150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 13 - 19 JULY 1876
This week's many stories include Rainford Cow Club's annual nosh up, St Helens Police's yearly inspection, the St Helens Athletic Sports takes place, the encroachment on Thatto Heath land, the notorious Feigh family return to court and the chain of events that began when a drunk fell over in North Road.
If you were thinking of committing a crime in St Helens this week, then the morning of the 13th would have been ideal! That was because for a period there were only three police officers on duty for the whole town, as the rest of the men were having their annual inspection.
They comprised 51 policemen and all – apart from a few who were sick or had been granted leave – were "put through a number of evolutions" by a sergeant, as the St Helens Newspaper put it. In other words, they were drilled as if they were soldiers and the deputy Chief Constable of Lancashire after inspecting the cells and offices said he was highly satisfied with what he had witnessed. The Newspaper added that the men had appeared in their new uniforms and had looked very smart and neat.
On the 15th the Newspaper described how the miners of St Helens had gone on strike, although the "turn-out" was expected to be very short-lived. The "masters" had decided to introduce a 15% pay cut because of a fall in the price of coal on world markets.
That often occurred and the men would usually fight the reduction through a lengthy strike – but then poverty would drive them back to work on the new terms. But in this instance, pragmatism had set in and it was expected that the men would return to their dangerous jobs in a day or two.
It looks like we've seen the end of Denis or Dennis Feigh in these articles. He was one of the most notorious characters in St Helens during the 1860s and ‘70s who had at least 73 convictions. Often known as the "irrepressible Denis", in reality he was a bit of a comical character whose crimes were mainly drunkenness and minor thefts.
However, there was a serious consequence to his activities. Denis's notoriety meant his three sons, John, James and Patrick, had no chance in life and they would often be brought to court charged with begging or stealing. Their mother Margaret Feigh was not much better.
She was also regularly in front of the magistrates charged with drunkenness and she rarely worked. On one occasion when in court, the police had told the Bench that Margaret was a "bad character", adding: "The whole family live by begging, except the father, who drank all he can earn."
However, when James Feigh appeared in court again this week charged with being drunk and incapable, the Newspaper said he was the "son of the late celebrated Dennis Feigh". PC Sheriff told the magistrates that he had apprehended James in Parr and his brother John had tried to prevent the arrest. And so the constable arrested him as well and handcuffed both brothers together.
But getting the pair to the police station was not easy, as a large, boisterous crowd had followed them along Church Street. James was fined 10 shillings and costs for his drunkenness and the Newspaper said: "John, for his share in the affair, and by way of commemorating his thirteenth appearance, was fined 40s and costs, or two months' imprisonment."
That almost certainly meant more prison time for John Feigh. The Newspaper's headline to their report was "The Notorious 'Feighs' Again!", although with Denis's death they would now only have four members of the family to write about.
In 1870 the Newspaper had stated that an event held on the field of St Helens Cricket Club in Dentons Green had been "the first athletic sports of any importance that ever came off in St. Helens". It became an annual event and the seventh such contest took place on the 15th with £150 in prizes available. Flat, hurdle and steeplechase races were held and the mayor distributed the prizes to the winners.
The weather was very hot with the heat described as "exceedingly excessive and oppressive" and those sitting in the grandstand were using umbrellas to ward off the sun. The Newspaper wrote that as a consequence, the stand appeared as one mass of uplifted umbrellas from one end to the other.
On the 17th the annual dinner of the Rainford Cow Club took place. The Newspaper stated that the club "dates its establishment back to a time not within the memory of the oldest inhabitant." The event was held at the Eagle and Child Inn and all but three of the club's 71 members attended.
Essentially, the club was a friendly society for cows, which were insured for a quarterly payment of 2 shillings. Upon the beast's untimely death, the farmer was paid £8 and he could also sell off its carcass.
After revealing the satisfactory state of the club's books, the Newspaper wrote: "The remainder of the evening being devoted to congratulatory speeches and harmony by several of the members present."
In a hearing in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 17th, William Fairclough was charged with being drunk and disorderly and assaulting and resisting PC Gibb. The constable stated that at 10:30pm on the previous Saturday night in North Road, he had seen Fairclough staggering about before falling down. He said he had attempted to pick him up but the man struck him twice with a stick.
As PC Gibb attempted to apprehend Fairclough, James and William Rigby and several other men set upon him. At this point the Rev Carl Mermergen came on the scene. The curate lived in North Road and although born in Germany, he had become a naturalised British citizen. Rev Mermergen persuaded PC Gibb to let Fairclough go upon getting his name, so that he could summon him to court at a later time.
But 25 minutes later, the officer said the Rigbys and others had set upon him again while he was patrolling Windle City. James Rigby had a tin can partly filled with ale, which he used as a weapon to strike the policeman with. PC Gibb said he was hit two or three times in the face by the can and blood had flowed freely.
Both James and William Rigby also faced charges, as well as a woman called Ann Houghton. She said she had seen the constable hold William Fairclough down on the ground and then strike him twice with his staff. Mrs Houghton told the court that she had only remonstrated with the constable and in response he had said she would be summoned for interfering.
But PC Gibb stated that when he had Fairclough in custody, she had seized the officer by the neck, struck him in his face and attempted to free his prisoner. The Rigby brothers were both fined 20 shillings and costs, or if in default, they had to serve a month in prison and Mrs Houghton was fined 10 shillings and costs. And William Fairclough, whose staggering about North Road had started the whole bother in the first place, was fined 10 shillings for his drunkenness and another 10 bob for interfering with the constable.
In 1870 the St Helens Newspaper had been vociferous in its opposition to landowners fencing off parts of Thatto Heath as they tried to lay claim to public land. Much of the district was then heathland and the editor of the paper had attempted to form a local branch of the Commons Preservation Society in order to preserve Thatto Heath for the public.
Just whether he had been successful, I never did learn but it does not seem that such a group was formed. However, on the 19th at a meeting of the council's Highways Committee, their road surveyor reported that in carrying out the instructions of the committee in taking down some railings in Thatto Heath, the workmen involved had been assaulted.
A Mr Menzie had encroached upon the heath and to stake his claim to the land had positioned wooden railings around it. After a discussion, the meeting decided that the Town Clerk should take proceedings against Menzie for his illegal encroachment with a view to having the matter finally and definitely settled in court.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the fire at Rainhill that destroyed an oil and tar works, the violent customer in a Marshalls Cross beerhouse, the slag attack in Pocket Nook and the two young men who were separately drowned in a single afternoon.
If you were thinking of committing a crime in St Helens this week, then the morning of the 13th would have been ideal! That was because for a period there were only three police officers on duty for the whole town, as the rest of the men were having their annual inspection.
They comprised 51 policemen and all – apart from a few who were sick or had been granted leave – were "put through a number of evolutions" by a sergeant, as the St Helens Newspaper put it. In other words, they were drilled as if they were soldiers and the deputy Chief Constable of Lancashire after inspecting the cells and offices said he was highly satisfied with what he had witnessed. The Newspaper added that the men had appeared in their new uniforms and had looked very smart and neat.
On the 15th the Newspaper described how the miners of St Helens had gone on strike, although the "turn-out" was expected to be very short-lived. The "masters" had decided to introduce a 15% pay cut because of a fall in the price of coal on world markets.
That often occurred and the men would usually fight the reduction through a lengthy strike – but then poverty would drive them back to work on the new terms. But in this instance, pragmatism had set in and it was expected that the men would return to their dangerous jobs in a day or two.
It looks like we've seen the end of Denis or Dennis Feigh in these articles. He was one of the most notorious characters in St Helens during the 1860s and ‘70s who had at least 73 convictions. Often known as the "irrepressible Denis", in reality he was a bit of a comical character whose crimes were mainly drunkenness and minor thefts.
However, there was a serious consequence to his activities. Denis's notoriety meant his three sons, John, James and Patrick, had no chance in life and they would often be brought to court charged with begging or stealing. Their mother Margaret Feigh was not much better.
She was also regularly in front of the magistrates charged with drunkenness and she rarely worked. On one occasion when in court, the police had told the Bench that Margaret was a "bad character", adding: "The whole family live by begging, except the father, who drank all he can earn."
However, when James Feigh appeared in court again this week charged with being drunk and incapable, the Newspaper said he was the "son of the late celebrated Dennis Feigh". PC Sheriff told the magistrates that he had apprehended James in Parr and his brother John had tried to prevent the arrest. And so the constable arrested him as well and handcuffed both brothers together.
But getting the pair to the police station was not easy, as a large, boisterous crowd had followed them along Church Street. James was fined 10 shillings and costs for his drunkenness and the Newspaper said: "John, for his share in the affair, and by way of commemorating his thirteenth appearance, was fined 40s and costs, or two months' imprisonment."
That almost certainly meant more prison time for John Feigh. The Newspaper's headline to their report was "The Notorious 'Feighs' Again!", although with Denis's death they would now only have four members of the family to write about.
In 1870 the Newspaper had stated that an event held on the field of St Helens Cricket Club in Dentons Green had been "the first athletic sports of any importance that ever came off in St. Helens". It became an annual event and the seventh such contest took place on the 15th with £150 in prizes available. Flat, hurdle and steeplechase races were held and the mayor distributed the prizes to the winners.
The weather was very hot with the heat described as "exceedingly excessive and oppressive" and those sitting in the grandstand were using umbrellas to ward off the sun. The Newspaper wrote that as a consequence, the stand appeared as one mass of uplifted umbrellas from one end to the other.
Essentially, the club was a friendly society for cows, which were insured for a quarterly payment of 2 shillings. Upon the beast's untimely death, the farmer was paid £8 and he could also sell off its carcass.
After revealing the satisfactory state of the club's books, the Newspaper wrote: "The remainder of the evening being devoted to congratulatory speeches and harmony by several of the members present."
In a hearing in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 17th, William Fairclough was charged with being drunk and disorderly and assaulting and resisting PC Gibb. The constable stated that at 10:30pm on the previous Saturday night in North Road, he had seen Fairclough staggering about before falling down. He said he had attempted to pick him up but the man struck him twice with a stick.
As PC Gibb attempted to apprehend Fairclough, James and William Rigby and several other men set upon him. At this point the Rev Carl Mermergen came on the scene. The curate lived in North Road and although born in Germany, he had become a naturalised British citizen. Rev Mermergen persuaded PC Gibb to let Fairclough go upon getting his name, so that he could summon him to court at a later time.
But 25 minutes later, the officer said the Rigbys and others had set upon him again while he was patrolling Windle City. James Rigby had a tin can partly filled with ale, which he used as a weapon to strike the policeman with. PC Gibb said he was hit two or three times in the face by the can and blood had flowed freely.
Both James and William Rigby also faced charges, as well as a woman called Ann Houghton. She said she had seen the constable hold William Fairclough down on the ground and then strike him twice with his staff. Mrs Houghton told the court that she had only remonstrated with the constable and in response he had said she would be summoned for interfering.
But PC Gibb stated that when he had Fairclough in custody, she had seized the officer by the neck, struck him in his face and attempted to free his prisoner. The Rigby brothers were both fined 20 shillings and costs, or if in default, they had to serve a month in prison and Mrs Houghton was fined 10 shillings and costs. And William Fairclough, whose staggering about North Road had started the whole bother in the first place, was fined 10 shillings for his drunkenness and another 10 bob for interfering with the constable.
In 1870 the St Helens Newspaper had been vociferous in its opposition to landowners fencing off parts of Thatto Heath as they tried to lay claim to public land. Much of the district was then heathland and the editor of the paper had attempted to form a local branch of the Commons Preservation Society in order to preserve Thatto Heath for the public.
Just whether he had been successful, I never did learn but it does not seem that such a group was formed. However, on the 19th at a meeting of the council's Highways Committee, their road surveyor reported that in carrying out the instructions of the committee in taking down some railings in Thatto Heath, the workmen involved had been assaulted.
A Mr Menzie had encroached upon the heath and to stake his claim to the land had positioned wooden railings around it. After a discussion, the meeting decided that the Town Clerk should take proceedings against Menzie for his illegal encroachment with a view to having the matter finally and definitely settled in court.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the fire at Rainhill that destroyed an oil and tar works, the violent customer in a Marshalls Cross beerhouse, the slag attack in Pocket Nook and the two young men who were separately drowned in a single afternoon.
This week's many stories include Rainford Cow Club's annual nosh up, St Helens Police's yearly inspection, the St Helens Athletic Sports takes place, the encroachment on Thatto Heath land, the notorious Feigh family return to court and the chain of events that began when a drunk fell over in North Road.
If you were thinking of committing a crime in St Helens this week, then the morning of the 13th would have been ideal!
That was because for a period there were only three police officers on duty for the whole town, as the rest of the men were having their annual inspection.
They comprised 51 policemen and all – apart from a few who were sick or had been granted leave – were "put through a number of evolutions" by a sergeant, as the St Helens Newspaper put it.
In other words, they were drilled as if they were soldiers and the deputy Chief Constable of Lancashire after inspecting the cells and offices said he was highly satisfied with what he had witnessed.
The Newspaper added that the men had appeared in their new uniforms and had looked very smart and neat.
On the 15th the Newspaper described how the miners of St Helens had gone on strike, although the "turn-out" was expected to be very short-lived.
The "masters" had decided to introduce a 15% pay cut because of a fall in the price of coal on world markets.
That often occurred and the men would usually fight the reduction through a lengthy strike – but then poverty would drive them back to work on the new terms.
But in this instance, pragmatism had set in and it was expected that the men would return to their dangerous jobs in a day or two.
It looks like we've seen the end of Denis or Dennis Feigh in these articles. He was one of the most notorious characters in St Helens during the 1860s and ‘70s who had at least 73 convictions.
Often known as the "irrepressible Denis", in reality he was a bit of a comical character whose crimes were mainly drunkenness and minor thefts.
However, there was a serious consequence to his activities. Denis's notoriety meant his three sons, John, James and Patrick, had no chance in life and they would often be brought to court charged with begging or stealing.
Their mother Margaret Feigh was not much better. She was also regularly in front of the magistrates charged with drunkenness and she rarely worked.
On one occasion when in court, the police had told the Bench that Margaret was a "bad character", adding:
"The whole family live by begging, except the father, who drank all he can earn."
However, when James Feigh appeared in court again this week charged with being drunk and incapable, the Newspaper said he was the "son of the late celebrated Dennis Feigh".
PC Sheriff told the magistrates that he had apprehended James in Parr and his brother John had tried to prevent the arrest.
And so the constable arrested him as well and handcuffed both brothers together.
But getting the pair to the police station was not easy, as a large, boisterous crowd had followed them along Church Street.
James was fined 10 shillings and costs for his drunkenness and the Newspaper said:
"John, for his share in the affair, and by way of commemorating his thirteenth appearance, was fined 40s and costs, or two months' imprisonment."
That almost certainly meant more prison time for John Feigh.
The Newspaper's headline to their report was "The Notorious 'Feighs' Again!", although with Denis's death they would now only have four members of the family to write about.
In 1870 the Newspaper had stated that an event held on the field of St Helens Cricket Club in Dentons Green had been "the first athletic sports of any importance that ever came off in St. Helens".
It became an annual event and the seventh such contest took place on the 15th with £150 in prizes available. Flat, hurdle and steeplechase races were held and the mayor distributed the prizes to the winners.
The weather was very hot with the heat described as "exceedingly excessive and oppressive" and those sitting in the grandstand were using umbrellas to ward off the sun.
The Newspaper wrote that as a consequence, the stand appeared as one mass of uplifted umbrellas from one end to the other.
On the 17th the annual dinner of the Rainford Cow Club took place.
The Newspaper stated that the club "dates its establishment back to a time not within the memory of the oldest inhabitant."
The event was held at the Eagle and Child Inn and all but three of the club's 71 members attended.
Essentially, the club was a friendly society for cows, which were insured for a quarterly payment of 2 shillings.
Upon the beast's untimely death, the farmer was paid £8 and he could also sell off its carcass.
After revealing the satisfactory state of the club's books, the Newspaper wrote: "The remainder of the evening being devoted to congratulatory speeches and harmony by several of the members present."
In a hearing in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 17th, William Fairclough was charged with being drunk and disorderly and assaulting and resisting PC Gibb.
The constable stated that at 10:30pm on the previous Saturday night in North Road, he had seen Fairclough staggering about before falling down.
He said he had attempted to pick him up but the man struck him twice with a stick.
As PC Gibb attempted to apprehend Fairclough, James and William Rigby and several other men set upon him. At this point the Rev Carl Mermergen came on the scene.
The curate lived in North Road and although born in Germany, he had become a naturalised British citizen.
Rev Mermergen persuaded PC Gibb to let Fairclough go upon getting his name, so that he could summon him to court at a later time.
But 25 minutes later, the officer said the Rigbys and others had set upon him again while he was patrolling Windle City.
James Rigby had a tin can partly filled with ale, which he used as a weapon to strike the policeman with.
PC Gibb said he was hit two or three times in the face by the can and blood had flowed freely.
Both James and William Rigby also faced charges, as well as a woman called Ann Houghton.
She said she had seen the constable hold William Fairclough down on the ground and then strike him twice with his staff.
Mrs Houghton told the court that she had only remonstrated with the constable and in response he had said she would be summoned for interfering.
But PC Gibb stated that when he had Fairclough in custody, she had seized the officer by the neck, struck him in his face and attempted to free his prisoner.
The Rigby brothers were both fined 20 shillings and costs, or if in default, they had to serve a month in prison and Mrs Houghton was fined 10 shillings and costs.
And William Fairclough, whose staggering about North Road had started the whole bother in the first place, was fined 10 shillings for his drunkenness and another 10 bob for interfering with the constable.
In 1870 the St Helens Newspaper had been vociferous in its opposition to landowners fencing off parts of Thatto Heath as they tried to lay claim to public land.
Much of the district was then heathland and the editor of the paper had attempted to form a local branch of the Commons Preservation Society in order to preserve Thatto Heath for the public.
Just whether he had been successful, I never did learn but it does not seem that such a group was formed.
However, on the 19th at a meeting of the council's Highways Committee, their road surveyor reported that in carrying out the instructions of the committee in taking down some railings in Thatto Heath, the workmen involved had been assaulted.
A Mr Menzie had encroached upon the heath and to stake his claim to the land had positioned wooden railings around it.
After a discussion, the meeting decided that the Town Clerk should take proceedings against Menzie for his illegal encroachment with a view to having the matter finally and definitely settled in court.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the fire at Rainhill that destroyed an oil and tar works, the violent customer in a Marshalls Cross beerhouse, the slag attack in Pocket Nook and the two young men who were separately drowned in a single afternoon.
If you were thinking of committing a crime in St Helens this week, then the morning of the 13th would have been ideal!
That was because for a period there were only three police officers on duty for the whole town, as the rest of the men were having their annual inspection.
They comprised 51 policemen and all – apart from a few who were sick or had been granted leave – were "put through a number of evolutions" by a sergeant, as the St Helens Newspaper put it.
In other words, they were drilled as if they were soldiers and the deputy Chief Constable of Lancashire after inspecting the cells and offices said he was highly satisfied with what he had witnessed.
The Newspaper added that the men had appeared in their new uniforms and had looked very smart and neat.
On the 15th the Newspaper described how the miners of St Helens had gone on strike, although the "turn-out" was expected to be very short-lived.
The "masters" had decided to introduce a 15% pay cut because of a fall in the price of coal on world markets.
That often occurred and the men would usually fight the reduction through a lengthy strike – but then poverty would drive them back to work on the new terms.
But in this instance, pragmatism had set in and it was expected that the men would return to their dangerous jobs in a day or two.
It looks like we've seen the end of Denis or Dennis Feigh in these articles. He was one of the most notorious characters in St Helens during the 1860s and ‘70s who had at least 73 convictions.
Often known as the "irrepressible Denis", in reality he was a bit of a comical character whose crimes were mainly drunkenness and minor thefts.
However, there was a serious consequence to his activities. Denis's notoriety meant his three sons, John, James and Patrick, had no chance in life and they would often be brought to court charged with begging or stealing.
Their mother Margaret Feigh was not much better. She was also regularly in front of the magistrates charged with drunkenness and she rarely worked.
On one occasion when in court, the police had told the Bench that Margaret was a "bad character", adding:
"The whole family live by begging, except the father, who drank all he can earn."
However, when James Feigh appeared in court again this week charged with being drunk and incapable, the Newspaper said he was the "son of the late celebrated Dennis Feigh".
PC Sheriff told the magistrates that he had apprehended James in Parr and his brother John had tried to prevent the arrest.
And so the constable arrested him as well and handcuffed both brothers together.
But getting the pair to the police station was not easy, as a large, boisterous crowd had followed them along Church Street.
James was fined 10 shillings and costs for his drunkenness and the Newspaper said:
"John, for his share in the affair, and by way of commemorating his thirteenth appearance, was fined 40s and costs, or two months' imprisonment."
That almost certainly meant more prison time for John Feigh.
The Newspaper's headline to their report was "The Notorious 'Feighs' Again!", although with Denis's death they would now only have four members of the family to write about.
In 1870 the Newspaper had stated that an event held on the field of St Helens Cricket Club in Dentons Green had been "the first athletic sports of any importance that ever came off in St. Helens".
It became an annual event and the seventh such contest took place on the 15th with £150 in prizes available. Flat, hurdle and steeplechase races were held and the mayor distributed the prizes to the winners.
The weather was very hot with the heat described as "exceedingly excessive and oppressive" and those sitting in the grandstand were using umbrellas to ward off the sun.
The Newspaper wrote that as a consequence, the stand appeared as one mass of uplifted umbrellas from one end to the other.
On the 17th the annual dinner of the Rainford Cow Club took place.
The Newspaper stated that the club "dates its establishment back to a time not within the memory of the oldest inhabitant."
Essentially, the club was a friendly society for cows, which were insured for a quarterly payment of 2 shillings.
Upon the beast's untimely death, the farmer was paid £8 and he could also sell off its carcass.
After revealing the satisfactory state of the club's books, the Newspaper wrote: "The remainder of the evening being devoted to congratulatory speeches and harmony by several of the members present."
In a hearing in St Helens Petty Sessions on the 17th, William Fairclough was charged with being drunk and disorderly and assaulting and resisting PC Gibb.
The constable stated that at 10:30pm on the previous Saturday night in North Road, he had seen Fairclough staggering about before falling down.
He said he had attempted to pick him up but the man struck him twice with a stick.
As PC Gibb attempted to apprehend Fairclough, James and William Rigby and several other men set upon him. At this point the Rev Carl Mermergen came on the scene.
The curate lived in North Road and although born in Germany, he had become a naturalised British citizen.
Rev Mermergen persuaded PC Gibb to let Fairclough go upon getting his name, so that he could summon him to court at a later time.
But 25 minutes later, the officer said the Rigbys and others had set upon him again while he was patrolling Windle City.
James Rigby had a tin can partly filled with ale, which he used as a weapon to strike the policeman with.
PC Gibb said he was hit two or three times in the face by the can and blood had flowed freely.
Both James and William Rigby also faced charges, as well as a woman called Ann Houghton.
She said she had seen the constable hold William Fairclough down on the ground and then strike him twice with his staff.
Mrs Houghton told the court that she had only remonstrated with the constable and in response he had said she would be summoned for interfering.
But PC Gibb stated that when he had Fairclough in custody, she had seized the officer by the neck, struck him in his face and attempted to free his prisoner.
The Rigby brothers were both fined 20 shillings and costs, or if in default, they had to serve a month in prison and Mrs Houghton was fined 10 shillings and costs.
And William Fairclough, whose staggering about North Road had started the whole bother in the first place, was fined 10 shillings for his drunkenness and another 10 bob for interfering with the constable.
In 1870 the St Helens Newspaper had been vociferous in its opposition to landowners fencing off parts of Thatto Heath as they tried to lay claim to public land.
Much of the district was then heathland and the editor of the paper had attempted to form a local branch of the Commons Preservation Society in order to preserve Thatto Heath for the public.
Just whether he had been successful, I never did learn but it does not seem that such a group was formed.
However, on the 19th at a meeting of the council's Highways Committee, their road surveyor reported that in carrying out the instructions of the committee in taking down some railings in Thatto Heath, the workmen involved had been assaulted.
A Mr Menzie had encroached upon the heath and to stake his claim to the land had positioned wooden railings around it.
After a discussion, the meeting decided that the Town Clerk should take proceedings against Menzie for his illegal encroachment with a view to having the matter finally and definitely settled in court.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the fire at Rainhill that destroyed an oil and tar works, the violent customer in a Marshalls Cross beerhouse, the slag attack in Pocket Nook and the two young men who were separately drowned in a single afternoon.