150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 27 JAN - 2 FEB 1875
This week's many stories include the stealing of finny haddys in Liverpool Street, the violent purring in Tontine Street, the trouble at Rainford's Star Inn, the St Helens Newspaper denounces the brutality in the town and the prosecutions for taking a day off work at Sutton Heath Colliery.
We begin on the 29th when John Holt of Arthur Street was charged in St Helens Petty Sessions with unlawfully wounding Paul Taylor of Peter Street by kicking him about his head and body, a practice known as purring. Taylor told the court that he had been in a public house in Bridge Street and had left about 8 o’clock to go home. In Tontine Street opposite the Churn Inn pub he said he had met Holt with two other men, one of whom knocked him down. Holt then said to Taylor: "Now, you b_______, I'll do for thee."
Taylor claimed that Holt commenced kicking him and he could remember no more until he was taken home and came round on the following morning. "I gave Holt no provocation whatever," Taylor told the court. That may have been true for that particular night but it was later revealed in the hearing that six weeks before he had knocked Holt down and badly injured him. And on the night when he himself had taken a beating, Taylor admitted being in a pub called The Crooked Billet in Higher Parr Street and breaking two glasses and nearly overturning a table. And so the victim was hardly an angel himself.
But several persons gave evidence of seeing Holt's dreadful attack on Taylor, with James Middlehurst, a well-known provisions dealer from Peter Street, describing how a large quantity of blood ran down the right side of the man's face. A little girl, horrified at what she saw, ran for the police and James Harrison was another witness to the assault. The Bench decided to commit the prisoner for trial at the next assizes but unusually allowed John Holt bail and the 21-year-old was later sentenced to 6 months in prison.
Richard Woods also appeared in the Petty Sessions on the 29th charged with assaulting and resisting PC Peter Cownie while in the execution of his duty at Rainford. The magistrates were told that on the night in question the policeman had been walking by an unnamed public house kept by a man named Lewis. In the 1871 census John Lewis was the licensee of the Star Inn and, presumably, he was still there four years later.
PC Cownie heard a shout of "murder" coming from the pub and so went inside to ascertain the trouble. The landlord told him that a man had struck his wife and upon the constable enquiring whom the man was, he was told that he had to find that out for himself. Constable Cownie was then ordered to leave the pub and told the court that he had been pushed by the landlord who had also attempted to strike him with a stick.
Richard Woods then came on the scene and struck PC Cownie with what was described as a deliberate and violent blow on the mouth with his fist. Although the man went quietly upon being arrested, Woods became very violent at the police station. As it had been Richard Woods' first offence, the magistrates said they would deal leniently with him and only imposed a fine of £3 and costs.
Of course, if he had stolen something he would have received an immediate prison sentence. The landlord Lewis – who sounds like he had been the mystery man that had beaten his wife – was later prosecuted for assaulting the police and being drunk. But he had five witnesses to deny the charges and the case was dismissed.
I can only assume that a finny haddy as mentioned in my next court account is a haddock. See what you think as I reprint in its entirety the short report that was published in the St Helens Newspaper: "James Sutton, a boy 13 years of age, was placed in the dock on the charge of stealing a “finny haddy,” value 4d., on the 27th ult. Mary Beatie, the wife of John Beatie, fishmonger, Liverpool road, said she was out hawking fish in a cart on Wednesday morning last.
"About 10 o’clock she called at a shop in Liverpool street (pictured above), and as she was coming out of the shop she saw the prisoner in the act of taking four “haddys” from the cart. In his hurry to get away he dropped three, but escaped with the other up an adjoining entry. This evidence being corroborated, the prisoner was sent to gaol for seven days, and ordered to be flogged while there."
The 1870s, as I've often written, were very violent times. Matters were not helped by acts of violence being treated in court less seriously than theft. But, of course, there are different levels of violence and there had been a lot of the serious sort of late. During the past week a man had been set upon in Tontine Street in St Helens and so brutally kicked that he had not yet been able to give evidence in court against his attacker. And last week a man had died in a brothel in Greenbank. That led to the St Helens Newspaper publishing this stinging editorial on the 30th:
"Lancashire has of late become notorious for crime – crime attended with fatal consequences – and the borough of St. Helens can claim no exception from the bad character which has been earned by the county. The recklessness with which life is taken, and the committance of acts which betray an utter disregard of fatal consequences, are of almost daily occurrence in our very midst.
"Kicking men to the very edge of the grave, ruffianly assaults and dastardly blows, which if not parried or warded off, would be attended with fatal results, are much too frequent. The wonder is, that all the ruffianism which is so prevalent amongst us, is not more frequently attended with fatal consequences. Brutality rides rampant in our midst. It may indeed be said that “the devil goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,” and there are few to resist him."
Prosecutions under the Master and Servant Act took place in St Helens Petty Sessions virtually weekly. They usually involved workers quitting their jobs without giving their employer notice or taking an unauthorised day off. Although the employee would receive no pay when not working, the employer claimed that they had lost money when a worker failed to show up and so demanded compensation.
James Radley was the Mayor of St Helens who also owned Sutton Heath Colliery. On February 1st he brought six prosecutions against members of his workforce for wilfully absenting themselves from their jobs, claiming 10 shillings compensation from each man for every day that they had taken off.
It was unusual for such a charge to be dismissed by the Bench but John Houghton – who was the first defendant to be called – won his case. He had only missed one day at work, which he blamed on a bad case of diarrhoea that he had endured during the whole of the previous night. Houghton's wife gave corroborative evidence as to her husband’s illness and the case was dismissed.
However, Thomas Eccleston was not so fortunate. He had missed two work days and so the colliery demanded £1 from him as compensation. Eccleston said thirteen years before he had suffered an accident in a coal mine, which still occasionally affected his eyesight, rendering him almost totally blind for a day or so. However, the magistrates said he should have sent notice to the colliery that he was unable to work through suffering a medical episode and he was ordered to pay the £1.
John Parks blamed acute rheumatism for taking a day off work at Sutton Heath Colliery (pictured above). But again, as he has not sent in proper notice he was ordered to pay 10 shillings and costs. And the same applied to George Hayes from Haydock who gave sickness as his reason for not turning up on two days. But for not sending in notice that he was not attending his work, he was fined £1.
On February 2nd Benjamin Smith died down Whiston Colliery when a fall of coal completely buried him. The man was aged about 30 and left a widow and four children.
And finally, on the 2nd Holy Cross Schools annual tea party and ball was held in the Volunteer Hall in St Helens with more than 800 persons in attendance. The advert for the event promised that an "efficient" band would be in attendance. Although sounding a bit odd to us the word was often used to describe good musicians. Tickets cost 2 shillings in advance.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the blackface troupe at the Volunteer Hall, two coal mining tragedies take place, the harsh penalty for stealing two shawls from the family home and the Grand Gala that was coming to Prescot.
We begin on the 29th when John Holt of Arthur Street was charged in St Helens Petty Sessions with unlawfully wounding Paul Taylor of Peter Street by kicking him about his head and body, a practice known as purring. Taylor told the court that he had been in a public house in Bridge Street and had left about 8 o’clock to go home. In Tontine Street opposite the Churn Inn pub he said he had met Holt with two other men, one of whom knocked him down. Holt then said to Taylor: "Now, you b_______, I'll do for thee."
Taylor claimed that Holt commenced kicking him and he could remember no more until he was taken home and came round on the following morning. "I gave Holt no provocation whatever," Taylor told the court. That may have been true for that particular night but it was later revealed in the hearing that six weeks before he had knocked Holt down and badly injured him. And on the night when he himself had taken a beating, Taylor admitted being in a pub called The Crooked Billet in Higher Parr Street and breaking two glasses and nearly overturning a table. And so the victim was hardly an angel himself.
But several persons gave evidence of seeing Holt's dreadful attack on Taylor, with James Middlehurst, a well-known provisions dealer from Peter Street, describing how a large quantity of blood ran down the right side of the man's face. A little girl, horrified at what she saw, ran for the police and James Harrison was another witness to the assault. The Bench decided to commit the prisoner for trial at the next assizes but unusually allowed John Holt bail and the 21-year-old was later sentenced to 6 months in prison.
Richard Woods also appeared in the Petty Sessions on the 29th charged with assaulting and resisting PC Peter Cownie while in the execution of his duty at Rainford. The magistrates were told that on the night in question the policeman had been walking by an unnamed public house kept by a man named Lewis. In the 1871 census John Lewis was the licensee of the Star Inn and, presumably, he was still there four years later.
PC Cownie heard a shout of "murder" coming from the pub and so went inside to ascertain the trouble. The landlord told him that a man had struck his wife and upon the constable enquiring whom the man was, he was told that he had to find that out for himself. Constable Cownie was then ordered to leave the pub and told the court that he had been pushed by the landlord who had also attempted to strike him with a stick.
Richard Woods then came on the scene and struck PC Cownie with what was described as a deliberate and violent blow on the mouth with his fist. Although the man went quietly upon being arrested, Woods became very violent at the police station. As it had been Richard Woods' first offence, the magistrates said they would deal leniently with him and only imposed a fine of £3 and costs.
Of course, if he had stolen something he would have received an immediate prison sentence. The landlord Lewis – who sounds like he had been the mystery man that had beaten his wife – was later prosecuted for assaulting the police and being drunk. But he had five witnesses to deny the charges and the case was dismissed.
"About 10 o’clock she called at a shop in Liverpool street (pictured above), and as she was coming out of the shop she saw the prisoner in the act of taking four “haddys” from the cart. In his hurry to get away he dropped three, but escaped with the other up an adjoining entry. This evidence being corroborated, the prisoner was sent to gaol for seven days, and ordered to be flogged while there."
The 1870s, as I've often written, were very violent times. Matters were not helped by acts of violence being treated in court less seriously than theft. But, of course, there are different levels of violence and there had been a lot of the serious sort of late. During the past week a man had been set upon in Tontine Street in St Helens and so brutally kicked that he had not yet been able to give evidence in court against his attacker. And last week a man had died in a brothel in Greenbank. That led to the St Helens Newspaper publishing this stinging editorial on the 30th:
"Lancashire has of late become notorious for crime – crime attended with fatal consequences – and the borough of St. Helens can claim no exception from the bad character which has been earned by the county. The recklessness with which life is taken, and the committance of acts which betray an utter disregard of fatal consequences, are of almost daily occurrence in our very midst.
"Kicking men to the very edge of the grave, ruffianly assaults and dastardly blows, which if not parried or warded off, would be attended with fatal results, are much too frequent. The wonder is, that all the ruffianism which is so prevalent amongst us, is not more frequently attended with fatal consequences. Brutality rides rampant in our midst. It may indeed be said that “the devil goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,” and there are few to resist him."
Prosecutions under the Master and Servant Act took place in St Helens Petty Sessions virtually weekly. They usually involved workers quitting their jobs without giving their employer notice or taking an unauthorised day off. Although the employee would receive no pay when not working, the employer claimed that they had lost money when a worker failed to show up and so demanded compensation.
James Radley was the Mayor of St Helens who also owned Sutton Heath Colliery. On February 1st he brought six prosecutions against members of his workforce for wilfully absenting themselves from their jobs, claiming 10 shillings compensation from each man for every day that they had taken off.
It was unusual for such a charge to be dismissed by the Bench but John Houghton – who was the first defendant to be called – won his case. He had only missed one day at work, which he blamed on a bad case of diarrhoea that he had endured during the whole of the previous night. Houghton's wife gave corroborative evidence as to her husband’s illness and the case was dismissed.
However, Thomas Eccleston was not so fortunate. He had missed two work days and so the colliery demanded £1 from him as compensation. Eccleston said thirteen years before he had suffered an accident in a coal mine, which still occasionally affected his eyesight, rendering him almost totally blind for a day or so. However, the magistrates said he should have sent notice to the colliery that he was unable to work through suffering a medical episode and he was ordered to pay the £1.
On February 2nd Benjamin Smith died down Whiston Colliery when a fall of coal completely buried him. The man was aged about 30 and left a widow and four children.
And finally, on the 2nd Holy Cross Schools annual tea party and ball was held in the Volunteer Hall in St Helens with more than 800 persons in attendance. The advert for the event promised that an "efficient" band would be in attendance. Although sounding a bit odd to us the word was often used to describe good musicians. Tickets cost 2 shillings in advance.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the blackface troupe at the Volunteer Hall, two coal mining tragedies take place, the harsh penalty for stealing two shawls from the family home and the Grand Gala that was coming to Prescot.
This week's many stories include the stealing of finny haddys in Liverpool Street, the violent purring in Tontine Street, the trouble at Rainford's Star Inn, the St Helens Newspaper denounces the brutality in the town and the prosecutions for taking a day off work at Sutton Heath Colliery.
We begin on the 29th when John Holt of Arthur Street was charged in St Helens Petty Sessions with unlawfully wounding Paul Taylor of Peter Street by kicking him about his head and body, a practice known as purring.
Taylor told the court that he had been in a public house in Bridge Street and had left about 8 o’clock to go home.
In Tontine Street opposite the Churn Inn pub he said he had met Holt with two other men, one of whom knocked him down. Holt then said to Taylor: "Now, you b_______, I'll do for thee."
Taylor claimed that Holt commenced kicking him and he could remember no more until he was taken home and came round on the following morning.
"I gave Holt no provocation whatever," Taylor told the court. That may have been true for that particular night but it was later revealed in the hearing that six weeks before he had knocked Holt down and badly injured him.
And on the night when he himself had taken a beating, Taylor admitted being in a pub called The Crooked Billet in Higher Parr Street and breaking two glasses and nearly overturning a table. And so the victim was hardly an angel himself.
But several persons gave evidence of seeing Holt's dreadful attack on Taylor, with James Middlehurst, a well-known provisions dealer from Peter Street, describing how a large quantity of blood ran down the right side of the man's face.
A little girl, horrified at what she saw, ran for the police and James Harrison was another witness to the assault.
The Bench decided to commit the prisoner for trial at the next assizes but unusually allowed John Holt bail and the 21-year-old was later sentenced to 6 months in prison.
Richard Woods also appeared in the Petty Sessions on the 29th charged with assaulting and resisting PC Peter Cownie while in the execution of his duty at Rainford.
The magistrates were told that on the night in question the policeman had been walking by an unnamed public house kept by a man named Lewis.
In the 1871 census John Lewis was the licensee of the Star Inn and, presumably, he was still there four years later.
PC Cownie heard a shout of "murder" coming from the pub and so went inside to ascertain the trouble.
The landlord told him that a man had struck his wife and upon the constable enquiring whom the man was, he was told that he had to find that out for himself.
Constable Cownie was then ordered to leave the pub and told the court that he had been pushed by the landlord who had also attempted to strike him with a stick.
Richard Woods then came on the scene and struck PC Cownie with what was described as a deliberate and violent blow on the mouth with his fist.
Although the man went quietly upon being arrested, Woods became very violent at the police station.
As it had been Richard Woods' first offence, the magistrates said they would deal leniently with him and only imposed a fine of £3 and costs.
Of course, if he had stolen something he would have received an immediate prison sentence.
The landlord Lewis – who sounds like he had been the mystery man that had beaten his wife – was later prosecuted for assaulting the police and being drunk. But he had five witnesses to deny the charges and the case was dismissed.
I can only assume that a finny haddy as mentioned in my next court account is a haddock. See what you think as I reprint in its entirety the short report that was published in the St Helens Newspaper:
"James Sutton, a boy 13 years of age, was placed in the dock on the charge of stealing a “finny haddy,” value 4d., on the 27th ult.
"Mary Beatie, the wife of John Beatie, fishmonger, Liverpool road, said she was out hawking fish in a cart on Wednesday morning last.
"About 10 o’clock she called at a shop in Liverpool street (pictured above) and as she was coming out of the shop she saw the prisoner in the act of taking four “haddys” from the cart.
"In his hurry to get away he dropped three, but escaped with the other up an adjoining entry.
"This evidence being corroborated, the prisoner was sent to gaol for seven days, and ordered to be flogged while there."
The 1870s, as I've often written, were very violent times. Matters were not helped by acts of violence being treated in court less seriously than theft.
But, of course, there are different levels of violence and there had been a lot of the serious sort of late.
During the past week a man had been set upon in Tontine Street in St Helens and so brutally kicked that he had not yet been able to give evidence in court against his attacker.
And last week a man had died in a brothel in Greenbank. That led to the St Helens Newspaper publishing this stinging editorial on the 30th:
"Lancashire has of late become notorious for crime – crime attended with fatal consequences – and the borough of St. Helens can claim no exception from the bad character which has been earned by the county.
"The recklessness with which life is taken, and the committance of acts which betray an utter disregard of fatal consequences, are of almost daily occurrence in our very midst.
"Kicking men to the very edge of the grave, ruffianly assaults and dastardly blows, which if not parried or warded off, would be attended with fatal results, are much too frequent.
"The wonder is, that all the ruffianism which is so prevalent amongst us, is not more frequently attended with fatal consequences.
"Brutality rides rampant in our midst. It may indeed be said that “the devil goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,” and there are few to resist him."
Prosecutions under the Master and Servant Act took place in St Helens Petty Sessions virtually weekly.
They usually involved workers quitting their jobs without giving their employer notice or taking an unauthorised day off.
Although the employee would receive no pay when not working, the employer claimed that they had lost money when a worker failed to show up and so demanded compensation.
James Radley was the Mayor of St Helens who also owned Sutton Heath Colliery (pictured above).
On February 1st he brought six prosecutions against members of his workforce for wilfully absenting themselves from their jobs, claiming 10 shillings compensation from each man for every day that they had taken off.
It was unusual for such a charge to be dismissed by the Bench but John Houghton – who was the first defendant to be called – won his case.
He had only missed one day at work, which he blamed on a bad case of diarrhoea that he had endured during the whole of the previous night.
Houghton's wife gave corroborative evidence as to her husband’s illness and the case was dismissed.
However, Thomas Eccleston was not so fortunate. He had missed two work days and so the colliery demanded £1 from him as compensation.
Eccleston said thirteen years before he had suffered an accident in a coal mine, which still occasionally affected his eyesight, rendering him almost totally blind for a day or so.
However, the magistrates said he should have sent notice to the colliery that he was unable to work through suffering a medical episode and he was ordered to pay the £1.
John Parks blamed acute rheumatism for taking a day off work at Sutton Heath Colliery. But again, as he has not sent in proper notice he was ordered to pay 10 shillings and costs.
And the same applied to George Hayes from Haydock who gave sickness as his reason for not turning up on two days. But for not sending in notice that he was not attending his work, he was fined £1.
On February 2nd Benjamin Smith died down Whiston Colliery when a fall of coal completely buried him. The man was aged about 30 and left a widow and four children.
And finally, on the 2nd Holy Cross Schools annual tea party and ball was held in the Volunteer Hall in St Helens with more than 800 persons in attendance.
The advert for the event promised that an "efficient" band would be in attendance. Although sounding a bit odd to us the word was often used to describe good musicians. Tickets cost 2 shillings in advance.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the blackface troupe at the Volunteer Hall, two coal mining tragedies take place, the harsh penalty for stealing two shawls from the family home and the Grand Gala that was coming to Prescot.
We begin on the 29th when John Holt of Arthur Street was charged in St Helens Petty Sessions with unlawfully wounding Paul Taylor of Peter Street by kicking him about his head and body, a practice known as purring.
Taylor told the court that he had been in a public house in Bridge Street and had left about 8 o’clock to go home.
In Tontine Street opposite the Churn Inn pub he said he had met Holt with two other men, one of whom knocked him down. Holt then said to Taylor: "Now, you b_______, I'll do for thee."
Taylor claimed that Holt commenced kicking him and he could remember no more until he was taken home and came round on the following morning.
"I gave Holt no provocation whatever," Taylor told the court. That may have been true for that particular night but it was later revealed in the hearing that six weeks before he had knocked Holt down and badly injured him.
And on the night when he himself had taken a beating, Taylor admitted being in a pub called The Crooked Billet in Higher Parr Street and breaking two glasses and nearly overturning a table. And so the victim was hardly an angel himself.
But several persons gave evidence of seeing Holt's dreadful attack on Taylor, with James Middlehurst, a well-known provisions dealer from Peter Street, describing how a large quantity of blood ran down the right side of the man's face.
A little girl, horrified at what she saw, ran for the police and James Harrison was another witness to the assault.
The Bench decided to commit the prisoner for trial at the next assizes but unusually allowed John Holt bail and the 21-year-old was later sentenced to 6 months in prison.
Richard Woods also appeared in the Petty Sessions on the 29th charged with assaulting and resisting PC Peter Cownie while in the execution of his duty at Rainford.
The magistrates were told that on the night in question the policeman had been walking by an unnamed public house kept by a man named Lewis.
In the 1871 census John Lewis was the licensee of the Star Inn and, presumably, he was still there four years later.
PC Cownie heard a shout of "murder" coming from the pub and so went inside to ascertain the trouble.
The landlord told him that a man had struck his wife and upon the constable enquiring whom the man was, he was told that he had to find that out for himself.
Constable Cownie was then ordered to leave the pub and told the court that he had been pushed by the landlord who had also attempted to strike him with a stick.
Richard Woods then came on the scene and struck PC Cownie with what was described as a deliberate and violent blow on the mouth with his fist.
Although the man went quietly upon being arrested, Woods became very violent at the police station.
As it had been Richard Woods' first offence, the magistrates said they would deal leniently with him and only imposed a fine of £3 and costs.
Of course, if he had stolen something he would have received an immediate prison sentence.
The landlord Lewis – who sounds like he had been the mystery man that had beaten his wife – was later prosecuted for assaulting the police and being drunk. But he had five witnesses to deny the charges and the case was dismissed.
I can only assume that a finny haddy as mentioned in my next court account is a haddock. See what you think as I reprint in its entirety the short report that was published in the St Helens Newspaper:
"James Sutton, a boy 13 years of age, was placed in the dock on the charge of stealing a “finny haddy,” value 4d., on the 27th ult.
"Mary Beatie, the wife of John Beatie, fishmonger, Liverpool road, said she was out hawking fish in a cart on Wednesday morning last.
"In his hurry to get away he dropped three, but escaped with the other up an adjoining entry.
"This evidence being corroborated, the prisoner was sent to gaol for seven days, and ordered to be flogged while there."
The 1870s, as I've often written, were very violent times. Matters were not helped by acts of violence being treated in court less seriously than theft.
But, of course, there are different levels of violence and there had been a lot of the serious sort of late.
During the past week a man had been set upon in Tontine Street in St Helens and so brutally kicked that he had not yet been able to give evidence in court against his attacker.
And last week a man had died in a brothel in Greenbank. That led to the St Helens Newspaper publishing this stinging editorial on the 30th:
"Lancashire has of late become notorious for crime – crime attended with fatal consequences – and the borough of St. Helens can claim no exception from the bad character which has been earned by the county.
"The recklessness with which life is taken, and the committance of acts which betray an utter disregard of fatal consequences, are of almost daily occurrence in our very midst.
"Kicking men to the very edge of the grave, ruffianly assaults and dastardly blows, which if not parried or warded off, would be attended with fatal results, are much too frequent.
"The wonder is, that all the ruffianism which is so prevalent amongst us, is not more frequently attended with fatal consequences.
"Brutality rides rampant in our midst. It may indeed be said that “the devil goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,” and there are few to resist him."
Prosecutions under the Master and Servant Act took place in St Helens Petty Sessions virtually weekly.
They usually involved workers quitting their jobs without giving their employer notice or taking an unauthorised day off.
Although the employee would receive no pay when not working, the employer claimed that they had lost money when a worker failed to show up and so demanded compensation.
On February 1st he brought six prosecutions against members of his workforce for wilfully absenting themselves from their jobs, claiming 10 shillings compensation from each man for every day that they had taken off.
It was unusual for such a charge to be dismissed by the Bench but John Houghton – who was the first defendant to be called – won his case.
He had only missed one day at work, which he blamed on a bad case of diarrhoea that he had endured during the whole of the previous night.
Houghton's wife gave corroborative evidence as to her husband’s illness and the case was dismissed.
However, Thomas Eccleston was not so fortunate. He had missed two work days and so the colliery demanded £1 from him as compensation.
Eccleston said thirteen years before he had suffered an accident in a coal mine, which still occasionally affected his eyesight, rendering him almost totally blind for a day or so.
However, the magistrates said he should have sent notice to the colliery that he was unable to work through suffering a medical episode and he was ordered to pay the £1.
John Parks blamed acute rheumatism for taking a day off work at Sutton Heath Colliery. But again, as he has not sent in proper notice he was ordered to pay 10 shillings and costs.
And the same applied to George Hayes from Haydock who gave sickness as his reason for not turning up on two days. But for not sending in notice that he was not attending his work, he was fined £1.
On February 2nd Benjamin Smith died down Whiston Colliery when a fall of coal completely buried him. The man was aged about 30 and left a widow and four children.
And finally, on the 2nd Holy Cross Schools annual tea party and ball was held in the Volunteer Hall in St Helens with more than 800 persons in attendance.
The advert for the event promised that an "efficient" band would be in attendance. Although sounding a bit odd to us the word was often used to describe good musicians. Tickets cost 2 shillings in advance.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the blackface troupe at the Volunteer Hall, two coal mining tragedies take place, the harsh penalty for stealing two shawls from the family home and the Grand Gala that was coming to Prescot.