150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (19 - 25 JUNE 1873)
This week's many stories include the Thatto Heath man that bit his cousin's ear off, the opening of new schools in Billinge, smallpox breaks out in Parr, the two brothers that drowned in Sutton and the gigantic mirrors that were made and silvered in St Helens for display at a London exhibition.
We begin on the 21st when the Liverpool Weekly Courier reported that the presence of smallpox in Parr was causing the authorities in St Helens to consider renting Hardshaw Hall for use as an infectious diseases hospital. The new St Helens Cottage Hospital in Peasley Cross would not accept so-called fever patients and the only place in the district that would take them was the fever ward in the infirmary attached to Whiston Workhouse. But the stigma of being in a workhouse meant that many people had refused to go to Whiston and an inability to isolate fever patients meant they continued to spread their disease while at home.
Hardshaw Hall had recently come on the market to rent and the newspaper reported that the St Helens borough surveyor had been authorised to enter into negotiations to take out a lease. I don't believe the hall was ever used to isolate persons with infectious diseases but in 1884 it became Providence Hospital. One of those who had refused to go to the workhouse's fever ward had died with the man leaving a widow and four children. He was described as having been "most wretchedly taken care of" at his home.
Later in the week the St Helens Newspaper said they had paid a visit to the recently reopened public baths in the town and were unimpressed with the water supply: "The water was of a very dirty kind evidently nothing but dam water, such as was supplied by the Surveyor about the time of the smallpox epidemic, some twelve months ago. If the same kind of water which we saw at the baths on Monday is being supplied to the poor people in Pocket Nook, and other low-lying parts of the town, we need not be surprised that smallpox is breaking out again."
The Wigan Observer wrote on the 21st: "OPENING OF BILLINGE PARISH CHURCH SCHOOLS. The opening of the above-named schools was celebrated on Tuesday last by a parochial tea party, which was attended by between 300 and 400 persons. By far the greater portion of the picturesque village appeared to be en fete, and certainly the acquisition of such a really handsome and substantial pile of buildings as these new schools afforded plenty of room for rejoicings. The respected Vicar of Billinge and his parishioners are to be congratulated upon having within their rural borders at last, schools which will bear favourable comparison with any educational institution under a certificated master within a radius of many miles."
Also on the 21st a fire broke out at Dam House Farm in Sutton. Without telephones being available to summon the fire brigade from St Helens, a messenger on horseback had to be sent. That always led to a delay before the fire bell at the Town Hall could be rung and the police officers that also doubled as firemen assemble and then get to the scene of the fire. It took an hour for the blaze in a large stack of ryegrass to be extinguished and damage to the extent of £40 was done.
Two years ago what was claimed to be the largest mirror ever turned out in Lancashire was silvered in Peasley Cross. Pratt and Co undertook the work using a new process, with the silvering of the mirror accomplished in forty hours, instead of lasting ten days. However, they now claimed to have silvered the largest piece of glass in England.
This week what were described as "immense mirrors" were cast, smoothed and then polished at the Union Plate Glass Works in Pocket Nook. They measured 182 x 118 inches and 161 by 117 inches. The thickness of the plate was half an inch and the weight of the glass alone in each sheet was more than half a ton.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 21st: "To move such immense sheets of glass requires skill and power; and the rearing and packing of these mirrors was the work of fourteen specially-selected skilful workmen." Large plates of glass could also prove highly dangerous when moved and some workers have died while shifting far smaller ones at Pilkingtons and other works.
The gigantic mirrors were being sent for exhibition at the London International Exhibition of Fine Arts, Industries and Invention in Kensington to demonstrate the progress that was being made in plate glass manufacturing.
People drowned in St Helens' many waterways at all times of the year. But, of course, the canal, the dams, pits and reservoirs were a special attraction during the summer – particularly with boys. However, these places were often deeper than might be thought and could be very dangerous.
This week two brothers called Thomas and Peter Mercer of Liverpool Road in St Helens lost their lives in Groves Dam in Sutton, near what is now called Sherdley Road (then Ellbess Lane or Hellbess Lane). The lads were aged 17 and 15, respectively. It was believed that one of them had got out of his depth and shouted to his brother for help.
The Newspaper described what occurred next when his would-be rescuer arrived on the scene: "The drowning boy grasped him convulsively, and both went down together. When they rose again their cry attracted a man named Joseph Cheetham, who was fishing in another part of the dam, and was then for the first time made aware that some one was drowning. He hastened to the spot, and seeing the state of affairs, undressed and plunged into the water; but unfortunately he was not able to render any effective assistance, for the boys had gone down finally before he reached them."
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 23rd a dozen labourers at St Helens Colliery were charged with leaving their employment without notice or a good reason. Newton Races (pictured above) had taken place that week and the men preferred the horse racing to going down Pilkington's coal mine and they were each fined 5 shillings plus costs. Horse racing had taken place on Newton Common from at least 1678 and continued until 1899 when Lord Newton accepted an offer from a Manchester-based syndicate to rent land in Haydock to establish a new course that we know as Haydock Park.
Also in court was Timothy Connelly from Parr who had carried out a brutal assault on his wife and he was sent to prison for a month. In another case William Birchall of Thatto Heath was charged with unlawfully wounding his cousin Edward by biting off his ear. The two miners lived in the same house and had argued over the possession of a pigeon. That led to a fight and while they were both on the ground William Birchall had bit and torn Edward's ear off.
The mother of the defendant had tried to separate them but had been given a black eye for her trouble. The Newspaper called what happened disgusting savagery and the case was referred to Liverpool Assizes. William Birchall's ear-less victim did not want the case to proceed but in July the nineteen-year-old received four months in prison.
Samuel Morton appeared in court charged with carrying on a Dutch auction contrary to local bylaws. The problem did not appear to be the conducting of the auction itself – in which prices of goods are lowered until eventually sold – but the time it took place. Morton was standing in a cart near the Running Horses pub in Liverpool Road selling umbrellas at 9:30 pm. In court the law concerning Dutch auctions was read out which stated that no "Cheap Jack or Dutch Auctioneer should ply his calling" after 9 o’clock at night. Morton was fined 5s and 9s 6d costs.
There were the usual neighbourly rows in court, including Mary Critchley's dispute with Mary Bennett. The latter stated that Mary Critchley had entered her house and started pulling her hair and hitting her after calling her foul names throughout the day. The woman, of course, claimed to be the completely innocent party in the dispute. But Mrs Critchley said Mary Bennett had started the quarrel and made several libellous statements about her and her daughters. She was fined one shilling.
Church Street in St Helens used to be much narrower than today and accidents were not uncommon. During the evening of the 25th two horse-drawn carriages belonging to Lt Col David Gamble and butcher John Hatton collided in Church Street. Three of the four passengers in the butcher's vehicle were violently thrown out by the force of the impact. One man was knocked unconscious and it took some time for him to be brought round. The St Helens Newspaper wrote: "The extreme narrowness of the road at that point ought to make drivers extremely cautious in passing each other."
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the disputed accusations of attempted rape and robbery, a satirical take on the charming state of St Helens, the brute of a husband that attacked his wife in Parr with a poker and the man that head-butted a pane of glass.
We begin on the 21st when the Liverpool Weekly Courier reported that the presence of smallpox in Parr was causing the authorities in St Helens to consider renting Hardshaw Hall for use as an infectious diseases hospital. The new St Helens Cottage Hospital in Peasley Cross would not accept so-called fever patients and the only place in the district that would take them was the fever ward in the infirmary attached to Whiston Workhouse. But the stigma of being in a workhouse meant that many people had refused to go to Whiston and an inability to isolate fever patients meant they continued to spread their disease while at home.
Hardshaw Hall had recently come on the market to rent and the newspaper reported that the St Helens borough surveyor had been authorised to enter into negotiations to take out a lease. I don't believe the hall was ever used to isolate persons with infectious diseases but in 1884 it became Providence Hospital. One of those who had refused to go to the workhouse's fever ward had died with the man leaving a widow and four children. He was described as having been "most wretchedly taken care of" at his home.
Later in the week the St Helens Newspaper said they had paid a visit to the recently reopened public baths in the town and were unimpressed with the water supply: "The water was of a very dirty kind evidently nothing but dam water, such as was supplied by the Surveyor about the time of the smallpox epidemic, some twelve months ago. If the same kind of water which we saw at the baths on Monday is being supplied to the poor people in Pocket Nook, and other low-lying parts of the town, we need not be surprised that smallpox is breaking out again."
The Wigan Observer wrote on the 21st: "OPENING OF BILLINGE PARISH CHURCH SCHOOLS. The opening of the above-named schools was celebrated on Tuesday last by a parochial tea party, which was attended by between 300 and 400 persons. By far the greater portion of the picturesque village appeared to be en fete, and certainly the acquisition of such a really handsome and substantial pile of buildings as these new schools afforded plenty of room for rejoicings. The respected Vicar of Billinge and his parishioners are to be congratulated upon having within their rural borders at last, schools which will bear favourable comparison with any educational institution under a certificated master within a radius of many miles."
Also on the 21st a fire broke out at Dam House Farm in Sutton. Without telephones being available to summon the fire brigade from St Helens, a messenger on horseback had to be sent. That always led to a delay before the fire bell at the Town Hall could be rung and the police officers that also doubled as firemen assemble and then get to the scene of the fire. It took an hour for the blaze in a large stack of ryegrass to be extinguished and damage to the extent of £40 was done.
Two years ago what was claimed to be the largest mirror ever turned out in Lancashire was silvered in Peasley Cross. Pratt and Co undertook the work using a new process, with the silvering of the mirror accomplished in forty hours, instead of lasting ten days. However, they now claimed to have silvered the largest piece of glass in England.
This week what were described as "immense mirrors" were cast, smoothed and then polished at the Union Plate Glass Works in Pocket Nook. They measured 182 x 118 inches and 161 by 117 inches. The thickness of the plate was half an inch and the weight of the glass alone in each sheet was more than half a ton.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 21st: "To move such immense sheets of glass requires skill and power; and the rearing and packing of these mirrors was the work of fourteen specially-selected skilful workmen." Large plates of glass could also prove highly dangerous when moved and some workers have died while shifting far smaller ones at Pilkingtons and other works.
The gigantic mirrors were being sent for exhibition at the London International Exhibition of Fine Arts, Industries and Invention in Kensington to demonstrate the progress that was being made in plate glass manufacturing.
People drowned in St Helens' many waterways at all times of the year. But, of course, the canal, the dams, pits and reservoirs were a special attraction during the summer – particularly with boys. However, these places were often deeper than might be thought and could be very dangerous.
This week two brothers called Thomas and Peter Mercer of Liverpool Road in St Helens lost their lives in Groves Dam in Sutton, near what is now called Sherdley Road (then Ellbess Lane or Hellbess Lane). The lads were aged 17 and 15, respectively. It was believed that one of them had got out of his depth and shouted to his brother for help.
The Newspaper described what occurred next when his would-be rescuer arrived on the scene: "The drowning boy grasped him convulsively, and both went down together. When they rose again their cry attracted a man named Joseph Cheetham, who was fishing in another part of the dam, and was then for the first time made aware that some one was drowning. He hastened to the spot, and seeing the state of affairs, undressed and plunged into the water; but unfortunately he was not able to render any effective assistance, for the boys had gone down finally before he reached them."
Also in court was Timothy Connelly from Parr who had carried out a brutal assault on his wife and he was sent to prison for a month. In another case William Birchall of Thatto Heath was charged with unlawfully wounding his cousin Edward by biting off his ear. The two miners lived in the same house and had argued over the possession of a pigeon. That led to a fight and while they were both on the ground William Birchall had bit and torn Edward's ear off.
The mother of the defendant had tried to separate them but had been given a black eye for her trouble. The Newspaper called what happened disgusting savagery and the case was referred to Liverpool Assizes. William Birchall's ear-less victim did not want the case to proceed but in July the nineteen-year-old received four months in prison.
Samuel Morton appeared in court charged with carrying on a Dutch auction contrary to local bylaws. The problem did not appear to be the conducting of the auction itself – in which prices of goods are lowered until eventually sold – but the time it took place. Morton was standing in a cart near the Running Horses pub in Liverpool Road selling umbrellas at 9:30 pm. In court the law concerning Dutch auctions was read out which stated that no "Cheap Jack or Dutch Auctioneer should ply his calling" after 9 o’clock at night. Morton was fined 5s and 9s 6d costs.
There were the usual neighbourly rows in court, including Mary Critchley's dispute with Mary Bennett. The latter stated that Mary Critchley had entered her house and started pulling her hair and hitting her after calling her foul names throughout the day. The woman, of course, claimed to be the completely innocent party in the dispute. But Mrs Critchley said Mary Bennett had started the quarrel and made several libellous statements about her and her daughters. She was fined one shilling.
Church Street in St Helens used to be much narrower than today and accidents were not uncommon. During the evening of the 25th two horse-drawn carriages belonging to Lt Col David Gamble and butcher John Hatton collided in Church Street. Three of the four passengers in the butcher's vehicle were violently thrown out by the force of the impact. One man was knocked unconscious and it took some time for him to be brought round. The St Helens Newspaper wrote: "The extreme narrowness of the road at that point ought to make drivers extremely cautious in passing each other."
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the disputed accusations of attempted rape and robbery, a satirical take on the charming state of St Helens, the brute of a husband that attacked his wife in Parr with a poker and the man that head-butted a pane of glass.
This week's many stories include the Thatto Heath man that bit his cousin's ear off, the opening of new schools in Billinge, smallpox breaks out in Parr, the two brothers that drowned in Sutton and the gigantic mirrors that were made and silvered in St Helens for display at a London exhibition.
We begin on the 21st when the Liverpool Weekly Courier reported that the presence of smallpox in Parr was causing the authorities in St Helens to consider renting Hardshaw Hall for use as an infectious diseases hospital.
The new St Helens Cottage Hospital in Peasley Cross would not accept so-called fever patients and the only place in the district that would take them was the fever ward in the infirmary attached to Whiston Workhouse.
But the stigma of being in a workhouse meant that many people had refused to go to Whiston and an inability to isolate fever patients meant they continued to spread their disease while at home.
Hardshaw Hall had recently come on the market to rent and the newspaper reported that the St Helens borough surveyor had been authorised to enter into negotiations to take out a lease.
I don't believe the hall was ever used to isolate persons with infectious diseases but in 1884 it became Providence Hospital.
One of those who had refused to go to the workhouse's fever ward had died with the man leaving a widow and four children. He was described as having been "most wretchedly taken care of" at his home.
Later in the week the St Helens Newspaper said they had paid a visit to the recently reopened public baths in the town and were unimpressed with the water supply:
"The water was of a very dirty kind evidently nothing but dam water, such as was supplied by the Surveyor about the time of the smallpox epidemic, some twelve months ago.
"If the same kind of water which we saw at the baths on Monday is being supplied to the poor people in Pocket Nook, and other low-lying parts of the town, we need not be surprised that smallpox is breaking out again."
The Wigan Observer wrote on the 21st:
"OPENING OF BILLINGE PARISH CHURCH SCHOOLS. The opening of the above-named schools was celebrated on Tuesday last by a parochial tea party, which was attended by between 300 and 400 persons.
"By far the greater portion of the picturesque village appeared to be en fete, and certainly the acquisition of such a really handsome and substantial pile of buildings as these new schools afforded plenty of room for rejoicings.
"The respected Vicar of Billinge and his parishioners are to be congratulated upon having within their rural borders at last, schools which will bear favourable comparison with any educational institution under a certificated master within a radius of many miles."
Also on the 21st a fire broke out at Dam House Farm in Sutton. Without telephones being available to summon the fire brigade from St Helens, a messenger on horseback had to be sent.
That always led to a delay before the fire bell at the Town Hall could be rung and the police officers that also doubled as firemen assemble and then get to the scene of the fire.
It took an hour for the blaze in a large stack of ryegrass to be extinguished and damage to the extent of £40 was done.
Two years ago what was claimed to be the largest mirror ever turned out in Lancashire was silvered in Peasley Cross.
Pratt and Co undertook the work using a new process, with the silvering of the mirror accomplished in forty hours, instead of lasting ten days.
However, they now claimed to have silvered the largest piece of glass in England.
This week what were described as "immense mirrors" were cast, smoothed and then polished at the Union Plate Glass Works in Pocket Nook.
They measured 182 x 118 inches and 161 by 117 inches. The thickness of the plate was half an inch and the weight of the glass alone in each sheet was more than half a ton.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 21st: "To move such immense sheets of glass requires skill and power; and the rearing and packing of these mirrors was the work of fourteen specially-selected skilful workmen."
Large plates of glass could also prove highly dangerous when moved and some workers have died while shifting far smaller ones at Pilkingtons and other works.
The gigantic mirrors were being sent for exhibition at the London International Exhibition of Fine Arts, Industries and Invention in Kensington to demonstrate the progress that was being made in plate glass manufacturing.
People drowned in St Helens' many waterways at all times of the year.
But, of course, the canal, the dams, pits and reservoirs were a special attraction during the summer – particularly with boys.
However, these places were often deeper than might be thought and could be very dangerous.
This week two brothers called Thomas and Peter Mercer of Liverpool Road in St Helens lost their lives in Groves Dam in Sutton, near what is now called Sherdley Road (then Ellbess Lane or Hellbess Lane).
The lads were aged 17 and 15, respectively. It was believed that one of them had got out of his depth and shouted to his brother for help.
The Newspaper described what occurred next when his would-be rescuer arrived on the scene:
"The drowning boy grasped him convulsively, and both went down together. When they rose again their cry attracted a man named Joseph Cheetham, who was fishing in another part of the dam, and was then for the first time made aware that some one was drowning.
"He hastened to the spot, and seeing the state of affairs, undressed and plunged into the water; but unfortunately he was not able to render any effective assistance, for the boys had gone down finally before he reached them."
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 23rd a dozen labourers at St Helens Colliery were charged with leaving their employment without notice or a good reason.
Newton Races (pictured above) had taken place that week and the men preferred the horse racing to going down Pilkington's coal mine and they were each fined 5 shillings plus costs.
Horse racing had taken place on Newton Common from at least 1678 and continued until 1899 when Lord Newton accepted an offer from a Manchester-based syndicate to rent land in Haydock to establish a new course that we know as Haydock Park.
Also in court was Timothy Connelly from Parr who had carried out a brutal assault on his wife and he was sent to prison for a month.
In another case William Birchall of Thatto Heath was charged with unlawfully wounding his cousin Edward by biting off his ear.
The two miners lived in the same house and had argued over the possession of a pigeon.
That led to a fight and while they were both on the ground William Birchall had bit and torn Edward's ear off.
The mother of the defendant had tried to separate them but had been given a black eye for her trouble.
The Newspaper called what happened disgusting savagery and the case was referred to Liverpool Assizes.
William Birchall's ear-less victim did not want the case to proceed but in July the 19-year-old received four months in prison.
Samuel Morton appeared in court charged with carrying on a Dutch auction contrary to local bylaws.
The problem did not appear to be the conducting of the auction itself – in which prices of goods are lowered until eventually sold – but the time it took place.
Morton was standing in a cart near the Running Horses pub in Liverpool Road selling umbrellas at 9:30 pm.
In court the law concerning Dutch auctions was read out which stated that no "Cheap Jack or Dutch Auctioneer should ply his calling" after 9 o’clock at night. Morton was fined 5s and 9s 6d costs.
There were the usual neighbourly rows in court, including Mary Critchley's dispute with Mary Bennett.
The latter stated that Mary Critchley had entered her house and started pulling her hair and hitting her after calling her foul names throughout the day.
The woman, of course, claimed to be the completely innocent party in the dispute.
But Mrs Critchley said Mary Bennett had started the quarrel and made several libellous statements about her and her daughters. She was fined one shilling.
Church Street in St Helens used to be much narrower than today and accidents were not uncommon.
During the evening of the 25th two horse-drawn carriages belonging to Lt Col David Gamble and butcher John Hatton collided in Church Street.
Three of the four passengers in the butcher's vehicle were violently thrown out by the force of the impact. One man was knocked unconscious and it took some time for him to be brought round.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote: "The extreme narrowness of the road at that point ought to make drivers extremely cautious in passing each other."
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the disputed accusations of attempted rape and robbery, a satirical take on the charming state of St Helens, the brute of a husband that attacked his wife in Parr with a poker and the man that head-butted a pane of glass.
We begin on the 21st when the Liverpool Weekly Courier reported that the presence of smallpox in Parr was causing the authorities in St Helens to consider renting Hardshaw Hall for use as an infectious diseases hospital.
The new St Helens Cottage Hospital in Peasley Cross would not accept so-called fever patients and the only place in the district that would take them was the fever ward in the infirmary attached to Whiston Workhouse.
But the stigma of being in a workhouse meant that many people had refused to go to Whiston and an inability to isolate fever patients meant they continued to spread their disease while at home.
Hardshaw Hall had recently come on the market to rent and the newspaper reported that the St Helens borough surveyor had been authorised to enter into negotiations to take out a lease.
I don't believe the hall was ever used to isolate persons with infectious diseases but in 1884 it became Providence Hospital.
One of those who had refused to go to the workhouse's fever ward had died with the man leaving a widow and four children. He was described as having been "most wretchedly taken care of" at his home.
Later in the week the St Helens Newspaper said they had paid a visit to the recently reopened public baths in the town and were unimpressed with the water supply:
"The water was of a very dirty kind evidently nothing but dam water, such as was supplied by the Surveyor about the time of the smallpox epidemic, some twelve months ago.
"If the same kind of water which we saw at the baths on Monday is being supplied to the poor people in Pocket Nook, and other low-lying parts of the town, we need not be surprised that smallpox is breaking out again."
The Wigan Observer wrote on the 21st:
"OPENING OF BILLINGE PARISH CHURCH SCHOOLS. The opening of the above-named schools was celebrated on Tuesday last by a parochial tea party, which was attended by between 300 and 400 persons.
"By far the greater portion of the picturesque village appeared to be en fete, and certainly the acquisition of such a really handsome and substantial pile of buildings as these new schools afforded plenty of room for rejoicings.
"The respected Vicar of Billinge and his parishioners are to be congratulated upon having within their rural borders at last, schools which will bear favourable comparison with any educational institution under a certificated master within a radius of many miles."
Also on the 21st a fire broke out at Dam House Farm in Sutton. Without telephones being available to summon the fire brigade from St Helens, a messenger on horseback had to be sent.
That always led to a delay before the fire bell at the Town Hall could be rung and the police officers that also doubled as firemen assemble and then get to the scene of the fire.
It took an hour for the blaze in a large stack of ryegrass to be extinguished and damage to the extent of £40 was done.
Two years ago what was claimed to be the largest mirror ever turned out in Lancashire was silvered in Peasley Cross.
Pratt and Co undertook the work using a new process, with the silvering of the mirror accomplished in forty hours, instead of lasting ten days.
However, they now claimed to have silvered the largest piece of glass in England.
This week what were described as "immense mirrors" were cast, smoothed and then polished at the Union Plate Glass Works in Pocket Nook.
They measured 182 x 118 inches and 161 by 117 inches. The thickness of the plate was half an inch and the weight of the glass alone in each sheet was more than half a ton.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 21st: "To move such immense sheets of glass requires skill and power; and the rearing and packing of these mirrors was the work of fourteen specially-selected skilful workmen."
Large plates of glass could also prove highly dangerous when moved and some workers have died while shifting far smaller ones at Pilkingtons and other works.
The gigantic mirrors were being sent for exhibition at the London International Exhibition of Fine Arts, Industries and Invention in Kensington to demonstrate the progress that was being made in plate glass manufacturing.
People drowned in St Helens' many waterways at all times of the year.
But, of course, the canal, the dams, pits and reservoirs were a special attraction during the summer – particularly with boys.
However, these places were often deeper than might be thought and could be very dangerous.
This week two brothers called Thomas and Peter Mercer of Liverpool Road in St Helens lost their lives in Groves Dam in Sutton, near what is now called Sherdley Road (then Ellbess Lane or Hellbess Lane).
The lads were aged 17 and 15, respectively. It was believed that one of them had got out of his depth and shouted to his brother for help.
The Newspaper described what occurred next when his would-be rescuer arrived on the scene:
"The drowning boy grasped him convulsively, and both went down together. When they rose again their cry attracted a man named Joseph Cheetham, who was fishing in another part of the dam, and was then for the first time made aware that some one was drowning.
"He hastened to the spot, and seeing the state of affairs, undressed and plunged into the water; but unfortunately he was not able to render any effective assistance, for the boys had gone down finally before he reached them."
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 23rd a dozen labourers at St Helens Colliery were charged with leaving their employment without notice or a good reason.
Horse racing had taken place on Newton Common from at least 1678 and continued until 1899 when Lord Newton accepted an offer from a Manchester-based syndicate to rent land in Haydock to establish a new course that we know as Haydock Park.
Also in court was Timothy Connelly from Parr who had carried out a brutal assault on his wife and he was sent to prison for a month.
In another case William Birchall of Thatto Heath was charged with unlawfully wounding his cousin Edward by biting off his ear.
The two miners lived in the same house and had argued over the possession of a pigeon.
That led to a fight and while they were both on the ground William Birchall had bit and torn Edward's ear off.
The mother of the defendant had tried to separate them but had been given a black eye for her trouble.
The Newspaper called what happened disgusting savagery and the case was referred to Liverpool Assizes.
William Birchall's ear-less victim did not want the case to proceed but in July the 19-year-old received four months in prison.
Samuel Morton appeared in court charged with carrying on a Dutch auction contrary to local bylaws.
The problem did not appear to be the conducting of the auction itself – in which prices of goods are lowered until eventually sold – but the time it took place.
Morton was standing in a cart near the Running Horses pub in Liverpool Road selling umbrellas at 9:30 pm.
In court the law concerning Dutch auctions was read out which stated that no "Cheap Jack or Dutch Auctioneer should ply his calling" after 9 o’clock at night. Morton was fined 5s and 9s 6d costs.
There were the usual neighbourly rows in court, including Mary Critchley's dispute with Mary Bennett.
The latter stated that Mary Critchley had entered her house and started pulling her hair and hitting her after calling her foul names throughout the day.
The woman, of course, claimed to be the completely innocent party in the dispute.
But Mrs Critchley said Mary Bennett had started the quarrel and made several libellous statements about her and her daughters. She was fined one shilling.
Church Street in St Helens used to be much narrower than today and accidents were not uncommon.
During the evening of the 25th two horse-drawn carriages belonging to Lt Col David Gamble and butcher John Hatton collided in Church Street.
Three of the four passengers in the butcher's vehicle were violently thrown out by the force of the impact. One man was knocked unconscious and it took some time for him to be brought round.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote: "The extreme narrowness of the road at that point ought to make drivers extremely cautious in passing each other."
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the disputed accusations of attempted rape and robbery, a satirical take on the charming state of St Helens, the brute of a husband that attacked his wife in Parr with a poker and the man that head-butted a pane of glass.