150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 22 - 28 JULY 1874
This week's many stories include the dirty dialogue in Liverpool Street, the stormy meeting inside Prescot Parish Church, the Ravenhead Plate Glass Works excursion to Morecambe Bay, the photography club in Ormskirk Street, the new horse-drawn omnibus service to Haydock and the Irish home rule campaigner lecturing in St Helens.
There was effectively a blanket no-parking rule on the streets of St Helens. Not that there was any such law or byelaw. But leaving your horse-drawn vehicle on the street for longer than it took to load and unload goods was considered liable to cause an obstruction – and that was illegal.
When Phillip Derrick appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions this week charged with committing such an offence in Lowe Street, he had a witness to prove he had not been away from his cart for longer than five minutes. And his absence had been to buy food for his hungry horse. However, Derrick was still fined 10 shillings and costs.
William Swailes and Lawrence Monks appeared in the Sessions charged with trespassing on grass at Gerards Bridge that belonged to Pilkingtons. One of the defendants said he had gone to the place to wash his feet in the brook. However, the Bench said if everybody with dirty feet went to clean them there it would be a great nuisance! However, both men were only fined one shilling and costs.
A spat between a rag and bone man and a woman called Sarah Frodsham also ended up in court this week. But instead of continuing their petty dispute in front of the magistrates, as usually occurred, the pair declared a pact of peace. Sarah had charged Matthew Murphy with uttering false and defamatory expressions by calling her an offensive name.
However, according to the Newspaper Mrs Frodsham had said that: "…she did not wish to do him any harm if he could only prove the application of his epithet." I very much doubt that Sarah used those precise words! But the Newspaper added: "In [his] defence the collector of ragged curiosities said that she called him very offensive names. His Worship got complainant to forgive the defendant, and the case ended."
Just to underline how such resolutions were rare, the next case was a return to normality in the courtroom. That was when Ann Foster charged Mary Davies with assaulting her on the corner of Liverpool Street in Greenbank after a row connected with Mrs Foster's husband. The Newspaper wrote:
"Witnesses were called, and for a quarter of an hour the court resounded with the foulest expressions, banded from one box to the other. Two of the witnesses were young girls – one of twelve and the other of sixteen, who were cognisant of the dirty dialogue which passed between the principals." Mary Davies was eventually fined twenty shillings and costs for her assault.
Every year some St Helens employers – mainly glass firms – paid for their workers to have a day trip to the Lake District and its surrounding countryside. The excursion cost the companies very little – just the cost of chartering a train for around 5-600 people – and their staff usually lost a day's pay. But for most it was the only time they left grimy St Helens and so the day was anticipated with great excitement.
On the 24th the Ravenhead Plate Glass Works held their annual excursion, which this year was to Morecambe Bay. The St Helens Newspaper described how from an early hour in the morning Ravenhead and Thatto Heath had been "quite astir" with hundreds of people "old, young, and middle-aged, dressed in holiday attire," making their way to St Helens railway station. The 600 or so "delighted excursionists" journeyed to Morecambe, although some got off at Lancaster to spend a few hours visiting the old castle and other attractions before continuing their journey on a later train. The Newspaper said:
"The natural attractions of the neighbourhood are greatly superior to Southport or Blackpool, and many availed themselves of the splendid lake steamers to enjoy a sail on the bay or to visiting the beautiful and fashionable watering place of Grange, which is situated on the opposite side of the bay, others took to boating, bathing, &c., while not a few made their way to the neat villages in the neighbourhood. The whole party appeared thoroughly to enjoy themselves, and while all were jolly and good humoured, there was an absence of intoxication, and the day passed without accident or a single unpleasantness."
The horse-drawn bus services in St Helens during the 1870s were not very frequent. People were not then that mobile and if they did need to travel somewhere they usually walked or might use the train. The main bus connection was between St Helens and Prescot but in the Newspaper on the 25th John Phythian was advertising his new service. He said his "omnibus" would be running from the Fleece Hotel in Church Street to Haydock, without specifying exactly where its destination in the township would be – or what the cost was.
We do know that Phythian's omnibus would only run on two days of the week, with three services provided on Mondays and five every Saturday, "weather permitting". The latter caveat was probably because his bus would have been open-topped and so not ideal for travelling in stormy weather.
Photography was still pretty new and expensive with probably extremely few folk in St Helens owning a camera. However, you could have your picture taken at Griffins photography studio in Ormskirk Street. But such portraits were again not cheap with large photos costing two guineas – a fortnight's wages for many folk. And so G. W. Griffin – who styled himself as a "photographic artist" – was advertising his "Portrait Club" in the Newspaper. That simply meant that members could pay for their pictures at a shilling per week. Writing in the usual third person, his advert said:
"Mr. Griffin wishes to direct particular attention to the opportunity now offered to heads of families, and others, of securing handsome Family Portraits on terms which place them within the reach of all classes. He need hardly say that the most perfect likenesses are guaranteed." George William Griffin came to St Helens about 1860 and was the first professional photographer in the town. Griffins was also known for its furnishings shop at the top of Westfield Street and in 1911 Alfred Griffin opened the first purpose-built cinema in St Helens in Ormskirk Street, which in 1924 became the Scala.
William Evans was a wealthy coal and salt mine owner and Prescot magistrate, although his eldest son Richard Evans was more well known in the mining world, especially around Haydock. You would not have thought that William's proposal of a £3,000 renovation of the interior of Prescot Church would prove controversial – especially as he had offered to pay half of the amount.
But the St Helens Newspaper described how this week a "stormy" meeting had taken place inside the church to discuss the scheme. They said when the idea had first been mooted it had been "embraced warmly" but then "dark whispers" had suggested that a "high class of ritual" would be introduced into the church's services.
Throughout much of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, the introduction into Church of England services of any form of ritualism akin to the Catholic Church was highly controversial. The Newspaper described how Prescot Church had been packed while supporters and opponents of the scheme had argued over it:
"In anticipation of this event the most elaborate preparations were made by both sides. The drum orthodox was beaten in all parts of Prescot, and the faithful rallied to the signal, so that this trial of strength should be final …and every face around reflected the excitement which the proceedings had aroused throughout the parish." In the end a vote was taken and the advocates of the improvement won by a margin of 3 to 1.
The demand for home rule in Ireland goes back many years and one of its leading campaigners during the 1870s was John O'Connor Power. On the 28th he gave a lecture in the Engineer Hall on Croppers Hill in St Helens. Power had recently been elected MP for Mayo despite having previously served time in prison for his activities with the outlawed Irish Republican Brotherhood. Bernard Dromgoole, the editor of the St Helens Newspaper, was a big supporter of Irish independence and chaired the meeting for which there was reported to have been a "very large assemblage".
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the boy labelled a street Arab who swam like a frog, the devastating Liverpool docks fire, the Sutton mother who begged magistrates to punish her wayward boy and the lads arrested for indecent exposure in the canal.
There was effectively a blanket no-parking rule on the streets of St Helens. Not that there was any such law or byelaw. But leaving your horse-drawn vehicle on the street for longer than it took to load and unload goods was considered liable to cause an obstruction – and that was illegal.
When Phillip Derrick appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions this week charged with committing such an offence in Lowe Street, he had a witness to prove he had not been away from his cart for longer than five minutes. And his absence had been to buy food for his hungry horse. However, Derrick was still fined 10 shillings and costs.
William Swailes and Lawrence Monks appeared in the Sessions charged with trespassing on grass at Gerards Bridge that belonged to Pilkingtons. One of the defendants said he had gone to the place to wash his feet in the brook. However, the Bench said if everybody with dirty feet went to clean them there it would be a great nuisance! However, both men were only fined one shilling and costs.
A spat between a rag and bone man and a woman called Sarah Frodsham also ended up in court this week. But instead of continuing their petty dispute in front of the magistrates, as usually occurred, the pair declared a pact of peace. Sarah had charged Matthew Murphy with uttering false and defamatory expressions by calling her an offensive name.
However, according to the Newspaper Mrs Frodsham had said that: "…she did not wish to do him any harm if he could only prove the application of his epithet." I very much doubt that Sarah used those precise words! But the Newspaper added: "In [his] defence the collector of ragged curiosities said that she called him very offensive names. His Worship got complainant to forgive the defendant, and the case ended."
Just to underline how such resolutions were rare, the next case was a return to normality in the courtroom. That was when Ann Foster charged Mary Davies with assaulting her on the corner of Liverpool Street in Greenbank after a row connected with Mrs Foster's husband. The Newspaper wrote:
"Witnesses were called, and for a quarter of an hour the court resounded with the foulest expressions, banded from one box to the other. Two of the witnesses were young girls – one of twelve and the other of sixteen, who were cognisant of the dirty dialogue which passed between the principals." Mary Davies was eventually fined twenty shillings and costs for her assault.
Every year some St Helens employers – mainly glass firms – paid for their workers to have a day trip to the Lake District and its surrounding countryside. The excursion cost the companies very little – just the cost of chartering a train for around 5-600 people – and their staff usually lost a day's pay. But for most it was the only time they left grimy St Helens and so the day was anticipated with great excitement.
On the 24th the Ravenhead Plate Glass Works held their annual excursion, which this year was to Morecambe Bay. The St Helens Newspaper described how from an early hour in the morning Ravenhead and Thatto Heath had been "quite astir" with hundreds of people "old, young, and middle-aged, dressed in holiday attire," making their way to St Helens railway station. The 600 or so "delighted excursionists" journeyed to Morecambe, although some got off at Lancaster to spend a few hours visiting the old castle and other attractions before continuing their journey on a later train. The Newspaper said:
"The natural attractions of the neighbourhood are greatly superior to Southport or Blackpool, and many availed themselves of the splendid lake steamers to enjoy a sail on the bay or to visiting the beautiful and fashionable watering place of Grange, which is situated on the opposite side of the bay, others took to boating, bathing, &c., while not a few made their way to the neat villages in the neighbourhood. The whole party appeared thoroughly to enjoy themselves, and while all were jolly and good humoured, there was an absence of intoxication, and the day passed without accident or a single unpleasantness."
The horse-drawn bus services in St Helens during the 1870s were not very frequent. People were not then that mobile and if they did need to travel somewhere they usually walked or might use the train. The main bus connection was between St Helens and Prescot but in the Newspaper on the 25th John Phythian was advertising his new service. He said his "omnibus" would be running from the Fleece Hotel in Church Street to Haydock, without specifying exactly where its destination in the township would be – or what the cost was.
We do know that Phythian's omnibus would only run on two days of the week, with three services provided on Mondays and five every Saturday, "weather permitting". The latter caveat was probably because his bus would have been open-topped and so not ideal for travelling in stormy weather.
Photography was still pretty new and expensive with probably extremely few folk in St Helens owning a camera. However, you could have your picture taken at Griffins photography studio in Ormskirk Street. But such portraits were again not cheap with large photos costing two guineas – a fortnight's wages for many folk. And so G. W. Griffin – who styled himself as a "photographic artist" – was advertising his "Portrait Club" in the Newspaper. That simply meant that members could pay for their pictures at a shilling per week. Writing in the usual third person, his advert said:
"Mr. Griffin wishes to direct particular attention to the opportunity now offered to heads of families, and others, of securing handsome Family Portraits on terms which place them within the reach of all classes. He need hardly say that the most perfect likenesses are guaranteed." George William Griffin came to St Helens about 1860 and was the first professional photographer in the town. Griffins was also known for its furnishings shop at the top of Westfield Street and in 1911 Alfred Griffin opened the first purpose-built cinema in St Helens in Ormskirk Street, which in 1924 became the Scala.
William Evans was a wealthy coal and salt mine owner and Prescot magistrate, although his eldest son Richard Evans was more well known in the mining world, especially around Haydock. You would not have thought that William's proposal of a £3,000 renovation of the interior of Prescot Church would prove controversial – especially as he had offered to pay half of the amount.
Throughout much of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, the introduction into Church of England services of any form of ritualism akin to the Catholic Church was highly controversial. The Newspaper described how Prescot Church had been packed while supporters and opponents of the scheme had argued over it:
"In anticipation of this event the most elaborate preparations were made by both sides. The drum orthodox was beaten in all parts of Prescot, and the faithful rallied to the signal, so that this trial of strength should be final …and every face around reflected the excitement which the proceedings had aroused throughout the parish." In the end a vote was taken and the advocates of the improvement won by a margin of 3 to 1.
The demand for home rule in Ireland goes back many years and one of its leading campaigners during the 1870s was John O'Connor Power. On the 28th he gave a lecture in the Engineer Hall on Croppers Hill in St Helens. Power had recently been elected MP for Mayo despite having previously served time in prison for his activities with the outlawed Irish Republican Brotherhood. Bernard Dromgoole, the editor of the St Helens Newspaper, was a big supporter of Irish independence and chaired the meeting for which there was reported to have been a "very large assemblage".
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the boy labelled a street Arab who swam like a frog, the devastating Liverpool docks fire, the Sutton mother who begged magistrates to punish her wayward boy and the lads arrested for indecent exposure in the canal.
This week's many stories include the dirty dialogue in Liverpool Street, the stormy meeting inside Prescot Parish Church, the Ravenhead Plate Glass Works excursion to Morecambe Bay, the photography club in Ormskirk Street, the new horse-drawn omnibus service to Haydock and the Irish home rule campaigner lecturing in St Helens.
There was effectively a blanket no-parking rule on the streets of St Helens. Not that there was any such law or byelaw.
But leaving your horse-drawn vehicle on the street for longer than it took to load and unload goods was considered liable to cause an obstruction – and that was illegal.
When Phillip Derrick appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions this week charged with committing such an offence in Lowe Street, he had a witness to prove he had not been away from his cart for longer than five minutes.
And his absence had been to buy food for his hungry horse. However, Derrick was still fined 10 shillings and costs.
William Swailes and Lawrence Monks appeared in the Sessions charged with trespassing on grass at Gerards Bridge that belonged to Pilkingtons.
One of the defendants said he had gone to the place to wash his feet in the brook.
However, the Bench said if everybody with dirty feet went to clean them there it would be a great nuisance! However, both men were only fined one shilling and costs.
A spat between a rag and bone man and a woman called Sarah Frodsham also ended up in court this week.
But instead of continuing their petty dispute in front of the magistrates, as usually occurred, the pair declared a pact of peace.
Sarah had charged Matthew Murphy with uttering false and defamatory expressions by calling her an offensive name.
However, according to the Newspaper Mrs Frodsham had said that: "…she did not wish to do him any harm if he could only prove the application of his epithet."
I very much doubt that Sarah used those precise words! But the Newspaper added:
"In [his] defence the collector of ragged curiosities said that she called him very offensive names. His Worship got complainant to forgive the defendant, and the case ended."
Just to underline how such resolutions were rare, the next case was a return to normality in the courtroom.
That was when Ann Foster charged Mary Davies with assaulting her on the corner of Liverpool Street in Greenbank after a row connected with Mrs Foster's husband. The Newspaper wrote:
"Witnesses were called, and for a quarter of an hour the court resounded with the foulest expressions, banded from one box to the other. Two of the witnesses were young girls – one of twelve and the other of sixteen, who were cognisant of the dirty dialogue which passed between the principals."
Mary Davies was eventually fined twenty shillings and costs for her assault.
Every year some St Helens employers – mainly glass firms – paid for their workers to have a day trip to the Lake District and its surrounding countryside.
The excursion cost the companies very little – just the cost of chartering a train for around 5-600 people – and their staff usually lost a day's pay.
But for most it was the only time they left grimy St Helens and so the day was anticipated with great excitement.
On the 24th the Ravenhead Plate Glass Works held their annual excursion, which this year was to Morecambe Bay.
The St Helens Newspaper described how from an early hour in the morning Ravenhead and Thatto Heath had been "quite astir" with hundreds of people "old, young, and middle-aged, dressed in holiday attire," making their way to St Helens railway station.
The 600 or so "delighted excursionists" journeyed to Morecambe, although some got off at Lancaster to spend a few hours visiting the old castle and other attractions before continuing their journey on a later train. The Newspaper said:
"The natural attractions of the neighbourhood are greatly superior to Southport or Blackpool, and many availed themselves of the splendid lake steamers to enjoy a sail on the bay or to visiting the beautiful and fashionable watering place of Grange, which is situated on the opposite side of the bay, others took to boating, bathing, &c., while not a few made their way to the neat villages in the neighbourhood.
"The whole party appeared thoroughly to enjoy themselves, and while all were jolly and good humoured, there was an absence of intoxication, and the day passed without accident or a single unpleasantness."
The horse-drawn bus services in St Helens during the 1870s were not very frequent.
People were not then that mobile and if they did need to travel somewhere they usually walked or might use the train.
The main bus connection was between St Helens and Prescot but in the Newspaper on the 25th John Phythian was advertising his new service.
He said his "omnibus" would be running from the Fleece Hotel in Church Street to Haydock, without specifying exactly where its destination in the township would be – or what the cost was.
We do know that Phythian's omnibus would only run on two days of the week, with three services provided on Mondays and five every Saturday, "weather permitting".
The latter caveat was probably because his bus would have been open-topped and so not ideal for travelling in stormy weather.
Photography was still pretty new and expensive with probably extremely few folk in St Helens owning a camera.
However, you could have your picture taken at Griffins photography studio in Ormskirk Street.
But such portraits were again not cheap with large photos costing two guineas – a fortnight's wages for many folk.
And so G. W. Griffin – who styled himself as a "photographic artist" – was advertising his "Portrait Club" in the Newspaper.
That simply meant that members could pay for their pictures at a shilling per week. Writing in the usual third person, his advert said:
"Mr. Griffin wishes to direct particular attention to the opportunity now offered to heads of families, and others, of securing handsome Family Portraits on terms which place them within the reach of all classes. He need hardly say that the most perfect likenesses are guaranteed."
George William Griffin came to St Helens about 1860 and was the first professional photographer in the town.
Griffins was also known for its furnishings shop at the top of Westfield Street and in 1911 Alfred Griffin opened the first purpose-built cinema in St Helens in Ormskirk Street, which in 1924 became the Scala.
William Evans was a wealthy coal and salt mine owner and Prescot magistrate, although his eldest son Richard Evans was more well known in the mining world, especially around Haydock.
You would not have thought that William's proposal of a £3,000 renovation of the interior of Prescot Church would prove controversial – especially as he had offered to pay half of the amount.
But the St Helens Newspaper described how this week a "stormy" meeting had taken place inside the church to discuss the scheme.
They said when the idea had first been mooted it had been "embraced warmly" but then "dark whispers" had suggested that a "high class of ritual" would be introduced into the church's services.
Throughout much of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, the introduction into Church of England services of any form of ritualism akin to the Catholic Church was highly controversial.
The Newspaper described how Prescot Church had been packed while supporters and opponents of the scheme had argued over it:
"In anticipation of this event the most elaborate preparations were made by both sides.
"The drum orthodox was beaten in all parts of Prescot, and the faithful rallied to the signal, so that this trial of strength should be final …and every face around reflected the excitement which the proceedings had aroused throughout the parish."
In the end a vote was taken and the advocates of the improvement won by a margin of 3 to 1.
The demand for home rule in Ireland goes back many years and one of its leading campaigners during the 1870s was John O'Connor Power.
On the 28th he gave a lecture in the Engineer Hall on Croppers Hill in St Helens.
Power had recently been elected MP for Mayo despite having previously served time in prison for his activities with the outlawed Irish Republican Brotherhood.
Bernard Dromgoole, the editor of the St Helens Newspaper, was a big supporter of Irish independence and chaired the meeting for which there was reported to have been a "very large assemblage".
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the boy labelled a street Arab who swam like a frog, the devastating Liverpool docks fire, the Sutton mother who begged magistrates to punish her wayward boy and the lads arrested for indecent exposure in the canal.
There was effectively a blanket no-parking rule on the streets of St Helens. Not that there was any such law or byelaw.
But leaving your horse-drawn vehicle on the street for longer than it took to load and unload goods was considered liable to cause an obstruction – and that was illegal.
When Phillip Derrick appeared in St Helens Petty Sessions this week charged with committing such an offence in Lowe Street, he had a witness to prove he had not been away from his cart for longer than five minutes.
And his absence had been to buy food for his hungry horse. However, Derrick was still fined 10 shillings and costs.
William Swailes and Lawrence Monks appeared in the Sessions charged with trespassing on grass at Gerards Bridge that belonged to Pilkingtons.
One of the defendants said he had gone to the place to wash his feet in the brook.
However, the Bench said if everybody with dirty feet went to clean them there it would be a great nuisance! However, both men were only fined one shilling and costs.
A spat between a rag and bone man and a woman called Sarah Frodsham also ended up in court this week.
But instead of continuing their petty dispute in front of the magistrates, as usually occurred, the pair declared a pact of peace.
Sarah had charged Matthew Murphy with uttering false and defamatory expressions by calling her an offensive name.
However, according to the Newspaper Mrs Frodsham had said that: "…she did not wish to do him any harm if he could only prove the application of his epithet."
I very much doubt that Sarah used those precise words! But the Newspaper added:
"In [his] defence the collector of ragged curiosities said that she called him very offensive names. His Worship got complainant to forgive the defendant, and the case ended."
Just to underline how such resolutions were rare, the next case was a return to normality in the courtroom.
That was when Ann Foster charged Mary Davies with assaulting her on the corner of Liverpool Street in Greenbank after a row connected with Mrs Foster's husband. The Newspaper wrote:
"Witnesses were called, and for a quarter of an hour the court resounded with the foulest expressions, banded from one box to the other. Two of the witnesses were young girls – one of twelve and the other of sixteen, who were cognisant of the dirty dialogue which passed between the principals."
Mary Davies was eventually fined twenty shillings and costs for her assault.
Every year some St Helens employers – mainly glass firms – paid for their workers to have a day trip to the Lake District and its surrounding countryside.
The excursion cost the companies very little – just the cost of chartering a train for around 5-600 people – and their staff usually lost a day's pay.
But for most it was the only time they left grimy St Helens and so the day was anticipated with great excitement.
On the 24th the Ravenhead Plate Glass Works held their annual excursion, which this year was to Morecambe Bay.
The St Helens Newspaper described how from an early hour in the morning Ravenhead and Thatto Heath had been "quite astir" with hundreds of people "old, young, and middle-aged, dressed in holiday attire," making their way to St Helens railway station.
The 600 or so "delighted excursionists" journeyed to Morecambe, although some got off at Lancaster to spend a few hours visiting the old castle and other attractions before continuing their journey on a later train. The Newspaper said:
"The natural attractions of the neighbourhood are greatly superior to Southport or Blackpool, and many availed themselves of the splendid lake steamers to enjoy a sail on the bay or to visiting the beautiful and fashionable watering place of Grange, which is situated on the opposite side of the bay, others took to boating, bathing, &c., while not a few made their way to the neat villages in the neighbourhood.
"The whole party appeared thoroughly to enjoy themselves, and while all were jolly and good humoured, there was an absence of intoxication, and the day passed without accident or a single unpleasantness."
The horse-drawn bus services in St Helens during the 1870s were not very frequent.
People were not then that mobile and if they did need to travel somewhere they usually walked or might use the train.
The main bus connection was between St Helens and Prescot but in the Newspaper on the 25th John Phythian was advertising his new service.
He said his "omnibus" would be running from the Fleece Hotel in Church Street to Haydock, without specifying exactly where its destination in the township would be – or what the cost was.
We do know that Phythian's omnibus would only run on two days of the week, with three services provided on Mondays and five every Saturday, "weather permitting".
The latter caveat was probably because his bus would have been open-topped and so not ideal for travelling in stormy weather.
Photography was still pretty new and expensive with probably extremely few folk in St Helens owning a camera.
However, you could have your picture taken at Griffins photography studio in Ormskirk Street.
But such portraits were again not cheap with large photos costing two guineas – a fortnight's wages for many folk.
And so G. W. Griffin – who styled himself as a "photographic artist" – was advertising his "Portrait Club" in the Newspaper.
That simply meant that members could pay for their pictures at a shilling per week. Writing in the usual third person, his advert said:
"Mr. Griffin wishes to direct particular attention to the opportunity now offered to heads of families, and others, of securing handsome Family Portraits on terms which place them within the reach of all classes. He need hardly say that the most perfect likenesses are guaranteed."
George William Griffin came to St Helens about 1860 and was the first professional photographer in the town.
Griffins was also known for its furnishings shop at the top of Westfield Street and in 1911 Alfred Griffin opened the first purpose-built cinema in St Helens in Ormskirk Street, which in 1924 became the Scala.
William Evans was a wealthy coal and salt mine owner and Prescot magistrate, although his eldest son Richard Evans was more well known in the mining world, especially around Haydock.
You would not have thought that William's proposal of a £3,000 renovation of the interior of Prescot Church would prove controversial – especially as he had offered to pay half of the amount.
But the St Helens Newspaper described how this week a "stormy" meeting had taken place inside the church to discuss the scheme.
Throughout much of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, the introduction into Church of England services of any form of ritualism akin to the Catholic Church was highly controversial.
The Newspaper described how Prescot Church had been packed while supporters and opponents of the scheme had argued over it:
"In anticipation of this event the most elaborate preparations were made by both sides.
"The drum orthodox was beaten in all parts of Prescot, and the faithful rallied to the signal, so that this trial of strength should be final …and every face around reflected the excitement which the proceedings had aroused throughout the parish."
In the end a vote was taken and the advocates of the improvement won by a margin of 3 to 1.
The demand for home rule in Ireland goes back many years and one of its leading campaigners during the 1870s was John O'Connor Power.
On the 28th he gave a lecture in the Engineer Hall on Croppers Hill in St Helens.
Power had recently been elected MP for Mayo despite having previously served time in prison for his activities with the outlawed Irish Republican Brotherhood.
Bernard Dromgoole, the editor of the St Helens Newspaper, was a big supporter of Irish independence and chaired the meeting for which there was reported to have been a "very large assemblage".
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the boy labelled a street Arab who swam like a frog, the devastating Liverpool docks fire, the Sutton mother who begged magistrates to punish her wayward boy and the lads arrested for indecent exposure in the canal.