150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 21 - 27 SEPTEMBER 1876
This week's many stories include the new temperance cafes planned for St Helens, the annual inspection of the town's part-time soldiers, the drunken Parr woman who fell down the stairs, the Hall Street play designed to persuade women to accept their station in life and Black George and the incorrigible prostitute Bridget Kildare appear in court.
This week the Holy Cross Young Women's Guild performed a play called 'Reverse of the Medal' in the Guild Hall in Hall Street, which I don't think would go down very well today! Its purpose was to instil in young women an acceptance of their own station in life and not to be ambitious.
What was described as an "instructive little domestic drama" told the story of two young women called Isabel and Jane who were discontented with their respective positions in life. Isabel was the daughter of a Countess and wanted to become a shepherdess, "the result of reading the silly romances of the day", while Jane, the daughter of a farmer, longed to wear some of the fine dresses that she had seen ladies wear.
The two women ended up changing places but within a few days the "foolish girls" had learned their lessons and been cured of their "romantic fancies". Both were said to have been glad to return to their former positions and "be satisfied with the station in life in which God has placed them."
In 1860 the 47th Battalion of the Lancashire Rifle Volunteers had been formed in St Helens. Every year the part-time military reserve force had a formal inspection – but unlike the police's annual inspection, which was conducted in private, the soldiers were largely examined in public. The venue for 1876 had been Mrs Littler's field in Dentons Green (pictured above with the eponymous Mrs Littler), which was described as being near to the cemetery and where Saints at one time played their home games.
In their review of the event, the St Helens Newspaper on the 23rd described how 585 men had marched from the Volunteer Hall to the field. The total strength of the battalion was 750 but some of the men had been granted leave to be absent, probably through having to work during that afternoon.
As usual, a stand had been erected in the field for members of the public to watch the proceedings but bad weather meant it was only sparsely occupied. Various military evolutions were gone into and the inspecting officer rode on his horse down the line of men to inspect their clothing etc. But the Newspaper commented that when they broke off into columns and received orders to march at the double, they got completely out of step.
After Major Pilkington had conducted a light infantry drill, the heavens opened and the rain came down heavily. The corps was then formed into a square at the bottom of the field and Lt Col David Gamble complimented the men upon the satisfactory result of their inspection, with the only caveat being when they had got out of step. The soldiers were then marched back to the drill hall where they were reported to have been liberally supplied with refreshments.
I tell the story of Bridget Kildare in one of my books. But this week under the headline "An Incorrigible Prostitute", the Newspaper told how she had made her 80th appearance in court after being charged with sleeping in St Helens marketplace at 12:45 am. As she had only been released from Kirkdale Gaol on the previous day, she was returned to the prison to serve another month.
That often happened, as such released prisoners often had nowhere to go and little or no money and could find themselves better off in Kirkdale. Bridget very likely had walked back to St Helens from Liverpool and so would have been very tired and not appreciated being disturbed from her slumbers by the police.
There were no more than a handful of black people in St Helens during the 19th century, such as West Indies-born George Daniels and his daughters of Moss Nook in Sutton. They appear to have endured enormous prejudice and in 1877 the so-called "Black George" would get into trouble after stabbing one of his persecutors.
But this week he was prosecuted after falling asleep while driving a carriage, as he worked for a cab hire firm. There were many similar prosecutions as drivers of horses and carts and similar conveyances dozed off on quiet, unlit country roads at night, often with some drink inside of them! But George had been found asleep in Liverpool Road at 1:20 am and he was fined 2s 6d.
There were many deaths 150 years ago from falling down the stairs. Most houses in St Helens did not have a bannister or rail to grasp and, of course, there was no electric light switch to turn on before beginning a journey. Many would instead grip a lighted candle or a lamp, which made their trip even more hazardous. And going up or down the steps late at night after a heavy drinking session was an accident waiting to happen.
This week the inquest on Margaret Leonard took place at the Parr Vaults in Park Road. The woman lived in nearby Johnson Street and a lodger called Ellen Hooton gave evidence that Margaret had been addicted to drink. Ellen said that on the evening in question, she had been similarly the worst for drink and had gone to bed at 10 o’clock leaving Margaret alone in the kitchen.
Half-an-hour later she said she was woken by the sound of someone falling down the stairs and she subsequently found Margaret lying on the kitchen floor quite dead. The usual verdict of accidental death was returned.
In 1876 the temperance movement was in full swing and with many people signing the pledge in St Helens, it was felt that there was a need to create alternative refreshment places to public houses. And so in the St Helens Newspaper there was a large advertisement for the prospectus of the new St Helens Café and Recreation Company.
Some of the leading townsmen – headed by James Radley, the Mayor of St Helens – were launching the enterprise to "provide places of public resort, refreshment, recreation, and, if possible, sleeping accommodation, within the borough of Saint Helens and elsewhere, apart from the sale and use of intoxicating liquors."
The company was not breaking new ground, as similar undertakings in other towns throughout Britain had experienced success with similar establishments. Although the advert warned prospective investors in the company's first share issue that they should only expect a "fairly remunerative return". There was clearly no expectation that the hard drinking working-class men of St Helens would immediately sacrifice the pub for the café!
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the drunken assault in a smelting works, the boy sent to prison for theft, the fish feud in the marketplace, the fire in a Market Street bakery and the boy who complained that a barber had cut his hair too short.
This week the Holy Cross Young Women's Guild performed a play called 'Reverse of the Medal' in the Guild Hall in Hall Street, which I don't think would go down very well today! Its purpose was to instil in young women an acceptance of their own station in life and not to be ambitious.
What was described as an "instructive little domestic drama" told the story of two young women called Isabel and Jane who were discontented with their respective positions in life. Isabel was the daughter of a Countess and wanted to become a shepherdess, "the result of reading the silly romances of the day", while Jane, the daughter of a farmer, longed to wear some of the fine dresses that she had seen ladies wear.
The two women ended up changing places but within a few days the "foolish girls" had learned their lessons and been cured of their "romantic fancies". Both were said to have been glad to return to their former positions and "be satisfied with the station in life in which God has placed them."
In their review of the event, the St Helens Newspaper on the 23rd described how 585 men had marched from the Volunteer Hall to the field. The total strength of the battalion was 750 but some of the men had been granted leave to be absent, probably through having to work during that afternoon.
As usual, a stand had been erected in the field for members of the public to watch the proceedings but bad weather meant it was only sparsely occupied. Various military evolutions were gone into and the inspecting officer rode on his horse down the line of men to inspect their clothing etc. But the Newspaper commented that when they broke off into columns and received orders to march at the double, they got completely out of step.
After Major Pilkington had conducted a light infantry drill, the heavens opened and the rain came down heavily. The corps was then formed into a square at the bottom of the field and Lt Col David Gamble complimented the men upon the satisfactory result of their inspection, with the only caveat being when they had got out of step. The soldiers were then marched back to the drill hall where they were reported to have been liberally supplied with refreshments.
I tell the story of Bridget Kildare in one of my books. But this week under the headline "An Incorrigible Prostitute", the Newspaper told how she had made her 80th appearance in court after being charged with sleeping in St Helens marketplace at 12:45 am. As she had only been released from Kirkdale Gaol on the previous day, she was returned to the prison to serve another month.
That often happened, as such released prisoners often had nowhere to go and little or no money and could find themselves better off in Kirkdale. Bridget very likely had walked back to St Helens from Liverpool and so would have been very tired and not appreciated being disturbed from her slumbers by the police.
There were no more than a handful of black people in St Helens during the 19th century, such as West Indies-born George Daniels and his daughters of Moss Nook in Sutton. They appear to have endured enormous prejudice and in 1877 the so-called "Black George" would get into trouble after stabbing one of his persecutors.
But this week he was prosecuted after falling asleep while driving a carriage, as he worked for a cab hire firm. There were many similar prosecutions as drivers of horses and carts and similar conveyances dozed off on quiet, unlit country roads at night, often with some drink inside of them! But George had been found asleep in Liverpool Road at 1:20 am and he was fined 2s 6d.
There were many deaths 150 years ago from falling down the stairs. Most houses in St Helens did not have a bannister or rail to grasp and, of course, there was no electric light switch to turn on before beginning a journey. Many would instead grip a lighted candle or a lamp, which made their trip even more hazardous. And going up or down the steps late at night after a heavy drinking session was an accident waiting to happen.
This week the inquest on Margaret Leonard took place at the Parr Vaults in Park Road. The woman lived in nearby Johnson Street and a lodger called Ellen Hooton gave evidence that Margaret had been addicted to drink. Ellen said that on the evening in question, she had been similarly the worst for drink and had gone to bed at 10 o’clock leaving Margaret alone in the kitchen.
Half-an-hour later she said she was woken by the sound of someone falling down the stairs and she subsequently found Margaret lying on the kitchen floor quite dead. The usual verdict of accidental death was returned.
In 1876 the temperance movement was in full swing and with many people signing the pledge in St Helens, it was felt that there was a need to create alternative refreshment places to public houses. And so in the St Helens Newspaper there was a large advertisement for the prospectus of the new St Helens Café and Recreation Company.
Some of the leading townsmen – headed by James Radley, the Mayor of St Helens – were launching the enterprise to "provide places of public resort, refreshment, recreation, and, if possible, sleeping accommodation, within the borough of Saint Helens and elsewhere, apart from the sale and use of intoxicating liquors."
The company was not breaking new ground, as similar undertakings in other towns throughout Britain had experienced success with similar establishments. Although the advert warned prospective investors in the company's first share issue that they should only expect a "fairly remunerative return". There was clearly no expectation that the hard drinking working-class men of St Helens would immediately sacrifice the pub for the café!
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the drunken assault in a smelting works, the boy sent to prison for theft, the fish feud in the marketplace, the fire in a Market Street bakery and the boy who complained that a barber had cut his hair too short.
This week's many stories include the new temperance cafes planned for St Helens, the annual inspection of the town's part-time soldiers, the drunken Parr woman who fell down the stairs, the Hall Street play designed to persuade women to accept their station in life and Black George and the incorrigible prostitute Bridget Kildare appear in court.
This week the Holy Cross Young Women's Guild performed a play called 'Reverse of the Medal' in the Guild Hall in Hall Street, which I don't think would go down very well today!
Its purpose was to instil in young women an acceptance of their own station in life and not to be ambitious.
What was described as an "instructive little domestic drama" told the story of two young women called Isabel and Jane who were discontented with their respective positions in life.
Isabel was the daughter of a Countess and wanted to become a shepherdess, "the result of reading the silly romances of the day", while Jane, the daughter of a farmer, longed to wear some of the fine dresses that she had seen ladies wear.
The two women ended up changing places but within a few days the "foolish girls" had learned their lessons and been cured of their "romantic fancies".
Both were said to have been glad to return to their former positions and "be satisfied with the station in life in which God has placed them."
In 1860 the 47th Battalion of the Lancashire Rifle Volunteers had been formed in St Helens.
Every year the part-time military reserve force had a formal inspection – but unlike the police's annual inspection, which was conducted in private, the soldiers were largely examined in public.
The venue for 1876 had been Mrs Littler's field in Dentons Green (pictured above with the eponymous Mrs Littler), which was described as being near to the cemetery and where Saints at one time played their home games.
In their review of the event, the St Helens Newspaper on the 23rd described how 585 men had marched from the Volunteer Hall to the field.
The total strength of the battalion was 750 but some of the men had been granted leave to be absent, probably through having to work during that afternoon.
As usual, a stand had been erected in the field for members of the public to watch the proceedings but bad weather meant it was only sparsely occupied.
Various military evolutions were gone into and the inspecting officer rode on his horse down the line of men to inspect their clothing etc.
But the Newspaper commented that when they broke off into columns and received orders to march at the double, they got completely out of step.
After Major Pilkington had conducted a light infantry drill, the heavens opened and the rain came down heavily.
The corps was then formed into a square at the bottom of the field and Lt Col David Gamble complimented the men upon the satisfactory result of their inspection, with the only caveat being when they had got out of step.
The soldiers were then marched back to the drill hall where they were reported to have been liberally supplied with refreshments.
I tell the story of Bridget Kildare in one of my books. But this week under the headline "An Incorrigible Prostitute", the Newspaper told how she had made her 80th appearance in court after being charged with sleeping in St Helens marketplace at 12:45 am.
As she had only been released from Kirkdale Gaol on the previous day, she was returned to the prison to serve another month.
That often happened, as such released prisoners often had nowhere to go and little or no money and could find themselves better off in Kirkdale.
Bridget very likely had walked back to St Helens from Liverpool and so would have been very tired and not appreciated being disturbed from her slumbers by the police.
There were no more than a handful of black people in St Helens during the 19th century, such as West Indies-born George Daniels and his daughters of Moss Nook in Sutton.
They appear to have endured enormous prejudice and in 1877 the so-called "Black George" would get into trouble after stabbing one of his persecutors.
But this week he was prosecuted after falling asleep while driving a carriage, as he worked for a cab hire firm.
There were many similar prosecutions as drivers of horses and carts and similar conveyances dozed off on quiet, unlit country roads at night, often with some drink inside of them!
But George had been found asleep in Liverpool Road at 1:20 am and he was fined 2s 6d.
There were many deaths 150 years ago from falling down the stairs.
Most houses in St Helens did not have a bannister or rail to grasp and, of course, there was no electric light switch to turn on before beginning a journey.
Many would instead grip a lighted candle or a lamp, which made their trip even more hazardous.
And going up or down the steps late at night after a heavy drinking session was an accident waiting to happen.
This week the inquest on Margaret Leonard took place at the Parr Vaults in Park Road.
The woman lived in nearby Johnson Street and a lodger called Ellen Hooton gave evidence that Margaret had been addicted to drink.
Ellen said that on the evening in question, she had been similarly the worst for drink and had gone to bed at 10 o’clock leaving Margaret alone in the kitchen.
Half-an-hour later she said she was woken by the sound of someone falling down the stairs and she subsequently found Margaret lying on the kitchen floor quite dead. The usual verdict of accidental death was returned.
In 1876 the temperance movement was in full swing and with many people signing the pledge in St Helens, it was felt that there was a need to create alternative refreshment places to public houses.
And so in the St Helens Newspaper there was a large advertisement for the prospectus of the new St Helens Café and Recreation Company.
Some of the leading townsmen – headed by James Radley, the Mayor of St Helens – were launching the enterprise to "provide places of public resort, refreshment, recreation, and, if possible, sleeping accommodation, within the borough of Saint Helens and elsewhere, apart from the sale and use of intoxicating liquors."
The company was not breaking new ground, as similar undertakings in other towns throughout Britain had experienced success with similar establishments.
Although the advert warned prospective investors in the company's first share issue that they should only expect a "fairly remunerative return".
There was clearly no expectation that the hard drinking working-class men of St Helens would immediately sacrifice the pub for the café!
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the drunken assault in a smelting works, the boy sent to prison for theft, the fish feud in the marketplace, the fire in a Market Street bakery and the boy who complained that a barber had cut his hair too short.
This week the Holy Cross Young Women's Guild performed a play called 'Reverse of the Medal' in the Guild Hall in Hall Street, which I don't think would go down very well today!
Its purpose was to instil in young women an acceptance of their own station in life and not to be ambitious.
What was described as an "instructive little domestic drama" told the story of two young women called Isabel and Jane who were discontented with their respective positions in life.
Isabel was the daughter of a Countess and wanted to become a shepherdess, "the result of reading the silly romances of the day", while Jane, the daughter of a farmer, longed to wear some of the fine dresses that she had seen ladies wear.
The two women ended up changing places but within a few days the "foolish girls" had learned their lessons and been cured of their "romantic fancies".
Both were said to have been glad to return to their former positions and "be satisfied with the station in life in which God has placed them."
In 1860 the 47th Battalion of the Lancashire Rifle Volunteers had been formed in St Helens.
Every year the part-time military reserve force had a formal inspection – but unlike the police's annual inspection, which was conducted in private, the soldiers were largely examined in public.
In their review of the event, the St Helens Newspaper on the 23rd described how 585 men had marched from the Volunteer Hall to the field.
The total strength of the battalion was 750 but some of the men had been granted leave to be absent, probably through having to work during that afternoon.
As usual, a stand had been erected in the field for members of the public to watch the proceedings but bad weather meant it was only sparsely occupied.
Various military evolutions were gone into and the inspecting officer rode on his horse down the line of men to inspect their clothing etc.
But the Newspaper commented that when they broke off into columns and received orders to march at the double, they got completely out of step.
After Major Pilkington had conducted a light infantry drill, the heavens opened and the rain came down heavily.
The corps was then formed into a square at the bottom of the field and Lt Col David Gamble complimented the men upon the satisfactory result of their inspection, with the only caveat being when they had got out of step.
The soldiers were then marched back to the drill hall where they were reported to have been liberally supplied with refreshments.
I tell the story of Bridget Kildare in one of my books. But this week under the headline "An Incorrigible Prostitute", the Newspaper told how she had made her 80th appearance in court after being charged with sleeping in St Helens marketplace at 12:45 am.
As she had only been released from Kirkdale Gaol on the previous day, she was returned to the prison to serve another month.
That often happened, as such released prisoners often had nowhere to go and little or no money and could find themselves better off in Kirkdale.
Bridget very likely had walked back to St Helens from Liverpool and so would have been very tired and not appreciated being disturbed from her slumbers by the police.
There were no more than a handful of black people in St Helens during the 19th century, such as West Indies-born George Daniels and his daughters of Moss Nook in Sutton.
They appear to have endured enormous prejudice and in 1877 the so-called "Black George" would get into trouble after stabbing one of his persecutors.
But this week he was prosecuted after falling asleep while driving a carriage, as he worked for a cab hire firm.
There were many similar prosecutions as drivers of horses and carts and similar conveyances dozed off on quiet, unlit country roads at night, often with some drink inside of them!
But George had been found asleep in Liverpool Road at 1:20 am and he was fined 2s 6d.
There were many deaths 150 years ago from falling down the stairs.
Most houses in St Helens did not have a bannister or rail to grasp and, of course, there was no electric light switch to turn on before beginning a journey.
Many would instead grip a lighted candle or a lamp, which made their trip even more hazardous.
And going up or down the steps late at night after a heavy drinking session was an accident waiting to happen.
This week the inquest on Margaret Leonard took place at the Parr Vaults in Park Road.
The woman lived in nearby Johnson Street and a lodger called Ellen Hooton gave evidence that Margaret had been addicted to drink.
Ellen said that on the evening in question, she had been similarly the worst for drink and had gone to bed at 10 o’clock leaving Margaret alone in the kitchen.
Half-an-hour later she said she was woken by the sound of someone falling down the stairs and she subsequently found Margaret lying on the kitchen floor quite dead. The usual verdict of accidental death was returned.
In 1876 the temperance movement was in full swing and with many people signing the pledge in St Helens, it was felt that there was a need to create alternative refreshment places to public houses.
And so in the St Helens Newspaper there was a large advertisement for the prospectus of the new St Helens Café and Recreation Company.
Some of the leading townsmen – headed by James Radley, the Mayor of St Helens – were launching the enterprise to "provide places of public resort, refreshment, recreation, and, if possible, sleeping accommodation, within the borough of Saint Helens and elsewhere, apart from the sale and use of intoxicating liquors."
The company was not breaking new ground, as similar undertakings in other towns throughout Britain had experienced success with similar establishments.
Although the advert warned prospective investors in the company's first share issue that they should only expect a "fairly remunerative return".
There was clearly no expectation that the hard drinking working-class men of St Helens would immediately sacrifice the pub for the café!
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the drunken assault in a smelting works, the boy sent to prison for theft, the fish feud in the marketplace, the fire in a Market Street bakery and the boy who complained that a barber had cut his hair too short.