150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (2nd - 8th JANUARY 1873)
This week's many stories include the railway robbery of boots and pickles, the attempted cash theft from a Liverpool Road grocer's, two cases of wife beating and a claim that Irishmen attacked police officers in St Helens on an almost daily basis in an attempt to rescue their prisoners.
We begin on the 4th when the St Helens Newspaper reported on a recent meeting of the Prescot Guardians, who managed Whiston Workhouse (pictured above). Currently, the house had 351 inmates (including 134 children), which was exactly the same total as at this time last year. One of the Guardians called McKinley had a bright idea to brighten up the workhouse school – hang some pictures on its walls. Their Chairman agreed that it would make the place look a little better. However, it was suggested that if Mr McKinley wanted pictures he should provide them himself!
The Guardians were also responsible for ensuring all children were vaccinated against smallpox. That was then compulsory and the meeting discussed their recent prosecutions in the St Helens Petty Sessions against three fathers for refusing to immunise their kids. It was expected that the defendants would ignore the court order that had been issued and subsequently be fined.
And so the question was asked at the meeting whether future prosecutions against the same individuals would take place if they continued to resist. The Chairman explained that once the parties had been convicted and fined, the matter would be left dormant for six or eight months. Then fresh summonses would be taken out against the fathers if their children had still not been vaccinated and so they could expect to be repeatedly prosecuted.
The Newspaper also quoted Supt. James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – who claimed that attacks by Irishmen on his officers to rescue their prisoners were of an almost daily occurrence. He said two of his men were currently suffering from serious injuries and one was in a very serious condition. Supt. Ludlam's comments were delivered in court when John Clarke and Patrick Darvock were charged with rescuing a prisoner from the custody of the police.
A fight had broken out in Arthur Street on Christmas Eve and both combatants were arrested. As they were being escorted to the police station in the old St Helens Town Hall, Clarke and Darvock intervened and freed one of the prisoners. Both strenuously denied the charge with Clarke even claiming that he had no idea where Arthur Street was! But the magistrates did not believe them and after hearing Supt. Ludlam's remarks, the Bench decided a deterrent sentence was needed and sent both men to prison for a month with hard labour.
And hard labour in 1872 was incredibly hard. Usually it meant pointlessly working on a treadmill in Kirkdale Gaol in Liverpool for at least six hours a day. Those who like to exercise in gyms – I prefer the joys of fresh air – might like to know that the treadmill running machines in use today are derived from those invented in Victorian times to punish prisoners.
Most shops in St Helens would leave their front doors open in order to entice people in. When they had no customers, the small shopkeeper would often be in a back room. That meant there was a brief opportunity for nimble thieves to enter the premises and steal from the shop's cash drawer before their presence was noticed. Most of those who attempted such robberies were lads and not all were successful in their endeavours.
This week a boy aged 13 (or 14) called William McNeven appeared in court charged with stealing 4s 6d from Joseph Molyneux's grocer's shop in Liverpool Road. He'd been caught behind the counter by Mrs Molyneux and immediately admitted the offence. William explained to the court that he had been out in the street with a group of other boys. As they passed Molyneux's shop, one of them threw his cap inside.
It landed the other side of the shop counter and the lad claimed he was then ordered to retrieve the cap but "not for his life" to return without stealing something. So he had opened the money drawer and taken out 4s 6d. William was fined £1 and costs, or if in default of payment, go to prison for a month.
With an enormous amount of goods then sent by rail, it was inevitable that some railway workers would not be able to resist the temptation to steal. James Devenport had for 30 years worked for private individuals and then spent three years as a railway man. He had an exemplary reputation but could not resist the lure of a pair of boots and – rather oddly – a bottle of pickles.
A consignment of boots had been despatched by train to James Brockbank's shop in Church Street in St Helens – but upon being delivered one pair was found to be missing. After an investigation by the railway company's own private detective, Devenport was uncovered as the thief and he also admitted stealing a jar of pickles.
The defendant's solicitor said his client had previously had an exemplary record and asked for consideration of the fact that he had admitted the offences and suffered great disgrace and agony. The Chairman of the Bench said the offences were too serious for them to overlook. For stealing the boots Devenport was sentenced to four months in prison and he was also given a further two months for stealing the pickles.
William Bannister was also in court charged with playing a game using dice on the grounds attached to the Star Inn in Coalpit Lane (now Merton Bank Road). Police Constable Gill gave evidence of seeing gaming being played for money and upon arresting Bannister, he was found to have the large sum of £14 in his possession. Although such gambling would normally only result in a fine, the man's apparent success with throwing dice appears to have been his downfall, as he was sent to prison for two weeks despite pleading guilty.
There were a couple of wife-beating cases in court. It was not uncommon for landlords of pubs to face such a charge, perhaps through sampling too much of their own wares. Elizabeth Pickavance, the wife of the landlord of the Knuggs (probably Nag's Head), near St Anne's in Eccleston, applied for an arrest warrant against her husband on account of his brutality.
The Newspaper wrote: "She appeared with a fractured arm, and gave a painful account of his incessant intemperance and frequent violence of conduct. The warrant was granted." A couple of days later George Pickavance was brought into court after being arrested and was fined 40 shillings and costs. How that helped the landlord's wife, I don't know but maybe it brought the man to his senses.
Thomas Billinge was charged by his spouse with assaulting her on the previous morning, after spending too long in a beerhouse. She had gone to bring her husband home and for her trouble was struck twice in the face. The magistrate said he would remand the man in custody for a day or two, instead of simply binding him over. "When fellows thought they could get drunk and beat their wives, it was time to teach them a different lesson", he said.
However, when Billinge was brought into court again he blamed his wife for sparking the incident through her "dictatorial and provoking conduct in the presence of others". The magistrates often accepted such claims as mitigation in wife beating cases and so the man was only fined ten shillings.
And finally the 8th was the annual ball of the St Helens 47th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers in the Volunteer Hall. An "efficient" quadrille band provided the music. Quadrille dancing was then highly fashionable and usually danced as a chain of 4 to 6 contredance couples. That meant there was a line of men on one side standing opposite their partner in the other line.
It was a late evening do with the dancing only starting at 9pm ("punctually", said the ad). All members of the services that were in attendance were instructed to dress in military uniform and a chemist called Webster from Church Street was in charge of perfuming the room.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the Windle Park poacher who turned violent, an Eccleston lodger's brainless theft, the New Year's Day family fight in Rainford and the Parr pony boy who refused to pay his parents for his keep.
The Guardians were also responsible for ensuring all children were vaccinated against smallpox. That was then compulsory and the meeting discussed their recent prosecutions in the St Helens Petty Sessions against three fathers for refusing to immunise their kids. It was expected that the defendants would ignore the court order that had been issued and subsequently be fined.
And so the question was asked at the meeting whether future prosecutions against the same individuals would take place if they continued to resist. The Chairman explained that once the parties had been convicted and fined, the matter would be left dormant for six or eight months. Then fresh summonses would be taken out against the fathers if their children had still not been vaccinated and so they could expect to be repeatedly prosecuted.
The Newspaper also quoted Supt. James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – who claimed that attacks by Irishmen on his officers to rescue their prisoners were of an almost daily occurrence. He said two of his men were currently suffering from serious injuries and one was in a very serious condition. Supt. Ludlam's comments were delivered in court when John Clarke and Patrick Darvock were charged with rescuing a prisoner from the custody of the police.
A fight had broken out in Arthur Street on Christmas Eve and both combatants were arrested. As they were being escorted to the police station in the old St Helens Town Hall, Clarke and Darvock intervened and freed one of the prisoners. Both strenuously denied the charge with Clarke even claiming that he had no idea where Arthur Street was! But the magistrates did not believe them and after hearing Supt. Ludlam's remarks, the Bench decided a deterrent sentence was needed and sent both men to prison for a month with hard labour.
And hard labour in 1872 was incredibly hard. Usually it meant pointlessly working on a treadmill in Kirkdale Gaol in Liverpool for at least six hours a day. Those who like to exercise in gyms – I prefer the joys of fresh air – might like to know that the treadmill running machines in use today are derived from those invented in Victorian times to punish prisoners.
Most shops in St Helens would leave their front doors open in order to entice people in. When they had no customers, the small shopkeeper would often be in a back room. That meant there was a brief opportunity for nimble thieves to enter the premises and steal from the shop's cash drawer before their presence was noticed. Most of those who attempted such robberies were lads and not all were successful in their endeavours.
This week a boy aged 13 (or 14) called William McNeven appeared in court charged with stealing 4s 6d from Joseph Molyneux's grocer's shop in Liverpool Road. He'd been caught behind the counter by Mrs Molyneux and immediately admitted the offence. William explained to the court that he had been out in the street with a group of other boys. As they passed Molyneux's shop, one of them threw his cap inside.
It landed the other side of the shop counter and the lad claimed he was then ordered to retrieve the cap but "not for his life" to return without stealing something. So he had opened the money drawer and taken out 4s 6d. William was fined £1 and costs, or if in default of payment, go to prison for a month.
With an enormous amount of goods then sent by rail, it was inevitable that some railway workers would not be able to resist the temptation to steal. James Devenport had for 30 years worked for private individuals and then spent three years as a railway man. He had an exemplary reputation but could not resist the lure of a pair of boots and – rather oddly – a bottle of pickles.
A consignment of boots had been despatched by train to James Brockbank's shop in Church Street in St Helens – but upon being delivered one pair was found to be missing. After an investigation by the railway company's own private detective, Devenport was uncovered as the thief and he also admitted stealing a jar of pickles.
The defendant's solicitor said his client had previously had an exemplary record and asked for consideration of the fact that he had admitted the offences and suffered great disgrace and agony. The Chairman of the Bench said the offences were too serious for them to overlook. For stealing the boots Devenport was sentenced to four months in prison and he was also given a further two months for stealing the pickles.
William Bannister was also in court charged with playing a game using dice on the grounds attached to the Star Inn in Coalpit Lane (now Merton Bank Road). Police Constable Gill gave evidence of seeing gaming being played for money and upon arresting Bannister, he was found to have the large sum of £14 in his possession. Although such gambling would normally only result in a fine, the man's apparent success with throwing dice appears to have been his downfall, as he was sent to prison for two weeks despite pleading guilty.
There were a couple of wife-beating cases in court. It was not uncommon for landlords of pubs to face such a charge, perhaps through sampling too much of their own wares. Elizabeth Pickavance, the wife of the landlord of the Knuggs (probably Nag's Head), near St Anne's in Eccleston, applied for an arrest warrant against her husband on account of his brutality.
The Newspaper wrote: "She appeared with a fractured arm, and gave a painful account of his incessant intemperance and frequent violence of conduct. The warrant was granted." A couple of days later George Pickavance was brought into court after being arrested and was fined 40 shillings and costs. How that helped the landlord's wife, I don't know but maybe it brought the man to his senses.
Thomas Billinge was charged by his spouse with assaulting her on the previous morning, after spending too long in a beerhouse. She had gone to bring her husband home and for her trouble was struck twice in the face. The magistrate said he would remand the man in custody for a day or two, instead of simply binding him over. "When fellows thought they could get drunk and beat their wives, it was time to teach them a different lesson", he said.
However, when Billinge was brought into court again he blamed his wife for sparking the incident through her "dictatorial and provoking conduct in the presence of others". The magistrates often accepted such claims as mitigation in wife beating cases and so the man was only fined ten shillings.
And finally the 8th was the annual ball of the St Helens 47th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers in the Volunteer Hall. An "efficient" quadrille band provided the music. Quadrille dancing was then highly fashionable and usually danced as a chain of 4 to 6 contredance couples. That meant there was a line of men on one side standing opposite their partner in the other line.
It was a late evening do with the dancing only starting at 9pm ("punctually", said the ad). All members of the services that were in attendance were instructed to dress in military uniform and a chemist called Webster from Church Street was in charge of perfuming the room.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the Windle Park poacher who turned violent, an Eccleston lodger's brainless theft, the New Year's Day family fight in Rainford and the Parr pony boy who refused to pay his parents for his keep.
This week's many stories include the railway robbery of boots and pickles, the attempted cash theft from a Liverpool Road grocer's, two cases of wife beating and a claim that Irishmen attacked police officers in St Helens on an almost daily basis in an attempt to rescue their prisoners.
We begin on the 4th when the St Helens Newspaper reported on a recent meeting of the Prescot Guardians, who managed Whiston Workhouse (pictured above).
Currently, the house had 351 inmates (including 134 children), which was exactly the same total as at this time last year.
One of the Guardians called McKinley had a bright idea to brighten up the workhouse school – hang some pictures on its walls.
Their Chairman agreed that it would make the place look a little better. However, it was suggested that if Mr McKinley wanted pictures he should provide them himself!
The Guardians were also responsible for ensuring all children were vaccinated against smallpox.
That was then compulsory and the meeting discussed their recent prosecutions in the St Helens Petty Sessions against three fathers for refusing to immunise their kids.
It was expected that the defendants would ignore the court order that had been issued and subsequently be fined.
And so the question was asked at the meeting whether future prosecutions against the same individuals would take place if they continued to resist.
The Chairman explained that once the parties had been convicted and fined, the matter would be left dormant for six or eight months.
Then fresh summonses would be taken out against the fathers if their children had still not been vaccinated and so they could expect to be repeatedly prosecuted.
The Newspaper also quoted Supt. James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – who claimed that attacks by Irishmen on his officers to rescue their prisoners were of an almost daily occurrence.
He said two of his men were currently suffering from serious injuries and one was in a very serious condition.
Supt. Ludlam's comments were delivered in court when John Clarke and Patrick Darvock were charged with rescuing a prisoner from the custody of the police.
A fight had broken out in Arthur Street on Christmas Eve and both combatants were arrested.
As they were being escorted to the police station in the old St Helens Town Hall, Clarke and Darvock intervened and freed one of the prisoners.
Both strenuously denied the charge with Clarke even claiming that he had no idea where Arthur Street was!
But the magistrates did not believe them and after hearing Supt. Ludlam's remarks, the Bench decided a deterrent sentence was needed and sent both men to prison for a month with hard labour.
And hard labour in 1872 was incredibly hard. Usually it meant pointlessly working on a treadmill in Kirkdale Gaol in Liverpool for at least six hours a day.
Those who like to exercise in gyms – I prefer the joys of fresh air – might like to know that the treadmill running machines in use today are derived from those invented in Victorian times to punish prisoners.
Most shops in St Helens would leave their front doors open in order to entice people in.
When they had no customers, the small shopkeeper would often be in a back room.
That meant there was a brief opportunity for nimble thieves to enter the premises and steal from the shop's cash drawer before their presence was noticed.
Most of those who attempted such robberies were lads and not all were successful in their endeavours.
This week a boy aged 13 (or 14) called William McNeven appeared in court charged with stealing 4s 6d from Joseph Molyneux's grocer's shop in Liverpool Road.
He'd been caught behind the counter by Mrs Molyneux and immediately admitted the offence.
William explained to the court that he had been out in the street with a group of other boys. As they passed Molyneux's shop, one of them threw his cap inside.
It landed the other side of the shop counter and the lad claimed he was then ordered to retrieve the cap but "not for his life" to return without stealing something.
So he had opened the money drawer and taken out 4s 6d. William was fined £1 and costs, or if in default of payment, go to prison for a month.
With an enormous amount of goods then sent by rail, it was inevitable that some railway workers would not be able to resist the temptation to steal.
James Devenport had for 30 years worked for private individuals and then spent three years as a railway man.
He had an exemplary reputation but could not resist the lure of a pair of boots and – rather oddly – a bottle of pickles.
A consignment of boots had been despatched by train to James Brockbank's shop in Church Street in St Helens – but upon being delivered one pair was found to be missing.
After an investigation by the railway company's own private detective, Devenport was uncovered as the thief and he also admitted stealing a jar of pickles.
The defendant's solicitor said his client had previously had an exemplary record and asked for consideration of the fact that he had admitted the offences and suffered great disgrace and agony.
The Chairman of the Bench said the offences were too serious for them to overlook. For stealing the boots Devenport was sentenced to four months in prison and he was also given a further two months for stealing the pickles.
William Bannister was also in court charged with playing a game using dice on the grounds attached to the Star Inn in Coalpit Lane (now Merton Bank Road).
Police Constable Gill gave evidence of seeing gaming being played for money and upon arresting Bannister, he was found to have the large sum of £14 in his possession.
Although such gambling would normally only result in a fine, the man's apparent success with throwing dice appears to have been his downfall, as he was sent to prison for two weeks despite pleading guilty.
There were a couple of wife-beating cases in court. It was not uncommon for landlords of pubs to face such a charge, perhaps through sampling too much of their own wares.
Elizabeth Pickavance, the wife of the landlord of the Knuggs (probably Nag's Head), near St Anne's in Eccleston, applied for an arrest warrant against her husband on account of his brutality.
The Newspaper wrote: "She appeared with a fractured arm, and gave a painful account of his incessant intemperance and frequent violence of conduct. The warrant was granted."
A couple of days later George Pickavance was brought into court after being arrested and was fined 40 shillings and costs. How that helped the landlord's wife, I don't know but maybe it brought the man to his senses.
Thomas Billinge was charged by his spouse with assaulting her on the previous morning, after spending too long in a beerhouse.
She had gone to bring her husband home and for her trouble was struck twice in the face.
The magistrate said he would remand the man in custody for a day or two, instead of simply binding him over.
"When fellows thought they could get drunk and beat their wives, it was time to teach them a different lesson", he said.
However, when Billinge was brought into court again he blamed his wife for sparking the incident through her "dictatorial and provoking conduct in the presence of others".
The magistrates often accepted such claims as mitigation in wife beating cases and so the man was only fined ten shillings.
And finally the 8th was the annual ball of the St Helens 47th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers in the Volunteer Hall.
An "efficient" quadrille band provided the music. Quadrille dancing was then highly fashionable and usually danced as a chain of 4 to 6 contredance couples.
That meant there was a line of men on one side standing opposite their partner in the other line.
It was a late evening do with the dancing only starting at 9pm ("punctually", said the ad).
All members of the services that were in attendance were instructed to dress in military uniform and a chemist called Webster from Church Street was in charge of perfuming the room.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the Windle Park poacher who turned violent, an Eccleston lodger's brainless theft, the New Year's Day family fight in Rainford and the Parr pony boy who refused to pay his parents for his keep.
Currently, the house had 351 inmates (including 134 children), which was exactly the same total as at this time last year.
One of the Guardians called McKinley had a bright idea to brighten up the workhouse school – hang some pictures on its walls.
Their Chairman agreed that it would make the place look a little better. However, it was suggested that if Mr McKinley wanted pictures he should provide them himself!
The Guardians were also responsible for ensuring all children were vaccinated against smallpox.
That was then compulsory and the meeting discussed their recent prosecutions in the St Helens Petty Sessions against three fathers for refusing to immunise their kids.
It was expected that the defendants would ignore the court order that had been issued and subsequently be fined.
And so the question was asked at the meeting whether future prosecutions against the same individuals would take place if they continued to resist.
The Chairman explained that once the parties had been convicted and fined, the matter would be left dormant for six or eight months.
Then fresh summonses would be taken out against the fathers if their children had still not been vaccinated and so they could expect to be repeatedly prosecuted.
The Newspaper also quoted Supt. James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – who claimed that attacks by Irishmen on his officers to rescue their prisoners were of an almost daily occurrence.
He said two of his men were currently suffering from serious injuries and one was in a very serious condition.
Supt. Ludlam's comments were delivered in court when John Clarke and Patrick Darvock were charged with rescuing a prisoner from the custody of the police.
A fight had broken out in Arthur Street on Christmas Eve and both combatants were arrested.
As they were being escorted to the police station in the old St Helens Town Hall, Clarke and Darvock intervened and freed one of the prisoners.
Both strenuously denied the charge with Clarke even claiming that he had no idea where Arthur Street was!
But the magistrates did not believe them and after hearing Supt. Ludlam's remarks, the Bench decided a deterrent sentence was needed and sent both men to prison for a month with hard labour.
And hard labour in 1872 was incredibly hard. Usually it meant pointlessly working on a treadmill in Kirkdale Gaol in Liverpool for at least six hours a day.
Those who like to exercise in gyms – I prefer the joys of fresh air – might like to know that the treadmill running machines in use today are derived from those invented in Victorian times to punish prisoners.
Most shops in St Helens would leave their front doors open in order to entice people in.
When they had no customers, the small shopkeeper would often be in a back room.
That meant there was a brief opportunity for nimble thieves to enter the premises and steal from the shop's cash drawer before their presence was noticed.
Most of those who attempted such robberies were lads and not all were successful in their endeavours.
This week a boy aged 13 (or 14) called William McNeven appeared in court charged with stealing 4s 6d from Joseph Molyneux's grocer's shop in Liverpool Road.
He'd been caught behind the counter by Mrs Molyneux and immediately admitted the offence.
William explained to the court that he had been out in the street with a group of other boys. As they passed Molyneux's shop, one of them threw his cap inside.
It landed the other side of the shop counter and the lad claimed he was then ordered to retrieve the cap but "not for his life" to return without stealing something.
So he had opened the money drawer and taken out 4s 6d. William was fined £1 and costs, or if in default of payment, go to prison for a month.
With an enormous amount of goods then sent by rail, it was inevitable that some railway workers would not be able to resist the temptation to steal.
James Devenport had for 30 years worked for private individuals and then spent three years as a railway man.
He had an exemplary reputation but could not resist the lure of a pair of boots and – rather oddly – a bottle of pickles.
A consignment of boots had been despatched by train to James Brockbank's shop in Church Street in St Helens – but upon being delivered one pair was found to be missing.
After an investigation by the railway company's own private detective, Devenport was uncovered as the thief and he also admitted stealing a jar of pickles.
The defendant's solicitor said his client had previously had an exemplary record and asked for consideration of the fact that he had admitted the offences and suffered great disgrace and agony.
The Chairman of the Bench said the offences were too serious for them to overlook. For stealing the boots Devenport was sentenced to four months in prison and he was also given a further two months for stealing the pickles.
William Bannister was also in court charged with playing a game using dice on the grounds attached to the Star Inn in Coalpit Lane (now Merton Bank Road).
Police Constable Gill gave evidence of seeing gaming being played for money and upon arresting Bannister, he was found to have the large sum of £14 in his possession.
Although such gambling would normally only result in a fine, the man's apparent success with throwing dice appears to have been his downfall, as he was sent to prison for two weeks despite pleading guilty.
There were a couple of wife-beating cases in court. It was not uncommon for landlords of pubs to face such a charge, perhaps through sampling too much of their own wares.
Elizabeth Pickavance, the wife of the landlord of the Knuggs (probably Nag's Head), near St Anne's in Eccleston, applied for an arrest warrant against her husband on account of his brutality.
The Newspaper wrote: "She appeared with a fractured arm, and gave a painful account of his incessant intemperance and frequent violence of conduct. The warrant was granted."
A couple of days later George Pickavance was brought into court after being arrested and was fined 40 shillings and costs. How that helped the landlord's wife, I don't know but maybe it brought the man to his senses.
Thomas Billinge was charged by his spouse with assaulting her on the previous morning, after spending too long in a beerhouse.
She had gone to bring her husband home and for her trouble was struck twice in the face.
The magistrate said he would remand the man in custody for a day or two, instead of simply binding him over.
"When fellows thought they could get drunk and beat their wives, it was time to teach them a different lesson", he said.
However, when Billinge was brought into court again he blamed his wife for sparking the incident through her "dictatorial and provoking conduct in the presence of others".
The magistrates often accepted such claims as mitigation in wife beating cases and so the man was only fined ten shillings.
And finally the 8th was the annual ball of the St Helens 47th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers in the Volunteer Hall.
An "efficient" quadrille band provided the music. Quadrille dancing was then highly fashionable and usually danced as a chain of 4 to 6 contredance couples.
That meant there was a line of men on one side standing opposite their partner in the other line.
It was a late evening do with the dancing only starting at 9pm ("punctually", said the ad).
All members of the services that were in attendance were instructed to dress in military uniform and a chemist called Webster from Church Street was in charge of perfuming the room.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the Windle Park poacher who turned violent, an Eccleston lodger's brainless theft, the New Year's Day family fight in Rainford and the Parr pony boy who refused to pay his parents for his keep.