150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (6th - 12th SEPTEMBER 1871)
This week's many stories include the plans to build a new Town Hall in St Helens, the Ashton gold watch trick, a shocking mining explosion takes place and the Bridge Street plumber who came to a sticky end in an ashpit.
We begin with this brief statement in the Liverpool Mercury that was published on the 6th: "A sitting of the St. Helen's county court was held yesterday. The cases heard were without interest." And that was it! The court in East Street met every Tuesday and heard dozens of cases from all over the district. Sometimes the judge dealt with as many as 150 in one day. And they were all without interest?
The St Helens Town Council held its monthly meeting on the 6th and there were definitely some items of interest on the agenda. This is how the Wigan Observer described one of them: "The Registrar-General forwarded returns of the number of children in the borough between the ages of three and twelve, and they were ordered to lie on the table for a month." I don't think they meant that all the kids had to lie on a table for a month. Now that would be uncomfortable! But the survey – presumably in connection with schooling – would be considered by the council at next month's meeting.
As a result of the fire at the Town Hall in New Market Place in May, the councillors had decided to construct a grand new building with an adjacent police station. They had pretty much settled on land in what was then known as Cotham Street – but which would later become Corporation Street. However, they first had to negotiate the purchase of the land that was needed from the trustee of the Cotham estate.
The Cotham family had originated from Claughton, near Lancaster – hence Claughton Street in St Helens. Their estate had been centred on Hardshaw Hall – which in 1884 became Providence Hospital – and later Springfield House in Eccleston – which in 1914 became the Carmelite Convent.
The trustee was a man called Walmsley who wanted 4d per yard for the land. That doesn't sound very much but I suppose it adds up – which is why a deputation had been sent to see Walmsley and "induce him" to reduce the charge to 3d. Walmsley was not up for being induced and firmly stood his ground.
So the councillors at the meeting resolved to pay the 4d per yard demanded, leaving the chosen architect to state the amount of space needed. You don't build town halls in your borough every day and so the councillors wanted a first-rate design and it was decided to ask six architects to send in plans. The five unsuccessful competitors would be compensated for their time by the payment of twenty guineas each.
There was also a long discussion at the council meeting about the insufficient amount of water for the town and how on most days supplies were cut off at night. Domestic consumers had their supplies stopped at 5pm with works' water turned off later in the evening. This had been happening for the past two years as demand outstripped supply. It was claimed that townsfolk in Peasley Cross and elsewhere were resorting to wells for their water, which were deemed unhealthy. The St Helens Newspaper in their report said the people of the town were being "shamefully trifled with" over water.
A fortnight ago I reported that the coal miners of St Helens were "agitating" for a 10% pay rise. And no group of workers ever deserved more pay. It really was a horrible job and every day the men risked death from explosions and underground roof falls and the like. That was still the case in the early 20th century – but then strict safety procedures were leading to very few gas explosions down coalmines.
That was not so during the 1870s, when there were seventeen disasters in the Lancashire coalfield during that decade. Most of these were gas explosions as occurred on the 6th at the Moss Pits at Ince, near Wigan, when a sudden, almighty bang killed seventy men and boys. The youngest was twelve and the explosion left the mine on fire. It was decided to seal the workings to allow the fire to burn out and two weeks later – as they attempted to reopen the pit to retrieve all the bodies – there was a second explosion and five more men were killed.
It was reported this week that potato disease was blighting many farms in Lancashire and those in the Rainford district were being badly affected.
The St Helens Petty Sessions were held on the 9th and Catherine Freeman was charged with stealing six yards of carpet off John Murphy. Having previously been in trouble, the 53-year-old hawker was committed to the Liverpool Assizes and on October 31st was sentenced to six months in prison.
According to Slater's Directory of 1869, there were 52 butchers in St Helens – a remarkably high number, although that did include market traders. Six were women but one of the meat men was Robert Wainwright who, in the Petty Sessions, prosecuted Milton Russell for stealing a cow's head from his Bridge Street shop. The 60-year-old cabinetmaker was also committed to the assizes and was found guilty and handed a 2-month sentence.
Another butcher was John Littler from Traverse Street in Parr, who in the St Helens Petty Sessions on the 11th, was charged with assaulting Ann Corrigan. He had accused the woman with attempting to steal some of his meat and admitted assaulting her during the argument. The charge of theft against Ann was dismissed and Littler was fined 10 shillings and costs. Edward Tallon – the manager of a chemical works – was also in court and bound over for six months for assaulting his wife.
Thomas Brady was a lucky boy. The farm labourer appeared at the Wigan County Police Court on the 12th charged with stealing a gold watch belonging to Jessey Smith. She was 22 and lived and worked on Parkhouse Farm in Ashton and told the court that she had met Brady on the previous Saturday night. Next morning she missed her watch and after reporting the matter to the police, went to Wigan and eventually got the watch back off Brady.
The man's story was that he had been courting Jessey and had no intention of stealing the watch having taken it "for a trick". The Bench said it had been a "very dangerous trick indeed". But the magistrates let the man off, warning him to be more careful in future. The gold watch had been valued at £6 and if found guilty, Brady would likely have been sent to prison for quite a few months.
In the 1871 census Michael Hickey is listed in Bridge Street as a painter, plumber and glazier – "master employing 8 men and 3 boys". On the 12th the 41-year-old died in a rather curious way. Hickey was discovered dead in his yard lying in his own ashpit. These were the dumps that contained human waste and which were mixed with ashes to reduce the smell and keep away pests. Hickey was believed to have somehow fallen into the ashpit and broken his neck.
And this week's "and finally" more general news story has been a toss-up between an article on ragged little boys who wanted to go to school and a letter about disorderly donkeys on New Brighton beach. I've not been able to make up my mind and so have decided to publish both. First the boys story:
"At Bow-street police court, London, on Saturday Thomas Morton, aged 12; James Pank, 12; William Seddon, 13, three ragged little boys, were charged on remand before Mr. Flowers [magistrate] with being found wandering in the streets without visible means of subsistence. The prisoners had been charged by Lawrence, one of the school board officers, and remanded for the purpose of finding a school for them. The boys had expressed a great wish to go to school.
"The father of Morton now stepped forward, and said that his son, who was illegitimate, should not be sent to school with his consent. Mr. Flowers: Why not? The Father: Because I can do better with him at home. I can teach him a good trade, and am a good father to him. Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner Morton): You see, your father would like you to go home again. Will you go? The Prisoner Morton: No; I won't.
"Mr. Flowers: Why not? The Prisoner: ‘Cos he whacks me 'orful. The Father: Yes, I do whack him. I am not going to be woke up at twelve o'clock at night by a bit of a boy like that, when I've given him strict orders to be home by half-past eight. Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner): Would you like to go home to your father once more, and try to be a good boy? The Prisoner: No; I will never face him [any] more. Mr. Flowers: In that case I must send him to school.
"The father of James Pank then stepped forward, and said he wished his boy to be liberated and go home. Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner Pank): Would you like to go home? The Prisoner Pank: No; I want to go to school too. The father said he did not mind his son going under the circumstances. The mother of Sheddon raised no obstacle to her son going, and so all three were sent to Feltham." Parents then had to contribute towards the cost of their child's education – which mght have been why the father of Thomas Morton was so resistant to the idea.
My memories of donkeys on the beach were that they were slow moving critters. But apparently in New Brighton in the 1870s they rushed about like crazy! Read on: "TO THE EDITORS OF THE LIVERPOOL MERCURY. – Gentlemen, In reference to a police report in to-day's Mercury of a case of gross imposition on the part of donkey and horse drivers at New Brighton, will you permit me, as a resident of that district, to say a few words?
"The bad language these people use, their rapacity, and the quarrelsome disposition that characterises them, often bring them into strong collision with the excursionists, and scenes are enacted that more resemble the events of Donnybrook fair than those of a peaceful watering place – save that there is no fighting, as at Donnybrook, for “love and good humour.” In some respects the horses and donkeys are an unmitigated nuisance.
"The great advantage of living in such a locality as Wallasey is that it has a splendid shore, where, under ordinary circumstances, families might really enjoy the healthy and bracing air for which it is famous. But the truth is, these donkeys and horses, goaded and tormented by their drivers, and doubly so by the majority of the persons who mount them, who know no more how to ride on horseback than they know how to box the compass, go rushing about the shore in the most reckless manner, so that persons walking have constantly to exercise all their skill to avoid being run over.
"Where proper order is kept, as at other watering places, I have nothing to say against the harmless trotting of donkeys; but the wild galloping among the people which is daily permitted at New Brighton is not creditable to the local authorities. – Yours, &c., C."
N.b. Donnybrook Fair was held annually in Dublin for hundreds of years until the 1850s and developed a very bad reputation for drinking and fighting.
Next week's stories will include a death at Crank railway station, the Newton-le-Willows works dinner theft, delays to the opening of the new St Helens to Huyton railway line and the St Helens apprentices that were in trouble.
We begin with this brief statement in the Liverpool Mercury that was published on the 6th: "A sitting of the St. Helen's county court was held yesterday. The cases heard were without interest." And that was it! The court in East Street met every Tuesday and heard dozens of cases from all over the district. Sometimes the judge dealt with as many as 150 in one day. And they were all without interest?
The St Helens Town Council held its monthly meeting on the 6th and there were definitely some items of interest on the agenda. This is how the Wigan Observer described one of them: "The Registrar-General forwarded returns of the number of children in the borough between the ages of three and twelve, and they were ordered to lie on the table for a month." I don't think they meant that all the kids had to lie on a table for a month. Now that would be uncomfortable! But the survey – presumably in connection with schooling – would be considered by the council at next month's meeting.
As a result of the fire at the Town Hall in New Market Place in May, the councillors had decided to construct a grand new building with an adjacent police station. They had pretty much settled on land in what was then known as Cotham Street – but which would later become Corporation Street. However, they first had to negotiate the purchase of the land that was needed from the trustee of the Cotham estate.
The Cotham family had originated from Claughton, near Lancaster – hence Claughton Street in St Helens. Their estate had been centred on Hardshaw Hall – which in 1884 became Providence Hospital – and later Springfield House in Eccleston – which in 1914 became the Carmelite Convent.
The trustee was a man called Walmsley who wanted 4d per yard for the land. That doesn't sound very much but I suppose it adds up – which is why a deputation had been sent to see Walmsley and "induce him" to reduce the charge to 3d. Walmsley was not up for being induced and firmly stood his ground.
So the councillors at the meeting resolved to pay the 4d per yard demanded, leaving the chosen architect to state the amount of space needed. You don't build town halls in your borough every day and so the councillors wanted a first-rate design and it was decided to ask six architects to send in plans. The five unsuccessful competitors would be compensated for their time by the payment of twenty guineas each.
There was also a long discussion at the council meeting about the insufficient amount of water for the town and how on most days supplies were cut off at night. Domestic consumers had their supplies stopped at 5pm with works' water turned off later in the evening. This had been happening for the past two years as demand outstripped supply. It was claimed that townsfolk in Peasley Cross and elsewhere were resorting to wells for their water, which were deemed unhealthy. The St Helens Newspaper in their report said the people of the town were being "shamefully trifled with" over water.
A fortnight ago I reported that the coal miners of St Helens were "agitating" for a 10% pay rise. And no group of workers ever deserved more pay. It really was a horrible job and every day the men risked death from explosions and underground roof falls and the like. That was still the case in the early 20th century – but then strict safety procedures were leading to very few gas explosions down coalmines.
That was not so during the 1870s, when there were seventeen disasters in the Lancashire coalfield during that decade. Most of these were gas explosions as occurred on the 6th at the Moss Pits at Ince, near Wigan, when a sudden, almighty bang killed seventy men and boys. The youngest was twelve and the explosion left the mine on fire. It was decided to seal the workings to allow the fire to burn out and two weeks later – as they attempted to reopen the pit to retrieve all the bodies – there was a second explosion and five more men were killed.
It was reported this week that potato disease was blighting many farms in Lancashire and those in the Rainford district were being badly affected.
The St Helens Petty Sessions were held on the 9th and Catherine Freeman was charged with stealing six yards of carpet off John Murphy. Having previously been in trouble, the 53-year-old hawker was committed to the Liverpool Assizes and on October 31st was sentenced to six months in prison.
According to Slater's Directory of 1869, there were 52 butchers in St Helens – a remarkably high number, although that did include market traders. Six were women but one of the meat men was Robert Wainwright who, in the Petty Sessions, prosecuted Milton Russell for stealing a cow's head from his Bridge Street shop. The 60-year-old cabinetmaker was also committed to the assizes and was found guilty and handed a 2-month sentence.
Another butcher was John Littler from Traverse Street in Parr, who in the St Helens Petty Sessions on the 11th, was charged with assaulting Ann Corrigan. He had accused the woman with attempting to steal some of his meat and admitted assaulting her during the argument. The charge of theft against Ann was dismissed and Littler was fined 10 shillings and costs. Edward Tallon – the manager of a chemical works – was also in court and bound over for six months for assaulting his wife.
Thomas Brady was a lucky boy. The farm labourer appeared at the Wigan County Police Court on the 12th charged with stealing a gold watch belonging to Jessey Smith. She was 22 and lived and worked on Parkhouse Farm in Ashton and told the court that she had met Brady on the previous Saturday night. Next morning she missed her watch and after reporting the matter to the police, went to Wigan and eventually got the watch back off Brady.
The man's story was that he had been courting Jessey and had no intention of stealing the watch having taken it "for a trick". The Bench said it had been a "very dangerous trick indeed". But the magistrates let the man off, warning him to be more careful in future. The gold watch had been valued at £6 and if found guilty, Brady would likely have been sent to prison for quite a few months.
In the 1871 census Michael Hickey is listed in Bridge Street as a painter, plumber and glazier – "master employing 8 men and 3 boys". On the 12th the 41-year-old died in a rather curious way. Hickey was discovered dead in his yard lying in his own ashpit. These were the dumps that contained human waste and which were mixed with ashes to reduce the smell and keep away pests. Hickey was believed to have somehow fallen into the ashpit and broken his neck.
And this week's "and finally" more general news story has been a toss-up between an article on ragged little boys who wanted to go to school and a letter about disorderly donkeys on New Brighton beach. I've not been able to make up my mind and so have decided to publish both. First the boys story:
"At Bow-street police court, London, on Saturday Thomas Morton, aged 12; James Pank, 12; William Seddon, 13, three ragged little boys, were charged on remand before Mr. Flowers [magistrate] with being found wandering in the streets without visible means of subsistence. The prisoners had been charged by Lawrence, one of the school board officers, and remanded for the purpose of finding a school for them. The boys had expressed a great wish to go to school.
"The father of Morton now stepped forward, and said that his son, who was illegitimate, should not be sent to school with his consent. Mr. Flowers: Why not? The Father: Because I can do better with him at home. I can teach him a good trade, and am a good father to him. Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner Morton): You see, your father would like you to go home again. Will you go? The Prisoner Morton: No; I won't.
"Mr. Flowers: Why not? The Prisoner: ‘Cos he whacks me 'orful. The Father: Yes, I do whack him. I am not going to be woke up at twelve o'clock at night by a bit of a boy like that, when I've given him strict orders to be home by half-past eight. Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner): Would you like to go home to your father once more, and try to be a good boy? The Prisoner: No; I will never face him [any] more. Mr. Flowers: In that case I must send him to school.
"The father of James Pank then stepped forward, and said he wished his boy to be liberated and go home. Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner Pank): Would you like to go home? The Prisoner Pank: No; I want to go to school too. The father said he did not mind his son going under the circumstances. The mother of Sheddon raised no obstacle to her son going, and so all three were sent to Feltham." Parents then had to contribute towards the cost of their child's education – which mght have been why the father of Thomas Morton was so resistant to the idea.
"The bad language these people use, their rapacity, and the quarrelsome disposition that characterises them, often bring them into strong collision with the excursionists, and scenes are enacted that more resemble the events of Donnybrook fair than those of a peaceful watering place – save that there is no fighting, as at Donnybrook, for “love and good humour.” In some respects the horses and donkeys are an unmitigated nuisance.
"The great advantage of living in such a locality as Wallasey is that it has a splendid shore, where, under ordinary circumstances, families might really enjoy the healthy and bracing air for which it is famous. But the truth is, these donkeys and horses, goaded and tormented by their drivers, and doubly so by the majority of the persons who mount them, who know no more how to ride on horseback than they know how to box the compass, go rushing about the shore in the most reckless manner, so that persons walking have constantly to exercise all their skill to avoid being run over.
"Where proper order is kept, as at other watering places, I have nothing to say against the harmless trotting of donkeys; but the wild galloping among the people which is daily permitted at New Brighton is not creditable to the local authorities. – Yours, &c., C."
N.b. Donnybrook Fair was held annually in Dublin for hundreds of years until the 1850s and developed a very bad reputation for drinking and fighting.
Next week's stories will include a death at Crank railway station, the Newton-le-Willows works dinner theft, delays to the opening of the new St Helens to Huyton railway line and the St Helens apprentices that were in trouble.
This week's many stories include the plans to build a new Town Hall in St Helens, the Ashton gold watch trick, a shocking mining explosion takes place and the Bridge Street plumber who came to a sticky end in an ashpit.
We begin with this brief statement in the Liverpool Mercury that was published on the 6th:
"A sitting of the St. Helen's county court was held yesterday. The cases heard were without interest."
And that was it! The court in East Street met every Tuesday and heard dozens of cases from all over the district. Sometimes the judge dealt with as many as 150 in one day. And they were all without interest?
The St Helens Town Council held its monthly meeting on the 6th and there were definitely some items of interest on the agenda. This is how the Wigan Observer described one of them:
"The Registrar-General forwarded returns of the number of children in the borough between the ages of three and twelve, and they were ordered to lie on the table for a month."
I don't think they meant that all the kids had to lie on a table for a month. Now that would be uncomfortable!
But the survey – presumably in connection with schooling – would be considered by the council at next month's meeting.
As a result of the fire at the Town Hall in New Market Place in May, the councillors had decided to construct a grand new building with an adjacent police station.
They had pretty much settled on land in what was then known as Cotham Street – but which would later become Corporation Street.
However, they first had to negotiate the purchase of the land that was needed from the trustee of the Cotham estate.
The Cotham family had originated from Claughton, near Lancaster – hence Claughton Street in St Helens.
Their estate had been centred on Hardshaw Hall – which in 1884 became Providence Hospital – and later Springfield House in Eccleston – which in 1914 became the Carmelite Convent.
The trustee was a man called Walmsley who wanted 4d per yard for the land.
That doesn't sound very much but I suppose it adds up – which is why a deputation had been sent to see Walmsley and "induce him" to reduce the charge to 3d.
Walmsley was not up for being induced and firmly stood his ground.
So the councillors at the meeting resolved to pay the 4d per yard demanded, leaving the chosen architect to state the amount of space needed.
You don't build town halls in your borough every day and so the councillors wanted a first-rate design and it was decided to ask six architects to send in plans.
The five unsuccessful competitors would be compensated for their time by the payment of twenty guineas each.
There was also a long discussion at the council meeting about the insufficient amount of water for the town and how on most days supplies were cut off at night.
Domestic consumers had their supplies stopped at 5pm with works' water turned off later in the evening.
This had been happening for the past two years as demand outstripped supply.
It was claimed that townsfolk in Peasley Cross and elsewhere were resorting to wells for their water, which were deemed unhealthy.
The St Helens Newspaper in their report said the people of the town were being "shamefully trifled with" over water.
A fortnight ago I reported that the coal miners of St Helens were "agitating" for a 10% pay rise. And no group of workers ever deserved more pay.
It really was a horrible job and every day the men risked death from explosions and underground roof falls and the like.
That was still the case in the early 20th century – but then strict safety procedures were leading to very few gas explosions down coalmines.
That was not so during the 1870s, when there were seventeen disasters in the Lancashire coalfield during that decade.
Most of these were gas explosions as occurred on the 6th at the Moss Pits at Ince, near Wigan, when a sudden, almighty bang killed seventy men and boys.
The youngest was twelve and the explosion left the mine on fire.
It was decided to seal the workings to allow the fire to burn out and two weeks later – as they attempted to reopen the pit to retrieve all the bodies – there was a second explosion and five more men were killed.
It was reported this week that potato disease was blighting many farms in Lancashire and those in the Rainford district were being badly affected.
The St Helens Petty Sessions were held on the 9th and Catherine Freeman was charged with stealing six yards of carpet off John Murphy.
Having previously been in trouble, the 53-year-old hawker was committed to the Liverpool Assizes and on October 31st was sentenced to six months in prison.
According to Slater's Directory of 1869, there were 52 butchers in St Helens – a remarkably high number, although that did include market traders.
Six were women but one of the meat men was Robert Wainwright who, in the Petty Sessions, prosecuted Milton Russell for stealing a cow's head from his Bridge Street shop.
The 60-year-old cabinetmaker was also committed to the assizes and was found guilty and handed a 2-month sentence.
Another butcher was John Littler from Traverse Street in Parr, who in the St Helens Petty Sessions on the 11th, was charged with assaulting Ann Corrigan.
He had accused the woman with attempting to steal some of his meat and admitted assaulting her during the argument.
The charge of theft against Ann was dismissed and Littler was fined 10 shillings and costs.
Edward Tallon – the manager of a chemical works – was also in court and bound over for six months for assaulting his wife.
Thomas Brady was a lucky boy. The farm labourer appeared at the Wigan County Police Court on the 12th charged with stealing a gold watch belonging to Jessey Smith.
She was 22 and lived and worked on Parkhouse Farm in Ashton and told the court that she had met Brady on the previous Saturday night.
Next morning she missed her watch and after reporting the matter to the police, went to Wigan and eventually got the watch back off Brady.
The man's story was that he had been courting Jessey and had no intention of stealing the watch having taken it "for a trick".
The Bench said it had been a "very dangerous trick indeed". But the magistrates let the man off, warning him to be more careful in future.
The gold watch had been valued at £6 and if found guilty, Brady would likely have been sent to prison for quite a few months.
In the 1871 census Michael Hickey is listed in Bridge Street as a painter, plumber and glazier – "master employing 8 men and 3 boys".
On the 12th the 41-year-old died in a rather curious way. Hickey was discovered dead in his yard lying in his own ashpit.
These were the dumps that contained human waste and which were mixed with ashes to reduce the smell and keep away pests.
Hickey was believed to have somehow fallen into the ashpit and broken his neck.
And this week's "and finally" more general news story has been a toss-up between an article on ragged little boys who wanted to go to school and a letter about disorderly donkeys on New Brighton beach.
I've not been able to make up my mind and so have decided to post both. First the boys story:
"At Bow-street police court, London, on Saturday Thomas Morton, aged 12; James Pank, 12; William Seddon, 13, three ragged little boys, were charged on remand before Mr. Flowers [magistrate] with being found wandering in the streets without visible means of subsistence.
"The prisoners had been charged by Lawrence, one of the school board officers, and remanded for the purpose of finding a school for them. The boys had expressed a great wish to go to school.
"The father of Morton now stepped forward, and said that his son, who was illegitimate, should not be sent to school with his consent.
"Mr. Flowers: Why not? The Father: Because I can do better with him at home. I can teach him a good trade, and am a good father to him.
"Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner Morton): You see, your father would like you to go home again. Will you go?
"The Prisoner Morton: No; I won't.
"Mr. Flowers: Why not? The Prisoner: ‘Cos he whacks me 'orful.
"The Father: Yes, I do whack him. I am not going to be woke up at twelve o'clock at night by a bit of a boy like that, when I've given him strict orders to be home by half-past eight.
"Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner): Would you like to go home to your father once more, and try to be a good boy?
"The Prisoner: No; I will never face him [any] more.
"Mr. Flowers: In that case I must send him to school.
"The father of James Pank then stepped forward, and said he wished his boy to be liberated and go home.
"Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner Pank): Would you like to go home?
"The Prisoner Pank: No; I want to go to school too.
"The father said he did not mind his son going under the circumstances. The mother of Sheddon raised no obstacle to her son going, and so all three were sent to Feltham."
My memories of donkeys on the beach were that they were slow moving critters. But apparently in New Brighton in the 1870s they rushed about like crazy! Read on…
"TO THE EDITORS OF THE LIVERPOOL MERCURY. – Gentlemen, In reference to a police report in to-day's Mercury of a case of gross imposition on the part of donkey and horse drivers at New Brighton, will you permit me, as a resident of that district, to say a few words?
"The bad language these people use, their rapacity, and the quarrelsome disposition that characterises them, often bring them into strong collision with the excursionists, and scenes are enacted that more resemble the events of Donnybrook fair than those of a peaceful watering place – save that there is no fighting, as at Donnybrook, for “love and good humour.”
"In some respects the horses and donkeys are an unmitigated nuisance. The great advantage of living in such a locality as Wallasey is that it has a splendid shore, where, under ordinary circumstances, families might really enjoy the healthy and bracing air for which it is famous.
"But the truth is, these donkeys and horses, goaded and tormented by their drivers, and doubly so by the majority of the persons who mount them, who know no more how to ride on horseback than they know how to box the compass, go rushing about the shore in the most reckless manner, so that persons walking have constantly to exercise all their skill to avoid being run over.
"Where proper order is kept, as at other watering places, I have nothing to say against the harmless trotting of donkeys; but the wild galloping among the people which is daily permitted at New Brighton is not creditable to the local authorities. – Yours, &c., C."
Nb. Donnybrook Fair was held annually in Dublin for hundreds of years until the 1850s and developed a very bad reputation for drinking and fighting.
Next week's stories will include a death at Crank railway station, the Newton-le-Willows works dinner theft, delays to the opening of the new St Helens to Huyton railway line and the St Helens apprentices that were in trouble.
We begin with this brief statement in the Liverpool Mercury that was published on the 6th:
"A sitting of the St. Helen's county court was held yesterday. The cases heard were without interest."
And that was it! The court in East Street met every Tuesday and heard dozens of cases from all over the district. Sometimes the judge dealt with as many as 150 in one day. And they were all without interest?
The St Helens Town Council held its monthly meeting on the 6th and there were definitely some items of interest on the agenda. This is how the Wigan Observer described one of them:
"The Registrar-General forwarded returns of the number of children in the borough between the ages of three and twelve, and they were ordered to lie on the table for a month."
I don't think they meant that all the kids had to lie on a table for a month. Now that would be uncomfortable!
But the survey – presumably in connection with schooling – would be considered by the council at next month's meeting.
As a result of the fire at the Town Hall in New Market Place in May, the councillors had decided to construct a grand new building with an adjacent police station.
They had pretty much settled on land in what was then known as Cotham Street – but which would later become Corporation Street.
However, they first had to negotiate the purchase of the land that was needed from the trustee of the Cotham estate.
The Cotham family had originated from Claughton, near Lancaster – hence Claughton Street in St Helens.
Their estate had been centred on Hardshaw Hall – which in 1884 became Providence Hospital – and later Springfield House in Eccleston – which in 1914 became the Carmelite Convent.
The trustee was a man called Walmsley who wanted 4d per yard for the land.
That doesn't sound very much but I suppose it adds up – which is why a deputation had been sent to see Walmsley and "induce him" to reduce the charge to 3d.
Walmsley was not up for being induced and firmly stood his ground.
So the councillors at the meeting resolved to pay the 4d per yard demanded, leaving the chosen architect to state the amount of space needed.
You don't build town halls in your borough every day and so the councillors wanted a first-rate design and it was decided to ask six architects to send in plans.
The five unsuccessful competitors would be compensated for their time by the payment of twenty guineas each.
There was also a long discussion at the council meeting about the insufficient amount of water for the town and how on most days supplies were cut off at night.
Domestic consumers had their supplies stopped at 5pm with works' water turned off later in the evening.
This had been happening for the past two years as demand outstripped supply.
It was claimed that townsfolk in Peasley Cross and elsewhere were resorting to wells for their water, which were deemed unhealthy.
The St Helens Newspaper in their report said the people of the town were being "shamefully trifled with" over water.
A fortnight ago I reported that the coal miners of St Helens were "agitating" for a 10% pay rise. And no group of workers ever deserved more pay.
It really was a horrible job and every day the men risked death from explosions and underground roof falls and the like.
That was still the case in the early 20th century – but then strict safety procedures were leading to very few gas explosions down coalmines.
That was not so during the 1870s, when there were seventeen disasters in the Lancashire coalfield during that decade.
Most of these were gas explosions as occurred on the 6th at the Moss Pits at Ince, near Wigan, when a sudden, almighty bang killed seventy men and boys.
The youngest was twelve and the explosion left the mine on fire.
It was decided to seal the workings to allow the fire to burn out and two weeks later – as they attempted to reopen the pit to retrieve all the bodies – there was a second explosion and five more men were killed.
It was reported this week that potato disease was blighting many farms in Lancashire and those in the Rainford district were being badly affected.
The St Helens Petty Sessions were held on the 9th and Catherine Freeman was charged with stealing six yards of carpet off John Murphy.
Having previously been in trouble, the 53-year-old hawker was committed to the Liverpool Assizes and on October 31st was sentenced to six months in prison.
According to Slater's Directory of 1869, there were 52 butchers in St Helens – a remarkably high number, although that did include market traders.
Six were women but one of the meat men was Robert Wainwright who, in the Petty Sessions, prosecuted Milton Russell for stealing a cow's head from his Bridge Street shop.
The 60-year-old cabinetmaker was also committed to the assizes and was found guilty and handed a 2-month sentence.
Another butcher was John Littler from Traverse Street in Parr, who in the St Helens Petty Sessions on the 11th, was charged with assaulting Ann Corrigan.
He had accused the woman with attempting to steal some of his meat and admitted assaulting her during the argument.
The charge of theft against Ann was dismissed and Littler was fined 10 shillings and costs.
Edward Tallon – the manager of a chemical works – was also in court and bound over for six months for assaulting his wife.
Thomas Brady was a lucky boy. The farm labourer appeared at the Wigan County Police Court on the 12th charged with stealing a gold watch belonging to Jessey Smith.
She was 22 and lived and worked on Parkhouse Farm in Ashton and told the court that she had met Brady on the previous Saturday night.
Next morning she missed her watch and after reporting the matter to the police, went to Wigan and eventually got the watch back off Brady.
The man's story was that he had been courting Jessey and had no intention of stealing the watch having taken it "for a trick".
The Bench said it had been a "very dangerous trick indeed". But the magistrates let the man off, warning him to be more careful in future.
The gold watch had been valued at £6 and if found guilty, Brady would likely have been sent to prison for quite a few months.
In the 1871 census Michael Hickey is listed in Bridge Street as a painter, plumber and glazier – "master employing 8 men and 3 boys".
On the 12th the 41-year-old died in a rather curious way. Hickey was discovered dead in his yard lying in his own ashpit.
These were the dumps that contained human waste and which were mixed with ashes to reduce the smell and keep away pests.
Hickey was believed to have somehow fallen into the ashpit and broken his neck.
And this week's "and finally" more general news story has been a toss-up between an article on ragged little boys who wanted to go to school and a letter about disorderly donkeys on New Brighton beach.
I've not been able to make up my mind and so have decided to post both. First the boys story:
"At Bow-street police court, London, on Saturday Thomas Morton, aged 12; James Pank, 12; William Seddon, 13, three ragged little boys, were charged on remand before Mr. Flowers [magistrate] with being found wandering in the streets without visible means of subsistence.
"The prisoners had been charged by Lawrence, one of the school board officers, and remanded for the purpose of finding a school for them. The boys had expressed a great wish to go to school.
"The father of Morton now stepped forward, and said that his son, who was illegitimate, should not be sent to school with his consent.
"Mr. Flowers: Why not? The Father: Because I can do better with him at home. I can teach him a good trade, and am a good father to him.
"Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner Morton): You see, your father would like you to go home again. Will you go?
"The Prisoner Morton: No; I won't.
"Mr. Flowers: Why not? The Prisoner: ‘Cos he whacks me 'orful.
"The Father: Yes, I do whack him. I am not going to be woke up at twelve o'clock at night by a bit of a boy like that, when I've given him strict orders to be home by half-past eight.
"Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner): Would you like to go home to your father once more, and try to be a good boy?
"The Prisoner: No; I will never face him [any] more.
"Mr. Flowers: In that case I must send him to school.
"The father of James Pank then stepped forward, and said he wished his boy to be liberated and go home.
"Mr. Flowers (to the prisoner Pank): Would you like to go home?
"The Prisoner Pank: No; I want to go to school too.
"The father said he did not mind his son going under the circumstances. The mother of Sheddon raised no obstacle to her son going, and so all three were sent to Feltham."
"TO THE EDITORS OF THE LIVERPOOL MERCURY. – Gentlemen, In reference to a police report in to-day's Mercury of a case of gross imposition on the part of donkey and horse drivers at New Brighton, will you permit me, as a resident of that district, to say a few words?
"The bad language these people use, their rapacity, and the quarrelsome disposition that characterises them, often bring them into strong collision with the excursionists, and scenes are enacted that more resemble the events of Donnybrook fair than those of a peaceful watering place – save that there is no fighting, as at Donnybrook, for “love and good humour.”
"In some respects the horses and donkeys are an unmitigated nuisance. The great advantage of living in such a locality as Wallasey is that it has a splendid shore, where, under ordinary circumstances, families might really enjoy the healthy and bracing air for which it is famous.
"But the truth is, these donkeys and horses, goaded and tormented by their drivers, and doubly so by the majority of the persons who mount them, who know no more how to ride on horseback than they know how to box the compass, go rushing about the shore in the most reckless manner, so that persons walking have constantly to exercise all their skill to avoid being run over.
"Where proper order is kept, as at other watering places, I have nothing to say against the harmless trotting of donkeys; but the wild galloping among the people which is daily permitted at New Brighton is not creditable to the local authorities. – Yours, &c., C."
Nb. Donnybrook Fair was held annually in Dublin for hundreds of years until the 1850s and developed a very bad reputation for drinking and fighting.
Next week's stories will include a death at Crank railway station, the Newton-le-Willows works dinner theft, delays to the opening of the new St Helens to Huyton railway line and the St Helens apprentices that were in trouble.