150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (19th - 25th APRIL 1871)
This week's many stories include the Prescot rape case, the pig drover in a Parr beerhouse who had his pocket pinched, the brutal assault on a Golborne wife, the poor performing pupil teachers of St Helens and the twenty shilling bounty on the heads of men who'd deserted their wives.
We begin with this report in the Prescot Petty Sessions concerning the rape of a young girl by her 31-year-old employer: "Yesterday at Prescot, before Admiral Hornby and Mr. F. W. Earle, John Rose, head gardener at Court Hey, the residence of Mr. Robertson Gladstone, J.P., was charged with criminally assaulting Ann Ward, a girl 13 years of age, who had lived in the house of the accused as a servant. Mr. Cobb prosecuted, and Mr. Worship defended the prisoner. It appeared from the evidence that Rose feloniously assaulted the girl in her own room on the night of the 21st ultimo, in the absence of his wife, who was visiting her relatives. He repeated the outrage twice on the following day, and the prosecutrix then left the house and went to her parents at Knotty Ash.
"She returned with her mother on the 23rd, and remained till the 24th ultimo, when she finally left. The prisoner made several efforts to have the case hushed up but the mother complained to Mr. Gladstone, and subsequently took legal steps. Dr. Worthington, of Knight-street, was called in to see the prosecutrix sixteen days after the last assault and his evidence went to show that she had been subject to considerable violence of the nature complained of. The magistrates decided to send the case for trial at the assizes and Mr. Worship reserved his defence. An application to admit the prisoner to bail was refused. Rose has hitherto borne an excellent character, and has filled situations under several gentlemen in the neighbourhood."
Proving such claims in court was always extremely difficult without modern-day DNA and forensic evidence and the defence always made much of minor inconsistencies in witness evidence. However the gardener in trying to hush things up had somewhat convicted himself – and there was the medical evidence too. Still John Rose pleaded not guilty at his trial on August 9th but was convicted. Because of his previous good character the jury recommended mercy and he was only jailed for 15 months – but it was with hard labour and hard labour in 1871 meant the dreaded treadmill. However prison records state 12 months without hard labour – which suggests a successful appeal had been made.
The Newton Improvement Commissioners (charged with improved sanitation and roads) certainly had their work cut out – and they could begin with improving their attendance at meetings. A special meeting of the Board was called for the 21st at 3:30pm but only three members bothered to turn up. After waiting half-an-hour the meeting was adjourned.
They did like their parades 150 years ago. On the 23rd the Lancashire Hussars and Newton Volunteers held one outside St Peter's Church in Church Street, Newton-le-Willows.
On the 24th James Yates appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions in New Market Place accused of stealing £8 13s 6d off pig drover Patrick McMance in a Parr beerhouse. Yates had bought six small pigs from McMance and the pair went into the pub to have a drink in order to cement the deal. McMance got drunk and Yates poured a glass of whisky down the pig man's throat to render him unconscious. He then reached into McMance's breast-pocket and took back the cash for the pigs. Yates was committed to take his trial at the Kirkdale Assizes on July 11th.
In the 1840s an apprenticeship system was introduced into English schools for middle class kids that wanted to be teachers. The pupil teachers needed to be at least thirteen or fourteen years of age and they learned the profession on the job as they taught younger children. That was at the same time as completing their own education – usually before and after the normal school hours. In the late 1890s St Helens introduced a Pupil Teacher Training Centre and there were grants available. However in the 1870s the system was rather makeshift and the pupil teachers were unpaid until they reached sixteen. That ruled out academically bright working class kids, as their parents wanted them earning at a very early age.
This week the Bolton Chronicle published a letter that stated that the pupil teachers of St Helens and Bolton had undertaken an examination in March and performed spectacularly badly. Out of 83 youngsters examined, 47 of them had failed – a failure rate of 55%. Why St Helens was being lumped in with Bolton, I don't know. But what was particularly interesting was the information on how elementary schools were being paid by the government based on payment by results.
The author claimed if ordinary pupils satisfied the examiner in the three R’s, their school could receive an extra twelve shillings grant. However if a pupil teacher failed their exam, the grant their school received was reduced by a whopping £20 – although the government could choose to limit that loss if an appeal was made.
On the 22nd "OH YES!, OH YES!, OH YES!" was the headline to this Beecham's advert in the Burnley Gazette: "It is an undeniable fact, admitted by all classes, that the greatest temporal blessing one man can bestow upon another, is the blessing of health; but the greatest fact of all is that One Box of BEECHAM'S PILLS conveys that blessing into every sick-stricken house.
"They are admitted by thousands to be worth above a Guinea a Box, for bilious and nervous disorders, such as wind and pain at the stomach, sick headache, giddiness, fullness and swelling after meals, dizziness and drowsiness, cold chills, flushings of heat, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, costiveness [constipation], scurvy and blotches of the skin, disturbed sleep, frightful dreams, and all nervous and trembling sensations &c. &c. The first dose will give relief in twenty minutes. For females of all ages these pills are invaluable as a few doses of them carry off all gross humours and open all obstructions, and bring about all that is required. No female should be without them."
The Poor Law Unions throughout the country had their own weekly newspaper called 'The Gazette'. Its sole purpose was to publish information on sought after men who'd deserted their families or provide details of wanted women who'd walked out on their illegitimate children. A bounty of £1 was placed on their heads with this statement placed on the front of the newspaper:
"Every person running away and leaving his wife, or his or her child or children chargeable to any parish, shall be deemed a rogue and vagabond. It shall be lawful for any person whatsoever to apprehend any person who shall be found offending against the Vagrant Act, and deliver him or her to any constable or other peace officer. And every woman deserting her Bastard Child, whereby such Bastard Child becomes chargeable to any parish or union, shall be punished as a rogue and vagabond under the provisions of the said last recited Act."
A pound was a week's wages for many. But whether that was sufficient incentive to persuade someone to apprehend a wife deserter and escort them to the police – especially if he was a big chap – was perhaps another matter! In this week's edition of the Gazette, the Prescot Union was looking for four local men who had deserted their families. One was Elijah Thomas who had deserted his wife and three children at Rainhill. If tracked down the 36-year-old gardener with brown and bushy whiskers could expect to be sent to prison for a few months. Another wife deserter was called Thomas Hardacre. The 27-year-old was described as having "brown hair and grey eyes, sings at public houses and plays the piano, hawks pies, and frequents betting houses."
On the 24th a husband in Edge Green, near the future Haydock Park Racecourse, carried out a brutal assault on his wife – and got away with it as his poor battered spouse refused to prosecute. That was quite common due to married women's dependence upon their husbands. The nature of the shocking attack was related in some detail in the Leigh Chronicle under the headline "Murderous Attack On A Wife":
"About half-past six o'clock on Monday night, the people residing in the vicinity of Edge Green, Golborne, were startled by hearing cries of “murder” proceeding from a house close by, and on going to the spot the cries were found to have proceeded from the house occupied by a collier, named John Knowles. It appeared that Knowles had gone home in a beastly state of intoxication, an occurrence unfortunately not unusual with him, and at once commenced ill-treating his wife in a most brutal manner.
"The ruffian knocked the unfortunate woman on the floor, and at once commenced kicking her about the head and other parts of the body with the heavy clogs which he wore. The poor woman then alarmed the neighbourhood by screaming out “murder,” and fortunately several neighbours rushed into the house and interfered between the ruffian and his victim. He was ultimately secured and taken into custody by police-constable Harrison, on a charge of violently assaulting his wife, but it is probable that had the neighbours not interfered as they did, he would have had a crime of a much more serious character to account for.
"The unfortunate woman was found to have sustained serious injuries about the head, and her clothes were completely saturated with blood. She was afterwards attended by Mr. L. Mapei, surgeon, and under his skilful treatment began to slowly recover. The prisoner was brought up at the Warrington Police Court on Tuesday, before T. Stubbs and J. Rigby, Esqrs., but his wife refused to give evidence against him and he was held to bail for six months for his good behaviour."
We begin with this report in the Prescot Petty Sessions concerning the rape of a young girl by her 31-year-old employer: "Yesterday at Prescot, before Admiral Hornby and Mr. F. W. Earle, John Rose, head gardener at Court Hey, the residence of Mr. Robertson Gladstone, J.P., was charged with criminally assaulting Ann Ward, a girl 13 years of age, who had lived in the house of the accused as a servant. Mr. Cobb prosecuted, and Mr. Worship defended the prisoner. It appeared from the evidence that Rose feloniously assaulted the girl in her own room on the night of the 21st ultimo, in the absence of his wife, who was visiting her relatives. He repeated the outrage twice on the following day, and the prosecutrix then left the house and went to her parents at Knotty Ash.
"She returned with her mother on the 23rd, and remained till the 24th ultimo, when she finally left. The prisoner made several efforts to have the case hushed up but the mother complained to Mr. Gladstone, and subsequently took legal steps. Dr. Worthington, of Knight-street, was called in to see the prosecutrix sixteen days after the last assault and his evidence went to show that she had been subject to considerable violence of the nature complained of. The magistrates decided to send the case for trial at the assizes and Mr. Worship reserved his defence. An application to admit the prisoner to bail was refused. Rose has hitherto borne an excellent character, and has filled situations under several gentlemen in the neighbourhood."
Proving such claims in court was always extremely difficult without modern-day DNA and forensic evidence and the defence always made much of minor inconsistencies in witness evidence. However the gardener in trying to hush things up had somewhat convicted himself – and there was the medical evidence too. Still John Rose pleaded not guilty at his trial on August 9th but was convicted. Because of his previous good character the jury recommended mercy and he was only jailed for 15 months – but it was with hard labour and hard labour in 1871 meant the dreaded treadmill. However prison records state 12 months without hard labour – which suggests a successful appeal had been made.
The Newton Improvement Commissioners (charged with improved sanitation and roads) certainly had their work cut out – and they could begin with improving their attendance at meetings. A special meeting of the Board was called for the 21st at 3:30pm but only three members bothered to turn up. After waiting half-an-hour the meeting was adjourned.
They did like their parades 150 years ago. On the 23rd the Lancashire Hussars and Newton Volunteers held one outside St Peter's Church in Church Street, Newton-le-Willows.
On the 24th James Yates appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions in New Market Place accused of stealing £8 13s 6d off pig drover Patrick McMance in a Parr beerhouse. Yates had bought six small pigs from McMance and the pair went into the pub to have a drink in order to cement the deal. McMance got drunk and Yates poured a glass of whisky down the pig man's throat to render him unconscious. He then reached into McMance's breast-pocket and took back the cash for the pigs. Yates was committed to take his trial at the Kirkdale Assizes on July 11th.
In the 1840s an apprenticeship system was introduced into English schools for middle class kids that wanted to be teachers. The pupil teachers needed to be at least thirteen or fourteen years of age and they learned the profession on the job as they taught younger children. That was at the same time as completing their own education – usually before and after the normal school hours. In the late 1890s St Helens introduced a Pupil Teacher Training Centre and there were grants available. However in the 1870s the system was rather makeshift and the pupil teachers were unpaid until they reached sixteen. That ruled out academically bright working class kids, as their parents wanted them earning at a very early age.
This week the Bolton Chronicle published a letter that stated that the pupil teachers of St Helens and Bolton had undertaken an examination in March and performed spectacularly badly. Out of 83 youngsters examined, 47 of them had failed – a failure rate of 55%. Why St Helens was being lumped in with Bolton, I don't know. But what was particularly interesting was the information on how elementary schools were being paid by the government based on payment by results.
The author claimed if ordinary pupils satisfied the examiner in the three R’s, their school could receive an extra twelve shillings grant. However if a pupil teacher failed their exam, the grant their school received was reduced by a whopping £20 – although the government could choose to limit that loss if an appeal was made.
On the 22nd "OH YES!, OH YES!, OH YES!" was the headline to this Beecham's advert in the Burnley Gazette: "It is an undeniable fact, admitted by all classes, that the greatest temporal blessing one man can bestow upon another, is the blessing of health; but the greatest fact of all is that One Box of BEECHAM'S PILLS conveys that blessing into every sick-stricken house.
"They are admitted by thousands to be worth above a Guinea a Box, for bilious and nervous disorders, such as wind and pain at the stomach, sick headache, giddiness, fullness and swelling after meals, dizziness and drowsiness, cold chills, flushings of heat, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, costiveness [constipation], scurvy and blotches of the skin, disturbed sleep, frightful dreams, and all nervous and trembling sensations &c. &c. The first dose will give relief in twenty minutes. For females of all ages these pills are invaluable as a few doses of them carry off all gross humours and open all obstructions, and bring about all that is required. No female should be without them."
"Every person running away and leaving his wife, or his or her child or children chargeable to any parish, shall be deemed a rogue and vagabond. It shall be lawful for any person whatsoever to apprehend any person who shall be found offending against the Vagrant Act, and deliver him or her to any constable or other peace officer. And every woman deserting her Bastard Child, whereby such Bastard Child becomes chargeable to any parish or union, shall be punished as a rogue and vagabond under the provisions of the said last recited Act."
A pound was a week's wages for many. But whether that was sufficient incentive to persuade someone to apprehend a wife deserter and escort them to the police – especially if he was a big chap – was perhaps another matter! In this week's edition of the Gazette, the Prescot Union was looking for four local men who had deserted their families. One was Elijah Thomas who had deserted his wife and three children at Rainhill. If tracked down the 36-year-old gardener with brown and bushy whiskers could expect to be sent to prison for a few months. Another wife deserter was called Thomas Hardacre. The 27-year-old was described as having "brown hair and grey eyes, sings at public houses and plays the piano, hawks pies, and frequents betting houses."
On the 24th a husband in Edge Green, near the future Haydock Park Racecourse, carried out a brutal assault on his wife – and got away with it as his poor battered spouse refused to prosecute. That was quite common due to married women's dependence upon their husbands. The nature of the shocking attack was related in some detail in the Leigh Chronicle under the headline "Murderous Attack On A Wife":
"About half-past six o'clock on Monday night, the people residing in the vicinity of Edge Green, Golborne, were startled by hearing cries of “murder” proceeding from a house close by, and on going to the spot the cries were found to have proceeded from the house occupied by a collier, named John Knowles. It appeared that Knowles had gone home in a beastly state of intoxication, an occurrence unfortunately not unusual with him, and at once commenced ill-treating his wife in a most brutal manner.
"The ruffian knocked the unfortunate woman on the floor, and at once commenced kicking her about the head and other parts of the body with the heavy clogs which he wore. The poor woman then alarmed the neighbourhood by screaming out “murder,” and fortunately several neighbours rushed into the house and interfered between the ruffian and his victim. He was ultimately secured and taken into custody by police-constable Harrison, on a charge of violently assaulting his wife, but it is probable that had the neighbours not interfered as they did, he would have had a crime of a much more serious character to account for.
"The unfortunate woman was found to have sustained serious injuries about the head, and her clothes were completely saturated with blood. She was afterwards attended by Mr. L. Mapei, surgeon, and under his skilful treatment began to slowly recover. The prisoner was brought up at the Warrington Police Court on Tuesday, before T. Stubbs and J. Rigby, Esqrs., but his wife refused to give evidence against him and he was held to bail for six months for his good behaviour."
This week's many stories include the Prescot rape case, the pig drover in a Parr beerhouse who had his pocket pinched, the brutal assault on a Golborne wife, the poor performing pupil teachers of St Helens and the twenty shilling bounty on the heads of men who'd deserted their wives.
We begin with this report in the Prescot Petty Sessions concerning the rape of a young girl by her 31-year-old employer:
"Yesterday at Prescot, before Admiral Hornby and Mr. F. W. Earle, John Rose, head gardener at Court Hey, the residence of Mr. Robertson Gladstone, J.P., was charged with criminally assaulting Ann Ward, a girl 13 years of age, who had lived in the house of the accused as a servant.
"Mr. Cobb prosecuted, and Mr. Worship defended the prisoner.
"It appeared from the evidence that Rose feloniously assaulted the girl in her own room on the night of the 21st ultimo, in the absence of his wife, who was visiting her relatives.
"He repeated the outrage twice on the following day, and the prosecutrix then left the house and went to her parents at Knotty Ash.
"She returned with her mother on the 23rd, and remained till the 24th ultimo, when she finally left.
"The prisoner made several efforts to have the case hushed up but the mother complained to Mr. Gladstone, and subsequently took legal steps.
"Dr. Worthington, of Knight-street, was called in to see the prosecutrix sixteen days after the last assault and his evidence went to show that she had been subject to considerable violence of the nature complained of.
"The magistrates decided to send the case for trial at the assizes and Mr. Worship reserved his defence. An application to admit the prisoner to bail was refused.
"Rose has hitherto borne an excellent character, and has filled situations under several gentlemen in the neighbourhood."
Proving such claims in court was always extremely difficult without modern-day DNA and forensic evidence and the defence always made much of minor inconsistencies in witness evidence.
However the gardener in trying to hush things up had somewhat convicted himself – and there was the medical evidence too.
Still John Rose pleaded not guilty at his trial on August 9th but was convicted.
Because of his previous good character the jury recommended mercy and he was only jailed for 15 months – but it was with hard labour and hard labour in 1871 meant the dreaded treadmill.
However prison records state 12 months without hard labour – which suggests a successful appeal had been made.
The Newton Improvement Commissioners (charged with improved sanitation and roads) certainly had their work cut out – and they could begin with improving their attendance at meetings.
A special meeting of the Board was called for the 21st at 3:30pm but only three members bothered to turn up. After waiting half-an-hour the meeting was adjourned.
They did like their parades 150 years ago. On the 23rd the Lancashire Hussars and Newton Volunteers held one outside St Peter's Church in Church Street, Newton-le-Willows.
On the 24th James Yates appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions in New Market Place accused of stealing £8 13s 6d off pig drover Patrick McMance in a Parr beerhouse.
Yates had bought six small pigs from McMance and the pair went into the pub to have a drink in order to cement the deal.
McMance got drunk and Yates poured a glass of whisky down the pig man's throat to render him unconscious.
He then reached into McMance's breast-pocket and took back the cash for the pigs. Yates was committed to take his trial at the Kirkdale Assizes on July 11th.
In the 1840s an apprenticeship system was introduced into English schools for middle class kids that wanted to be teachers.
The pupil teachers needed to be at least thirteen or fourteen years of age and they learned the profession on the job as they taught younger children.
That was at the same time as completing their own education – usually before and after the normal school hours.
In the late 1890s St Helens introduced a Pupil Teacher Training Centre and there were grants available.
However in the 1870s the system was rather makeshift and the pupil teachers were unpaid until they reached sixteen.
That ruled out academically bright working class kids, as their parents wanted them earning at a very early age.
This week the Bolton Chronicle published a letter that stated that the pupil teachers of St Helens and Bolton had undertaken an examination in March and performed spectacularly badly.
Out of 83 youngsters examined, 47 of them had failed – a failure rate of 55%. Why St Helens was being lumped in with Bolton, I don't know.
But what was particularly interesting was the information on how elementary schools were being paid by the government based on payment by results.
The author claimed if ordinary pupils satisfied the examiner in the three R’s, their school could receive an extra twelve shillings grant.
However if a pupil teacher failed their exam, the grant their school received was reduced by a whopping £20 – although the government could choose to limit that loss if an appeal was made.
On the 22nd "OH YES!, OH YES!, OH YES!" was the headline to this Beecham's advert in the Burnley Gazette:
"It is an undeniable fact, admitted by all classes, that the greatest temporal blessing one man can bestow upon another, is the blessing of health; but the greatest fact of all is that One Box of BEECHAM'S PILLS conveys that blessing into every sick-stricken house.
"They are admitted by thousands to be worth above a Guinea a Box, for bilious and nervous disorders, such as wind and pain at the stomach, sick headache, giddiness, fullness and swelling after meals, dizziness and drowsiness, cold chills, flushings of heat, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, costiveness [constipation], scurvy and blotches of the skin, disturbed sleep, frightful dreams, and all nervous and trembling sensations &c. &c. The first dose will give relief in twenty minutes.
"For females of all ages these pills are invaluable," the ad continued, "as a few doses of them carry off all gross humours and open all obstructions, and bring about all that is required. No female should be without them."
The Poor Law Unions throughout the country had their own weekly newspaper called 'The Gazette'.
Its sole purpose was to publish information on sought after men who'd deserted their families or provide details of wanted women who'd walked out on their illegitimate children.
A bounty of £1 was placed on their heads with this statement placed on the front of the newspaper:
"Every person running away and leaving his wife, or his or her child or children chargeable to any parish, shall be deemed a rogue and vagabond.
"It shall be lawful for any person whatsoever to apprehend any person who shall be found offending against the Vagrant Act, and deliver him or her to any constable or other peace officer.
"And every woman deserting her Bastard Child, whereby such Bastard Child becomes chargeable to any parish or union, shall be punished as a rogue and vagabond under the provisions of the said last recited Act."
A pound was a week's wages for many. But whether that was sufficient incentive to persuade someone to apprehend a wife deserter and escort them to the police – especially if he was a big chap – was perhaps another matter!
In this week's edition of the Gazette, the Prescot Union was looking for four local men who had deserted their families.
One was Elijah Thomas who had deserted his wife and three children at Rainhill.
If tracked down the 36-year-old gardener with brown and bushy whiskers could expect to be sent to prison for a few months.
Another wife deserter was called Thomas Hardacre. The 27-year-old was described as having "brown hair and grey eyes, sings at public houses and plays the piano, hawks pies, and frequents betting houses."
On the 24th a husband in Edge Green, near the future Haydock Park Racecourse, carried out a brutal assault on his wife – and got away with it as his poor battered spouse refused to prosecute.
That was quite common due to married women's dependence upon their husbands.
The nature of the shocking attack was related in some detail in the Leigh Chronicle under the headline "Murderous Attack On A Wife":
"About half-past six o'clock on Monday night, the people residing in the vicinity of Edge Green, Golborne, were startled by hearing cries of “murder” proceeding from a house close by, and on going to the spot the cries were found to have proceeded from the house occupied by a collier, named John Knowles.
"It appeared that Knowles had gone home in a beastly state of intoxication, an occurrence unfortunately not unusual with him, and at once commenced ill-treating his wife in a most brutal manner.
"The ruffian knocked the unfortunate woman on the floor, and at once commenced kicking her about the head and other parts of the body with the heavy clogs which he wore.
"The poor woman then alarmed the neighbourhood by screaming out “murder,” and fortunately several neighbours rushed into the house and interfered between the ruffian and his victim.
"He was ultimately secured and taken into custody by police-constable Harrison, on a charge of violently assaulting his wife, but it is probable that had the neighbours not interfered as they did, he would have had a crime of a much more serious character to account for.
"The unfortunate woman was found to have sustained serious injuries about the head, and her clothes were completely saturated with blood.
"She was afterwards attended by Mr. L. Mapei, surgeon, and under his skilful treatment began to slowly recover.
"The prisoner was brought up at the Warrington Police Court on Tuesday, before T. Stubbs and J. Rigby, Esqrs., but his wife refused to give evidence against him and he was held to bail for six months for his good behaviour."
Next week's stories will include the May Day celebrations in St Helens, a campaign by St Helens landlords against a new licensing law, a dreadful dray accident near Prescot, the Red Bank mill sale and memories of the Ashton anti-surplice riots are revived.
We begin with this report in the Prescot Petty Sessions concerning the rape of a young girl by her 31-year-old employer:
"Yesterday at Prescot, before Admiral Hornby and Mr. F. W. Earle, John Rose, head gardener at Court Hey, the residence of Mr. Robertson Gladstone, J.P., was charged with criminally assaulting Ann Ward, a girl 13 years of age, who had lived in the house of the accused as a servant.
"Mr. Cobb prosecuted, and Mr. Worship defended the prisoner.
"It appeared from the evidence that Rose feloniously assaulted the girl in her own room on the night of the 21st ultimo, in the absence of his wife, who was visiting her relatives.
"He repeated the outrage twice on the following day, and the prosecutrix then left the house and went to her parents at Knotty Ash.
"She returned with her mother on the 23rd, and remained till the 24th ultimo, when she finally left.
"The prisoner made several efforts to have the case hushed up but the mother complained to Mr. Gladstone, and subsequently took legal steps.
"Dr. Worthington, of Knight-street, was called in to see the prosecutrix sixteen days after the last assault and his evidence went to show that she had been subject to considerable violence of the nature complained of.
"The magistrates decided to send the case for trial at the assizes and Mr. Worship reserved his defence. An application to admit the prisoner to bail was refused.
"Rose has hitherto borne an excellent character, and has filled situations under several gentlemen in the neighbourhood."
Proving such claims in court was always extremely difficult without modern-day DNA and forensic evidence and the defence always made much of minor inconsistencies in witness evidence.
However the gardener in trying to hush things up had somewhat convicted himself – and there was the medical evidence too.
Still John Rose pleaded not guilty at his trial on August 9th but was convicted.
Because of his previous good character the jury recommended mercy and he was only jailed for 15 months – but it was with hard labour and hard labour in 1871 meant the dreaded treadmill.
However prison records state 12 months without hard labour – which suggests a successful appeal had been made.
The Newton Improvement Commissioners (charged with improved sanitation and roads) certainly had their work cut out – and they could begin with improving their attendance at meetings.
A special meeting of the Board was called for the 21st at 3:30pm but only three members bothered to turn up. After waiting half-an-hour the meeting was adjourned.
They did like their parades 150 years ago. On the 23rd the Lancashire Hussars and Newton Volunteers held one outside St Peter's Church in Church Street, Newton-le-Willows.
On the 24th James Yates appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions in New Market Place accused of stealing £8 13s 6d off pig drover Patrick McMance in a Parr beerhouse.
Yates had bought six small pigs from McMance and the pair went into the pub to have a drink in order to cement the deal.
McMance got drunk and Yates poured a glass of whisky down the pig man's throat to render him unconscious.
He then reached into McMance's breast-pocket and took back the cash for the pigs. Yates was committed to take his trial at the Kirkdale Assizes on July 11th.
In the 1840s an apprenticeship system was introduced into English schools for middle class kids that wanted to be teachers.
The pupil teachers needed to be at least thirteen or fourteen years of age and they learned the profession on the job as they taught younger children.
That was at the same time as completing their own education – usually before and after the normal school hours.
In the late 1890s St Helens introduced a Pupil Teacher Training Centre and there were grants available.
However in the 1870s the system was rather makeshift and the pupil teachers were unpaid until they reached sixteen.
That ruled out academically bright working class kids, as their parents wanted them earning at a very early age.
This week the Bolton Chronicle published a letter that stated that the pupil teachers of St Helens and Bolton had undertaken an examination in March and performed spectacularly badly.
Out of 83 youngsters examined, 47 of them had failed – a failure rate of 55%. Why St Helens was being lumped in with Bolton, I don't know.
But what was particularly interesting was the information on how elementary schools were being paid by the government based on payment by results.
The author claimed if ordinary pupils satisfied the examiner in the three R’s, their school could receive an extra twelve shillings grant.
However if a pupil teacher failed their exam, the grant their school received was reduced by a whopping £20 – although the government could choose to limit that loss if an appeal was made.
On the 22nd "OH YES!, OH YES!, OH YES!" was the headline to this Beecham's advert in the Burnley Gazette:
"It is an undeniable fact, admitted by all classes, that the greatest temporal blessing one man can bestow upon another, is the blessing of health; but the greatest fact of all is that One Box of BEECHAM'S PILLS conveys that blessing into every sick-stricken house.
"They are admitted by thousands to be worth above a Guinea a Box, for bilious and nervous disorders, such as wind and pain at the stomach, sick headache, giddiness, fullness and swelling after meals, dizziness and drowsiness, cold chills, flushings of heat, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, costiveness [constipation], scurvy and blotches of the skin, disturbed sleep, frightful dreams, and all nervous and trembling sensations &c. &c. The first dose will give relief in twenty minutes.
"For females of all ages these pills are invaluable," the ad continued, "as a few doses of them carry off all gross humours and open all obstructions, and bring about all that is required. No female should be without them."
Its sole purpose was to publish information on sought after men who'd deserted their families or provide details of wanted women who'd walked out on their illegitimate children.
A bounty of £1 was placed on their heads with this statement placed on the front of the newspaper:
"Every person running away and leaving his wife, or his or her child or children chargeable to any parish, shall be deemed a rogue and vagabond.
"It shall be lawful for any person whatsoever to apprehend any person who shall be found offending against the Vagrant Act, and deliver him or her to any constable or other peace officer.
"And every woman deserting her Bastard Child, whereby such Bastard Child becomes chargeable to any parish or union, shall be punished as a rogue and vagabond under the provisions of the said last recited Act."
A pound was a week's wages for many. But whether that was sufficient incentive to persuade someone to apprehend a wife deserter and escort them to the police – especially if he was a big chap – was perhaps another matter!
In this week's edition of the Gazette, the Prescot Union was looking for four local men who had deserted their families.
One was Elijah Thomas who had deserted his wife and three children at Rainhill.
If tracked down the 36-year-old gardener with brown and bushy whiskers could expect to be sent to prison for a few months.
Another wife deserter was called Thomas Hardacre. The 27-year-old was described as having "brown hair and grey eyes, sings at public houses and plays the piano, hawks pies, and frequents betting houses."
On the 24th a husband in Edge Green, near the future Haydock Park Racecourse, carried out a brutal assault on his wife – and got away with it as his poor battered spouse refused to prosecute.
That was quite common due to married women's dependence upon their husbands.
The nature of the shocking attack was related in some detail in the Leigh Chronicle under the headline "Murderous Attack On A Wife":
"About half-past six o'clock on Monday night, the people residing in the vicinity of Edge Green, Golborne, were startled by hearing cries of “murder” proceeding from a house close by, and on going to the spot the cries were found to have proceeded from the house occupied by a collier, named John Knowles.
"It appeared that Knowles had gone home in a beastly state of intoxication, an occurrence unfortunately not unusual with him, and at once commenced ill-treating his wife in a most brutal manner.
"The ruffian knocked the unfortunate woman on the floor, and at once commenced kicking her about the head and other parts of the body with the heavy clogs which he wore.
"The poor woman then alarmed the neighbourhood by screaming out “murder,” and fortunately several neighbours rushed into the house and interfered between the ruffian and his victim.
"He was ultimately secured and taken into custody by police-constable Harrison, on a charge of violently assaulting his wife, but it is probable that had the neighbours not interfered as they did, he would have had a crime of a much more serious character to account for.
"The unfortunate woman was found to have sustained serious injuries about the head, and her clothes were completely saturated with blood.
"She was afterwards attended by Mr. L. Mapei, surgeon, and under his skilful treatment began to slowly recover.
"The prisoner was brought up at the Warrington Police Court on Tuesday, before T. Stubbs and J. Rigby, Esqrs., but his wife refused to give evidence against him and he was held to bail for six months for his good behaviour."
Next week's stories will include the May Day celebrations in St Helens, a campaign by St Helens landlords against a new licensing law, a dreadful dray accident near Prescot, the Red Bank mill sale and memories of the Ashton anti-surplice riots are revived.