150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (8 - 14 MAY 1873)
This week's many stories include the man that beat his wife black and blue for associating with neighbours, the drunken worker at the St Helens chemical works that nearly caused an explosion, the very few patients at the new St Helens Hospital, Greenall's rent dinner and the Greenbank wife-beater who put the blame on his wife.
We begin on the 9th when a House of Commons Select Committee heard evidence in support of the construction of a planned new railway line from St Helens to Warrington. This required parliamentary approval but the committee ruled that the promoters of the scheme had not sufficiently proved their case and rejected the application without bothering to hear from any objectors.
Since Charles Duval had taken over the running of the St Helens theatre in the premises we know as the Citadel, he'd renamed the former music hall the 'New Theatre Royal and Opera House'. Plays were now its staple entertainment, along with occasional operatic performances.
However, exceptions were made and on the 9th the Castro Brothers performed what was described as "an entirely new and elegant acrobatic entertainment". There had been some trouble in the theatre earlier in the year that rowdy youths had caused. And so their ad in the Newspaper said: "Order Strictly Preserved".
Immediately under the advert from the Theatre Royal, sex was for sale. A very brief notice said: "TO PIG KEEPERS. A FINE BLACK BOAR, of Prize Breed. Terms, 3s. 6d. cash, 5s. if booked. – Apply to Mr Charles White, farmer, Rainford." The 1871 census states that the man with the fine black boar lived at Delf Farm in Gores Lane in Crank.
There was an unusual prosecution of a wife-beater on the 10th. It was unusual because of its outcome with William Partington from Sandfield Crescent in Greenbank being sent to prison. That was in spite of the injuries that he inflicted on his wife not being very severe – the usual prerequisite for prison. What was usual was the man attempting to deflect criticism of his own behaviour by claiming his wife took to drink.
Not only were such claims routinely exaggerated but they were hypocritical. The husband felt he could drink as much as he liked – but his wife could not touch a drop. And who would blame a badly treated wife from taking the odd drink? Well, the magistrates unfortunately would and so strenuous efforts were made in the case to disprove the husband's allegations.
William Partington's wife, Alice, brought a neighbour, Jane Yates, to court. She stated that she had never seen Mrs Partington drinking but had often heard her husband accuse her of being intoxicated when she wasn't. Mrs Yates also gave evidence of seeing Alice being assaulted and although her injuries had never been severe, Mrs Partington was able to tell the Bench that she bore marks and bruises from her husband's assaults.
William was also seeing another woman who he had flaunted in the presence of his wife. A neighbour called Mary Fildes said some of the residents of Sandfield Crescent had been so disgusted by William Partington's behaviour that they'd attacked him and his girlfriend. The defendant was sentenced to a month in prison which seemed to come as a shock to him. The Newspaper wrote that it appeared to "affect the prisoner very deeply".
St Helens Hospital had opened its doors in January – but was not exactly overwhelmed by patients! The Newspaper reported on the 10th that there were presently just six persons being treated in the Peasley Cross infirmary. Three cases involved fractures, another was of bronchitis, a further patient had severe burns and another had a leg ulcer. Having to pay for their stay deterred the injured and sick from going to the hospital and others were set in their ways.
If someone had an accident or became ill they would automatically be taken to their home and a doctor brought to them. People preferred to be in their own bed and it took a lot of persuasion that better care could be given in hospital. Even when a penny-a-week insurance scheme was introduced, it remained standard practice for someone to be taken home if involved in an accident.
Some doctors were unconvinced of the necessity of the new hospital and needed to be persuaded of its merits. This week in the Newspaper a number of testimonials were published and this is what Dr Arthur Jamison of College Street had to say:
"I have been over the Hospital this morning, and am very greatly pleased with all its arrangements, and the patients themselves prefer being there to their own homes. They are all scrupulously clean and show that they are carefully attended to. The wards and beds are very comfortable, the former having plenty of light and being well ventilated. For the class of cases in it, I think the Hospital affords them a much better hope of recovery than in their own houses, and I think also that it compares very favourable with most of the large hospitals I have visited."
A tenter was the name for the man in charge of some machinery in a factory – a responsible position as there was little automation then. A boiler tenter looked after steam boilers, which needed careful monitoring to ensure their safe operation. On the 12th Thomas Carey appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions charged with deserting his duty and leaving his boilers at the Sutton Alkali Works liable to explode.
Also known as Kurtz & Co after its owner Andrew Kurtz, the Sutton Alkali plant was one of the largest chemical factories in the area producing soda and bleaching powder off Warrington New Road. In the 1871 census Thomas Carey was aged 27 and living in Glover Street in St Helens. In court it was stated that Carey had been left in charge of three boilers overnight but had instead deserted them and got drunk.
While he was absent the night watchman found the boilers registering an unusually high pressure of steam and giving off an alarm. Carey returned shortly afterwards but instead of fixing the problem he climbed on to the top of the boilers and lay down to sleep. Many workers then lived near their jobs and the watchman was able to quickly knock up an engineer to deal with the boilers before an explosion occurred.
The prosecution stated that twelve months ago there had been a boiler explosion in St Helens that had killed several men. And only prompt action by the watchman and the engineer had prevented a repeat of the tragedy at the Sutton Alkali Works. The magistrates sent Thomas Carey to prison for a fortnight for his negligence.
Also on that day Samuel Fillingham was charged with assaulting his wife Elizabeth. She told the court that on the previous Thursday morning when her husband came home, he had knocked her down without a word and subsequently sold off their household goods. After that he had beaten her "black and blue". The defence case was that the woman had associated with certain neighbours "in defiance of her husband's wish" and he was "naturally wroth". As the couple had only been married ten months, the Bench said they thought there ought to be a settlement between them. The Newspaper wrote: "The parties went outside to settle their differences."
I don't remember much of my confirmation service at church, apart from being instructed in advance not to put Brylcreem on my hair so that the bishop would not get sticky hands! That, no doubt, was not an issue on the 13th when the Right Reverend Dr Jacobson, the Bishop of Chester, visited St Helens to confirm 500 kids. That's a lot of heads to place his paws on, with the children belonging to St Helens Parish Church, Holy Trinity Parr Mount, Ravenhead, St Thomas' and Rainford churches.
And finally, Greenall's rent dinner was held on the 13th at the old Fleece Hotel in Church Street (pictured above in later years). It was a tradition for licensees to pay the rent on their houses every six months and in return the brewery gave them a dinner. As well as a sumptuous meal for the 260 guests to enjoy, there were many toasts, including ingratiating ones to the host of the event, Gilbert Greenall. It always paid to suck up to the boss!
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the dead baby in the canal, the Prescot watch movement maker who made boys work at night, an attack on the honesty of St Helens shop assistants and the obscene street singer in Shaw Street.
We begin on the 9th when a House of Commons Select Committee heard evidence in support of the construction of a planned new railway line from St Helens to Warrington. This required parliamentary approval but the committee ruled that the promoters of the scheme had not sufficiently proved their case and rejected the application without bothering to hear from any objectors.
Since Charles Duval had taken over the running of the St Helens theatre in the premises we know as the Citadel, he'd renamed the former music hall the 'New Theatre Royal and Opera House'. Plays were now its staple entertainment, along with occasional operatic performances.
However, exceptions were made and on the 9th the Castro Brothers performed what was described as "an entirely new and elegant acrobatic entertainment". There had been some trouble in the theatre earlier in the year that rowdy youths had caused. And so their ad in the Newspaper said: "Order Strictly Preserved".
Immediately under the advert from the Theatre Royal, sex was for sale. A very brief notice said: "TO PIG KEEPERS. A FINE BLACK BOAR, of Prize Breed. Terms, 3s. 6d. cash, 5s. if booked. – Apply to Mr Charles White, farmer, Rainford." The 1871 census states that the man with the fine black boar lived at Delf Farm in Gores Lane in Crank.
There was an unusual prosecution of a wife-beater on the 10th. It was unusual because of its outcome with William Partington from Sandfield Crescent in Greenbank being sent to prison. That was in spite of the injuries that he inflicted on his wife not being very severe – the usual prerequisite for prison. What was usual was the man attempting to deflect criticism of his own behaviour by claiming his wife took to drink.
Not only were such claims routinely exaggerated but they were hypocritical. The husband felt he could drink as much as he liked – but his wife could not touch a drop. And who would blame a badly treated wife from taking the odd drink? Well, the magistrates unfortunately would and so strenuous efforts were made in the case to disprove the husband's allegations.
William Partington's wife, Alice, brought a neighbour, Jane Yates, to court. She stated that she had never seen Mrs Partington drinking but had often heard her husband accuse her of being intoxicated when she wasn't. Mrs Yates also gave evidence of seeing Alice being assaulted and although her injuries had never been severe, Mrs Partington was able to tell the Bench that she bore marks and bruises from her husband's assaults.
William was also seeing another woman who he had flaunted in the presence of his wife. A neighbour called Mary Fildes said some of the residents of Sandfield Crescent had been so disgusted by William Partington's behaviour that they'd attacked him and his girlfriend. The defendant was sentenced to a month in prison which seemed to come as a shock to him. The Newspaper wrote that it appeared to "affect the prisoner very deeply".
St Helens Hospital had opened its doors in January – but was not exactly overwhelmed by patients! The Newspaper reported on the 10th that there were presently just six persons being treated in the Peasley Cross infirmary. Three cases involved fractures, another was of bronchitis, a further patient had severe burns and another had a leg ulcer. Having to pay for their stay deterred the injured and sick from going to the hospital and others were set in their ways.
If someone had an accident or became ill they would automatically be taken to their home and a doctor brought to them. People preferred to be in their own bed and it took a lot of persuasion that better care could be given in hospital. Even when a penny-a-week insurance scheme was introduced, it remained standard practice for someone to be taken home if involved in an accident.
Some doctors were unconvinced of the necessity of the new hospital and needed to be persuaded of its merits. This week in the Newspaper a number of testimonials were published and this is what Dr Arthur Jamison of College Street had to say:
"I have been over the Hospital this morning, and am very greatly pleased with all its arrangements, and the patients themselves prefer being there to their own homes. They are all scrupulously clean and show that they are carefully attended to. The wards and beds are very comfortable, the former having plenty of light and being well ventilated. For the class of cases in it, I think the Hospital affords them a much better hope of recovery than in their own houses, and I think also that it compares very favourable with most of the large hospitals I have visited."
A tenter was the name for the man in charge of some machinery in a factory – a responsible position as there was little automation then. A boiler tenter looked after steam boilers, which needed careful monitoring to ensure their safe operation. On the 12th Thomas Carey appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions charged with deserting his duty and leaving his boilers at the Sutton Alkali Works liable to explode.
Also known as Kurtz & Co after its owner Andrew Kurtz, the Sutton Alkali plant was one of the largest chemical factories in the area producing soda and bleaching powder off Warrington New Road. In the 1871 census Thomas Carey was aged 27 and living in Glover Street in St Helens. In court it was stated that Carey had been left in charge of three boilers overnight but had instead deserted them and got drunk.
While he was absent the night watchman found the boilers registering an unusually high pressure of steam and giving off an alarm. Carey returned shortly afterwards but instead of fixing the problem he climbed on to the top of the boilers and lay down to sleep. Many workers then lived near their jobs and the watchman was able to quickly knock up an engineer to deal with the boilers before an explosion occurred.
The prosecution stated that twelve months ago there had been a boiler explosion in St Helens that had killed several men. And only prompt action by the watchman and the engineer had prevented a repeat of the tragedy at the Sutton Alkali Works. The magistrates sent Thomas Carey to prison for a fortnight for his negligence.
Also on that day Samuel Fillingham was charged with assaulting his wife Elizabeth. She told the court that on the previous Thursday morning when her husband came home, he had knocked her down without a word and subsequently sold off their household goods. After that he had beaten her "black and blue". The defence case was that the woman had associated with certain neighbours "in defiance of her husband's wish" and he was "naturally wroth". As the couple had only been married ten months, the Bench said they thought there ought to be a settlement between them. The Newspaper wrote: "The parties went outside to settle their differences."
I don't remember much of my confirmation service at church, apart from being instructed in advance not to put Brylcreem on my hair so that the bishop would not get sticky hands! That, no doubt, was not an issue on the 13th when the Right Reverend Dr Jacobson, the Bishop of Chester, visited St Helens to confirm 500 kids. That's a lot of heads to place his paws on, with the children belonging to St Helens Parish Church, Holy Trinity Parr Mount, Ravenhead, St Thomas' and Rainford churches.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the dead baby in the canal, the Prescot watch movement maker who made boys work at night, an attack on the honesty of St Helens shop assistants and the obscene street singer in Shaw Street.
This week's many stories include the man that beat his wife black and blue for associating with neighbours, the drunken worker at the St Helens chemical works that nearly caused an explosion, the very few patients at the new St Helens Hospital, Greenall's rent dinner and the Greenbank wife-beater who put the blame on his wife.
We begin on the 9th when a House of Commons Select Committee heard evidence in support of the construction of a planned new railway line from St Helens to Warrington.
This required parliamentary approval but the committee ruled that the promoters of the scheme had not sufficiently proved their case and rejected the application without bothering to hear from any objectors.
Since Charles Duval had taken over the running of the St Helens theatre in the premises we know as the Citadel, he'd renamed the former music hall the 'New Theatre Royal and Opera House'.
Plays were now its staple entertainment, along with occasional operatic performances.
However, exceptions were made and on the 9th the Castro Brothers performed what was described as "an entirely new and elegant acrobatic entertainment".
There had been some trouble in the theatre earlier in the year that rowdy youths had caused. And so their ad in the Newspaper said: "Order Strictly Preserved".
Immediately under the advert from the Theatre Royal, sex was for sale. A very brief notice said:
"TO PIG KEEPERS. A FINE BLACK BOAR, of Prize Breed. Terms, 3s. 6d. cash, 5s. if booked. – Apply to Mr Charles White, farmer, Rainford."
The 1871 census states that the man with the fine black boar lived at Delf Farm in Gores Lane in Crank.
There was an unusual prosecution of a wife-beater on the 10th. It was unusual because of its outcome with William Partington from Sandfield Crescent in Greenbank being sent to prison.
That was in spite of the injuries that he inflicted on his wife not being very severe – the usual prerequisite for prison.
What was usual was the man attempting to deflect criticism of his own behaviour by claiming his wife took to drink.
Not only were such claims routinely exaggerated but they were hypocritical. The husband felt he could drink as much as he liked – but his wife could not touch a drop.
And who would blame a badly treated wife from taking the odd drink? Well, the magistrates unfortunately would and so strenuous efforts were made in the case to disprove the husband's allegations.
William Partington's wife, Alice, brought a neighbour, Jane Yates, to court. She stated that she had never seen Mrs Partington drinking but had often heard her husband accuse her of being intoxicated when she wasn't.
Mrs Yates also gave evidence of seeing Alice being assaulted and although her injuries had never been severe, Mrs Partington was able to tell the Bench that she bore marks and bruises from her husband's assaults.
William was also seeing another woman who he had flaunted in the presence of his wife.
A neighbour called Mary Fildes said some of the residents of Sandfield Crescent had been so disgusted by William Partington's behaviour that they'd attacked him and his girlfriend.
The defendant was sentenced to a month in prison which seemed to come as a shock to him. The Newspaper wrote that it appeared to "affect the prisoner very deeply".
St Helens Hospital had opened its doors in January – but was not exactly overwhelmed by patients!
The Newspaper reported on the 10th that there were presently just six persons being treated in the Peasley Cross infirmary.
Three cases involved fractures, another was of bronchitis, a further patient had severe burns and another had a leg ulcer.
Having to pay for their stay deterred the injured and sick from going to the hospital and others were set in their ways.
If someone had an accident or became ill they would automatically be taken to their home and a doctor brought to them.
People preferred to be in their own bed and it took a lot of persuasion that better care could be given in hospital.
Even when a penny-a-week insurance scheme was introduced, it remained standard practice for someone to be taken home if involved in an accident.
Some doctors were unconvinced of the necessity of the new hospital and needed to be persuaded of its merits.
This week in the Newspaper a number of testimonials were published and this is what Dr Arthur Jamison of College Street had to say:
"I have been over the Hospital this morning, and am very greatly pleased with all its arrangements, and the patients themselves prefer being there to their own homes. They are all scrupulously clean and show that they are carefully attended to.
"The wards and beds are very comfortable, the former having plenty of light and being well ventilated. For the class of cases in it, I think the Hospital affords them a much better hope of recovery than in their own houses, and I think also that it compares very favourable with most of the large hospitals I have visited."
A tenter was the name for the man in charge of some machinery in a factory – a responsible position as there was little automation then.
A boiler tenter looked after steam boilers, which needed careful monitoring to ensure their safe operation.
On the 12th Thomas Carey appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions charged with deserting his duty and leaving his boilers at the Sutton Alkali Works liable to explode.
Also known as Kurtz & Co after its owner Andrew Kurtz, the Sutton Alkali plant was one of the largest chemical factories in the area producing soda and bleaching powder off Warrington New Road.
In the 1871 census Thomas Carey was aged 27 and living in Glover Street in St Helens.
In court it was stated that Carey had been left in charge of three boilers overnight but had instead deserted them and got drunk.
While he was absent the night watchman found the boilers registering an unusually high pressure of steam and giving off an alarm.
Carey returned shortly afterwards but instead of fixing the problem he climbed on to the top of the boilers and lay down to sleep.
Many workers then lived near their jobs and the watchman was able to quickly knock up an engineer to deal with the boilers before an explosion occurred.
The prosecution stated that twelve months ago there had been a boiler explosion in St Helens that had killed several men.
And only prompt action by the watchman and the engineer had prevented a repeat of the tragedy at the Sutton Alkali Works.
The magistrates sent Thomas Carey to prison for a fortnight for his negligence.
Also on that day Samuel Fillingham was charged with assaulting his wife Elizabeth.
She told the court that on the previous Thursday morning when her husband came home, he had knocked her down without a word and subsequently sold off their household goods. After that he had beaten her "black and blue".
The defence case was that the woman had associated with certain neighbours "in defiance of her husband's wish" and he was "naturally wroth".
As the couple had only been married ten months, the Bench said they thought there ought to be a settlement between them. The Newspaper wrote: "The parties went outside to settle their differences."
I don't remember much of my confirmation service at church, apart from being instructed in advance not to put Brylcreem on my hair so that the bishop would not get sticky hands!
That, no doubt, was not an issue on the 13th when the Right Reverend Dr Jacobson, the Bishop of Chester, visited St Helens to confirm 500 kids.
That's a lot of heads to place his paws on, with the children belonging to St Helens Parish Church, Holy Trinity Parr Mount, Ravenhead, St Thomas' and Rainford churches.
And finally, Greenall's rent dinner was held on the 13th at the old Fleece Hotel in Church Street (pictured above in later years).
It was a tradition for licensees to pay the rent on their houses every six months and in return the brewery gave them a dinner.
As well as a sumptuous meal for the 260 guests to enjoy, there were many toasts, including ingratiating ones to the host of the event, Gilbert Greenall. It always paid to suck up to the boss!
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the dead baby in the canal, the Prescot watch movement maker who made boys work at night, an attack on the honesty of St Helens shop assistants and the obscene street singer in Shaw Street.
We begin on the 9th when a House of Commons Select Committee heard evidence in support of the construction of a planned new railway line from St Helens to Warrington.
This required parliamentary approval but the committee ruled that the promoters of the scheme had not sufficiently proved their case and rejected the application without bothering to hear from any objectors.
Since Charles Duval had taken over the running of the St Helens theatre in the premises we know as the Citadel, he'd renamed the former music hall the 'New Theatre Royal and Opera House'.
Plays were now its staple entertainment, along with occasional operatic performances.
However, exceptions were made and on the 9th the Castro Brothers performed what was described as "an entirely new and elegant acrobatic entertainment".
There had been some trouble in the theatre earlier in the year that rowdy youths had caused. And so their ad in the Newspaper said: "Order Strictly Preserved".
Immediately under the advert from the Theatre Royal, sex was for sale. A very brief notice said:
"TO PIG KEEPERS. A FINE BLACK BOAR, of Prize Breed. Terms, 3s. 6d. cash, 5s. if booked. – Apply to Mr Charles White, farmer, Rainford."
The 1871 census states that the man with the fine black boar lived at Delf Farm in Gores Lane in Crank.
There was an unusual prosecution of a wife-beater on the 10th. It was unusual because of its outcome with William Partington from Sandfield Crescent in Greenbank being sent to prison.
That was in spite of the injuries that he inflicted on his wife not being very severe – the usual prerequisite for prison.
What was usual was the man attempting to deflect criticism of his own behaviour by claiming his wife took to drink.
Not only were such claims routinely exaggerated but they were hypocritical. The husband felt he could drink as much as he liked – but his wife could not touch a drop.
And who would blame a badly treated wife from taking the odd drink? Well, the magistrates unfortunately would and so strenuous efforts were made in the case to disprove the husband's allegations.
William Partington's wife, Alice, brought a neighbour, Jane Yates, to court. She stated that she had never seen Mrs Partington drinking but had often heard her husband accuse her of being intoxicated when she wasn't.
Mrs Yates also gave evidence of seeing Alice being assaulted and although her injuries had never been severe, Mrs Partington was able to tell the Bench that she bore marks and bruises from her husband's assaults.
William was also seeing another woman who he had flaunted in the presence of his wife.
A neighbour called Mary Fildes said some of the residents of Sandfield Crescent had been so disgusted by William Partington's behaviour that they'd attacked him and his girlfriend.
The defendant was sentenced to a month in prison which seemed to come as a shock to him. The Newspaper wrote that it appeared to "affect the prisoner very deeply".
St Helens Hospital had opened its doors in January – but was not exactly overwhelmed by patients!
The Newspaper reported on the 10th that there were presently just six persons being treated in the Peasley Cross infirmary.
Three cases involved fractures, another was of bronchitis, a further patient had severe burns and another had a leg ulcer.
Having to pay for their stay deterred the injured and sick from going to the hospital and others were set in their ways.
If someone had an accident or became ill they would automatically be taken to their home and a doctor brought to them.
People preferred to be in their own bed and it took a lot of persuasion that better care could be given in hospital.
Even when a penny-a-week insurance scheme was introduced, it remained standard practice for someone to be taken home if involved in an accident.
Some doctors were unconvinced of the necessity of the new hospital and needed to be persuaded of its merits.
This week in the Newspaper a number of testimonials were published and this is what Dr Arthur Jamison of College Street had to say:
"I have been over the Hospital this morning, and am very greatly pleased with all its arrangements, and the patients themselves prefer being there to their own homes. They are all scrupulously clean and show that they are carefully attended to.
"The wards and beds are very comfortable, the former having plenty of light and being well ventilated. For the class of cases in it, I think the Hospital affords them a much better hope of recovery than in their own houses, and I think also that it compares very favourable with most of the large hospitals I have visited."
A tenter was the name for the man in charge of some machinery in a factory – a responsible position as there was little automation then.
A boiler tenter looked after steam boilers, which needed careful monitoring to ensure their safe operation.
On the 12th Thomas Carey appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions charged with deserting his duty and leaving his boilers at the Sutton Alkali Works liable to explode.
Also known as Kurtz & Co after its owner Andrew Kurtz, the Sutton Alkali plant was one of the largest chemical factories in the area producing soda and bleaching powder off Warrington New Road.
In the 1871 census Thomas Carey was aged 27 and living in Glover Street in St Helens.
In court it was stated that Carey had been left in charge of three boilers overnight but had instead deserted them and got drunk.
While he was absent the night watchman found the boilers registering an unusually high pressure of steam and giving off an alarm.
Carey returned shortly afterwards but instead of fixing the problem he climbed on to the top of the boilers and lay down to sleep.
Many workers then lived near their jobs and the watchman was able to quickly knock up an engineer to deal with the boilers before an explosion occurred.
The prosecution stated that twelve months ago there had been a boiler explosion in St Helens that had killed several men.
And only prompt action by the watchman and the engineer had prevented a repeat of the tragedy at the Sutton Alkali Works.
The magistrates sent Thomas Carey to prison for a fortnight for his negligence.
Also on that day Samuel Fillingham was charged with assaulting his wife Elizabeth.
She told the court that on the previous Thursday morning when her husband came home, he had knocked her down without a word and subsequently sold off their household goods. After that he had beaten her "black and blue".
The defence case was that the woman had associated with certain neighbours "in defiance of her husband's wish" and he was "naturally wroth".
As the couple had only been married ten months, the Bench said they thought there ought to be a settlement between them. The Newspaper wrote: "The parties went outside to settle their differences."
I don't remember much of my confirmation service at church, apart from being instructed in advance not to put Brylcreem on my hair so that the bishop would not get sticky hands!
That, no doubt, was not an issue on the 13th when the Right Reverend Dr Jacobson, the Bishop of Chester, visited St Helens to confirm 500 kids.
That's a lot of heads to place his paws on, with the children belonging to St Helens Parish Church, Holy Trinity Parr Mount, Ravenhead, St Thomas' and Rainford churches.
It was a tradition for licensees to pay the rent on their houses every six months and in return the brewery gave them a dinner.
As well as a sumptuous meal for the 260 guests to enjoy, there were many toasts, including ingratiating ones to the host of the event, Gilbert Greenall. It always paid to suck up to the boss!
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the dead baby in the canal, the Prescot watch movement maker who made boys work at night, an attack on the honesty of St Helens shop assistants and the obscene street singer in Shaw Street.