150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 5 - 11 FEBRUARY 1874
This week's many stories include the residents of Hardshaw Street that were fuming with Greenalls, the violent Rainhill row between two women, the youth who caused trouble in St Thomas' Church, the Noggs protection order, the brainless theft from Liverpool Street lodgings and the stolen jacket that dropped onto a woman's head inside the Hesketh Arms in Church Street.
We begin on the 7th when the St Helens Newspaper described the latest meeting of the Town Council in which the smoke menace was again discussed. Those fumes mainly emanated from chemical firms, with other contributions to the pollution scandal coming from glassmakers and collieries.
However, on this occasion it was Greenall Whitley that was causing a nuisance in Hall Street and the residents of nearby Hardshaw Street had raised a petition. Their complaint was that two of the brewery's chimneys were not sufficiently tall and as a result smoke hung at a low height and entered their homes. Consequently, they said they were forced to keep their doors and windows closed.
Cllr. Johnson complained that the matter had repeatedly been before the Council without action being taken and it was a "very great injustice" to property owners that the nuisance should have lasted so long. He said if the "author of the problem" had held a more humble position, the Health Committee would have attended to the matter more quickly – alluding to Greenall's influential role in the town. The councillor's accusation infuriated Cllr. Fidler who denied dereliction of duty by the committee and said he took exception to the language used.
The Newspaper also reviewed the Tea Party and Ball run by Holy Cross Church (pictured above) that had recently been held in the Volunteer Hall with dancing to the usual "efficient" Quadrille Band. They wrote: "In no former year had greater success attended this event, as was evidenced by the immense attendance, and the harmony which prevailed."
Although harmony had not prevailed at a tea party run by St Joseph's Church of Peasley Cross that had also recently been held in the Volunteer Hall in aid of local Catholic schools. Disorder was said to have broken out and as a result Holy Cross had initially been told that they would have to finish their own dancing at midnight. However, they had appealed to Col. David Gamble who had granted them an extension until 1am.
With a sub-heading of "The Ladies At Rainhill" within the Newspaper's reports on cases heard in St Helens Petty Sessions this week, you know they were not describing a society event. It was their sarcastic comment on a violent row between two women that had started when Susannah Edwards tried to buy some coal off Rachel Walsh. The latter asked her to pay off her account first but that had infuriated Mrs Edwards. The Newspaper wrote:
"Defendant observed that, having heard of the complainant having called her a “Welsh something,” she was going to wipe out the whole of the score between them. She then produced a poker, which was the instrument selected to discharge the obligations, and used it with some effect.
"Mr. Swift [defence solicitor] cross-examined the complainant with great apparent blandness, being anxious to coax her into an admission that she had struck his client on the side with a bucket; but he was not successful in his object." In the end the magistrates felt the charge had not been proven and dismissed the case.
The original Eccleston Arms Inn in Liverpool Road (later Prescot Road) was known colloquially as the "Noggs" (or Knoggs) for some reason that no one seems to know. Later the Nags Head on the corner of Boundary Road and Knowsley Road became known as the "Bottom Nogs" and the new Eccleston Arms pub the "Top Nogs". The original Noggs was mentioned in the next case when Elizabeth Pickavance, the wife of its former landlord, George, applied for a protection order against him.
She said her husband had deserted her last December leaving her with eight children to support. Mrs Pickavance said he had been a very bad husband to her. She did not trust him and wanted to have protection for whatever property or money that she might acquire in future.
Before 1870 any assets that a married woman made or inherited immediately became the property of her husband. That year the Married Women's Property Act allowed wives to legally own the money they earned and to inherit property. The order was granted.
There was another example of a brainless theft from lodgings. It was quite common for those renting a bed to suddenly quit their home and take with them clothing that belonged either to their landlady or another lodger. The unexpected departure and theft were quickly connected and as the thief rarely went far, they were soon placed under arrest. And as stealing normally led to prison, the act was a highly foolish one.
Thomas Taylor was the latest culprit charged in court with stealing a shirt from the house of Mary Moran of Liverpool Street. He had been sharing a room with John Gilsenan who had left his shirt overnight on the rail of his bed. When he woke up both his roommate and shirt had disappeared. The sum of fourpence and a penknife also went missing but only the shirt was found on the thief when the police arrested him. Thomas Taylor was sent to prison for a month.
In a rather curious case John Holland and Thomas Marsh were charged with stealing a jacket from the Hesketh Arms, which was situated in Church Street. A Mrs Barton gave evidence that she had been in their private sitting room on the first floor, when she heard a noise on the landing and found a man walking leisurely down the stairs. As she stood watching him, a jacket dropped upon her head from two flights higher up.
The two defendants then walked down the stairs and Mrs Barton intercepted them until her husband and the police arrived. The jacket belonged to a servant called Mary Bradford who said in court that the accused men had been sent upstairs to relieve a crush at the bar. That admission allowed their solicitor to claim his clients had simply gone astray, as they had not known the place and it was dark. Consequently the magistrates acquitted the two men. The Newspaper's sub-heading to their report was "A Narrow Escape".
A dispute between a church warden called James Watkinson and a youth called Henry Leonard was also played out in court. The magistrates were told that Leonard, along with other youths, had entered St Thomas's Church during a service and had caused such trouble that Watkinson had to eject them. Vengeance was threatened and later the warden came across Henry Leonard in Campbell Street, and according to the Newspaper's report, "came up in an insulting way, and looked closely into his face".
Then after the pair had passed each other, the youth picked up a stone and threw it at James Watkinson, striking him between the shoulders. In court the lad admitted chucking the stone but claimed it had not been aimed at the complainant, although he did not deny threatening the man with violence on several occasions. Leonard was given a good talking to by the Chairman of the Bench and fined 2s 6d and costs.
The authorities hunted down those men who had deserted their families and left them destitute. The Poor Law Unions throughout the country had their own weekly paper called 'The Gazette'. Its sole purpose was to publish details of sought after men who'd deserted their families or information on wanted women who'd walked out on their illegitimate children.
It wasn't the actual leaving that was the problem but in their husband's absence, the men's wives would claim subsistence payments from the "parish" in order to live. Once arrested the men were usually offered the opportunity of repaying the amount that their wives had received from the poor law authorities. John Donoghue from Parr had been given that chance a month ago but despite being in constant employment had not paid a penny. That was very foolish as he was now hauled back into court and sent to prison for a month.
It was very common for brief newspaper reports of cases to invite questions from readers – such as why did Edward Roberts chuck bricks through a window of Mary Waring's house in Parr? Mrs Waring said as soon as Roberts had received the court summons, he'd told her he'd a mind to chuck a few more bricks at her home. Just what had triggered Roberts' ire in the first place was not reported and as he did not turn up to court, he was unable to give his side of things. Roberts was fined 20 shillings and costs, which no doubt included the price of a new window.
And finally, what was described as a "Panorama and Musical Entertainment of Irish Scenery, Music, and Song" took place on the 9th in the Assembly Rooms in Hall Street. Panoramas usually meant moving paintings and the advert stated that the views would be "brilliantly illuminated by Oxy-Hydrogen Lime Light".
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the St Helens Catholic Charity Ball, the noxious vapours from works' chimneys, the little girl servant in a beerhouse and the young man paying his addresses to a Rainford woman who put her house under siege.
We begin on the 7th when the St Helens Newspaper described the latest meeting of the Town Council in which the smoke menace was again discussed. Those fumes mainly emanated from chemical firms, with other contributions to the pollution scandal coming from glassmakers and collieries.
However, on this occasion it was Greenall Whitley that was causing a nuisance in Hall Street and the residents of nearby Hardshaw Street had raised a petition. Their complaint was that two of the brewery's chimneys were not sufficiently tall and as a result smoke hung at a low height and entered their homes. Consequently, they said they were forced to keep their doors and windows closed.
Cllr. Johnson complained that the matter had repeatedly been before the Council without action being taken and it was a "very great injustice" to property owners that the nuisance should have lasted so long. He said if the "author of the problem" had held a more humble position, the Health Committee would have attended to the matter more quickly – alluding to Greenall's influential role in the town. The councillor's accusation infuriated Cllr. Fidler who denied dereliction of duty by the committee and said he took exception to the language used.
Although harmony had not prevailed at a tea party run by St Joseph's Church of Peasley Cross that had also recently been held in the Volunteer Hall in aid of local Catholic schools. Disorder was said to have broken out and as a result Holy Cross had initially been told that they would have to finish their own dancing at midnight. However, they had appealed to Col. David Gamble who had granted them an extension until 1am.
With a sub-heading of "The Ladies At Rainhill" within the Newspaper's reports on cases heard in St Helens Petty Sessions this week, you know they were not describing a society event. It was their sarcastic comment on a violent row between two women that had started when Susannah Edwards tried to buy some coal off Rachel Walsh. The latter asked her to pay off her account first but that had infuriated Mrs Edwards. The Newspaper wrote:
"Defendant observed that, having heard of the complainant having called her a “Welsh something,” she was going to wipe out the whole of the score between them. She then produced a poker, which was the instrument selected to discharge the obligations, and used it with some effect.
"Mr. Swift [defence solicitor] cross-examined the complainant with great apparent blandness, being anxious to coax her into an admission that she had struck his client on the side with a bucket; but he was not successful in his object." In the end the magistrates felt the charge had not been proven and dismissed the case.
The original Eccleston Arms Inn in Liverpool Road (later Prescot Road) was known colloquially as the "Noggs" (or Knoggs) for some reason that no one seems to know. Later the Nags Head on the corner of Boundary Road and Knowsley Road became known as the "Bottom Nogs" and the new Eccleston Arms pub the "Top Nogs". The original Noggs was mentioned in the next case when Elizabeth Pickavance, the wife of its former landlord, George, applied for a protection order against him.
She said her husband had deserted her last December leaving her with eight children to support. Mrs Pickavance said he had been a very bad husband to her. She did not trust him and wanted to have protection for whatever property or money that she might acquire in future.
Before 1870 any assets that a married woman made or inherited immediately became the property of her husband. That year the Married Women's Property Act allowed wives to legally own the money they earned and to inherit property. The order was granted.
There was another example of a brainless theft from lodgings. It was quite common for those renting a bed to suddenly quit their home and take with them clothing that belonged either to their landlady or another lodger. The unexpected departure and theft were quickly connected and as the thief rarely went far, they were soon placed under arrest. And as stealing normally led to prison, the act was a highly foolish one.
Thomas Taylor was the latest culprit charged in court with stealing a shirt from the house of Mary Moran of Liverpool Street. He had been sharing a room with John Gilsenan who had left his shirt overnight on the rail of his bed. When he woke up both his roommate and shirt had disappeared. The sum of fourpence and a penknife also went missing but only the shirt was found on the thief when the police arrested him. Thomas Taylor was sent to prison for a month.
In a rather curious case John Holland and Thomas Marsh were charged with stealing a jacket from the Hesketh Arms, which was situated in Church Street. A Mrs Barton gave evidence that she had been in their private sitting room on the first floor, when she heard a noise on the landing and found a man walking leisurely down the stairs. As she stood watching him, a jacket dropped upon her head from two flights higher up.
The two defendants then walked down the stairs and Mrs Barton intercepted them until her husband and the police arrived. The jacket belonged to a servant called Mary Bradford who said in court that the accused men had been sent upstairs to relieve a crush at the bar. That admission allowed their solicitor to claim his clients had simply gone astray, as they had not known the place and it was dark. Consequently the magistrates acquitted the two men. The Newspaper's sub-heading to their report was "A Narrow Escape".
A dispute between a church warden called James Watkinson and a youth called Henry Leonard was also played out in court. The magistrates were told that Leonard, along with other youths, had entered St Thomas's Church during a service and had caused such trouble that Watkinson had to eject them. Vengeance was threatened and later the warden came across Henry Leonard in Campbell Street, and according to the Newspaper's report, "came up in an insulting way, and looked closely into his face".
Then after the pair had passed each other, the youth picked up a stone and threw it at James Watkinson, striking him between the shoulders. In court the lad admitted chucking the stone but claimed it had not been aimed at the complainant, although he did not deny threatening the man with violence on several occasions. Leonard was given a good talking to by the Chairman of the Bench and fined 2s 6d and costs.
The authorities hunted down those men who had deserted their families and left them destitute. The Poor Law Unions throughout the country had their own weekly paper called 'The Gazette'. Its sole purpose was to publish details of sought after men who'd deserted their families or information on wanted women who'd walked out on their illegitimate children.
It wasn't the actual leaving that was the problem but in their husband's absence, the men's wives would claim subsistence payments from the "parish" in order to live. Once arrested the men were usually offered the opportunity of repaying the amount that their wives had received from the poor law authorities. John Donoghue from Parr had been given that chance a month ago but despite being in constant employment had not paid a penny. That was very foolish as he was now hauled back into court and sent to prison for a month.
It was very common for brief newspaper reports of cases to invite questions from readers – such as why did Edward Roberts chuck bricks through a window of Mary Waring's house in Parr? Mrs Waring said as soon as Roberts had received the court summons, he'd told her he'd a mind to chuck a few more bricks at her home. Just what had triggered Roberts' ire in the first place was not reported and as he did not turn up to court, he was unable to give his side of things. Roberts was fined 20 shillings and costs, which no doubt included the price of a new window.
And finally, what was described as a "Panorama and Musical Entertainment of Irish Scenery, Music, and Song" took place on the 9th in the Assembly Rooms in Hall Street. Panoramas usually meant moving paintings and the advert stated that the views would be "brilliantly illuminated by Oxy-Hydrogen Lime Light".
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the St Helens Catholic Charity Ball, the noxious vapours from works' chimneys, the little girl servant in a beerhouse and the young man paying his addresses to a Rainford woman who put her house under siege.
This week's many stories include the residents of Hardshaw Street that were fuming with Greenalls, the violent Rainhill row between two women, the youth who caused trouble in St Thomas' Church, the Noggs protection order, the brainless theft from Liverpool Street lodgings and the stolen jacket that dropped onto a woman's head inside the Hesketh Arms in Church Street.
We begin on the 7th when the St Helens Newspaper described the latest meeting of the Town Council in which the smoke menace was again discussed.
Those fumes mainly emanated from chemical firms, with other contributions to the pollution scandal coming from glassmakers and collieries.
However, on this occasion it was Greenall Whitley that was causing a nuisance in Hall Street and the residents of nearby Hardshaw Street had raised a petition.
Their complaint was that two of the brewery's chimneys were not sufficiently tall and as a result smoke hung at a low height and entered their homes. Consequently, they said they were forced to keep their doors and windows closed.
Cllr. Johnson complained that the matter had repeatedly been before the Council without action being taken and it was a "very great injustice" to property owners that the nuisance should have lasted so long.
He said if the "author of the problem" had held a more humble position, the Health Committee would have attended to the matter more quickly – alluding to Greenall's influential role in the town.
The councillor's accusation infuriated Cllr. Fidler who denied dereliction of duty by the committee and said he took exception to the language used.
The Newspaper also reviewed the Tea Party and Ball run by Holy Cross Church (pictured above) that had recently been held in the Volunteer Hall with dancing to the usual "efficient" Quadrille Band. They wrote:
"In no former year had greater success attended this event, as was evidenced by the immense attendance, and the harmony which prevailed."
Although harmony had not prevailed at a tea party run by St Joseph's Church of Peasley Cross that had also recently been held in the Volunteer Hall in aid of local Catholic schools.
Disorder was said to have broken out and as a result Holy Cross had initially been told that they would have to finish their own dancing at midnight.
However, they had appealed to Col. David Gamble who had granted them an extension until 1am.
With a sub-heading of "The Ladies At Rainhill" within the Newspaper's reports on cases heard in St Helens Petty Sessions this week, you know they were not describing a society event.
It was their sarcastic comment on a violent row between two women that had started when Susannah Edwards tried to buy some coal off Rachel Walsh.
The latter asked her to pay off her account first but that had infuriated Mrs Edwards. The Newspaper wrote:
"Defendant observed that, having heard of the complainant having called her a “Welsh something,” she was going to wipe out the whole of the score between them.
"She then produced a poker, which was the instrument selected to discharge the obligations, and used it with some effect.
"Mr. Swift [defence solicitor] cross-examined the complainant with great apparent blandness, being anxious to coax her into an admission that she had struck his client on the side with a bucket; but he was not successful in his object."
In the end the magistrates felt the charge had not been proven and dismissed the case.
The original Eccleston Arms Inn in Liverpool Road (later Prescot Road) was known colloquially as the "Noggs" (or Knoggs) for some reason that no one seems to know.
Later the Nags Head on the corner of Boundary Road and Knowsley Road became known as the "Bottom Nogs" and the new Eccleston Arms pub the "Top Nogs".
The original Noggs was mentioned in the next case when Elizabeth Pickavance, the wife of its former landlord, George, applied for a protection order against him.
She said her husband had deserted her last December leaving her with eight children to support.
Mrs Pickavance said he had been a very bad husband to her. She did not trust him and wanted to have protection for whatever property or money that she might acquire in future.
Before 1870 any assets that a married woman made or inherited immediately became the property of her husband.
That year the Married Women's Property Act allowed wives to legally own the money they earned and to inherit property. The order was granted.
There was another example of a brainless theft from lodgings. It was quite common for those renting a bed to suddenly quit their home and take with them clothing that belonged either to their landlady or another lodger.
The unexpected departure and theft were quickly connected and as the thief rarely went far, they were soon placed under arrest. And as stealing normally led to prison, the act was a highly foolish one.
Thomas Taylor was the latest culprit charged in court with stealing a shirt from the house of Mary Moran of Liverpool Street.
He had been sharing a room with John Gilsenan who had left his shirt overnight on the rail of his bed. When he woke up both his roommate and shirt had disappeared.
The sum of fourpence and a penknife also went missing but only the shirt was found on the thief when the police arrested him. Thomas Taylor was sent to prison for a month.
In a rather curious case John Holland and Thomas Marsh were charged with stealing a jacket from the Hesketh Arms, which was situated in Church Street.
A Mrs Barton gave evidence that she had been in their private sitting room on the first floor, when she heard a noise on the landing and found a man walking leisurely down the stairs.
As she stood watching him, a jacket dropped upon her head from two flights higher up.
The two defendants then walked down the stairs and Mrs Barton intercepted them until her husband and the police arrived.
The jacket belonged to a servant called Mary Bradford who said in court that the accused men had been sent upstairs to relieve a crush at the bar.
That admission allowed their solicitor to claim his clients had simply gone astray, as they had not known the place and it was dark. Consequently the magistrates acquitted the two men.
The Newspaper's sub-heading to their report was "A Narrow Escape".
A dispute between a church warden called James Watkinson and a youth called Henry Leonard was also played out in court.
The magistrates were told that Leonard, along with other youths, had entered St Thomas's Church during a service and had caused such trouble that Watkinson had to eject them.
Vengeance was threatened and later the warden came across Henry Leonard in Campbell Street, and according to the Newspaper's report, "came up in an insulting way, and looked closely into his face".
Then after the pair had passed each other, the youth picked up a stone and threw it at James Watkinson, striking him between the shoulders.
In court the lad admitted chucking the stone but claimed it had not been aimed at the complainant, although he did not deny threatening the man with violence on several occasions.
Leonard was given a good talking to by the Chairman of the Bench and fined 2s 6d and costs.
The authorities hunted down those men who had deserted their families and left them destitute.
The Poor Law Unions throughout the country had their own weekly paper called 'The Gazette'.
Its sole purpose was to publish details of sought after men who'd deserted their families or information on wanted women who'd walked out on their illegitimate children.
It wasn't the actual leaving that was the problem but in their husband's absence, the men's wives would claim subsistence payments from the "parish" in order to live.
Once arrested the men were usually offered the opportunity of repaying the amount that their wives had received from the poor law authorities.
John Donoghue from Parr had been given that chance a month ago but despite being in constant employment had not paid a penny.
That was very foolish as he was now hauled back into court and sent to prison for a month.
It was very common for brief newspaper reports of cases to invite questions from readers – such as why did Edward Roberts chuck bricks through a window of Mary Waring's house in Parr?
Mrs Waring said as soon as Roberts had received the court summons, he'd told her he'd a mind to chuck a few more bricks at her home.
Just what had triggered Roberts' ire in the first place was not reported and as he did not turn up to court, he was unable to give his side of things.
Roberts was fined 20 shillings and costs, which no doubt included the price of a new window.
And finally, what was described as a "Panorama and Musical Entertainment of Irish Scenery, Music, and Song" took place on the 9th in the Assembly Rooms in Hall Street.
Panoramas usually meant moving paintings and the advert stated that the views would be "brilliantly illuminated by Oxy-Hydrogen Lime Light".
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the St Helens Catholic Charity Ball, the noxious vapours from works' chimneys, the little girl servant in a beerhouse and the young man paying his addresses to a Rainford woman who put her house under siege.
We begin on the 7th when the St Helens Newspaper described the latest meeting of the Town Council in which the smoke menace was again discussed.
Those fumes mainly emanated from chemical firms, with other contributions to the pollution scandal coming from glassmakers and collieries.
However, on this occasion it was Greenall Whitley that was causing a nuisance in Hall Street and the residents of nearby Hardshaw Street had raised a petition.
Their complaint was that two of the brewery's chimneys were not sufficiently tall and as a result smoke hung at a low height and entered their homes. Consequently, they said they were forced to keep their doors and windows closed.
Cllr. Johnson complained that the matter had repeatedly been before the Council without action being taken and it was a "very great injustice" to property owners that the nuisance should have lasted so long.
He said if the "author of the problem" had held a more humble position, the Health Committee would have attended to the matter more quickly – alluding to Greenall's influential role in the town.
The councillor's accusation infuriated Cllr. Fidler who denied dereliction of duty by the committee and said he took exception to the language used.
"In no former year had greater success attended this event, as was evidenced by the immense attendance, and the harmony which prevailed."
Although harmony had not prevailed at a tea party run by St Joseph's Church of Peasley Cross that had also recently been held in the Volunteer Hall in aid of local Catholic schools.
Disorder was said to have broken out and as a result Holy Cross had initially been told that they would have to finish their own dancing at midnight.
However, they had appealed to Col. David Gamble who had granted them an extension until 1am.
With a sub-heading of "The Ladies At Rainhill" within the Newspaper's reports on cases heard in St Helens Petty Sessions this week, you know they were not describing a society event.
It was their sarcastic comment on a violent row between two women that had started when Susannah Edwards tried to buy some coal off Rachel Walsh.
The latter asked her to pay off her account first but that had infuriated Mrs Edwards. The Newspaper wrote:
"Defendant observed that, having heard of the complainant having called her a “Welsh something,” she was going to wipe out the whole of the score between them.
"She then produced a poker, which was the instrument selected to discharge the obligations, and used it with some effect.
"Mr. Swift [defence solicitor] cross-examined the complainant with great apparent blandness, being anxious to coax her into an admission that she had struck his client on the side with a bucket; but he was not successful in his object."
In the end the magistrates felt the charge had not been proven and dismissed the case.
The original Eccleston Arms Inn in Liverpool Road (later Prescot Road) was known colloquially as the "Noggs" (or Knoggs) for some reason that no one seems to know.
Later the Nags Head on the corner of Boundary Road and Knowsley Road became known as the "Bottom Nogs" and the new Eccleston Arms pub the "Top Nogs".
The original Noggs was mentioned in the next case when Elizabeth Pickavance, the wife of its former landlord, George, applied for a protection order against him.
She said her husband had deserted her last December leaving her with eight children to support.
Mrs Pickavance said he had been a very bad husband to her. She did not trust him and wanted to have protection for whatever property or money that she might acquire in future.
Before 1870 any assets that a married woman made or inherited immediately became the property of her husband.
That year the Married Women's Property Act allowed wives to legally own the money they earned and to inherit property. The order was granted.
There was another example of a brainless theft from lodgings. It was quite common for those renting a bed to suddenly quit their home and take with them clothing that belonged either to their landlady or another lodger.
The unexpected departure and theft were quickly connected and as the thief rarely went far, they were soon placed under arrest. And as stealing normally led to prison, the act was a highly foolish one.
Thomas Taylor was the latest culprit charged in court with stealing a shirt from the house of Mary Moran of Liverpool Street.
He had been sharing a room with John Gilsenan who had left his shirt overnight on the rail of his bed. When he woke up both his roommate and shirt had disappeared.
The sum of fourpence and a penknife also went missing but only the shirt was found on the thief when the police arrested him. Thomas Taylor was sent to prison for a month.
In a rather curious case John Holland and Thomas Marsh were charged with stealing a jacket from the Hesketh Arms, which was situated in Church Street.
A Mrs Barton gave evidence that she had been in their private sitting room on the first floor, when she heard a noise on the landing and found a man walking leisurely down the stairs.
As she stood watching him, a jacket dropped upon her head from two flights higher up.
The two defendants then walked down the stairs and Mrs Barton intercepted them until her husband and the police arrived.
The jacket belonged to a servant called Mary Bradford who said in court that the accused men had been sent upstairs to relieve a crush at the bar.
That admission allowed their solicitor to claim his clients had simply gone astray, as they had not known the place and it was dark. Consequently the magistrates acquitted the two men.
The Newspaper's sub-heading to their report was "A Narrow Escape".
A dispute between a church warden called James Watkinson and a youth called Henry Leonard was also played out in court.
The magistrates were told that Leonard, along with other youths, had entered St Thomas's Church during a service and had caused such trouble that Watkinson had to eject them.
Vengeance was threatened and later the warden came across Henry Leonard in Campbell Street, and according to the Newspaper's report, "came up in an insulting way, and looked closely into his face".
Then after the pair had passed each other, the youth picked up a stone and threw it at James Watkinson, striking him between the shoulders.
In court the lad admitted chucking the stone but claimed it had not been aimed at the complainant, although he did not deny threatening the man with violence on several occasions.
Leonard was given a good talking to by the Chairman of the Bench and fined 2s 6d and costs.
The authorities hunted down those men who had deserted their families and left them destitute.
The Poor Law Unions throughout the country had their own weekly paper called 'The Gazette'.
Its sole purpose was to publish details of sought after men who'd deserted their families or information on wanted women who'd walked out on their illegitimate children.
It wasn't the actual leaving that was the problem but in their husband's absence, the men's wives would claim subsistence payments from the "parish" in order to live.
Once arrested the men were usually offered the opportunity of repaying the amount that their wives had received from the poor law authorities.
John Donoghue from Parr had been given that chance a month ago but despite being in constant employment had not paid a penny.
That was very foolish as he was now hauled back into court and sent to prison for a month.
It was very common for brief newspaper reports of cases to invite questions from readers – such as why did Edward Roberts chuck bricks through a window of Mary Waring's house in Parr?
Mrs Waring said as soon as Roberts had received the court summons, he'd told her he'd a mind to chuck a few more bricks at her home.
Just what had triggered Roberts' ire in the first place was not reported and as he did not turn up to court, he was unable to give his side of things.
Roberts was fined 20 shillings and costs, which no doubt included the price of a new window.
And finally, what was described as a "Panorama and Musical Entertainment of Irish Scenery, Music, and Song" took place on the 9th in the Assembly Rooms in Hall Street.
Panoramas usually meant moving paintings and the advert stated that the views would be "brilliantly illuminated by Oxy-Hydrogen Lime Light".
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the St Helens Catholic Charity Ball, the noxious vapours from works' chimneys, the little girl servant in a beerhouse and the young man paying his addresses to a Rainford woman who put her house under siege.