150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 23 - 29 DECEMBER 1874
This week's many stories include the glitzy Christmas pantomime at the Theatre Royal, the cases of typhoid fever in Rainford, the distribution of the volunteers' shooting prizes, the Newspaper's romantic portrait of Christmas Day and the two young thieves that were harshly punished for their crimes.
We begin on the 23rd when the St Helens Paving and Highways Committee met and their surveyor reported on a suggestion that another bridge should be constructed over the canal at Grove Street, near to Pilkington's works. Upon making enquiries he said he had discovered that only four or five boats sailed through the canal at that spot each week and so on that basis a second bridge was not required.
However, there was now a lot of road traffic in Grove Street and many people passed through there and if the proposed bridge was ever built it would, he said, "make Grove street second to none in St. Helens as far as the public is concerned." The present bridge was very narrow and it was decided to discuss the matter first with another committee.
One of the advantages of being in the St Helens rifle volunteers (known as the 47th LRV) was being able to win some cash at their shooting contents. These were held at their St Helens Junction rifle range and just before Christmas each year prizes were doled out to the battalion’s best marksmen.
In 1868 what the Liverpool Mercury described as a "live donkey of the shaggy species" had been one of the prizes. This year's distribution was held on Christmas Eve and although the form that the prizes that the Mayor of St Helens dished out was not reported, their total cash value was a whopping £156.
The Christmas edition of the St Helens Newspaper was notionally published on Boxing Day, but I expect the paper hit the streets on Christmas Eve. This year's editorial on the festive season gave a rather romantic portrayal of what Christmas Day was like in St Helens – although I expect the picture they painted was more likely to have been seen in the homes of their mainly middle class readership, rather than those of the working class:
"With what joy, for instance, do the young folks – released from the (to them) monotony of the curriculum of the school or the college – rush home to the paternal roof, where they know there will be a hearty welcome, and where the thoughts and anticipations of the last few days and weeks are fully realised. Here they find gathered together members of the family who are separated in a variety of ways during all the rest of the year, but who meet together now, all the cares and troubles and anxieties of business pursuits being thrown as it were into the “limbo” of oblivion for this week at least.
"We can easily imagine the fond caresses of parents and children as they meet on the threshold; only to be renewed when they enter the house, and are met by those even further back in their ancestry, and with whom the meeting is even more cordial, the old folks fairly shedding tears of joy. Then comes the gathering round the festive board [table], with joy and happiness shed all around, followed by the evening's sports and pastimes, including the ever memorable and mystic mistletoe, without which the decorations of any ball-room at this season of the year would not be complete."
In 1872 Rainford had been granted its own Local Board to administer the village's affairs. Its members met every month with their meetings chaired by cotton manufacturer Richard Pennington of Muncaster Hall. This week's meeting heard that typhoid fever had broken out in Rainford at School Brow (pictured above). That is now part of Church Road but in the 1870s it was the name of the road leading from Pasture Lane to the Derby Arms, where was then called Chapel Lane began.
Much of Rainford's water supply came from wells and samples from four in School Brow had been taken and analysed. The township's medical officer said all four were unfavourable and said they should only be used for drinking purposes after filtering and boiling. He said he had no hesitation in stating that drinking such water had caused the typhoid outbreak.
I don't know how much the Rainford Local Board's own Surveyor was paid but it was a demanding job and at the meeting he applied for an increase. Upon being denied a pay rise Mr Swallow promptly quit on the spot. Richard Pennington was reported to have "begged of Mr Swallow to reconsider his determination" but the man said he was adamant.
Public servants were expected to know their place and a chap called McBeth had written to the board complaining of the incivility of the stationmaster at Rainford Junction. But the board had nothing to do with railway servants and they stated that they could not intervene in the matter.
Some disputes in St Helens were settled privately, sometimes, although not always, with the approval of the court. From a victim's perspective any fine or custodial sentence imposed on the person who had done them harm did not benefit them in any material way. And so if they were offered a few pounds to drop a prosecution or not cooperate with an investigation, then as far as they were concerned they were better off.
This week John Connor made another appearance in court charged with wounding John Shuley at Parr. However, Supt. James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – said he had been informed that a key witness had received a sum of money "to go away", as he put it, and John Shuley himself was not in the courtroom. "There is reason to believe that the case has been compromised," explained the superintendent and as a result John Connor was discharged from the court.
There was another example of young children receiving very harsh sentences when John Lee and Edward Bellis appeared in court. They had admitted stealing five pounds of tobacco worth 17 shillings from Mr Middlehurst's shop in Gerards Bridge, as well as brushes and shovels worth 18 shillings from another shop in Bridge Street. There was also a further charge of stealing a pair of boots from the St Helens market.
Just how old the boys were was not revealed but Edward Bellis was probably Edwin Bellis of Duke Street who using the 1871 census as a guide, would when he appeared in court have only been about ten. There was no mention of the boys having any prior convictions before embarking on their stealing spree.
But their punishment was to spend 21 days in prison and then to be dispatched to a harsh reformatory for five years. And so a not very happy Christmas for them. The boys had sold their stolen brushes at less than half their value and those people who had bought them knowing they were likely to have been stolen were placed in front of the Bench and severely reprimanded.
The big Christmas event in St Helens was the pantomime at the Theatre Royal. This year Cinderella was chosen, although one of the oddities of the 19th century was that alternative titles were provided for such shows. And so the newspaper advert for the panto listed it as "Cinderella, or Harlequin Prince Tommy Dodd; The Little Glass Slipper; and the Seven Demon Cyclops of the Dark Valley".
Another feature of such pantos was that much of the narrative was localised, with many St Helens references in the script. The advert also said: "Come and see this Christmas annual! Come and see the charming ballet scene! Come and see the great ball room! And the glorious transformation!"
The aforementioned "Harlequin Prince Tommy Dodd" was played by Ada Hartland, which, in a separate preview in the Newspaper, was described as a "young lady of great versatile and terpsichorean talents." Why they couldn't just say Ada was a good dancer, I can't say!
The panto began on Christmas Eve and continued for a few weeks until the attendances dried up. Charles Duvall, the owner of the theatre in the building we know as the Citadel, had started the pantos. With their glitzy costumes and elaborate scenery they were expensive to put on and so he wanted a high return for his investment.
What was billed as a Rainford Soiree and Ball took place on the 29th in what appeared to be the school house. Tickets priced at 4s 6d for men and 3s 6d for ladies were quite expensive. I don't think many homes in St Helens would have had a Christmas tree inside and so seeing one at an event would have been an attraction.
Hence, what was described as "A Christmas Tree and Sale of Fancy Work and Other Articles" that was held on the 29th inside the Mission Hall in Waterloo Street. The event was to raise funds for the St Helens Ragged School for the very poor that had been founded in nearby Arthur Street in 1858.
And finally, it was a tradition in the late 19th century and for much of the 20th for 'The Messiah' to be performed in St Helens every Christmas / New Year. The very first performance of Handel's oratorio had taken place in the town last January and on the 30th it was again performed in the Volunteer Hall.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the aged poor of Parr's annual nosh-up, the friendless man that had died over Christmas, the mayor's fall from grace on the ice and St Helens Cricket Club decide to hire a professional player to boost their skills.
We begin on the 23rd when the St Helens Paving and Highways Committee met and their surveyor reported on a suggestion that another bridge should be constructed over the canal at Grove Street, near to Pilkington's works. Upon making enquiries he said he had discovered that only four or five boats sailed through the canal at that spot each week and so on that basis a second bridge was not required.
However, there was now a lot of road traffic in Grove Street and many people passed through there and if the proposed bridge was ever built it would, he said, "make Grove street second to none in St. Helens as far as the public is concerned." The present bridge was very narrow and it was decided to discuss the matter first with another committee.
One of the advantages of being in the St Helens rifle volunteers (known as the 47th LRV) was being able to win some cash at their shooting contents. These were held at their St Helens Junction rifle range and just before Christmas each year prizes were doled out to the battalion’s best marksmen.
In 1868 what the Liverpool Mercury described as a "live donkey of the shaggy species" had been one of the prizes. This year's distribution was held on Christmas Eve and although the form that the prizes that the Mayor of St Helens dished out was not reported, their total cash value was a whopping £156.
The Christmas edition of the St Helens Newspaper was notionally published on Boxing Day, but I expect the paper hit the streets on Christmas Eve. This year's editorial on the festive season gave a rather romantic portrayal of what Christmas Day was like in St Helens – although I expect the picture they painted was more likely to have been seen in the homes of their mainly middle class readership, rather than those of the working class:
"With what joy, for instance, do the young folks – released from the (to them) monotony of the curriculum of the school or the college – rush home to the paternal roof, where they know there will be a hearty welcome, and where the thoughts and anticipations of the last few days and weeks are fully realised. Here they find gathered together members of the family who are separated in a variety of ways during all the rest of the year, but who meet together now, all the cares and troubles and anxieties of business pursuits being thrown as it were into the “limbo” of oblivion for this week at least.
"We can easily imagine the fond caresses of parents and children as they meet on the threshold; only to be renewed when they enter the house, and are met by those even further back in their ancestry, and with whom the meeting is even more cordial, the old folks fairly shedding tears of joy. Then comes the gathering round the festive board [table], with joy and happiness shed all around, followed by the evening's sports and pastimes, including the ever memorable and mystic mistletoe, without which the decorations of any ball-room at this season of the year would not be complete."
Much of Rainford's water supply came from wells and samples from four in School Brow had been taken and analysed. The township's medical officer said all four were unfavourable and said they should only be used for drinking purposes after filtering and boiling. He said he had no hesitation in stating that drinking such water had caused the typhoid outbreak.
I don't know how much the Rainford Local Board's own Surveyor was paid but it was a demanding job and at the meeting he applied for an increase. Upon being denied a pay rise Mr Swallow promptly quit on the spot. Richard Pennington was reported to have "begged of Mr Swallow to reconsider his determination" but the man said he was adamant.
Public servants were expected to know their place and a chap called McBeth had written to the board complaining of the incivility of the stationmaster at Rainford Junction. But the board had nothing to do with railway servants and they stated that they could not intervene in the matter.
Some disputes in St Helens were settled privately, sometimes, although not always, with the approval of the court. From a victim's perspective any fine or custodial sentence imposed on the person who had done them harm did not benefit them in any material way. And so if they were offered a few pounds to drop a prosecution or not cooperate with an investigation, then as far as they were concerned they were better off.
This week John Connor made another appearance in court charged with wounding John Shuley at Parr. However, Supt. James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – said he had been informed that a key witness had received a sum of money "to go away", as he put it, and John Shuley himself was not in the courtroom. "There is reason to believe that the case has been compromised," explained the superintendent and as a result John Connor was discharged from the court.
There was another example of young children receiving very harsh sentences when John Lee and Edward Bellis appeared in court. They had admitted stealing five pounds of tobacco worth 17 shillings from Mr Middlehurst's shop in Gerards Bridge, as well as brushes and shovels worth 18 shillings from another shop in Bridge Street. There was also a further charge of stealing a pair of boots from the St Helens market.
Just how old the boys were was not revealed but Edward Bellis was probably Edwin Bellis of Duke Street who using the 1871 census as a guide, would when he appeared in court have only been about ten. There was no mention of the boys having any prior convictions before embarking on their stealing spree.
But their punishment was to spend 21 days in prison and then to be dispatched to a harsh reformatory for five years. And so a not very happy Christmas for them. The boys had sold their stolen brushes at less than half their value and those people who had bought them knowing they were likely to have been stolen were placed in front of the Bench and severely reprimanded.
The big Christmas event in St Helens was the pantomime at the Theatre Royal. This year Cinderella was chosen, although one of the oddities of the 19th century was that alternative titles were provided for such shows. And so the newspaper advert for the panto listed it as "Cinderella, or Harlequin Prince Tommy Dodd; The Little Glass Slipper; and the Seven Demon Cyclops of the Dark Valley".
Another feature of such pantos was that much of the narrative was localised, with many St Helens references in the script. The advert also said: "Come and see this Christmas annual! Come and see the charming ballet scene! Come and see the great ball room! And the glorious transformation!"
The aforementioned "Harlequin Prince Tommy Dodd" was played by Ada Hartland, which, in a separate preview in the Newspaper, was described as a "young lady of great versatile and terpsichorean talents." Why they couldn't just say Ada was a good dancer, I can't say!
The panto began on Christmas Eve and continued for a few weeks until the attendances dried up. Charles Duvall, the owner of the theatre in the building we know as the Citadel, had started the pantos. With their glitzy costumes and elaborate scenery they were expensive to put on and so he wanted a high return for his investment.
What was billed as a Rainford Soiree and Ball took place on the 29th in what appeared to be the school house. Tickets priced at 4s 6d for men and 3s 6d for ladies were quite expensive. I don't think many homes in St Helens would have had a Christmas tree inside and so seeing one at an event would have been an attraction.
Hence, what was described as "A Christmas Tree and Sale of Fancy Work and Other Articles" that was held on the 29th inside the Mission Hall in Waterloo Street. The event was to raise funds for the St Helens Ragged School for the very poor that had been founded in nearby Arthur Street in 1858.
And finally, it was a tradition in the late 19th century and for much of the 20th for 'The Messiah' to be performed in St Helens every Christmas / New Year. The very first performance of Handel's oratorio had taken place in the town last January and on the 30th it was again performed in the Volunteer Hall.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the aged poor of Parr's annual nosh-up, the friendless man that had died over Christmas, the mayor's fall from grace on the ice and St Helens Cricket Club decide to hire a professional player to boost their skills.
This week's many stories include the glitzy Christmas pantomime at the Theatre Royal, the cases of typhoid fever in Rainford, the distribution of the volunteers' shooting prizes, the Newspaper's romantic portrait of Christmas Day and the two young thieves that were harshly punished for their crimes.
We begin on the 23rd when the St Helens Paving and Highways Committee met and their surveyor reported on a suggestion that another bridge should be constructed over the canal at Grove Street, near to Pilkington's works.
Upon making enquiries he said he had discovered that only four or five boats sailed through the canal at that spot each week and so on that basis a second bridge was not required.
However, there was now a lot of road traffic in Grove Street and many people passed through there and if the proposed bridge was ever built it would, he said, "make Grove street second to none in St. Helens as far as the public is concerned."
The present bridge was very narrow and it was decided to discuss the matter first with another committee.
One of the advantages of being in the St Helens rifle volunteers (known as the 47th LRV) was being able to win some cash at their shooting contents.
These were held at their St Helens Junction rifle range and just before Christmas each year prizes were doled out to the battalion’s best marksmen.
In 1868 what the Liverpool Mercury described as a "live donkey of the shaggy species" had been one of the prizes.
This year's distribution was held on Christmas Eve and although the form that the prizes that the Mayor of St Helens dished out was not reported, their total cash value was a whopping £156.
The Christmas edition of the St Helens Newspaper was notionally published on Boxing Day, but I expect the paper hit the streets on Christmas Eve.
This year's editorial on the festive season gave a rather romantic portrayal of what Christmas Day was like in St Helens – although I expect the picture they painted was more likely to have been seen in the homes of their mainly middle class readership, rather than those of the working class:
"With what joy, for instance, do the young folks – released from the (to them) monotony of the curriculum of the school or the college – rush home to the paternal roof, where they know there will be a hearty welcome, and where the thoughts and anticipations of the last few days and weeks are fully realised.
"Here they find gathered together members of the family who are separated in a variety of ways during all the rest of the year, but who meet together now, all the cares and troubles and anxieties of business pursuits being thrown as it were into the “limbo” of oblivion for this week at least.
"We can easily imagine the fond caresses of parents and children as they meet on the threshold; only to be renewed when they enter the house, and are met by those even further back in their ancestry, and with whom the meeting is even more cordial, the old folks fairly shedding tears of joy.
"Then comes the gathering round the festive board [table], with joy and happiness shed all around, followed by the evening's sports and pastimes, including the ever memorable and mystic mistletoe, without which the decorations of any ball-room at this season of the year would not be complete."
In 1872 Rainford had been granted its own Local Board to administer the village's affairs.
Its members met every month with their meetings chaired by cotton manufacturer Richard Pennington of Muncaster Hall.
This week's meeting heard that typhoid fever had broken out in Rainford at School Brow (pictured above).
That is now part of Church Road but in the 1870s it was the name of the road leading from Pasture Lane to the Derby Arms, where was then called Chapel Lane began.
Much of Rainford's water supply came from wells and samples from four in School Brow had been taken and analysed.
The township's medical officer said all four were unfavourable and said they should only be used for drinking purposes after filtering and boiling.
He said he had no hesitation in stating that drinking such water had caused the typhoid outbreak.
I don't know how much the Rainford Local Board's own Surveyor was paid but it was a demanding job and at the meeting he applied for an increase.
Upon being denied a pay rise Mr Swallow promptly quit on the spot.
Richard Pennington was reported to have "begged of Mr Swallow to reconsider his determination" but the man said he was adamant.
Public servants were expected to know their place and a chap called McBeth had written to the board complaining of the incivility of the stationmaster at Rainford Junction.
But the board had nothing to do with railway servants and they stated that they could not intervene in the matter.
Some disputes in St Helens were settled privately, sometimes, although not always, with the approval of the court.
From a victim's perspective any fine or custodial sentence imposed on the person who had done them harm did not benefit them in any material way.
And so if they were offered a few pounds to drop a prosecution or not cooperate with an investigation, then as far as they were concerned they were better off.
This week John Connor made another appearance in court charged with wounding John Shuley at Parr.
However, Supt. James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – said he had been informed that a key witness had received a sum of money "to go away", as he put it, and John Shuley himself was not in the courtroom.
"There is reason to believe that the case has been compromised," explained the superintendent and as a result John Connor was discharged from the court.
There was another example of young children receiving very harsh sentences when John Lee and Edward Bellis appeared in court.
They had admitted stealing five pounds of tobacco worth 17 shillings from Mr Middlehurst's shop in Gerards Bridge, as well as brushes and shovels worth 18 shillings from another shop in Bridge Street.
There was also a further charge of stealing a pair of boots from the St Helens market.
Just how old the boys were was not revealed but Edward Bellis was probably Edwin Bellis of Duke Street who using the 1871 census as a guide, would when he appeared in court have only been about ten.
There was no mention of the boys having any prior convictions before embarking on their stealing spree.
But their punishment was to spend 21 days in prison and then to be dispatched to a harsh reformatory for five years. And so a not very happy Christmas for them.
The boys had sold their stolen brushes at less than half their value and those people who had bought them knowing they were likely to have been stolen were placed in front of the Bench and severely reprimanded.
The big Christmas event in St Helens was the pantomime at the Theatre Royal.
This year Cinderella was chosen, although one of the oddities of the 19th century was that alternative titles were provided for such shows.
And so the newspaper advert for the panto listed it as "Cinderella, or Harlequin Prince Tommy Dodd; The Little Glass Slipper; and the Seven Demon Cyclops of the Dark Valley".
Another feature of such pantos was that much of the narrative was localised, with many St Helens references in the script. The advert also said:
"Come and see this Christmas annual! Come and see the charming ballet scene! Come and see the great ball room! And the glorious transformation!"
The aforementioned "Harlequin Prince Tommy Dodd" was played by Ada Hartland, which, in a separate preview in the Newspaper, was described as a "young lady of great versatile and terpsichorean talents."
Why they couldn't just say Ada was a good dancer, I can't say!
The panto began on Christmas Eve and continued for a few weeks until the attendances dried up.
Charles Duvall, the owner of the theatre in the building we know as the Citadel, had started the pantos.
With their glitzy costumes and elaborate scenery they were expensive to put on and so he wanted a high return for his investment.
What was billed as a Rainford Soiree and Ball took place on the 29th in what appeared to be the school house. Tickets priced at 4s 6d for men and 3s 6d for ladies were quite expensive.
I don't think many homes in St Helens would have had a Christmas tree inside and so seeing one at an event would have been an attraction.
Hence, what was described as "A Christmas Tree and Sale of Fancy Work and Other Articles" that was held on the 29th inside the Mission Hall in Waterloo Street.
The event was to raise funds for the St Helens Ragged School for the very poor that had been founded in nearby Arthur Street in 1858.
And finally, it was a tradition in the late 19th century and for much of the 20th for 'The Messiah' to be performed in St Helens every Christmas / New Year.
The very first performance of Handel's oratorio had taken place in the town last January and on the 30th it was again performed in the Volunteer Hall.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the aged poor of Parr's annual nosh-up, the friendless man that had died over Christmas, the mayor's fall from grace on the ice and St Helens Cricket Club decide to hire a professional player to boost their skills.
We begin on the 23rd when the St Helens Paving and Highways Committee met and their surveyor reported on a suggestion that another bridge should be constructed over the canal at Grove Street, near to Pilkington's works.
Upon making enquiries he said he had discovered that only four or five boats sailed through the canal at that spot each week and so on that basis a second bridge was not required.
However, there was now a lot of road traffic in Grove Street and many people passed through there and if the proposed bridge was ever built it would, he said, "make Grove street second to none in St. Helens as far as the public is concerned."
The present bridge was very narrow and it was decided to discuss the matter first with another committee.
One of the advantages of being in the St Helens rifle volunteers (known as the 47th LRV) was being able to win some cash at their shooting contents.
These were held at their St Helens Junction rifle range and just before Christmas each year prizes were doled out to the battalion’s best marksmen.
In 1868 what the Liverpool Mercury described as a "live donkey of the shaggy species" had been one of the prizes.
This year's distribution was held on Christmas Eve and although the form that the prizes that the Mayor of St Helens dished out was not reported, their total cash value was a whopping £156.
The Christmas edition of the St Helens Newspaper was notionally published on Boxing Day, but I expect the paper hit the streets on Christmas Eve.
This year's editorial on the festive season gave a rather romantic portrayal of what Christmas Day was like in St Helens – although I expect the picture they painted was more likely to have been seen in the homes of their mainly middle class readership, rather than those of the working class:
"With what joy, for instance, do the young folks – released from the (to them) monotony of the curriculum of the school or the college – rush home to the paternal roof, where they know there will be a hearty welcome, and where the thoughts and anticipations of the last few days and weeks are fully realised.
"Here they find gathered together members of the family who are separated in a variety of ways during all the rest of the year, but who meet together now, all the cares and troubles and anxieties of business pursuits being thrown as it were into the “limbo” of oblivion for this week at least.
"We can easily imagine the fond caresses of parents and children as they meet on the threshold; only to be renewed when they enter the house, and are met by those even further back in their ancestry, and with whom the meeting is even more cordial, the old folks fairly shedding tears of joy.
"Then comes the gathering round the festive board [table], with joy and happiness shed all around, followed by the evening's sports and pastimes, including the ever memorable and mystic mistletoe, without which the decorations of any ball-room at this season of the year would not be complete."
In 1872 Rainford had been granted its own Local Board to administer the village's affairs.
Its members met every month with their meetings chaired by cotton manufacturer Richard Pennington of Muncaster Hall.
That is now part of Church Road but in the 1870s it was the name of the road leading from Pasture Lane to the Derby Arms, where was then called Chapel Lane began.
Much of Rainford's water supply came from wells and samples from four in School Brow had been taken and analysed.
The township's medical officer said all four were unfavourable and said they should only be used for drinking purposes after filtering and boiling.
He said he had no hesitation in stating that drinking such water had caused the typhoid outbreak.
I don't know how much the Rainford Local Board's own Surveyor was paid but it was a demanding job and at the meeting he applied for an increase.
Upon being denied a pay rise Mr Swallow promptly quit on the spot.
Richard Pennington was reported to have "begged of Mr Swallow to reconsider his determination" but the man said he was adamant.
Public servants were expected to know their place and a chap called McBeth had written to the board complaining of the incivility of the stationmaster at Rainford Junction.
But the board had nothing to do with railway servants and they stated that they could not intervene in the matter.
Some disputes in St Helens were settled privately, sometimes, although not always, with the approval of the court.
From a victim's perspective any fine or custodial sentence imposed on the person who had done them harm did not benefit them in any material way.
And so if they were offered a few pounds to drop a prosecution or not cooperate with an investigation, then as far as they were concerned they were better off.
This week John Connor made another appearance in court charged with wounding John Shuley at Parr.
However, Supt. James Ludlam – who was in charge of St Helens police – said he had been informed that a key witness had received a sum of money "to go away", as he put it, and John Shuley himself was not in the courtroom.
"There is reason to believe that the case has been compromised," explained the superintendent and as a result John Connor was discharged from the court.
There was another example of young children receiving very harsh sentences when John Lee and Edward Bellis appeared in court.
They had admitted stealing five pounds of tobacco worth 17 shillings from Mr Middlehurst's shop in Gerards Bridge, as well as brushes and shovels worth 18 shillings from another shop in Bridge Street.
There was also a further charge of stealing a pair of boots from the St Helens market.
Just how old the boys were was not revealed but Edward Bellis was probably Edwin Bellis of Duke Street who using the 1871 census as a guide, would when he appeared in court have only been about ten.
There was no mention of the boys having any prior convictions before embarking on their stealing spree.
But their punishment was to spend 21 days in prison and then to be dispatched to a harsh reformatory for five years. And so a not very happy Christmas for them.
The boys had sold their stolen brushes at less than half their value and those people who had bought them knowing they were likely to have been stolen were placed in front of the Bench and severely reprimanded.
The big Christmas event in St Helens was the pantomime at the Theatre Royal.
This year Cinderella was chosen, although one of the oddities of the 19th century was that alternative titles were provided for such shows.
And so the newspaper advert for the panto listed it as "Cinderella, or Harlequin Prince Tommy Dodd; The Little Glass Slipper; and the Seven Demon Cyclops of the Dark Valley".
Another feature of such pantos was that much of the narrative was localised, with many St Helens references in the script. The advert also said:
"Come and see this Christmas annual! Come and see the charming ballet scene! Come and see the great ball room! And the glorious transformation!"
The aforementioned "Harlequin Prince Tommy Dodd" was played by Ada Hartland, which, in a separate preview in the Newspaper, was described as a "young lady of great versatile and terpsichorean talents."
Why they couldn't just say Ada was a good dancer, I can't say!
The panto began on Christmas Eve and continued for a few weeks until the attendances dried up.
Charles Duvall, the owner of the theatre in the building we know as the Citadel, had started the pantos.
With their glitzy costumes and elaborate scenery they were expensive to put on and so he wanted a high return for his investment.
What was billed as a Rainford Soiree and Ball took place on the 29th in what appeared to be the school house. Tickets priced at 4s 6d for men and 3s 6d for ladies were quite expensive.
I don't think many homes in St Helens would have had a Christmas tree inside and so seeing one at an event would have been an attraction.
Hence, what was described as "A Christmas Tree and Sale of Fancy Work and Other Articles" that was held on the 29th inside the Mission Hall in Waterloo Street.
The event was to raise funds for the St Helens Ragged School for the very poor that had been founded in nearby Arthur Street in 1858.
And finally, it was a tradition in the late 19th century and for much of the 20th for 'The Messiah' to be performed in St Helens every Christmas / New Year.
The very first performance of Handel's oratorio had taken place in the town last January and on the 30th it was again performed in the Volunteer Hall.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the aged poor of Parr's annual nosh-up, the friendless man that had died over Christmas, the mayor's fall from grace on the ice and St Helens Cricket Club decide to hire a professional player to boost their skills.