150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 24 - 30 MARCH 1875
This week's many stories include the opening for the season of the Victoria Pleasure Gardens in Thatto Heath, the Greenbank corner boys who liked to annoy and assault young women, the prisoner who claimed he was punched in the police station, the St Helens volunteer soldiers hold their annual review and the fare dodging at Rainford Junction that probably led to prison.
We begin on the 25th when Henry Rimmer was killed in Whiston, yet another victim of a horse-drawn vehicle. The 20-year-old had been employed as a carter at Halsnead Colliery and was making his way home in his cart. He had just dropped off a workmate when Rimmer struck his horse on its breast, which made the animal suddenly take off at a fast speed. The young carter was thrown out of his vehicle and a wheel went over his neck and broke it.
It was Good Friday on the 26th and that was always the day the Victoria Pleasure Gardens opened for the season in Thatto Heath. A military band played and the admission was 6d. The gardens' location was close to present day Whittle Street, which appears to have been named after Charles Whittle who owned the gardens.
It was also the day when the St Helens volunteers (known as the 47th LRV) held a review in which exercises took place. Last year's event had taken place on a field opposite Rainhill Hall and the St Helens Newspaper had described how a "vast throng of people" had made the soldiers' journey through Marshalls Cross towards Rainhill very difficult, writing:
"The road was literally animate with people whom the fineness of the day had induced to leave home." And then there were similar issues upon their arrival at Rainhill: "Although the field was vast in extent the mob would group nowhere but on the flanks of the companies.
"Wherever the regiment moved the human wave simply gave way before it, closing in immediately behind, and not only impeding quick movements, but spoiling the appearance of the display. In vain did the Colonel, the Majors, the Adjutant, and a number of grooms, ride frantically round, clearing a space for the troops. The mob fell back from the galloping horses, only to close in when the danger had passed."
Note the expression "the fineness of the day had induced to leave home". Well, this year the problem of interfering mobs did not materialise – because it rained! And that created difficulties in its own right, not least that the number of men that turned out was greatly reduced. A last minute change of venue from what was described as a field adjoining Rainhill Chapel to one in Warrington Road a mile away was another reason why the crowds were diminished.
On the 29th an inquest was held on a child called Amy Prescott from Victoria Place in Prescot. It was another sad case of an infant sleeping with her parents in bed who was overlaid. In other words a parent had inadvertently suffocated their baby during the night by lying on their child's face. Such deaths were extremely common during the 19th century.
Evading paying their train fares almost certainly landed two young men in prison for a month. John Murphy and Thomas Mather appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 29th accused of fare dodging. On the previous afternoon the pair had got off a train at Rainford Junction station and while other passengers handed over their tickets to the collector, they'd attempted to flee over neighbouring fields.
One was caught in the act of going over a hedge while the other was persuaded to return from a field. Upon being searched they were found to have just twopence between them, as well as some shoemakers' tools. The two men claimed that they had come over from Tipperary and were both fined what was described as a mitigated penalty of 20 shillings and costs.
That was a lot of money for men seemingly only possessing 2d in the world. And unless they sold or pawned the tools that they were carrying and reduced their chances of earning a living, the alternative sentence of a month in prison probably had to be taken.
It was quite common for prisoners at St Helens Police Station to complain of being badly treated. Considering the violence that the bobbies had to endure, it is hardly surprising if one or two constables thumped their prisoners back. Usually they were drunk upon arriving at the station and had no witnesses to corroborate their claims. And so when they made a complaint in court, the Bench quickly dismissed it.
When William Roberts appeared in the Petty Sessions he claimed that PC Archer had punched him on the nose at the station. PC Doig had arrested the man in Liverpool Road for being drunk and disorderly and he had quickly turned violent. PC Archer had to come to his colleague's assistance and in taking Roberts to the station their prisoner was so violent that at one point all three fell to the ground. Despite being horizontal, Roberts continued to kick PC Doig several times on both of his legs.
PC Williamson – who was in the station when Roberts was brought in – gave evidence that the man was already bleeding from his nose and forehead when he had arrived and was not struck by anyone. That may or may not have been true, of course. But William Roberts was wasting his time complaining and he was fined five shillings and costs or seven days in prison for being drunk. And he was also fined 30 shillings and costs or a month in prison for assaulting the constable.
Rarely did the newspapers say whether such people were able to pay off their fines. I expect in some cases supportive family and friends had a whip round. But for the vast majority of offenders faced with having to find the equivalent of two or three weeks' wages, prison must have been their destination.
The St Helens Newspaper liked to call young lads who hung around street corners annoying young women "corner boys". That was how they described Richard Halligan and Martin Buckley from Greenbank who were charged with violently assaulting Catherine Atherton. Checking the 1871 census, Buckley was either 13 or 14 and Halligan appears to have been of a similar age.
Catherine was employed at the Ravenhead Glass Works and was with a group of girls returning home from work. While on the canal bank she saw a girl in front of her being assaulted by a bunch of lads and having her shawl pulled off. Catherine asked them why they had done that and Halligan responded by striking her several times with a stick and breaking her nose. Upon someone shouting for the police, Halligan threw away the stick and ran off and Buckley did the same after picking up the stick.
In court Supt James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – said such assaults were of frequent occurrence, "men as well as women are often attacked by these young roughs". The magistrates liked to impose deterrent sentences, particularly on the young, and Richard Halligan was sent to gaol for 21 days and Martin Buckley for seven.
The next case featured Buckley’s younger brother, Michael, although he was an unintended victim of a squabble between his mother and her neighbours. And it was a row in which they did not just shout insults at each other but chucked stones! Mrs Buckley gave evidence that a lad called Richard McCormick and his mother had on one afternoon thrown a number of stones at her door in Greenbank.
Her infant son Michael was sat near the door minding his own business and one of the stones rebounded off the door onto his forehead inflicting a wound. Richard McCormick's mum then threw a stone at Mrs Buckley, which bashed her foe on the back of her head. Of course, the McCormicks did not start chucking stones for no reason and it was reported that much conflicting testimony was given in the courtroom. In the end the magistrates ruled that there were faults on both sides and bound both complainant and defendant over to keep the peace for three months.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the shocking living conditions in poorer parts of St Helens, the outrage in Ashton, the Bold Hall gamekeeper's shotgun diplomacy and the brainless thefts from a pair of Church Street ironmongers.
We begin on the 25th when Henry Rimmer was killed in Whiston, yet another victim of a horse-drawn vehicle. The 20-year-old had been employed as a carter at Halsnead Colliery and was making his way home in his cart. He had just dropped off a workmate when Rimmer struck his horse on its breast, which made the animal suddenly take off at a fast speed. The young carter was thrown out of his vehicle and a wheel went over his neck and broke it.
It was Good Friday on the 26th and that was always the day the Victoria Pleasure Gardens opened for the season in Thatto Heath. A military band played and the admission was 6d. The gardens' location was close to present day Whittle Street, which appears to have been named after Charles Whittle who owned the gardens.
It was also the day when the St Helens volunteers (known as the 47th LRV) held a review in which exercises took place. Last year's event had taken place on a field opposite Rainhill Hall and the St Helens Newspaper had described how a "vast throng of people" had made the soldiers' journey through Marshalls Cross towards Rainhill very difficult, writing:
"The road was literally animate with people whom the fineness of the day had induced to leave home." And then there were similar issues upon their arrival at Rainhill: "Although the field was vast in extent the mob would group nowhere but on the flanks of the companies.
"Wherever the regiment moved the human wave simply gave way before it, closing in immediately behind, and not only impeding quick movements, but spoiling the appearance of the display. In vain did the Colonel, the Majors, the Adjutant, and a number of grooms, ride frantically round, clearing a space for the troops. The mob fell back from the galloping horses, only to close in when the danger had passed."
Note the expression "the fineness of the day had induced to leave home". Well, this year the problem of interfering mobs did not materialise – because it rained! And that created difficulties in its own right, not least that the number of men that turned out was greatly reduced. A last minute change of venue from what was described as a field adjoining Rainhill Chapel to one in Warrington Road a mile away was another reason why the crowds were diminished.
On the 29th an inquest was held on a child called Amy Prescott from Victoria Place in Prescot. It was another sad case of an infant sleeping with her parents in bed who was overlaid. In other words a parent had inadvertently suffocated their baby during the night by lying on their child's face. Such deaths were extremely common during the 19th century.
Evading paying their train fares almost certainly landed two young men in prison for a month. John Murphy and Thomas Mather appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 29th accused of fare dodging. On the previous afternoon the pair had got off a train at Rainford Junction station and while other passengers handed over their tickets to the collector, they'd attempted to flee over neighbouring fields.
One was caught in the act of going over a hedge while the other was persuaded to return from a field. Upon being searched they were found to have just twopence between them, as well as some shoemakers' tools. The two men claimed that they had come over from Tipperary and were both fined what was described as a mitigated penalty of 20 shillings and costs.
That was a lot of money for men seemingly only possessing 2d in the world. And unless they sold or pawned the tools that they were carrying and reduced their chances of earning a living, the alternative sentence of a month in prison probably had to be taken.
It was quite common for prisoners at St Helens Police Station to complain of being badly treated. Considering the violence that the bobbies had to endure, it is hardly surprising if one or two constables thumped their prisoners back. Usually they were drunk upon arriving at the station and had no witnesses to corroborate their claims. And so when they made a complaint in court, the Bench quickly dismissed it.
When William Roberts appeared in the Petty Sessions he claimed that PC Archer had punched him on the nose at the station. PC Doig had arrested the man in Liverpool Road for being drunk and disorderly and he had quickly turned violent. PC Archer had to come to his colleague's assistance and in taking Roberts to the station their prisoner was so violent that at one point all three fell to the ground. Despite being horizontal, Roberts continued to kick PC Doig several times on both of his legs.
PC Williamson – who was in the station when Roberts was brought in – gave evidence that the man was already bleeding from his nose and forehead when he had arrived and was not struck by anyone. That may or may not have been true, of course. But William Roberts was wasting his time complaining and he was fined five shillings and costs or seven days in prison for being drunk. And he was also fined 30 shillings and costs or a month in prison for assaulting the constable.
Rarely did the newspapers say whether such people were able to pay off their fines. I expect in some cases supportive family and friends had a whip round. But for the vast majority of offenders faced with having to find the equivalent of two or three weeks' wages, prison must have been their destination.
The St Helens Newspaper liked to call young lads who hung around street corners annoying young women "corner boys". That was how they described Richard Halligan and Martin Buckley from Greenbank who were charged with violently assaulting Catherine Atherton. Checking the 1871 census, Buckley was either 13 or 14 and Halligan appears to have been of a similar age.
Catherine was employed at the Ravenhead Glass Works and was with a group of girls returning home from work. While on the canal bank she saw a girl in front of her being assaulted by a bunch of lads and having her shawl pulled off. Catherine asked them why they had done that and Halligan responded by striking her several times with a stick and breaking her nose. Upon someone shouting for the police, Halligan threw away the stick and ran off and Buckley did the same after picking up the stick.
In court Supt James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – said such assaults were of frequent occurrence, "men as well as women are often attacked by these young roughs". The magistrates liked to impose deterrent sentences, particularly on the young, and Richard Halligan was sent to gaol for 21 days and Martin Buckley for seven.
The next case featured Buckley’s younger brother, Michael, although he was an unintended victim of a squabble between his mother and her neighbours. And it was a row in which they did not just shout insults at each other but chucked stones! Mrs Buckley gave evidence that a lad called Richard McCormick and his mother had on one afternoon thrown a number of stones at her door in Greenbank.
Her infant son Michael was sat near the door minding his own business and one of the stones rebounded off the door onto his forehead inflicting a wound. Richard McCormick's mum then threw a stone at Mrs Buckley, which bashed her foe on the back of her head. Of course, the McCormicks did not start chucking stones for no reason and it was reported that much conflicting testimony was given in the courtroom. In the end the magistrates ruled that there were faults on both sides and bound both complainant and defendant over to keep the peace for three months.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the shocking living conditions in poorer parts of St Helens, the outrage in Ashton, the Bold Hall gamekeeper's shotgun diplomacy and the brainless thefts from a pair of Church Street ironmongers.
This week's many stories include the opening for the season of the Victoria Pleasure Gardens in Thatto Heath, the Greenbank corner boys who liked to annoy and assault young women, the prisoner who claimed he was punched in the police station, the St Helens volunteer soldiers hold their annual review and the fare dodging at Rainford Junction that probably led to prison.
We begin on the 25th when Henry Rimmer was killed in Whiston, yet another victim of a horse-drawn vehicle.
The 20-year-old had been employed as a carter at Halsnead Colliery and was making his way home in his cart.
He had just dropped off a workmate when Rimmer struck his horse on its breast, which made the animal suddenly take off at a fast speed.
The young carter was thrown out of his vehicle and a wheel went over his neck and broke it.
It was Good Friday on the 26th and that was always the day the Victoria Pleasure Gardens opened for the season in Thatto Heath. A military band played and the admission was 6d.
The gardens' location was close to present day Whittle Street, which appears to have been named after Charles Whittle who owned the gardens.
It was also the day when the St Helens volunteers (known as the 47th LRV) held a review in which exercises took place.
Last year's event had taken place on a field opposite Rainhill Hall and the St Helens Newspaper had described how a "vast throng of people" had made the soldiers' journey through Marshalls Cross towards Rainhill very difficult, writing:
"The road was literally animate with people whom the fineness of the day had induced to leave home."
And then there were similar issues upon their arrival at Rainhill: "Although the field was vast in extent the mob would group nowhere but on the flanks of the companies.
"Wherever the regiment moved the human wave simply gave way before it, closing in immediately behind, and not only impeding quick movements, but spoiling the appearance of the display.
"In vain did the Colonel, the Majors, the Adjutant, and a number of grooms, ride frantically round, clearing a space for the troops. The mob fell back from the galloping horses, only to close in when the danger had passed."
Note the expression "the fineness of the day had induced to leave home". Well, this year the problem of interfering mobs did not materialise – because it rained!
And that created difficulties in its own right, not least that the number of men that turned out was greatly reduced.
A last minute change of venue from what was described as a field adjoining Rainhill Chapel to one in Warrington Road a mile away was another reason why the crowds were diminished.
On the 29th an inquest was held on a child called Amy Prescott from Victoria Place in Prescot.
It was another sad case of an infant sleeping with her parents in bed who was overlaid.
In other words a parent had inadvertently suffocated their baby during the night by lying on their child's face. Such deaths were extremely common during the 19th century.
Evading paying their train fares almost certainly landed two young men in prison for a month.
John Murphy and Thomas Mather appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 29th accused of fare dodging.
On the previous afternoon the pair had got off a train at Rainford Junction station and while other passengers handed over their tickets to the collector, they'd attempted to flee over neighbouring fields.
One was caught in the act of going over a hedge while the other was persuaded to return from a field.
Upon being searched they were found to have just twopence between them, as well as some shoemakers' tools.
The two men claimed that they had come over from Tipperary and were both fined what was described as a mitigated penalty of 20 shillings and costs.
That was a lot of money for men seemingly only possessing 2d in the world.
And unless they sold or pawned the tools that they were carrying and reduced their chances of earning a living, the alternative sentence of a month in prison probably had to be taken.
It was quite common for prisoners at St Helens Police Station to complain of being badly treated.
Considering the violence that the bobbies had to endure, it is hardly surprising if one or two constables thumped their prisoners back.
Usually they were drunk upon arriving at the station and had no witnesses to corroborate their claims. And so when they made a complaint in court, the Bench quickly dismissed it.
When William Roberts appeared in the Petty Sessions he claimed that PC Archer had punched him on the nose at the station.
PC Doig had arrested the man in Liverpool Road for being drunk and disorderly and he had quickly turned violent.
PC Archer had to come to his colleague's assistance and in taking Roberts to the station their prisoner was so violent that at one point all three fell to the ground.
Despite being horizontal, Roberts continued to kick PC Doig several times on both of his legs.
PC Williamson – who was in the station when Roberts was brought in – gave evidence that the man was already bleeding from his nose and forehead when he had arrived and was not struck by anyone.
That may or may not have been true, of course. But William Roberts was wasting his time complaining and he was fined five shillings and costs or seven days in prison for being drunk.
And he was also fined 30 shillings and costs or a month in prison for assaulting the constable.
Rarely did the newspapers say whether such people were able to pay off their fines.
I expect in some cases supportive family and friends had a whip round. But for the vast majority of offenders faced with having to find the equivalent of two or three weeks' wages, prison must have been their destination.
The St Helens Newspaper liked to call young lads who hung around street corners annoying young women "corner boys".
That was how they described Richard Halligan and Martin Buckley from Greenbank who were charged with violently assaulting Catherine Atherton.
Checking the 1871 census, Buckley was either 13 or 14 and Halligan appears to have been of a similar age.
Catherine was employed at the Ravenhead Glass Works and was with a group of girls returning home from work.
While on the canal bank she saw a girl in front of her being assaulted by a bunch of lads and having her shawl pulled off.
Catherine asked them why they had done that and Halligan responded by striking her several times with a stick and breaking her nose.
Upon someone shouting for the police, Halligan threw away the stick and ran off and Buckley did the same after picking up the stick.
In court Supt James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – said such assaults were of frequent occurrence, "men as well as women are often attacked by these young roughs".
The magistrates liked to impose deterrent sentences, particularly on the young, and Richard Halligan was sent to gaol for 21 days and Martin Buckley for seven.
The next case featured Buckley’s younger brother, Michael, although he was an unintended victim of a squabble between his mother and her neighbours.
And it was a row in which they did not just shout insults at each other but chucked stones!
Mrs Buckley gave evidence that a lad called Richard McCormick and his mother had on one afternoon thrown a number of stones at her door in Greenbank.
Her infant son Michael was sat near the door minding his own business and one of the stones rebounded off the door onto his forehead inflicting a wound.
Richard McCormick's mum then threw a stone at Mrs Buckley, which bashed her foe on the back of her head.
Of course, the McCormicks did not start chucking stones for no reason and it was reported that much conflicting testimony was given in the courtroom.
In the end the magistrates ruled that there were faults on both sides and bound both complainant and defendant over to keep the peace for three months.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the shocking living conditions in poorer parts of St Helens, the outrage in Ashton, the Bold Hall gamekeeper's shotgun diplomacy and the brainless thefts from a pair of Church Street ironmongers.
We begin on the 25th when Henry Rimmer was killed in Whiston, yet another victim of a horse-drawn vehicle.
The 20-year-old had been employed as a carter at Halsnead Colliery and was making his way home in his cart.
He had just dropped off a workmate when Rimmer struck his horse on its breast, which made the animal suddenly take off at a fast speed.
The young carter was thrown out of his vehicle and a wheel went over his neck and broke it.
It was Good Friday on the 26th and that was always the day the Victoria Pleasure Gardens opened for the season in Thatto Heath. A military band played and the admission was 6d.
The gardens' location was close to present day Whittle Street, which appears to have been named after Charles Whittle who owned the gardens.
It was also the day when the St Helens volunteers (known as the 47th LRV) held a review in which exercises took place.
Last year's event had taken place on a field opposite Rainhill Hall and the St Helens Newspaper had described how a "vast throng of people" had made the soldiers' journey through Marshalls Cross towards Rainhill very difficult, writing:
"The road was literally animate with people whom the fineness of the day had induced to leave home."
And then there were similar issues upon their arrival at Rainhill: "Although the field was vast in extent the mob would group nowhere but on the flanks of the companies.
"Wherever the regiment moved the human wave simply gave way before it, closing in immediately behind, and not only impeding quick movements, but spoiling the appearance of the display.
"In vain did the Colonel, the Majors, the Adjutant, and a number of grooms, ride frantically round, clearing a space for the troops. The mob fell back from the galloping horses, only to close in when the danger had passed."
Note the expression "the fineness of the day had induced to leave home". Well, this year the problem of interfering mobs did not materialise – because it rained!
And that created difficulties in its own right, not least that the number of men that turned out was greatly reduced.
A last minute change of venue from what was described as a field adjoining Rainhill Chapel to one in Warrington Road a mile away was another reason why the crowds were diminished.
On the 29th an inquest was held on a child called Amy Prescott from Victoria Place in Prescot.
It was another sad case of an infant sleeping with her parents in bed who was overlaid.
In other words a parent had inadvertently suffocated their baby during the night by lying on their child's face. Such deaths were extremely common during the 19th century.
Evading paying their train fares almost certainly landed two young men in prison for a month.
John Murphy and Thomas Mather appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 29th accused of fare dodging.
On the previous afternoon the pair had got off a train at Rainford Junction station and while other passengers handed over their tickets to the collector, they'd attempted to flee over neighbouring fields.
One was caught in the act of going over a hedge while the other was persuaded to return from a field.
Upon being searched they were found to have just twopence between them, as well as some shoemakers' tools.
The two men claimed that they had come over from Tipperary and were both fined what was described as a mitigated penalty of 20 shillings and costs.
That was a lot of money for men seemingly only possessing 2d in the world.
And unless they sold or pawned the tools that they were carrying and reduced their chances of earning a living, the alternative sentence of a month in prison probably had to be taken.
It was quite common for prisoners at St Helens Police Station to complain of being badly treated.
Considering the violence that the bobbies had to endure, it is hardly surprising if one or two constables thumped their prisoners back.
Usually they were drunk upon arriving at the station and had no witnesses to corroborate their claims. And so when they made a complaint in court, the Bench quickly dismissed it.
When William Roberts appeared in the Petty Sessions he claimed that PC Archer had punched him on the nose at the station.
PC Doig had arrested the man in Liverpool Road for being drunk and disorderly and he had quickly turned violent.
PC Archer had to come to his colleague's assistance and in taking Roberts to the station their prisoner was so violent that at one point all three fell to the ground.
Despite being horizontal, Roberts continued to kick PC Doig several times on both of his legs.
PC Williamson – who was in the station when Roberts was brought in – gave evidence that the man was already bleeding from his nose and forehead when he had arrived and was not struck by anyone.
That may or may not have been true, of course. But William Roberts was wasting his time complaining and he was fined five shillings and costs or seven days in prison for being drunk.
And he was also fined 30 shillings and costs or a month in prison for assaulting the constable.
Rarely did the newspapers say whether such people were able to pay off their fines.
I expect in some cases supportive family and friends had a whip round. But for the vast majority of offenders faced with having to find the equivalent of two or three weeks' wages, prison must have been their destination.
The St Helens Newspaper liked to call young lads who hung around street corners annoying young women "corner boys".
That was how they described Richard Halligan and Martin Buckley from Greenbank who were charged with violently assaulting Catherine Atherton.
Checking the 1871 census, Buckley was either 13 or 14 and Halligan appears to have been of a similar age.
Catherine was employed at the Ravenhead Glass Works and was with a group of girls returning home from work.
While on the canal bank she saw a girl in front of her being assaulted by a bunch of lads and having her shawl pulled off.
Catherine asked them why they had done that and Halligan responded by striking her several times with a stick and breaking her nose.
Upon someone shouting for the police, Halligan threw away the stick and ran off and Buckley did the same after picking up the stick.
In court Supt James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – said such assaults were of frequent occurrence, "men as well as women are often attacked by these young roughs".
The magistrates liked to impose deterrent sentences, particularly on the young, and Richard Halligan was sent to gaol for 21 days and Martin Buckley for seven.
The next case featured Buckley’s younger brother, Michael, although he was an unintended victim of a squabble between his mother and her neighbours.
And it was a row in which they did not just shout insults at each other but chucked stones!
Mrs Buckley gave evidence that a lad called Richard McCormick and his mother had on one afternoon thrown a number of stones at her door in Greenbank.
Her infant son Michael was sat near the door minding his own business and one of the stones rebounded off the door onto his forehead inflicting a wound.
Richard McCormick's mum then threw a stone at Mrs Buckley, which bashed her foe on the back of her head.
Of course, the McCormicks did not start chucking stones for no reason and it was reported that much conflicting testimony was given in the courtroom.
In the end the magistrates ruled that there were faults on both sides and bound both complainant and defendant over to keep the peace for three months.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the shocking living conditions in poorer parts of St Helens, the outrage in Ashton, the Bold Hall gamekeeper's shotgun diplomacy and the brainless thefts from a pair of Church Street ironmongers.