150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (21st - 27th January 1869)
This week's stories include the Parr man who tried to strangle his wife, a startling Sutton train incident, the man of East Indian blood in Bridge Street, the Double Locks drawbridge drowning, a Sunday morning beerhouse dilemma, the St Helens dog deniers and the bodies of the Rainford miners who plummeted down a pit shaft are retrieved.
We begin on the 21st in the Volunteer Hall in Mill Street where the St Helens 47th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers held their annual ball. The music was provided by an "efficient" quadrille band to which sets of four couples danced in a rectangular formation. Quadrille dancing was then highly fashionable and was similar to American square dancing.
It was a late evening do with dancing only starting at 9pm. All members of the services that were in attendance were instructed to dress in military uniform. Railway accidents were then common with health and safety not what it is today, although most incidents were relatively minor.
During the same evening of the 21st the six o’clock passenger train from Widnes was proceeding to St Helens, when, at a point between Clock Face bridge and the St Helens Junction railway sheds, it met a coal train.
A piece of iron connected with one of the coal wagons had somehow got out of alignment, and was projecting out at ninety degrees. As the two trains passed one another the iron bar broke ten or eleven windows of the passenger train, which considerably startled those on board, although none were injured.
St Helens at night must have been a miserable place, especially in winter. Much of the district was in darkness and finding your way around on moonless nights rather tricky. This was especially so for those unfamiliar with the area. In the early hours of the 22nd Henry Barton was making his way to his work at the Queen Pit in Haydock from his lodgings in Tontine Street.
The 23-year-old came from Wigan where he had recently married but a week earlier had obtained employment at the coal mine and so moved to St Helens. Henry had taken the short road along the canal in Parr and had intended to cross at the Double Locks drawbridge near Blackbrook. However he wasn't aware that the bridge was kept open at night and so in the darkness at 4:30am he walked straight into the canal and drowned.
Henry Barton's inquest was held at the Prince of Wales in Blackbrook, where it was stated that a watchman had heard the splash of the man falling into the water. He was able to quickly recover Henry's body but he was already dead. The watchman had been just about to close the bridge when Henry arrived. So if he had turned up a few minutes later, the young mineworker would have been safe.
The Liverpool Mercury wrote on the 22nd that the coal trade was "showing no signs of recovering from the depressed condition in which it has remained for some time". This they blamed on a general falling off of trade in the country that had considerably reduced demand for coal and the recent imposition of short time working in the cotton industry. Large numbers of miners were out of work in St Helens and their employers – or masters as they were called – complained that they were not making any profit.
The bodies of Thomas Whalley and Thomas Barrow were retrieved on the 23rd from the No 8 pit of the Rainford Colliery Company, near Rainford Junction station. A fortnight earlier six miners had lost their lives down No 7 pit as a result of trying to put out a fire. Whalley and Barrow then fell to the bottom of the No 8 pit while attempting to starve the inferno of oxygen.
It was a terrible way to die but the St Helens Newspaper commented that their bodies were in a very good state of preservation – although Barrow was black through the action of the fire. Not much consolation to the men's families, of course, but at least they were now able to bury their loved ones. It had been thought that it would take months to get their bodies back to the surface.
At the St Helens Petty Session on the 25th James Waring from Parr was charged with violently assaulting his wife and attempting to strangle her. The 41-year-old miner was accused by his wife Mary of coming home drunk and then abusing her "in very gross language" before twisting a comforter (i.e. a woollen scarf) around her neck in a very violent manner. Mary told the Bench that for three months her husband had been drinking his wages away, instead of contributing to the support of his family.
The Chairman said this was a very bad case and the conduct of Waring had been very shameful and cowardly. The man was sent to Kirkdale Gaol in Liverpool (pictured above) for three months with hard labour and upon his release would have to find sureties to keep the peace for twelve months. The County House of Correction (aka Kirkdale Gaol) was built in 1818 and served the whole of south Lancashire.
These days a marriage would be unlikely to survive after such an incident. However 150 years ago women were highly dependent upon their husbands, which was particularly so if they had a large family. The 1871 census shows the Warings living together in Moss Bank Street in Parr along with their seven children – one of which had been born since the man had been released from prison.
It used to be the responsibility of the Inland Revenue to investigate those who'd failed to take out licences for such things as dogs or guns. So at the same hearing an Inland Revenue supervisor from Ormskirk summoned John Richards from Parr for keeping a dog without a licence.
The man denied the animal belonged to him, even though it had been found on his premises and he was fined a hefty 34 shillings, including costs. The Chairman of the Bench said: "A lot of idle, useless fellows were keeping dogs, who had no use for them, and it was fortunate proceedings were being taken against them."
William Gore was summoned for the same offence but claimed that the dog was his brother's. The bench did not believe his defence and fined him 40s plus costs. That would be the equivalent to almost £300 today.
Similarly John Mosedale had told PC 91 (as he was described) that the dog inside his home was not his but then went out to buy a licence, hoping that would forgo a prosecution. However it wasn't to be and he was fined twenty-five shillings and costs.
With so few things for people to do (apart from drinking), the regular rumpuses in the streets always attracted large crowds and those involved in disputes that had got out of hand tended to be treated leniently. So when married couple Sarah and John Ashton from Parr Stocks Road and Elizabeth Hill were charged with committing an assault in Parr as part of a street disturbance, they were simply bound over and told to find sureties for their good behaviour.
In another case at the Sessions a constable told the Bench that his attention had been drawn several times to James Chadwick's drunken behaviour but he didn't think it bad enough to arrest him. However later on the Saturday night "the fellow became so riotous" that he had no choice but to take him into custody. Chadwick was fined forty shillings.
The licensing laws banned the sale of alcohol on Sundays until 12:30pm, which could present a dilemma for beerhouse keepers. For the remaining six days of the week their houses would usually be open from 6 or 7am in the morning – mainly to accommodate night shift workers.
However it could be hard for landlords to refuse to serve their regulars on Sunday mornings, with so many other pubs and beerhouses in the vicinity. This was particularly so if their customers had an excuse to obtain the drink. Summoned to the Petty Sessions was William Cross who was charged with selling beer at eight o’clock on a Sunday morning.
The defendant told the magistrates that a man called Fishwick had requested a pint, saying his son had been unwell all night and needed a drink. Alcohol was then considered to have great medicinal qualities and so he served the man. The Chairman of the Bench was sympathetic to his situation but said he had to administer the law against him and so fined the landlord 20 shillings.
The Annual Catholic Charity Ball took place on the 27th in the Volunteer Hall with music, as usual, provided by a quadrille band.
More than 350 boys worked for Pilkington’s in their various glassworks and on the 27th their annual treat was held in the schoolroom adjacent to their Eccleston works. Not only did they enjoy a "capital tea" but there was also a performance by the Independent Chapel's Elementary Singing Class and a magic lantern presentation. The Newspaper wrote: "At ten o’clock the boys returned home, highly gratified with the first-rate treat provided for them by their kind-hearted employers."
In the St Helens Police Court on the 27th a man called John Dalhoosie was charged with indecent conduct in Bridge Street. Indecency was a catch-all term and could mean anything. John was reported of being a "man of East Indian blood" and told the court that he had no money to pay a fine.
The magistrate, William Pilkington, said he would allow him to depart the court without any penalty upon receiving his promise that he would instantly leave St Helens. I wonder if he would have said that to a white man?
Next week's stories will include the Eccleston gun suicide, a forcible ejectment in Duke Street, the 12-year-old girl who had never been to school, the unlucky Pilkington's shirt thief, the opinionated market stall holder, the row at Crank railway station and a meeting of miners takes place in the Town Hall to demand improved safety.
We begin on the 21st in the Volunteer Hall in Mill Street where the St Helens 47th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers held their annual ball. The music was provided by an "efficient" quadrille band to which sets of four couples danced in a rectangular formation. Quadrille dancing was then highly fashionable and was similar to American square dancing.
It was a late evening do with dancing only starting at 9pm. All members of the services that were in attendance were instructed to dress in military uniform. Railway accidents were then common with health and safety not what it is today, although most incidents were relatively minor.
During the same evening of the 21st the six o’clock passenger train from Widnes was proceeding to St Helens, when, at a point between Clock Face bridge and the St Helens Junction railway sheds, it met a coal train.
A piece of iron connected with one of the coal wagons had somehow got out of alignment, and was projecting out at ninety degrees. As the two trains passed one another the iron bar broke ten or eleven windows of the passenger train, which considerably startled those on board, although none were injured.
St Helens at night must have been a miserable place, especially in winter. Much of the district was in darkness and finding your way around on moonless nights rather tricky. This was especially so for those unfamiliar with the area. In the early hours of the 22nd Henry Barton was making his way to his work at the Queen Pit in Haydock from his lodgings in Tontine Street.
The 23-year-old came from Wigan where he had recently married but a week earlier had obtained employment at the coal mine and so moved to St Helens. Henry had taken the short road along the canal in Parr and had intended to cross at the Double Locks drawbridge near Blackbrook. However he wasn't aware that the bridge was kept open at night and so in the darkness at 4:30am he walked straight into the canal and drowned.
Henry Barton's inquest was held at the Prince of Wales in Blackbrook, where it was stated that a watchman had heard the splash of the man falling into the water. He was able to quickly recover Henry's body but he was already dead. The watchman had been just about to close the bridge when Henry arrived. So if he had turned up a few minutes later, the young mineworker would have been safe.
The Liverpool Mercury wrote on the 22nd that the coal trade was "showing no signs of recovering from the depressed condition in which it has remained for some time". This they blamed on a general falling off of trade in the country that had considerably reduced demand for coal and the recent imposition of short time working in the cotton industry. Large numbers of miners were out of work in St Helens and their employers – or masters as they were called – complained that they were not making any profit.
The bodies of Thomas Whalley and Thomas Barrow were retrieved on the 23rd from the No 8 pit of the Rainford Colliery Company, near Rainford Junction station. A fortnight earlier six miners had lost their lives down No 7 pit as a result of trying to put out a fire. Whalley and Barrow then fell to the bottom of the No 8 pit while attempting to starve the inferno of oxygen.
It was a terrible way to die but the St Helens Newspaper commented that their bodies were in a very good state of preservation – although Barrow was black through the action of the fire. Not much consolation to the men's families, of course, but at least they were now able to bury their loved ones. It had been thought that it would take months to get their bodies back to the surface.
At the St Helens Petty Session on the 25th James Waring from Parr was charged with violently assaulting his wife and attempting to strangle her. The 41-year-old miner was accused by his wife Mary of coming home drunk and then abusing her "in very gross language" before twisting a comforter (i.e. a woollen scarf) around her neck in a very violent manner. Mary told the Bench that for three months her husband had been drinking his wages away, instead of contributing to the support of his family.
These days a marriage would be unlikely to survive after such an incident. However 150 years ago women were highly dependent upon their husbands, which was particularly so if they had a large family. The 1871 census shows the Warings living together in Moss Bank Street in Parr along with their seven children – one of which had been born since the man had been released from prison.
It used to be the responsibility of the Inland Revenue to investigate those who'd failed to take out licences for such things as dogs or guns. So at the same hearing an Inland Revenue supervisor from Ormskirk summoned John Richards from Parr for keeping a dog without a licence.
The man denied the animal belonged to him, even though it had been found on his premises and he was fined a hefty 34 shillings, including costs. The Chairman of the Bench said: "A lot of idle, useless fellows were keeping dogs, who had no use for them, and it was fortunate proceedings were being taken against them."
William Gore was summoned for the same offence but claimed that the dog was his brother's. The bench did not believe his defence and fined him 40s plus costs. That would be the equivalent to almost £300 today.
Similarly John Mosedale had told PC 91 (as he was described) that the dog inside his home was not his but then went out to buy a licence, hoping that would forgo a prosecution. However it wasn't to be and he was fined twenty-five shillings and costs.
With so few things for people to do (apart from drinking), the regular rumpuses in the streets always attracted large crowds and those involved in disputes that had got out of hand tended to be treated leniently. So when married couple Sarah and John Ashton from Parr Stocks Road and Elizabeth Hill were charged with committing an assault in Parr as part of a street disturbance, they were simply bound over and told to find sureties for their good behaviour.
In another case at the Sessions a constable told the Bench that his attention had been drawn several times to James Chadwick's drunken behaviour but he didn't think it bad enough to arrest him. However later on the Saturday night "the fellow became so riotous" that he had no choice but to take him into custody. Chadwick was fined forty shillings.
The licensing laws banned the sale of alcohol on Sundays until 12:30pm, which could present a dilemma for beerhouse keepers. For the remaining six days of the week their houses would usually be open from 6 or 7am in the morning – mainly to accommodate night shift workers.
However it could be hard for landlords to refuse to serve their regulars on Sunday mornings, with so many other pubs and beerhouses in the vicinity. This was particularly so if their customers had an excuse to obtain the drink. Summoned to the Petty Sessions was William Cross who was charged with selling beer at eight o’clock on a Sunday morning.
The defendant told the magistrates that a man called Fishwick had requested a pint, saying his son had been unwell all night and needed a drink. Alcohol was then considered to have great medicinal qualities and so he served the man. The Chairman of the Bench was sympathetic to his situation but said he had to administer the law against him and so fined the landlord 20 shillings.
The Annual Catholic Charity Ball took place on the 27th in the Volunteer Hall with music, as usual, provided by a quadrille band.
More than 350 boys worked for Pilkington’s in their various glassworks and on the 27th their annual treat was held in the schoolroom adjacent to their Eccleston works. Not only did they enjoy a "capital tea" but there was also a performance by the Independent Chapel's Elementary Singing Class and a magic lantern presentation. The Newspaper wrote: "At ten o’clock the boys returned home, highly gratified with the first-rate treat provided for them by their kind-hearted employers."
In the St Helens Police Court on the 27th a man called John Dalhoosie was charged with indecent conduct in Bridge Street. Indecency was a catch-all term and could mean anything. John was reported of being a "man of East Indian blood" and told the court that he had no money to pay a fine.
The magistrate, William Pilkington, said he would allow him to depart the court without any penalty upon receiving his promise that he would instantly leave St Helens. I wonder if he would have said that to a white man?
Next week's stories will include the Eccleston gun suicide, a forcible ejectment in Duke Street, the 12-year-old girl who had never been to school, the unlucky Pilkington's shirt thief, the opinionated market stall holder, the row at Crank railway station and a meeting of miners takes place in the Town Hall to demand improved safety.