150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (27th JULY - 2nd AUGUST 1870)
This week's stories include the naked road races in Eccleston, the child beggar of Croppers Hill, the privy nuisances in Pocket Nook and Parr Street and the Irish woman who said she would rather be in poverty in St Helens than in Ireland.
We begin on the 29th with another example of someone being sent to prison through not being able to pay a fine. Peter Files appeared in St Helens Police Court on charges of suspected poaching and violent assault. Sergeant Massey had seen Files in the early morning carrying a bag on Rainford Road and as he was well known to the police, he decided to search him.
The man ran off and the sergeant asked a collier on his way to work called Joseph Webster to intercept him. This he did but Files gave Webster a severe blow to his temple with what was described as a heavy bludgeon. Upon being arrested Files was found to have in his possession a net for capturing game and was fined £4 for the poaching and 25 shillings for the assault. Court costs were on top of that and in total it came to about £6 – which was a hefty amount. Files did not have the cash and so had no choice but to accept the alternative punishment of three months in prison.
On the 30th Peasley Cross Colliery Cricket Club played a home game against a team called Sphinx. Cricket scores 150 years ago tended to be low – so low that four innings could sometimes be played in one afternoon. That was probably through a combination of poor pitches and batting skills. After all there were few opportunities for budding batsmen to observe professional cricketers in action. Peasley Cross scored a total of 41 in their first innings and Sphinx could only hit 35 in their reply. Then Peasley Cross posted 64 in their second innings, which meant Sphinx needed 71 to win but could only manage 56. There were twenty scores of 0 or 1!
The Newton Petty Sessions were held on the same day and Henry Smith was charged with stealing a piece of the textile known as ticking from a booth at Newton Races (pictured above). His solicitor explained that Smith had not taken the ticking with any "felonious intent" but had simply got drunk. The owner did not want to press the case and so the Bench said they would deal leniently with the man – and gave him seven days in prison with hard labour. What their idea of a severe sentence for stealing a bit of cloth was I dread to think!
In the St Helens Petty Sessions on August 1st a Bolton woman called Mary Radcliff was charged with "sleeping in the open air" in Peter Street. She had a previous conviction for drunkenness and was also sent to prison for 7 days.
A child called Ann Buckley was charged in the court with begging at Croppers Hill. A constable said she had been going from house to house with another girl but her parents denied sending her out to beg. Well they would, wouldn't they? Both of her parents had a number of convictions and checking census records, the girl from Blackbrook appears to have been only six and so the child was cautioned and sent on her way.
Young coal miners had a particular liking for taking part in nude races – although they would usually keep their clogs on! I don't know whether James Higgins and James Carney were miners but the pair was summoned to the Petty Sessions charged with running about naked on the highway in Eccleston. A constable told the Bench that the lads had been sprinting on the road near to the Knowsley Park wall without wearing any clothes. It appeared to have been a regular event and the locals were refusing to allow their children to go out when such practices took place. Neither turned up to the hearing and they were each fined 5 shillings and costs or if in default, serve seven days in prison.
John Ackary was summoned for refusing to obey the order of the Justices and abate nuisances in Pocket Nook and Parr Street. The precise, unpleasant details of the case were not reported but they clearly concerned toilets or privies, as they were known. St Helens Corporation brought the prosecution and Mr Turner, their inspector of nuisances, gave evidence of serving an abatement notice on Ackary to improve the bad state of his privies. However the man had failed to comply.
Ackary's counsel was Thomas Swift, who claimed that his client was not the actual owner of the properties. To that the Bench said if they accepted disputes over ownership of property, the nuisance orders would never get carried out. Swift said the defendant had told him that he was "utterly powerless" to make improvements and the outspoken solicitor then make a strong attack on St Helens Corporation, saying:
"The Corporation has got hold of a poor man, and the result was that he would be sent to Kirkdale [Gaol], as he was unable to pay. It has come to something when the inhabitants of the town have to resist injustice and oppression on the part of the Corporation." However his words fell on deaf ears as the Bench imposed a penalty of 5 shillings a day since the serving of the order, amounting to a total of £4 10 shillings. That was a lot of money and so John Ackary was likely to have been sent to prison.
Thomas Fay knew Kirkdale Gaol (pictured above) well having been before the magistrates on over 30 occasions for various offences – although often for brainless thefts. This time he was charged with stealing a small bell from the York Hotel in Nutgrove belonging to landlord Thomas Barlow. The man had been left alone in the kitchen of the house for some time and then he – and the bell – disappeared. Did it not occur to Fay that he would be the prime suspect? The bell was only worth sixpence but it cost him 21 days at Kirkdale with hard labour. In the 1871 census Fay is listed as an inmate of Whiston Workhouse, probably because no one would employ him.
The police were extremely strict over pub opening hours on Sundays, which at lunchtime were from 12:30pm to 3pm. Ellen Appleton kept a beerhouse in Greenough Street in Peasley Cross – which appeared to be the Black Horse. A constable gave evidence that he had seen a woman coming out of the house at 5 minutes past three carrying a jug of beer – the most common type of "off" sale.
The excuse that the ale had been ordered at four minutes to three cut no ice with the magistrates and the landlady was fined five shillings and costs. Ellen did have three convictions to her name and had been warned by the police about her "irregularities". The Bench said if it had not been for the prior convictions, they would have dismissed the case.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 2nd that there had been 270 individuals lodged in the main Liverpool bridewell (police lock-up) between last Saturday evening and Monday morning. Only 47 of these had been sober when arrested with two-thirds of the drunks penniless – with some of the other third only having a few coppers in their possession.
The Prescot Petty Sessions took place on the 2nd and four boys called John Fitzgerald, James Symonds, John Morgan and James Corrigan were charged with damaging a lamppost. A surveyor gave evidence of great damage being done to gas lamps over the past few months, chiefly by boys throwing stones. A constable told the court that he had seen Morgan climbing up a lamppost while the other three lads were lobbing stones at the lamp. Upon receiving a promise from the parents that they would flog their sons, the cases were dismissed upon payment of costs. Often such parental punishment had to be in front of a policeman but no mention of this was in the Newspaper's report.
The magistrates were also asked to issue an order requiring the removal to Ireland of a widow named Mary Shepherd, along with her five children. The woman had been living in St Helens but had recently spent eight months in Ireland where she gave birth to an illegitimate child. Before returning home to Ireland, Mary had been claiming five shillings a week relief from the Prescot Union – the people who ran Whiston Workhouse and supported destitute folk in the community.
Now back in St Helens it appears that Mary was intent upon claiming more cash. So the authorities wanted to take advantage of a new law and send the woman and her children back home. Mary refused to go voluntarily, telling the court: "I might as well be in poverty here as in Ireland". However that was not how the Prescot Union saw it. They wanted to save themselves five bob a week – more if Mary's family moved into the workhouse.
Mary stated that the father of her baby was prepared to provide support. The magistrates chose not to sign the removal order – although not because of any sympathy with her case. The Chairman warned the woman that the parish (i.e. Prescot Union) was not bound to keep her and if she applied again for relief, she could be sent to Ireland so that her local parish could maintain her. If she refused to go, she would be jailed.
Next week's stories will include the drunken armed soldier in Church Street, a fracas at the Eagle and Child in Rainford, criticism of the state of St Thomas' churchyard and the curious case of the policeman and the injured cucumbers.
We begin on the 29th with another example of someone being sent to prison through not being able to pay a fine. Peter Files appeared in St Helens Police Court on charges of suspected poaching and violent assault. Sergeant Massey had seen Files in the early morning carrying a bag on Rainford Road and as he was well known to the police, he decided to search him.
The man ran off and the sergeant asked a collier on his way to work called Joseph Webster to intercept him. This he did but Files gave Webster a severe blow to his temple with what was described as a heavy bludgeon. Upon being arrested Files was found to have in his possession a net for capturing game and was fined £4 for the poaching and 25 shillings for the assault. Court costs were on top of that and in total it came to about £6 – which was a hefty amount. Files did not have the cash and so had no choice but to accept the alternative punishment of three months in prison.
On the 30th Peasley Cross Colliery Cricket Club played a home game against a team called Sphinx. Cricket scores 150 years ago tended to be low – so low that four innings could sometimes be played in one afternoon. That was probably through a combination of poor pitches and batting skills. After all there were few opportunities for budding batsmen to observe professional cricketers in action. Peasley Cross scored a total of 41 in their first innings and Sphinx could only hit 35 in their reply. Then Peasley Cross posted 64 in their second innings, which meant Sphinx needed 71 to win but could only manage 56. There were twenty scores of 0 or 1!
In the St Helens Petty Sessions on August 1st a Bolton woman called Mary Radcliff was charged with "sleeping in the open air" in Peter Street. She had a previous conviction for drunkenness and was also sent to prison for 7 days.
A child called Ann Buckley was charged in the court with begging at Croppers Hill. A constable said she had been going from house to house with another girl but her parents denied sending her out to beg. Well they would, wouldn't they? Both of her parents had a number of convictions and checking census records, the girl from Blackbrook appears to have been only six and so the child was cautioned and sent on her way.
Young coal miners had a particular liking for taking part in nude races – although they would usually keep their clogs on! I don't know whether James Higgins and James Carney were miners but the pair was summoned to the Petty Sessions charged with running about naked on the highway in Eccleston. A constable told the Bench that the lads had been sprinting on the road near to the Knowsley Park wall without wearing any clothes. It appeared to have been a regular event and the locals were refusing to allow their children to go out when such practices took place. Neither turned up to the hearing and they were each fined 5 shillings and costs or if in default, serve seven days in prison.
John Ackary was summoned for refusing to obey the order of the Justices and abate nuisances in Pocket Nook and Parr Street. The precise, unpleasant details of the case were not reported but they clearly concerned toilets or privies, as they were known. St Helens Corporation brought the prosecution and Mr Turner, their inspector of nuisances, gave evidence of serving an abatement notice on Ackary to improve the bad state of his privies. However the man had failed to comply.
Ackary's counsel was Thomas Swift, who claimed that his client was not the actual owner of the properties. To that the Bench said if they accepted disputes over ownership of property, the nuisance orders would never get carried out. Swift said the defendant had told him that he was "utterly powerless" to make improvements and the outspoken solicitor then make a strong attack on St Helens Corporation, saying:
"The Corporation has got hold of a poor man, and the result was that he would be sent to Kirkdale [Gaol], as he was unable to pay. It has come to something when the inhabitants of the town have to resist injustice and oppression on the part of the Corporation." However his words fell on deaf ears as the Bench imposed a penalty of 5 shillings a day since the serving of the order, amounting to a total of £4 10 shillings. That was a lot of money and so John Ackary was likely to have been sent to prison.
The police were extremely strict over pub opening hours on Sundays, which at lunchtime were from 12:30pm to 3pm. Ellen Appleton kept a beerhouse in Greenough Street in Peasley Cross – which appeared to be the Black Horse. A constable gave evidence that he had seen a woman coming out of the house at 5 minutes past three carrying a jug of beer – the most common type of "off" sale.
The excuse that the ale had been ordered at four minutes to three cut no ice with the magistrates and the landlady was fined five shillings and costs. Ellen did have three convictions to her name and had been warned by the police about her "irregularities". The Bench said if it had not been for the prior convictions, they would have dismissed the case.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 2nd that there had been 270 individuals lodged in the main Liverpool bridewell (police lock-up) between last Saturday evening and Monday morning. Only 47 of these had been sober when arrested with two-thirds of the drunks penniless – with some of the other third only having a few coppers in their possession.
The Prescot Petty Sessions took place on the 2nd and four boys called John Fitzgerald, James Symonds, John Morgan and James Corrigan were charged with damaging a lamppost. A surveyor gave evidence of great damage being done to gas lamps over the past few months, chiefly by boys throwing stones. A constable told the court that he had seen Morgan climbing up a lamppost while the other three lads were lobbing stones at the lamp. Upon receiving a promise from the parents that they would flog their sons, the cases were dismissed upon payment of costs. Often such parental punishment had to be in front of a policeman but no mention of this was in the Newspaper's report.
The magistrates were also asked to issue an order requiring the removal to Ireland of a widow named Mary Shepherd, along with her five children. The woman had been living in St Helens but had recently spent eight months in Ireland where she gave birth to an illegitimate child. Before returning home to Ireland, Mary had been claiming five shillings a week relief from the Prescot Union – the people who ran Whiston Workhouse and supported destitute folk in the community.
Now back in St Helens it appears that Mary was intent upon claiming more cash. So the authorities wanted to take advantage of a new law and send the woman and her children back home. Mary refused to go voluntarily, telling the court: "I might as well be in poverty here as in Ireland". However that was not how the Prescot Union saw it. They wanted to save themselves five bob a week – more if Mary's family moved into the workhouse.
Mary stated that the father of her baby was prepared to provide support. The magistrates chose not to sign the removal order – although not because of any sympathy with her case. The Chairman warned the woman that the parish (i.e. Prescot Union) was not bound to keep her and if she applied again for relief, she could be sent to Ireland so that her local parish could maintain her. If she refused to go, she would be jailed.
Next week's stories will include the drunken armed soldier in Church Street, a fracas at the Eagle and Child in Rainford, criticism of the state of St Thomas' churchyard and the curious case of the policeman and the injured cucumbers.
This week's stories include the naked road races in Eccleston, the child beggar of Croppers Hill, the privy nuisances in Pocket Nook and Parr Street and the Irish woman who said she would rather be in poverty in St Helens than in Ireland.
We begin on the 29th with another example of someone being sent to prison through not being able to pay a fine.
Peter Files appeared in St Helens Police Court on charges of suspected poaching and violent assault.
Sergeant Massey had seen Files in the early morning carrying a bag on Rainford Road and as he was well known to the police, he decided to search him.
The man ran off and the sergeant asked a collier on his way to work called Joseph Webster to intercept him.
This he did but Files gave Webster a severe blow to his temple with what was described as a heavy bludgeon.
Upon being arrested Files was found to have in his possession a net for capturing game and was fined £4 for the poaching and 25 shillings for the assault.
Court costs were on top of that and in total it came to about £6 – which was a hefty amount.
Files did not have the cash and so had no choice but to accept the alternative punishment of three months in prison.
On the 30th Peasley Cross Colliery Cricket Club played a home game against a team called Sphinx.
Cricket scores 150 years ago tended to be low – so low that four innings could sometimes be played in one afternoon.
That was probably through a combination of poor pitches and batting skills.
After all there were few opportunities for budding batsmen to observe professional cricketers in action.
Peasley Cross scored a total of 41 in their first innings and Sphinx could only hit 35 in their reply.
Then Peasley Cross posted 64 in their second innings, which meant Sphinx needed 71 to win but could only manage 56. There were twenty scores of 0 or 1!
The Newton Petty Sessions were held on the same day and Henry Smith was charged with stealing a piece of the textile known as ticking from a booth at Newton Races (pictured above).
His solicitor explained that Smith had not taken the ticking with any "felonious intent" but had simply got drunk.
The owner did not want to press the case and so the Bench said they would deal leniently with the man – and gave him seven days in prison with hard labour.
What their idea of a severe sentence for stealing a bit of cloth was I dread to think!
In the St Helens Petty Sessions on August 1st a Bolton woman called Mary Radcliff was charged with "sleeping in the open air" in Peter Street.
She had a previous conviction for drunkenness and was also sent to prison for 7 days.
A child called Ann Buckley was charged in the court with begging at Croppers Hill.
A constable said she had been going from house to house with another girl but her parents denied sending her out to beg. Well they would, wouldn't they?
Both of her parents had a number of convictions and checking census records, the girl from Blackbrook appears to have been only six and so the child was cautioned and sent on her way.
Young coal miners had a particular liking for taking part in nude races – although they would usually keep their clogs on!
I don't know whether James Higgins and James Carney were miners but the pair was summoned to the Petty Sessions charged with running about naked on the highway in Eccleston.
A constable told the Bench that the lads had been sprinting on the road near to the Knowsley Park wall without wearing any clothes.
It appeared to have been a regular event and the locals were refusing to allow their children to go out when such practices took place.
Neither turned up to the hearing and they were each fined 5 shillings and costs or if in default, serve seven days in prison.
John Ackary was summoned for refusing to obey the order of the Justices and abate nuisances in Pocket Nook and Parr Street.
The precise, unpleasant details of the case were not reported but they clearly concerned toilets or privies, as they were known.
St Helens Corporation brought the prosecution and Mr Turner, their inspector of nuisances, gave evidence of serving an abatement notice on Ackary to improve the bad state of his privies.
However the man had failed to comply. Ackary's counsel was Thomas Swift, who claimed that his client was not the actual owner of the properties.
To that the Bench said if they accepted disputes over ownership of property, the nuisance orders would never get carried out.
Swift said the defendant had told him that he was "utterly powerless" to make improvements and the outspoken solicitor then make a strong attack on St Helens Corporation, saying:
"The Corporation has got hold of a poor man, and the result was that he would be sent to Kirkdale [Gaol], as he was unable to pay. It has come to something when the inhabitants of the town have to resist injustice and oppression on the part of the Corporation."
However his words fell on deaf ears as the Bench imposed a penalty of 5 shillings a day since the serving of the order, amounting to a total of £4 10 shillings.
That was a lot of money and so John Ackary was likely to have been sent to prison.
Thomas Fay knew Kirkdale Gaol (pictured above) well having been before the magistrates on over 30 occasions for various offences – although often for brainless thefts.
This time he was charged with stealing a small bell from the York Hotel in Nutgrove belonging to landlord Thomas Barlow.
The man had been left alone in the kitchen of the house for some time and then he – and the bell – disappeared.
Did it not occur to Fay that he would be the prime suspect?
The bell was only worth sixpence but it cost him 21 days at Kirkdale with hard labour.
In the 1871 census Fay is listed as an inmate of Whiston Workhouse, probably because no one would employ him.
The police were extremely strict over pub opening hours on Sundays, which at lunchtime were from 12:30pm to 3pm.
Ellen Appleton kept a beerhouse in Greenough Street in Peasley Cross – which appeared to be the Black Horse.
A constable gave evidence that he had seen a woman coming out of the house at 5 minutes past three carrying a jug of beer – the most common type of "off" sale.
The excuse that the ale had been ordered at four minutes to three cut no ice with the magistrates and the landlady was fined five shillings and costs.
Ellen did have three convictions to her name and had been warned by the police about her "irregularities".
The Bench said if it had not been for the prior convictions, they would have dismissed the case.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 2nd that there had been 270 individuals lodged in the main Liverpool bridewell (police lock-up) between last Saturday evening and Monday morning.
Only 47 of these had been sober when arrested with two-thirds of the drunks penniless – with some of the other third only having a few coppers in their possession.
The Prescot Petty Sessions took place on the 2nd and four boys called John Fitzgerald, James Symonds, John Morgan and James Corrigan were charged with damaging a lamppost.
A surveyor gave evidence of great damage being done to gas lamps over the past few months, chiefly by boys throwing stones.
A constable told the court that he had seen Morgan climbing up a lamppost while the other three lads were lobbing stones at the lamp.
Upon receiving a promise from the parents that they would flog their sons, the cases were dismissed upon payment of costs.
Often such parental punishment had to be in front of a policeman but no mention of this was in the Newspaper's report.
The magistrates were also asked to issue an order requiring the removal to Ireland of a widow named Mary Shepherd, along with her five children.
The woman had been living in St Helens but had recently spent eight months in Ireland where she gave birth to an illegitimate child.
Before returning home to Ireland, Mary had been claiming five shillings a week relief from the Prescot Union – the people who ran Whiston Workhouse and supported destitute folk in the community.
Now back in St Helens it appears that Mary was intent upon claiming more cash.
So the authorities wanted to take advantage of a new law and send the woman and her children back home.
Mary refused to go voluntarily, telling the court: "I might as well be in poverty here as in Ireland". However that was not how the Prescot Union saw it.
They wanted to save themselves five bob a week – more if Mary's family moved into the workhouse.
Mary stated that the father of her baby was prepared to provide support. The magistrates chose not to sign the removal order – although not because of any sympathy with her case.
The Chairman warned the woman that the parish (i.e. Prescot Union) was not bound to keep her and if she applied again for relief, she could be sent to Ireland so that her local parish could maintain her.
If she refused to go – Mary was warned – she would be jailed.
Next week's stories will include the drunken armed soldier in Church Street, a fracas at the Eagle and Child in Rainford, criticism of the state of St Thomas' churchyard and the curious case of the policeman and the injured cucumbers.
We begin on the 29th with another example of someone being sent to prison through not being able to pay a fine.
Peter Files appeared in St Helens Police Court on charges of suspected poaching and violent assault.
Sergeant Massey had seen Files in the early morning carrying a bag on Rainford Road and as he was well known to the police, he decided to search him.
The man ran off and the sergeant asked a collier on his way to work called Joseph Webster to intercept him.
This he did but Files gave Webster a severe blow to his temple with what was described as a heavy bludgeon.
Upon being arrested Files was found to have in his possession a net for capturing game and was fined £4 for the poaching and 25 shillings for the assault.
Court costs were on top of that and in total it came to about £6 – which was a hefty amount.
Files did not have the cash and so had no choice but to accept the alternative punishment of three months in prison.
On the 30th Peasley Cross Colliery Cricket Club played a home game against a team called Sphinx.
Cricket scores 150 years ago tended to be low – so low that four innings could sometimes be played in one afternoon.
That was probably through a combination of poor pitches and batting skills.
After all there were few opportunities for budding batsmen to observe professional cricketers in action.
Peasley Cross scored a total of 41 in their first innings and Sphinx could only hit 35 in their reply.
Then Peasley Cross posted 64 in their second innings, which meant Sphinx needed 71 to win but could only manage 56. There were twenty scores of 0 or 1!
His solicitor explained that Smith had not taken the ticking with any "felonious intent" but had simply got drunk.
The owner did not want to press the case and so the Bench said they would deal leniently with the man – and gave him seven days in prison with hard labour.
What their idea of a severe sentence for stealing a bit of cloth was I dread to think!
In the St Helens Petty Sessions on August 1st a Bolton woman called Mary Radcliff was charged with "sleeping in the open air" in Peter Street.
She had a previous conviction for drunkenness and was also sent to prison for 7 days.
A child called Ann Buckley was charged in the court with begging at Croppers Hill.
A constable said she had been going from house to house with another girl but her parents denied sending her out to beg. Well they would, wouldn't they?
Both of her parents had a number of convictions and checking census records, the girl from Blackbrook appears to have been only six and so the child was cautioned and sent on her way.
Young coal miners had a particular liking for taking part in nude races – although they would usually keep their clogs on!
I don't know whether James Higgins and James Carney were miners but the pair was summoned to the Petty Sessions charged with running about naked on the highway in Eccleston.
A constable told the Bench that the lads had been sprinting on the road near to the Knowsley Park wall without wearing any clothes.
It appeared to have been a regular event and the locals were refusing to allow their children to go out when such practices took place.
Neither turned up to the hearing and they were each fined 5 shillings and costs or if in default, serve seven days in prison.
John Ackary was summoned for refusing to obey the order of the Justices and abate nuisances in Pocket Nook and Parr Street.
The precise, unpleasant details of the case were not reported but they clearly concerned toilets or privies, as they were known.
St Helens Corporation brought the prosecution and Mr Turner, their inspector of nuisances, gave evidence of serving an abatement notice on Ackary to improve the bad state of his privies.
However the man had failed to comply. Ackary's counsel was Thomas Swift, who claimed that his client was not the actual owner of the properties.
To that the Bench said if they accepted disputes over ownership of property, the nuisance orders would never get carried out.
Swift said the defendant had told him that he was "utterly powerless" to make improvements and the outspoken solicitor then make a strong attack on St Helens Corporation, saying:
"The Corporation has got hold of a poor man, and the result was that he would be sent to Kirkdale [Gaol], as he was unable to pay. It has come to something when the inhabitants of the town have to resist injustice and oppression on the part of the Corporation."
However his words fell on deaf ears as the Bench imposed a penalty of 5 shillings a day since the serving of the order, amounting to a total of £4 10 shillings.
That was a lot of money and so John Ackary was likely to have been sent to prison.
This time he was charged with stealing a small bell from the York Hotel in Nutgrove belonging to landlord Thomas Barlow.
The man had been left alone in the kitchen of the house for some time and then he – and the bell – disappeared.
Did it not occur to Fay that he would be the prime suspect?
The bell was only worth sixpence but it cost him 21 days at Kirkdale with hard labour.
In the 1871 census Fay is listed as an inmate of Whiston Workhouse, probably because no one would employ him.
The police were extremely strict over pub opening hours on Sundays, which at lunchtime were from 12:30pm to 3pm.
Ellen Appleton kept a beerhouse in Greenough Street in Peasley Cross – which appeared to be the Black Horse.
A constable gave evidence that he had seen a woman coming out of the house at 5 minutes past three carrying a jug of beer – the most common type of "off" sale.
The excuse that the ale had been ordered at four minutes to three cut no ice with the magistrates and the landlady was fined five shillings and costs.
Ellen did have three convictions to her name and had been warned by the police about her "irregularities".
The Bench said if it had not been for the prior convictions, they would have dismissed the case.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 2nd that there had been 270 individuals lodged in the main Liverpool bridewell (police lock-up) between last Saturday evening and Monday morning.
Only 47 of these had been sober when arrested with two-thirds of the drunks penniless – with some of the other third only having a few coppers in their possession.
The Prescot Petty Sessions took place on the 2nd and four boys called John Fitzgerald, James Symonds, John Morgan and James Corrigan were charged with damaging a lamppost.
A surveyor gave evidence of great damage being done to gas lamps over the past few months, chiefly by boys throwing stones.
A constable told the court that he had seen Morgan climbing up a lamppost while the other three lads were lobbing stones at the lamp.
Upon receiving a promise from the parents that they would flog their sons, the cases were dismissed upon payment of costs.
Often such parental punishment had to be in front of a policeman but no mention of this was in the Newspaper's report.
The magistrates were also asked to issue an order requiring the removal to Ireland of a widow named Mary Shepherd, along with her five children.
The woman had been living in St Helens but had recently spent eight months in Ireland where she gave birth to an illegitimate child.
Before returning home to Ireland, Mary had been claiming five shillings a week relief from the Prescot Union – the people who ran Whiston Workhouse and supported destitute folk in the community.
Now back in St Helens it appears that Mary was intent upon claiming more cash.
So the authorities wanted to take advantage of a new law and send the woman and her children back home.
Mary refused to go voluntarily, telling the court: "I might as well be in poverty here as in Ireland". However that was not how the Prescot Union saw it.
They wanted to save themselves five bob a week – more if Mary's family moved into the workhouse.
Mary stated that the father of her baby was prepared to provide support. The magistrates chose not to sign the removal order – although not because of any sympathy with her case.
The Chairman warned the woman that the parish (i.e. Prescot Union) was not bound to keep her and if she applied again for relief, she could be sent to Ireland so that her local parish could maintain her.
If she refused to go – Mary was warned – she would be jailed.
Next week's stories will include the drunken armed soldier in Church Street, a fracas at the Eagle and Child in Rainford, criticism of the state of St Thomas' churchyard and the curious case of the policeman and the injured cucumbers.