150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (17th - 23rd June 1869)
This week's stories include a fowl theft at Dentons Green, the brutal beater of his own father at Broad Oak returns to court, the Rainford parish clerk who officiated at 10,000 births, marriages and deaths, a fire at a foundry in Eccleston, the old Sutton Workhouse is discussed and the illegal swim in a glassworks reservoir.
We begin on the 17th when a lecture on the "evils of strong drink" was delivered at the Ragged School in Arthur Street, which used to be near Westfield Street. This had opened in 1861 to provide free schooling for the destitute street children of St Helens. The event was organised by the St Helens Temperance Life Boat Crew, who were described as an association of working men that were endeavouring to spread the principles of total abstinence.
The Prescot Board of Guardians also met on the 17th and discussed the old Sutton Workhouse building. Sherdley Primary School's playing fields now occupy the site of the workhouse that closed in 1843 with its inmates transferred to the new Whiston "super-workhouse". Since its closure the building had been used to house the first Sutton National School before that relocated to Ellamsbridge Road. The Guardians said if they delayed taking action the derelict building would soon be of no value and so the meeting decided to make enquiries about selling it off.
The meeting also heard that there was a case of smallpox at the Whiston Workhouse hospital and at least one case of fever. From time to time some skilled individual would become an inmate of the workhouse and the meeting heard that a joiner was currently a resident. The man had carried out many improvements within the house and grounds and the Chairman suggested that when he left he should be given £5 to buy some tools.
However the idea of giving money to a pauper did not go down well with one of the Guardians, who probably thought a public house would be the beneficiary! He instead suggested buying tools for the man and it was decided that a decision about this would be made at their next meeting.
Around 5am on the 18th there was a fire at James Varley's foundry in Gin Lane in Eccleston that caused damage to a building. It would take time for the horse-driven brigade to be notified of a blaze and then arrive at their destination. So large works had their own arrangements in place to deal with fires.
The St Helens Newspaper said Varley's men had "set to work with promptitude" and extinguished the fire within 30 minutes, just before the arrival of the brigade. Gin Lane, by the way, became part of Boundary Road.
This was published in the Wigan Observer on the 19th as an introduction to details of a forthcoming auction: "In the estate of the late Mr. Robert Lawton, blacksmith, of Rainford, deceased, who, during a long lifetime of sixty-two years, fulfilled the office of Parochial Clerk at the Chapel at Rainford, which office he held during eight incumbencies, and officiated at above ten thousand (!!!), marriages, baptisms, and burials. Occupying for eighty-three years a cottage adjacent to the venerable Chapel."
To use exclamation marks in such a way was very unusual indeed, with notices and advertisements normally very formal. There was only a small chapel in Rainford in 1869, with All Saints Church not consecrated until 1878. This led to Chapel Lane being renamed Church Road.
The Eccleston Reading and Recreation Society held a "grand soiree" on the 19th at Eccleston Lane Ends. A field was hired for "dancing and other amusements" with the Prescot Victoria Band providing the music.
The St Helens Petty Sessions were held on the 21st in which James Whelan, Peter Conroy and Thomas Crawley were charged with doing malicious damage to an embankment. It was claimed that they had knocked down brickwork in order to take a swim in a reservoir belonging to the London and Manchester Plate Glass Company. However the works manager estimated the damaged caused as only a penny and the young men were fined sixpence each, along with the cost of the damage and court costs.
The L&M Glass Company now owned the historic Ravenhead plant, as well as Sutton Glass Works, although I expect it was at the latter where the unauthorised bathing took place. The site straddled both sides of Lancots Lane and in total covered 210 acres, including five reservoirs capable of holding 18 million gallons of water.
Also in court were Ann and Catherine Judge who were charged with assaulting Ann Feeney at Windle. The St Helens Newspaper said: "The complainant deposed that they assaulted her in her own passage. They bit her and pulled a quantity of hair off her head, and generally ill used her in a very cruel way. The defendants did not offer any denial of the charge, but endeavoured to show that they were merely retaliating for former favours received."
The Newspaper added that a neighbour told the court that when she heard the row, she gathered her children and "housed them carefully, as the combatants fought with weapons on almost all occasions". The two women were bound over to keep the peace. In a separate case John Judge was also charged with assaulting Ann Feeney. This is how the St Helens Newspaper reported the case, which also references the fear of rabies that then prevailed:
"The complainant said the defendant and some others stood in a passage leading to her house, and when she expressed how much she would prefer an uninterrupted way to the house, the party attacked her. Several young women made bites at her, and as if afraid of hydrophobia, she told them she could bear anything but bites. Judge decided that his interference was necessary, and he gave her several blows, and would have given her more only he was suddenly overturned by her husband.
"A cry of “police” put an end to these hostilities for a while, but Judge appeared on the scene again, and demanded that the “Fenian” who had injured his “constitution” by knocking him down, would come out and fight him. Feeney, at the solicitation of his wife, declined, as she purposed bringing Judge before the magistrates. He was bound over."
William Eden from Parr returned to court charged with violently assaulting his father Henry at Broad Oak. The 24-year-old collier had made his first court appearance last week but his case had been remanded as his victim had been too badly injured to give evidence. Henry Eden told the court that he had been sat by the fire when his son entered his house demanding money.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote that after being unable to obtain any cash, William Eden then pulled his father off the chair, "smashed him to the floor, and kicked him very heavily, with clogs, about the head." Neighbour Ellen Wallworth told the Bench that she witnessed the attack and heard the father cry out that he was being killed. To that his son said: "Yes, and I will kill thee, owd devil".
Another neighbour called Ann Frodsham told the court that she saw the 55-year-old lying inside his own door in a pool of blood. She persuaded William Eden to leave the house, telling him that the toes of his clogs were wet with blood. However he later returned with a stone in his hand, saying he was going to break a window to re-enter the house and finish off his father.
Ann Frodsham said she called her husband who tried to persuade William Eden to go away but he refused and threatened him. So the brute was given a taste of his own medicine and had his jaw broken. When arrested and charged with the offence, PC Williamson said Eden remarked: "I did it, but I was drunk, or I shouldn't. I deserve six months for it." The prisoner had nothing to say in court and was committed for trial at the next Kirkdale quarter sessions in Liverpool. On July 14th he was given the six months sentence that he thought he deserved.
John Mercer was also in court in St Helens charged with stealing two hens from publican Jeremiah Haslam. Eagle-eyed PC Snape had seen Mercer coming from the direction of Dentons Green at quarter to three in the morning. Mercer's furtive manner made the bobby suspicious and after following the man for a while, he searched him and found the birds in his pockets. After lodging his prisoner in the police station, PC Snape traced the man's footsteps to Haslam's – presumably through the muddy state of the unpaved streets. Mercer was also committed for trial at the next Kirkdale quarter sessions.
A boy called John Johnson appeared in court charged with damaging a field of grass belonging to butcher Matthias Bailey of Windle. All the lad had done was walk on the field but it was enough to bring a prosecution. The St Helens Newspaper wrote: "The mother of the boy came forward, and although a decent-looking woman, she admitted that he had never been sent to any place of worship. The chairman gave her a very severe castigation for her criminal negligence, and, while pardoning the lad this time, warned her to look more closely after him in future."
Next week's stories will include the runaway pony in Prescot, the Hall Street publican's wife who got a black eye from her idle stepson, the Thatto Heath cart wheel suicide, the five bob thrashing in Eccleston Road and the two nosy women who spent the night watching a house in Bridge Street on the look out for infidelity.
We begin on the 17th when a lecture on the "evils of strong drink" was delivered at the Ragged School in Arthur Street, which used to be near Westfield Street. This had opened in 1861 to provide free schooling for the destitute street children of St Helens. The event was organised by the St Helens Temperance Life Boat Crew, who were described as an association of working men that were endeavouring to spread the principles of total abstinence.
The Prescot Board of Guardians also met on the 17th and discussed the old Sutton Workhouse building. Sherdley Primary School's playing fields now occupy the site of the workhouse that closed in 1843 with its inmates transferred to the new Whiston "super-workhouse". Since its closure the building had been used to house the first Sutton National School before that relocated to Ellamsbridge Road. The Guardians said if they delayed taking action the derelict building would soon be of no value and so the meeting decided to make enquiries about selling it off.
The meeting also heard that there was a case of smallpox at the Whiston Workhouse hospital and at least one case of fever. From time to time some skilled individual would become an inmate of the workhouse and the meeting heard that a joiner was currently a resident. The man had carried out many improvements within the house and grounds and the Chairman suggested that when he left he should be given £5 to buy some tools.
However the idea of giving money to a pauper did not go down well with one of the Guardians, who probably thought a public house would be the beneficiary! He instead suggested buying tools for the man and it was decided that a decision about this would be made at their next meeting.
Around 5am on the 18th there was a fire at James Varley's foundry in Gin Lane in Eccleston that caused damage to a building. It would take time for the horse-driven brigade to be notified of a blaze and then arrive at their destination. So large works had their own arrangements in place to deal with fires.
The St Helens Newspaper said Varley's men had "set to work with promptitude" and extinguished the fire within 30 minutes, just before the arrival of the brigade. Gin Lane, by the way, became part of Boundary Road.
To use exclamation marks in such a way was very unusual indeed, with notices and advertisements normally very formal. There was only a small chapel in Rainford in 1869, with All Saints Church not consecrated until 1878. This led to Chapel Lane being renamed Church Road.
The Eccleston Reading and Recreation Society held a "grand soiree" on the 19th at Eccleston Lane Ends. A field was hired for "dancing and other amusements" with the Prescot Victoria Band providing the music.
The St Helens Petty Sessions were held on the 21st in which James Whelan, Peter Conroy and Thomas Crawley were charged with doing malicious damage to an embankment. It was claimed that they had knocked down brickwork in order to take a swim in a reservoir belonging to the London and Manchester Plate Glass Company. However the works manager estimated the damaged caused as only a penny and the young men were fined sixpence each, along with the cost of the damage and court costs.
The L&M Glass Company now owned the historic Ravenhead plant, as well as Sutton Glass Works, although I expect it was at the latter where the unauthorised bathing took place. The site straddled both sides of Lancots Lane and in total covered 210 acres, including five reservoirs capable of holding 18 million gallons of water.
Also in court were Ann and Catherine Judge who were charged with assaulting Ann Feeney at Windle. The St Helens Newspaper said: "The complainant deposed that they assaulted her in her own passage. They bit her and pulled a quantity of hair off her head, and generally ill used her in a very cruel way. The defendants did not offer any denial of the charge, but endeavoured to show that they were merely retaliating for former favours received."
The Newspaper added that a neighbour told the court that when she heard the row, she gathered her children and "housed them carefully, as the combatants fought with weapons on almost all occasions". The two women were bound over to keep the peace. In a separate case John Judge was also charged with assaulting Ann Feeney. This is how the St Helens Newspaper reported the case, which also references the fear of rabies that then prevailed:
"The complainant said the defendant and some others stood in a passage leading to her house, and when she expressed how much she would prefer an uninterrupted way to the house, the party attacked her. Several young women made bites at her, and as if afraid of hydrophobia, she told them she could bear anything but bites. Judge decided that his interference was necessary, and he gave her several blows, and would have given her more only he was suddenly overturned by her husband.
"A cry of “police” put an end to these hostilities for a while, but Judge appeared on the scene again, and demanded that the “Fenian” who had injured his “constitution” by knocking him down, would come out and fight him. Feeney, at the solicitation of his wife, declined, as she purposed bringing Judge before the magistrates. He was bound over."
William Eden from Parr returned to court charged with violently assaulting his father Henry at Broad Oak. The 24-year-old collier had made his first court appearance last week but his case had been remanded as his victim had been too badly injured to give evidence. Henry Eden told the court that he had been sat by the fire when his son entered his house demanding money.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote that after being unable to obtain any cash, William Eden then pulled his father off the chair, "smashed him to the floor, and kicked him very heavily, with clogs, about the head." Neighbour Ellen Wallworth told the Bench that she witnessed the attack and heard the father cry out that he was being killed. To that his son said: "Yes, and I will kill thee, owd devil".
Another neighbour called Ann Frodsham told the court that she saw the 55-year-old lying inside his own door in a pool of blood. She persuaded William Eden to leave the house, telling him that the toes of his clogs were wet with blood. However he later returned with a stone in his hand, saying he was going to break a window to re-enter the house and finish off his father.
Ann Frodsham said she called her husband who tried to persuade William Eden to go away but he refused and threatened him. So the brute was given a taste of his own medicine and had his jaw broken. When arrested and charged with the offence, PC Williamson said Eden remarked: "I did it, but I was drunk, or I shouldn't. I deserve six months for it." The prisoner had nothing to say in court and was committed for trial at the next Kirkdale quarter sessions in Liverpool. On July 14th he was given the six months sentence that he thought he deserved.
John Mercer was also in court in St Helens charged with stealing two hens from publican Jeremiah Haslam. Eagle-eyed PC Snape had seen Mercer coming from the direction of Dentons Green at quarter to three in the morning. Mercer's furtive manner made the bobby suspicious and after following the man for a while, he searched him and found the birds in his pockets. After lodging his prisoner in the police station, PC Snape traced the man's footsteps to Haslam's – presumably through the muddy state of the unpaved streets. Mercer was also committed for trial at the next Kirkdale quarter sessions.
A boy called John Johnson appeared in court charged with damaging a field of grass belonging to butcher Matthias Bailey of Windle. All the lad had done was walk on the field but it was enough to bring a prosecution. The St Helens Newspaper wrote: "The mother of the boy came forward, and although a decent-looking woman, she admitted that he had never been sent to any place of worship. The chairman gave her a very severe castigation for her criminal negligence, and, while pardoning the lad this time, warned her to look more closely after him in future."
Next week's stories will include the runaway pony in Prescot, the Hall Street publican's wife who got a black eye from her idle stepson, the Thatto Heath cart wheel suicide, the five bob thrashing in Eccleston Road and the two nosy women who spent the night watching a house in Bridge Street on the look out for infidelity.