150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 24 - 30 NOVEMBER 1875
This week's many stories include the annual inspection of the St Helens highways, the annual gathering of the Ragged School and Home Mission, the revenge taken after a County Court case, the ringing of the changes in St Helens pubs, the fire at Sutton Heath Colliery, the passing of counterfeit coins and a failed attempt to get compensation through falling over a stone in Baldwin Street.
A tea party and ball might seem an unusual combination but such events were quite common in St Helens in the 1870s. Lowe House Church's annual tea party and ball took place in the Volunteer Hall (pictured above) on the 24th with tickets priced at two shillings. The advert stated that the proceeds from the event were to be "devoted to the Poor Schools connected with St. Mary's, Lowe House".
In its review the St Helens Newspaper said there had been a "vast assemblage" of 800 persons in attendance and, in order to accommodate them all, there had been 25 tables "spread with the most tempting of viands of every description peculiar to the tea table."
The council's Paving, Highway and Sewering Committee met on the 24th and discussed their plans to widen College Street. The councillors were told that a number of houses in the street were currently being pulled down to make way for the widening.
This was very much the era of workers only receiving any pay if they actually worked and if they were sick they received nothing. Sensible people were in "clubs", friendly societies that paid out sickness or death benefits. Or they took out other forms of insurance against suffering accidents or illness. A man named John Salt applied to the Highways Committee for compensation for an injury that he claimed to have sustained by falling over a stone on the corner of Baldwin Street and College Street.
The accident had occurred on October 28th late at night and Mr Salt complained that there had been no lamp left at the place. He said that ever since his accident he had been under the doctor, was unable to work and was not in any club. But Salt's chances of compensation were virtually nil and the committee chairman said they had sympathy for his situation but could not give him any public money belonging to ratepayers. The man would now have to go to the County Court to try and get compensation, if he could afford it and had evidence to support his claim.
Every year an inspection of the highways in the St Helens Borough took place and this year's event was held on the 26th. Members of the Highway Committee, as well as the Borough Surveyor and deputy Town Clerk, clambered into a large, covered horse-drawn wagonette at 9am and they did not complete their inspection of the streets until 5pm. Upon their return the party enjoyed a nosh-up at the Fleece Hotel.
The Ragged School and Home Mission had been created in Arthur Street in St Helens, which used to be near Westfield Street, in the late 1850s. Its priority was to provide free schooling for some of the poor children who, in bare feet and ragged clothes, would otherwise wander the streets all day.
The Home Mission side of the organisation mainly visited sick persons to provide some support and many gatherings of one kind or another were also held, usually underpinned by religion or temperance. Every year on the anniversary of the school's founding, a tea and public meeting was held in their Mission Hall in Waterloo Street. The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 27th that this year more than 300 persons had attended.
In St Helens Petty Sessions this week Daniel McCormick was sent to prison for seven days for begging in Sutton. The man was 72 and, unusually, while he was begging he was selling laces and matches. Daniel was also prosecuted for hawking without a licence but for that offence the charge was dismissed with a caution.
There was also another case in which a woman had been using a clog as a weapon. John Forber was summoned to the Petty Sessions charged with assaulting Mary Sharratt at Peasley Cross. The latter claimed that Forber had been punching her husband near the entry where they lived and when she intervened, he had struck Mary on the side of her head, knocking her against a wall.
However, as usual, the woman had not been telling the full story. The defendant called witnesses who stated that Mary had taken off a clog and was threatening to strike Forber with it and he strongly denied hitting the woman or even her husband. As a result of the witness testimony, the magistrates dismissed the case.
There were quite a few cases that ended up in St Helens Petty Sessions that were a sequel to a County Court case. Such a hearing took place this week when James Preston appeared in the Sessions accused of assaulting James Bretherton. The latter had brought an action against Preston for an unpaid debt and upon leaving the County Court in East Street (pictured above) both the defendant and his wife had attacked Preston, initially at the bottom of the stairs and then later at St Helens railway station.
When the train arrived at Prescot, another assault occurred and the complainant said he could not quietly walk along the street to his home for the foul language being used against him. As a result, James Preston was ordered to find sureties for three months to guarantee his good behaviour or go to gaol for one month.
There were two court cases this week involving money. One concerned the passing of counterfeit cash and the other involved ringing the changes. In the first Arthur Cornforth appeared in the Sessions charged with uttering three base half-sovereigns. The young man from Manchester clearly liked his pies, as he used his fake money to purchase a pork pie from James Hunt's confectioners and a meat pie from John Roughsedge's shop.
Both of those were located in Church Street and then Cornforth moved on to Simpson's ironmongers in Tontine Street. In each of these shops fake half-sovereigns worth 10 shillings were tendered to buy the items, although it was really the change that Cornforth was after. But they were clearly not very good counterfeits as they were quickly identified as being "bad" or "base" and eventually Cornforth would receive two months in prison.
Apparently the phrase "ringing the changes" derives from church bell ringing. Although by the 19th century it mainly concerned the practice of conning bar or shop staff into giving too much change. Henry Sheppard and George Foy appeared in the Petty Sessions this week charged with obtaining money by false pretences through ringing the changes.
Half-sovereigns were again involved as bar staff in the Globe Inn in Ormskirk Street, the White Hart in Church Street and the Royal Alfred were asked to change the coins into ten shillings worth of silver. But through the use of distraction techniques, in each place Sheppard and Foy got back their half-sovereign, as well as the silver.
Both men were members of a gang of four but the other two men had left St Helens by the time the police were informed. After being committed to take their trial at the Kirkdale Quarter Sessions, Sheppard and Foy were both sentenced to serve six months in prison.
Once fire broke out in a coal mine, it became very difficult to extinguish. Not only was there plenty of coal for the fire to feed on but also its underground location made it difficult to gain access and then utilise the basic fire-fighting equipment of the time. This week fire broke out at Sutton Heath Colliery, belonging to the Mayor of St Helens, James Radley.
It originated in some old workings and after several days workers had still been unable to subdue it and the blaze was said to be extending. As a result all mining operations had now been suspended until the fire had been put out, or, more likely, it had burnt itself out.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the inefficiency of the town's fire brigade, the contagious fever epidemics in St Helens, the child burning in Sutton and the conscientious anti-vaccinators that appeared in court.
In its review the St Helens Newspaper said there had been a "vast assemblage" of 800 persons in attendance and, in order to accommodate them all, there had been 25 tables "spread with the most tempting of viands of every description peculiar to the tea table."
The council's Paving, Highway and Sewering Committee met on the 24th and discussed their plans to widen College Street. The councillors were told that a number of houses in the street were currently being pulled down to make way for the widening.
This was very much the era of workers only receiving any pay if they actually worked and if they were sick they received nothing. Sensible people were in "clubs", friendly societies that paid out sickness or death benefits. Or they took out other forms of insurance against suffering accidents or illness. A man named John Salt applied to the Highways Committee for compensation for an injury that he claimed to have sustained by falling over a stone on the corner of Baldwin Street and College Street.
The accident had occurred on October 28th late at night and Mr Salt complained that there had been no lamp left at the place. He said that ever since his accident he had been under the doctor, was unable to work and was not in any club. But Salt's chances of compensation were virtually nil and the committee chairman said they had sympathy for his situation but could not give him any public money belonging to ratepayers. The man would now have to go to the County Court to try and get compensation, if he could afford it and had evidence to support his claim.
Every year an inspection of the highways in the St Helens Borough took place and this year's event was held on the 26th. Members of the Highway Committee, as well as the Borough Surveyor and deputy Town Clerk, clambered into a large, covered horse-drawn wagonette at 9am and they did not complete their inspection of the streets until 5pm. Upon their return the party enjoyed a nosh-up at the Fleece Hotel.
The Ragged School and Home Mission had been created in Arthur Street in St Helens, which used to be near Westfield Street, in the late 1850s. Its priority was to provide free schooling for some of the poor children who, in bare feet and ragged clothes, would otherwise wander the streets all day.
The Home Mission side of the organisation mainly visited sick persons to provide some support and many gatherings of one kind or another were also held, usually underpinned by religion or temperance. Every year on the anniversary of the school's founding, a tea and public meeting was held in their Mission Hall in Waterloo Street. The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 27th that this year more than 300 persons had attended.
In St Helens Petty Sessions this week Daniel McCormick was sent to prison for seven days for begging in Sutton. The man was 72 and, unusually, while he was begging he was selling laces and matches. Daniel was also prosecuted for hawking without a licence but for that offence the charge was dismissed with a caution.
There was also another case in which a woman had been using a clog as a weapon. John Forber was summoned to the Petty Sessions charged with assaulting Mary Sharratt at Peasley Cross. The latter claimed that Forber had been punching her husband near the entry where they lived and when she intervened, he had struck Mary on the side of her head, knocking her against a wall.
However, as usual, the woman had not been telling the full story. The defendant called witnesses who stated that Mary had taken off a clog and was threatening to strike Forber with it and he strongly denied hitting the woman or even her husband. As a result of the witness testimony, the magistrates dismissed the case.
When the train arrived at Prescot, another assault occurred and the complainant said he could not quietly walk along the street to his home for the foul language being used against him. As a result, James Preston was ordered to find sureties for three months to guarantee his good behaviour or go to gaol for one month.
There were two court cases this week involving money. One concerned the passing of counterfeit cash and the other involved ringing the changes. In the first Arthur Cornforth appeared in the Sessions charged with uttering three base half-sovereigns. The young man from Manchester clearly liked his pies, as he used his fake money to purchase a pork pie from James Hunt's confectioners and a meat pie from John Roughsedge's shop.
Both of those were located in Church Street and then Cornforth moved on to Simpson's ironmongers in Tontine Street. In each of these shops fake half-sovereigns worth 10 shillings were tendered to buy the items, although it was really the change that Cornforth was after. But they were clearly not very good counterfeits as they were quickly identified as being "bad" or "base" and eventually Cornforth would receive two months in prison.
Apparently the phrase "ringing the changes" derives from church bell ringing. Although by the 19th century it mainly concerned the practice of conning bar or shop staff into giving too much change. Henry Sheppard and George Foy appeared in the Petty Sessions this week charged with obtaining money by false pretences through ringing the changes.
Half-sovereigns were again involved as bar staff in the Globe Inn in Ormskirk Street, the White Hart in Church Street and the Royal Alfred were asked to change the coins into ten shillings worth of silver. But through the use of distraction techniques, in each place Sheppard and Foy got back their half-sovereign, as well as the silver.
Both men were members of a gang of four but the other two men had left St Helens by the time the police were informed. After being committed to take their trial at the Kirkdale Quarter Sessions, Sheppard and Foy were both sentenced to serve six months in prison.
Once fire broke out in a coal mine, it became very difficult to extinguish. Not only was there plenty of coal for the fire to feed on but also its underground location made it difficult to gain access and then utilise the basic fire-fighting equipment of the time. This week fire broke out at Sutton Heath Colliery, belonging to the Mayor of St Helens, James Radley.
It originated in some old workings and after several days workers had still been unable to subdue it and the blaze was said to be extending. As a result all mining operations had now been suspended until the fire had been put out, or, more likely, it had burnt itself out.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the inefficiency of the town's fire brigade, the contagious fever epidemics in St Helens, the child burning in Sutton and the conscientious anti-vaccinators that appeared in court.
This week's many stories include the annual inspection of the St Helens highways, the annual gathering of the Ragged School and Home Mission, the revenge taken after a County Court case, the ringing of the changes in St Helens pubs, the fire at Sutton Heath Colliery, the passing of counterfeit coins and a failed attempt to get compensation through falling over a stone in Baldwin Street.
A tea party and ball might seem an unusual combination but such events were quite common in St Helens in the 1870s.
Lowe House Church's annual tea party and ball took place in the Volunteer Hall (pictured above) on the 24th with tickets priced at two shillings.
The advert stated that the proceeds from the event were to be "devoted to the Poor Schools connected with St. Mary's, Lowe House".
In its review the St Helens Newspaper said there had been a "vast assemblage" of 800 persons in attendance and, in order to accommodate them all, there had been 25 tables "spread with the most tempting of viands of every description peculiar to the tea table."
The council's Paving, Highway and Sewering Committee met on the 24th and discussed their plans to widen College Street.
The councillors were told that a number of houses in the street were currently being pulled down to make way for the widening.
This was very much the era of workers only receiving any pay if they actually worked and if they were sick they received nothing.
Sensible people were in "clubs", friendly societies that paid out sickness or death benefits.
Or they took out other forms of insurance against suffering accidents or illness.
A man named John Salt applied to the Highways Committee for compensation for an injury that he claimed to have sustained by falling over a stone on the corner of Baldwin Street and College Street.
The accident had occurred on October 28th late at night and Mr Salt complained that there had been no lamp left at the place.
He said that ever since his accident he had been under the doctor, was unable to work and was not in any club.
But Salt's chances of compensation were virtually nil and the committee chairman said they had sympathy for his situation but could not give him any public money belonging to ratepayers.
The man would now have to go to the County Court to try and get compensation, if he could afford it and had evidence to support his claim.
Every year an inspection of the highways in the St Helens Borough took place and this year's event was held on the 26th.
Members of the Highway Committee, as well as the Borough Surveyor and deputy Town Clerk, clambered into a large, covered horse-drawn wagonette at 9am and they did not complete their inspection of the streets until 5pm.
Upon their return the party enjoyed a nosh-up at the Fleece Hotel.
The Ragged School and Home Mission had been created in Arthur Street in St Helens, which used to be near Westfield Street, in the late 1850s.
Its priority was to provide free schooling for some of the poor children who, in bare feet and ragged clothes, would otherwise wander the streets all day.
The Home Mission side of the organisation mainly visited sick persons to provide some support and many gatherings of one kind or another were also held, usually underpinned by religion or temperance.
Every year on the anniversary of the school's founding, a tea and public meeting was held in their Mission Hall in Waterloo Street.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 27th that this year more than 300 persons had attended.
In St Helens Petty Sessions this week Daniel McCormick was sent to prison for seven days for begging in Sutton.
The man was 72 and, unusually, while he was begging he was selling laces and matches.
Daniel was also prosecuted for hawking without a licence but for that offence the charge was dismissed with a caution.
There was also another case in which a woman had been using a clog as a weapon.
John Forber was summoned to the Petty Sessions charged with assaulting Mary Sharratt at Peasley Cross.
The latter claimed that Forber had been punching her husband near the entry where they lived and when she intervened, he had struck Mary on the side of her head, knocking her against a wall.
However, as usual, the woman had not been telling the full story.
The defendant called witnesses who stated that Mary had taken off a clog and was threatening to strike Forber with it and he strongly denied hitting the woman or even her husband.
As a result of the witness testimony, the magistrates dismissed the case.
There were quite a few cases that ended up in St Helens Petty Sessions that were a sequel to a County Court case.
Such a hearing took place this week when James Preston appeared in the Sessions accused of assaulting James Bretherton.
The latter had brought an action against Preston for an unpaid debt and upon leaving the County Court in East Street (pictured above) both the defendant and his wife had attacked Preston, initially at the bottom of the stairs and then later at St Helens railway station.
When the train arrived at Prescot, another assault occurred and the complainant said he could not quietly walk along the street to his home for the foul language being used against him.
As a result, James Preston was ordered to find sureties for three months to guarantee his good behaviour or go to gaol for one month.
There were two court cases this week involving money. One concerned the passing of counterfeit cash and the other involved ringing the changes.
In the first Arthur Cornforth appeared in the Sessions charged with uttering three base half-sovereigns.
The young man from Manchester clearly liked his pies, as he used his fake money to purchase a pork pie from James Hunt's confectioners and a meat pie from John Roughsedge's shop.
Both of those were located in Church Street and then Cornforth moved on to Simpson's ironmongers in Tontine Street.
In each of these shops fake half-sovereigns worth 10 shillings were tendered to buy the items, although it was really the change that Cornforth was after.
But they were clearly not very good counterfeits as they were quickly identified as being "bad" or "base" and eventually Cornforth would receive two months in prison.
Apparently the phrase "ringing the changes" derives from church bell ringing.
Although by the 19th century it mainly concerned the practice of conning bar or shop staff into giving too much change.
Henry Sheppard and George Foy appeared in the Petty Sessions this week charged with obtaining money by false pretences through ringing the changes.
Half-sovereigns were again involved as bar staff in the Globe Inn in Ormskirk Street, the White Hart in Church Street and the Royal Alfred were asked to change the coins into ten shillings worth of silver.
But through the use of distraction techniques, in each place Sheppard and Foy got back their half-sovereign, as well as the silver.
Both men were members of a gang of four but the other two men had left St Helens by the time the police were informed.
After being committed to take their trial at the Kirkdale Quarter Sessions, Sheppard and Foy were both sentenced to serve six months in prison.
Once fire broke out in a coal mine, it became very difficult to extinguish.
Not only was there plenty of coal for the fire to feed on but also its underground location made it difficult to gain access and then utilise the basic fire-fighting equipment of the time.
This week fire broke out at Sutton Heath Colliery, belonging to the Mayor of St Helens, James Radley.
It originated in some old workings and after several days workers had still been unable to subdue it and the blaze was said to be extending.
As a result all mining operations had now been suspended until the fire had been put out, or, more likely, it had burnt itself out.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the inefficiency of the town's fire brigade, the contagious fever epidemics in St Helens, the child burning in Sutton and the conscientious anti-vaccinators that appeared in court.
Lowe House Church's annual tea party and ball took place in the Volunteer Hall (pictured above) on the 24th with tickets priced at two shillings.
The advert stated that the proceeds from the event were to be "devoted to the Poor Schools connected with St. Mary's, Lowe House".
In its review the St Helens Newspaper said there had been a "vast assemblage" of 800 persons in attendance and, in order to accommodate them all, there had been 25 tables "spread with the most tempting of viands of every description peculiar to the tea table."
The council's Paving, Highway and Sewering Committee met on the 24th and discussed their plans to widen College Street.
The councillors were told that a number of houses in the street were currently being pulled down to make way for the widening.
This was very much the era of workers only receiving any pay if they actually worked and if they were sick they received nothing.
Sensible people were in "clubs", friendly societies that paid out sickness or death benefits.
Or they took out other forms of insurance against suffering accidents or illness.
A man named John Salt applied to the Highways Committee for compensation for an injury that he claimed to have sustained by falling over a stone on the corner of Baldwin Street and College Street.
The accident had occurred on October 28th late at night and Mr Salt complained that there had been no lamp left at the place.
He said that ever since his accident he had been under the doctor, was unable to work and was not in any club.
But Salt's chances of compensation were virtually nil and the committee chairman said they had sympathy for his situation but could not give him any public money belonging to ratepayers.
The man would now have to go to the County Court to try and get compensation, if he could afford it and had evidence to support his claim.
Every year an inspection of the highways in the St Helens Borough took place and this year's event was held on the 26th.
Members of the Highway Committee, as well as the Borough Surveyor and deputy Town Clerk, clambered into a large, covered horse-drawn wagonette at 9am and they did not complete their inspection of the streets until 5pm.
Upon their return the party enjoyed a nosh-up at the Fleece Hotel.
The Ragged School and Home Mission had been created in Arthur Street in St Helens, which used to be near Westfield Street, in the late 1850s.
Its priority was to provide free schooling for some of the poor children who, in bare feet and ragged clothes, would otherwise wander the streets all day.
The Home Mission side of the organisation mainly visited sick persons to provide some support and many gatherings of one kind or another were also held, usually underpinned by religion or temperance.
Every year on the anniversary of the school's founding, a tea and public meeting was held in their Mission Hall in Waterloo Street.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 27th that this year more than 300 persons had attended.
In St Helens Petty Sessions this week Daniel McCormick was sent to prison for seven days for begging in Sutton.
The man was 72 and, unusually, while he was begging he was selling laces and matches.
Daniel was also prosecuted for hawking without a licence but for that offence the charge was dismissed with a caution.
There was also another case in which a woman had been using a clog as a weapon.
John Forber was summoned to the Petty Sessions charged with assaulting Mary Sharratt at Peasley Cross.
The latter claimed that Forber had been punching her husband near the entry where they lived and when she intervened, he had struck Mary on the side of her head, knocking her against a wall.
However, as usual, the woman had not been telling the full story.
The defendant called witnesses who stated that Mary had taken off a clog and was threatening to strike Forber with it and he strongly denied hitting the woman or even her husband.
As a result of the witness testimony, the magistrates dismissed the case.
Such a hearing took place this week when James Preston appeared in the Sessions accused of assaulting James Bretherton.
The latter had brought an action against Preston for an unpaid debt and upon leaving the County Court in East Street (pictured above) both the defendant and his wife had attacked Preston, initially at the bottom of the stairs and then later at St Helens railway station.
When the train arrived at Prescot, another assault occurred and the complainant said he could not quietly walk along the street to his home for the foul language being used against him.
As a result, James Preston was ordered to find sureties for three months to guarantee his good behaviour or go to gaol for one month.
There were two court cases this week involving money. One concerned the passing of counterfeit cash and the other involved ringing the changes.
In the first Arthur Cornforth appeared in the Sessions charged with uttering three base half-sovereigns.
The young man from Manchester clearly liked his pies, as he used his fake money to purchase a pork pie from James Hunt's confectioners and a meat pie from John Roughsedge's shop.
Both of those were located in Church Street and then Cornforth moved on to Simpson's ironmongers in Tontine Street.
In each of these shops fake half-sovereigns worth 10 shillings were tendered to buy the items, although it was really the change that Cornforth was after.
But they were clearly not very good counterfeits as they were quickly identified as being "bad" or "base" and eventually Cornforth would receive two months in prison.
Apparently the phrase "ringing the changes" derives from church bell ringing.
Although by the 19th century it mainly concerned the practice of conning bar or shop staff into giving too much change.
Henry Sheppard and George Foy appeared in the Petty Sessions this week charged with obtaining money by false pretences through ringing the changes.
Half-sovereigns were again involved as bar staff in the Globe Inn in Ormskirk Street, the White Hart in Church Street and the Royal Alfred were asked to change the coins into ten shillings worth of silver.
But through the use of distraction techniques, in each place Sheppard and Foy got back their half-sovereign, as well as the silver.
Both men were members of a gang of four but the other two men had left St Helens by the time the police were informed.
After being committed to take their trial at the Kirkdale Quarter Sessions, Sheppard and Foy were both sentenced to serve six months in prison.
Once fire broke out in a coal mine, it became very difficult to extinguish.
Not only was there plenty of coal for the fire to feed on but also its underground location made it difficult to gain access and then utilise the basic fire-fighting equipment of the time.
This week fire broke out at Sutton Heath Colliery, belonging to the Mayor of St Helens, James Radley.
It originated in some old workings and after several days workers had still been unable to subdue it and the blaze was said to be extending.
As a result all mining operations had now been suspended until the fire had been put out, or, more likely, it had burnt itself out.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the inefficiency of the town's fire brigade, the contagious fever epidemics in St Helens, the child burning in Sutton and the conscientious anti-vaccinators that appeared in court.