but Garner – an apprentice to a St Helens ironmonger – was still badly injured and reported as lying in a very precarious state.
The women both admitted the charge – but Davis denied it strongly, saying, "unless it's against the law to stand and watch a row."
However, a police officer gave evidence that he had seen the man call one of the women "several nasty names". So all the parties were ordered to find bail for a month.
Last June a public meeting attended by 500 people had been held to discuss the new concept that was arriving in St Helens – a pub without beer!
In the 1870s there were very few places where people could meet and socialise – apart from the public house. Even inquests were regularly held in pubs.
So a local chap called Menzies – who reportedly was keen to "reform the habits of the working classes" – was opening establishments without drink in St Helens.
Essentially, they were non-alcoholic clubrooms or temperance bars – if you like – but the idea was quite novel for the town.
The venues would be non-profitmaking and each would contain a reading room containing newspapers and a smoking room.
The first British Workman Public House opened in Kirkland Street and this week on the 19th, a tea party attended by 150 supporters of the new movement was held in the Ragged School in Waterloo Street.
That was presumably because their Kirkland Street building could not accommodate a gathering so large.
Speakers described the success of the venture and their plans to open similar houses in the town and some vocal entertainment was provided.
The 20th was the Grand Gala & Floral Display Day at the Victoria Pleasure Gardens in Thatto Heath.
It was also Whit Monday and a military band played, with admission to the gardens costing sixpence.
Charles Whittle owned the gardens, whose location was close to present day Whittle Street.
What was described as the "annual main of bowls" also took place on that day at the Green Dragon in Whiston.
In 1876 Prince Arthur would come to St Helens and spend a night at the Raven Inn – leading to the hostelry changing its name to the Royal Raven.
But on Whit Monday, Queen Victoria's favourite son was in Liverpool and the St Helens Newspaper felt that had been one reason why many St Helens shopkeepers had closed their doors on that day:
"The tradesmen of St. Helens were tolerably unanimous in observing Whit-Monday as a holiday, and the shops were more generally closed than upon any previous Whit Monday.
"This may be attributed to two causes, first, that this great Lancashire holiday is becoming more generally observed. The recent Act of Parliament, constituting Whit-Monday a bank holiday, no doubt has had some effect.
"Then the presence of Prince Arthur in Liverpool, the opening of Sefton Park, and other attractions, doubtless induced many to avail themselves of the fine weather and take a holiday."
The Newspaper also described what it called an "incident of a startling and painful character" that had occurred recently at the annual athletic sports at Ormskirk.
The owner of a windmill overlooking the site had charged 200 persons a small fee to stand on a platform and watch the proceedings.
When one race took place, some of the spectators started jumping up and down.
Part of the platform collapsed and a dozen persons were thrown to the ground, a distance of some 30 feet. Many were injured and it was feared that two of them would die.
On the 21st James Wren appeared in the St Helens Petty Sessions after committing a brutal assault on William Holt in Rainford.
The pair had been drinking in a pub and after departing the hostelry began quarrelling.
Wren produced a heavy bottle and, as the Newspaper put it, "belaboured" Holt about his head and inflicted serious wounds.
The offence had only taken place some hours prior to the court appearance and the victim was still unconscious.
And so Wren was remanded in custody for three days until Holt (hopefully) came round and was able to give evidence in court.
I imagine any suggestion of using scaffolding for reasons of safety while men worked on the top of tall properties would have been laughed at in the 19th century.
So instead you exercised great care, suffered injuries or relied upon good luck – as in the case of Thomas Woods of Tontine Street.
The lad was apprenticed to St Helens builder James Harrison and on the 22nd was working on the roof of a newly built house at Smithy Brow when he fell twenty feet to the ground.
By sheer good fortune his descent passed in between the beams and the heavy fall resulted in him suffering little more than a sprained wrist. The Newspaper wrote:
"The escape from more serious injury being almost miraculous."
A young woman called Sarah Arnold also had a fortunate escape this week after enduring a bad fall.
The 24-year-old barmaid at the Raven Hotel had late one night gone to a back window of the pub to push up its top sash.
Being unable to shift it from the inside, she sat on the window-sill in order to lean backwards and accomplish the task from outside.
An attack of dizziness came on and Sarah fell into the yard beneath but fortunately did not sustain any serious injuries.
Less lucky was Thomas Ashcroft from Moss Bank who worked at Stock's colliery in Billinge.
The 24-year-old was run over by colliery wagons on the 22nd and suffered a broken leg and a very badly damaged arm.
Today it is unlikely that loss of life would result from such injuries. However, Tom's loss of blood and shock to his system were so great that he died on the following morning.
Next week's stories will include the mentally-ill man who died of exposure, the warring neighbours of Warrington Road, the public list of people claiming poor relief and why Whiston waterworks was wiping the smile of cynical folk's faces.