St Helens History This Week

Bringing History to Life from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago!

Bringing History to Life from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago!

ST HELENS 150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
This page is a series of weekly articles that describe llfe in the Lancashire town in the 1870s and which are updated every Sunday morning.
150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
This page is a series of weekly articles that describe llfe in St Helens in Lancashire in the 1870s and which are updated every Sunday morning.
James Radley summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (24th - 30th OCTOBER 1872)

This week's stories include the debate over an illuminated church clock, the curious Water Street break-in by an undressed man, the notorious Bridget Kildare appears in court, the scandalous language used in Watery Lane that led to a head-butt, the boy setting off fireworks in Liverpool Road that got himself on fire and why publicans moaning about their lost pre-breakfast drinking trade was the acme of nonsense.
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Junction Hotel summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (17th - 23rd OCTOBER 1872)

This week's many stories include the pub landlord's attack on the Rainford Junction stationmaster, the Bold prosecution for quitting a job on a farm without giving notice, the man accused of being the most unmitigated scamp and blackguard in Sutton, there's criticism of the disgraceful state of the pavement near Shaw Street station and the drunk arrested in Liverpool Road that resisted in the most furious manner.
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Citadel summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (10th - 16th OCTOBER 1872)

This week's stories include the dead baby that was discovered dumped in St Anne's churchyard in Sutton, the gas explosion at Sutton Heath Colliery that severely burned a miner, the strike at the newly opened railway Sheeting Sheds in Sutton, the reopening of the refurbished Theatre Royal and the revamped St Helens Junction rifle range that was designed to prevent stray bullets from posing a danger to the public.
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Rainhill Asylum

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (3rd - 9th OCTOBER 1872)

This week's stories include the Japanese ambassadors that paid a visit to St Helens to inspect Sutton Glassworks, the mismanagement of the Sutton Alkali Co-operative Society, the woman that died from pipe smoking, the Rainford man's exhausting experience in a brook, the drunk killed on the railway line at Garswood, the Rainford pipemaker's strike is settled and Rainhill Hospital advertises for a musical tailor.
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Sutton Oak station summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (26th SEPT. - 2nd OCT. 1872)

This week's stories include a cowardly assault on a watchmaker near the Stanley Arms at Gillars Green, the controversial closing of St Helens and Prescot pubs at 11pm until 7am, the St Helens woman who was still going strong at the age of 101, the brainless wages theft by a platelayer at Sutton Oak Station, the unjust weights in the old Baldwin Street workhouse and the College Street woman's mysterious death in Baxters Lane.
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Garswood Hall summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (19th - 25th SEPTEMBER 1872)

This week's stories include the remarkable funeral procession of William Pilkington, a wantonly cruel Parr wife beater appears in court, the inspection of reformatory schools at Blackbrook and Newton, the Sutton woman charged with driving cows that were afflicted with foot and mouth disease, the coming of age celebrations in Garswood and the Eccleston man who declared that he intended to cut somebody's ears off.
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St Helens glassworks summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (12th - 18th SEPTEMBER 1872)

This week's many stories include the destructive fire at the Haydock Lodge Lunatic Asylum, the death of William Pilkington Snr, the mayor of Tokyo visits St Helens, an analysis of the immense number of drinking houses in the town, the woman who said she could live hundreds of thousands of years besides decent neighbours and criticism of the Corporation Fire Brigade for soaking shop fronts while practising.
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Whiston Workhouse summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (5th - 11th SEPTEMBER 1872)

This week's stories include the imbecile workhouse baker who made too much bread, the banning of unlicensed steam whistles at St Helens' works, the Bridge Street labourer hit on the head by dropped bricks, the rough Parr characters who planned to knock a landlord's head off, the violent thunderstorm in the St Helens district and the pauper kids at Whiston Workhouse written off by those charged with their care.
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Volunteer Hall summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (29th AUG. - 4th SEPT. 1872)

This week's stories include the effect of the new Licensing Act on drinking in the town, the annual demonstration of the Band of Hope Union, the exploding elephant balloon in Mill Street, the swan stealing in Newton-le-Willows, the little boy that sued another little boy for assault, a very famous comic vocalist comes to St Helens and the completely mad man in Liverpool Road that kicked a constable in the head.
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Fire brigade summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (22nd - 28th AUGUST 1872)

This week's stories include the wroth of St Helens tipplers in observing the new Licensing Act, the Rainford farm fire that took fifty minutes for the fire brigade to arrive, the St Helens chemical workers train crash while on a treat to Windermere, the very scandalous language in Liverpool Road and the furious woman prosecuted for giving another woman black eyes who did not understand the meaning of providing sureties.
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Littlers Field summary

150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (15th - 21st AUGUST 1872)

This week's stories include the drunken death of Thomas Beecham's wife, an advertisement for a new assistant nurse at Whiston Workhouse, how the offer of marriage halted a domestic abuse case, the Parr woman accused of behaving in a scandalous manner before hundreds of people, a meeting of the St Helens District Teachers Association and the Crank woman at the centre of a child manslaughter case returns to court.
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