150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (27th SEPT. - 3rd OCT. 1871)
This week's stories include a sacrilegious burglary at a Parr church, the Whiston well water cock-up, a new school for Peasley Cross, another breach of promise of marriage case and the squabbling women of Blackbrook who were accused of using the most abusive and filthy epithets!
Water is not taken for granted in many parts of the developing world – and it certainly wasn't in St Helens 150 years ago. In July 1869 the St Helens Newspaper described how every evening hundreds of women in Thatto Heath would walk almost half-a-mile bearing large cans on their heads. They were collecting water for their families' use from wells or springs – as did many other women in other parts of the town. There were huge issues with both the supply of water into St Helens and its distribution within the town and increasing demand meant that the existing waterworks at Eccleston regularly ran dry.
Last April the Corporation had announced that their new waterworks at Whiston was operational and since then encouraging reports on its progress had been regularly made. However, in recent times they had not been telling the whole truth, having known for a while that they had serious problems on their hands. This week on the 28th, a special meeting of the St Helens Water Committee was held to consider a report on the new Whiston well from a geologist called Hull.
Last June the expert had assured the committee that a borehole could be driven 100 yards below the bottom of the well without striking the fault in the strata. However, the engineer in charge had only bored down 37 yards when operations had to be suspended as the rock formation had drastically changed. After an investigation, a somewhat embarrassed Mr Hull had to report that purple sandstone strata overlaying coal measures had been struck.
His recommendation was that a new borehole be sunk by the side of the railway on the eastern boundary of Whiston and then be connected to the present well by a tunnel. In accounting for his mistake he explained that faults are generally in the form of two vertical to one horizontal – but in this case the proportions had been reversed, which was very unusual. The chairman of the water committee, Alderman Radley, had to admit that he had known about the issue for ages but had said nothing until the geologist had confirmed his fears.
This admission at the meeting infuriated Cllr. William Hibbert – the co-proprietor of the Parr Alkali Works – who ten days earlier had complained that the water delivered to his works and the people of Parr was "manifestly impure". He knew it came from Whiston and that something was wrong and was livid that Radley had kept him and other committee members in the dark. Cllr. Hibbert demanded that the pumping of water at Whiston should cease at once and the committee finally agreed to that course.
On the 30th the Liverpool Mercury published this account of what they called a "sacrilegious burglary" at St. Peter's Church in Parr (pictured above):
"Early on Friday morning, the church of St. Peter, Parr, was broken into by burglars, who ransacked the pews, collecting a number of church prayer and hymn books. They appear then to have paid especial attention to the vestry, which they entered, drank the communion wine, secured a couple of white damask altar covers, and then made an attack upon the safe, which they endeavoured to force open. The lock resisted their efforts to destroy it, and although they, by means of chisels and hammer, strove hard to enter the safe, they did not succeed, as it was one of Milner's strong make. The burglars were not destined to escape.
"The local postman, who is also caretaker of the church, was going [on] his round early in the morning, when he met two men of rather suspicious appearance, who asked him the way to Warrington. After delivering his letters, he went to the church to prepare it for service. He then discovered the burglary, and, remembering the two men, he immediately gave information to the police, who started in pursuit, and overtook the men in Burtonwood, and, finding on them a number of housebreaking tools, at once took them into custody."
Newton Petty Sessions met on the 30th and heard a case of women neighbours from Blackbrook squabbling and then coming to court telling the usual one-sided tales. And both sides had six witnesses to support their own selective versions of reality! This is how the Warrington Examiner reported the case.
"Mary Ann Platt and Jane Platt were summoned for having assaulted Mary Mawdsley. From the statement made by Mr. Ashton, of Wigan, it appeared that on Monday evening, the 17th July, the complainant, who was the wife of a collier living at Haydock, happened to go into the back yard attached to her house, when a dispute arose between her and the defendants respecting a ball.
"The second prisoner then struck the complainant heavily in the face, and came out with the most abusive and filthy epithets. Shortly afterwards the other prisoner arrived upon the scene, backed up her daughter and assaulted the complainant. Mr. Bretherton who appeared for the defendants, denied everything stated by the complainant, and called six witnesses who swore that the complainant first commenced the assault. There were six witnesses called by the prosecution but the case became one of credibility, and the Bench dismissed the case."
Last month I wrote how the Liverpool Mercury had said: "A sitting of the St. Helen's county court was held yesterday. The cases heard were without interest." I commented how sometimes the court in East Street dealt with as many as 150 cases in a single day and wondered how they all could be without interest. Well, on the 3rd the County Court was reported as having had over 400 cases to deal with! Justice was then dispensed rapidly. Even at the Liverpool assizes where the serious criminal cases were heard, the judges could easily try 30 people in a day and decide in an instant how many months or years they should serve in prison.
Also on the 3rd, Richard Pilkington laid the memorial stone for a new Sunday school connected with the Congregational Chapel in Peasley Cross. In the 1871 census the 30-year-old glass magnate at Windle Hall had eight servants to attend to his family's every need – and there was only three of them, his young wife and 2-year-old son! Pilkington was a huge supporter of the "Congs" and his father had laid the memorial stone for the church's chapel in Sutton Road in 1864.
There were now 473 pupils with 28 teachers and officers and the new Sunday school that adjoined the chapel was able to accommodate 600 persons. It was the custom to present a silver trowel to those undertaking such a ceremony and Richard Pilkington was handed his. The Congregational School stone contained what we would call a time capsule – containing some local newspapers and a list of all the pupils and teachers.
And finally, a not uncommon court case during the Victorian era was breach of promise of marriage. It usually involved women suing men for damages, although sometimes men were plaintiffs. These days many young people think nothing of dumping their boy or girlfriends verbally or by text message.
However, in the past, when respectability and reputation were all-important, there was shame and embarrassment in being rejected or jilted, which could be ameliorated by money. The damages that courts awarded varied, but they could be quite substantial and well worth the airing of dirty linen in public. This week this article concerning another case was published in the Liverpool Mercury:
"On Monday, the town hall at Holmfirth [near Huddersfield] was crowded to excess to hear a case of breach of promise of marriage, in which the plaintiff (who was represented by Mr. Waddy, barrister), claimed £200 for breach of promise of marriage. Her name is Elizabeth Copley, and she is cook at the Rev. M. B. Moorhouse's, at Hepworth Parsonage. The defendant, William Ottley, is a gasfitter, residing at Farnmouth, near Bolton.
"The courtship had extended over six years, and during that period defendant sent her a great number of letters, which were read by Mr. Waddy. They created considerable merriment in court. In one he called her his “Pet, darling, and most dearly beloved,” expressing a hope that they might soon be made one. In May of the present year he left her altogether, alleging that he had to keep his mother, and could not keep two wives. The jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff, £50 and costs."
Next week's stories will include a death on the railway at Sutton Oak, the unfriendly man who cheated the Prescot friendly society, the St Helens children that never attended school, the Haydock Park farm sale and the anti-vaccinator from Preston.
Water is not taken for granted in many parts of the developing world – and it certainly wasn't in St Helens 150 years ago. In July 1869 the St Helens Newspaper described how every evening hundreds of women in Thatto Heath would walk almost half-a-mile bearing large cans on their heads. They were collecting water for their families' use from wells or springs – as did many other women in other parts of the town. There were huge issues with both the supply of water into St Helens and its distribution within the town and increasing demand meant that the existing waterworks at Eccleston regularly ran dry.
Last April the Corporation had announced that their new waterworks at Whiston was operational and since then encouraging reports on its progress had been regularly made. However, in recent times they had not been telling the whole truth, having known for a while that they had serious problems on their hands. This week on the 28th, a special meeting of the St Helens Water Committee was held to consider a report on the new Whiston well from a geologist called Hull.
Last June the expert had assured the committee that a borehole could be driven 100 yards below the bottom of the well without striking the fault in the strata. However, the engineer in charge had only bored down 37 yards when operations had to be suspended as the rock formation had drastically changed. After an investigation, a somewhat embarrassed Mr Hull had to report that purple sandstone strata overlaying coal measures had been struck.
His recommendation was that a new borehole be sunk by the side of the railway on the eastern boundary of Whiston and then be connected to the present well by a tunnel. In accounting for his mistake he explained that faults are generally in the form of two vertical to one horizontal – but in this case the proportions had been reversed, which was very unusual. The chairman of the water committee, Alderman Radley, had to admit that he had known about the issue for ages but had said nothing until the geologist had confirmed his fears.
This admission at the meeting infuriated Cllr. William Hibbert – the co-proprietor of the Parr Alkali Works – who ten days earlier had complained that the water delivered to his works and the people of Parr was "manifestly impure". He knew it came from Whiston and that something was wrong and was livid that Radley had kept him and other committee members in the dark. Cllr. Hibbert demanded that the pumping of water at Whiston should cease at once and the committee finally agreed to that course.
"Early on Friday morning, the church of St. Peter, Parr, was broken into by burglars, who ransacked the pews, collecting a number of church prayer and hymn books. They appear then to have paid especial attention to the vestry, which they entered, drank the communion wine, secured a couple of white damask altar covers, and then made an attack upon the safe, which they endeavoured to force open. The lock resisted their efforts to destroy it, and although they, by means of chisels and hammer, strove hard to enter the safe, they did not succeed, as it was one of Milner's strong make. The burglars were not destined to escape.
"The local postman, who is also caretaker of the church, was going [on] his round early in the morning, when he met two men of rather suspicious appearance, who asked him the way to Warrington. After delivering his letters, he went to the church to prepare it for service. He then discovered the burglary, and, remembering the two men, he immediately gave information to the police, who started in pursuit, and overtook the men in Burtonwood, and, finding on them a number of housebreaking tools, at once took them into custody."
Newton Petty Sessions met on the 30th and heard a case of women neighbours from Blackbrook squabbling and then coming to court telling the usual one-sided tales. And both sides had six witnesses to support their own selective versions of reality! This is how the Warrington Examiner reported the case.
"Mary Ann Platt and Jane Platt were summoned for having assaulted Mary Mawdsley. From the statement made by Mr. Ashton, of Wigan, it appeared that on Monday evening, the 17th July, the complainant, who was the wife of a collier living at Haydock, happened to go into the back yard attached to her house, when a dispute arose between her and the defendants respecting a ball.
"The second prisoner then struck the complainant heavily in the face, and came out with the most abusive and filthy epithets. Shortly afterwards the other prisoner arrived upon the scene, backed up her daughter and assaulted the complainant. Mr. Bretherton who appeared for the defendants, denied everything stated by the complainant, and called six witnesses who swore that the complainant first commenced the assault. There were six witnesses called by the prosecution but the case became one of credibility, and the Bench dismissed the case."
Last month I wrote how the Liverpool Mercury had said: "A sitting of the St. Helen's county court was held yesterday. The cases heard were without interest." I commented how sometimes the court in East Street dealt with as many as 150 cases in a single day and wondered how they all could be without interest. Well, on the 3rd the County Court was reported as having had over 400 cases to deal with! Justice was then dispensed rapidly. Even at the Liverpool assizes where the serious criminal cases were heard, the judges could easily try 30 people in a day and decide in an instant how many months or years they should serve in prison.
Also on the 3rd, Richard Pilkington laid the memorial stone for a new Sunday school connected with the Congregational Chapel in Peasley Cross. In the 1871 census the 30-year-old glass magnate at Windle Hall had eight servants to attend to his family's every need – and there was only three of them, his young wife and 2-year-old son! Pilkington was a huge supporter of the "Congs" and his father had laid the memorial stone for the church's chapel in Sutton Road in 1864.
There were now 473 pupils with 28 teachers and officers and the new Sunday school that adjoined the chapel was able to accommodate 600 persons. It was the custom to present a silver trowel to those undertaking such a ceremony and Richard Pilkington was handed his. The Congregational School stone contained what we would call a time capsule – containing some local newspapers and a list of all the pupils and teachers.
And finally, a not uncommon court case during the Victorian era was breach of promise of marriage. It usually involved women suing men for damages, although sometimes men were plaintiffs. These days many young people think nothing of dumping their boy or girlfriends verbally or by text message.
However, in the past, when respectability and reputation were all-important, there was shame and embarrassment in being rejected or jilted, which could be ameliorated by money. The damages that courts awarded varied, but they could be quite substantial and well worth the airing of dirty linen in public. This week this article concerning another case was published in the Liverpool Mercury:
"On Monday, the town hall at Holmfirth [near Huddersfield] was crowded to excess to hear a case of breach of promise of marriage, in which the plaintiff (who was represented by Mr. Waddy, barrister), claimed £200 for breach of promise of marriage. Her name is Elizabeth Copley, and she is cook at the Rev. M. B. Moorhouse's, at Hepworth Parsonage. The defendant, William Ottley, is a gasfitter, residing at Farnmouth, near Bolton.
"The courtship had extended over six years, and during that period defendant sent her a great number of letters, which were read by Mr. Waddy. They created considerable merriment in court. In one he called her his “Pet, darling, and most dearly beloved,” expressing a hope that they might soon be made one. In May of the present year he left her altogether, alleging that he had to keep his mother, and could not keep two wives. The jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff, £50 and costs."
Next week's stories will include a death on the railway at Sutton Oak, the unfriendly man who cheated the Prescot friendly society, the St Helens children that never attended school, the Haydock Park farm sale and the anti-vaccinator from Preston.
This week's stories include a sacrilegious burglary at a Parr church, the Whiston well water cock-up, a new school for Peasley Cross, another breach of promise of marriage case and the squabbling women of Blackbrook who were accused of using the most abusive and filthy epithets!
Water is not taken for granted in many parts of the developing world – and it certainly wasn't in St Helens 150 years ago.
In July 1869 the St Helens Newspaper described how every evening hundreds of women in Thatto Heath would walk almost half-a-mile bearing large cans on their heads.
They were collecting water for their families' use from wells or springs – as did many other women in other parts of the town.
There were huge issues with both the supply of water into St Helens and its distribution within the town and increasing demand meant that the existing waterworks at Eccleston regularly ran dry.
Last April the Corporation had announced that their new waterworks at Whiston was operational and since then encouraging reports on its progress had been regularly made.
However, in recent times they had not been telling the whole truth, having known for a while that they had serious problems on their hands.
This week on the 28th, a special meeting of the St Helens Water Committee was held to consider a report on the new Whiston well from a geologist called Hull.
Last June the expert had assured the committee that a borehole could be driven 100 yards below the bottom of the well without striking the fault in the strata.
However, the engineer in charge had only bored down 37 yards when operations had to be suspended as the rock formation had drastically changed.
After an investigation, a somewhat embarrassed Mr Hull had to report that purple sandstone strata overlaying coal measures had been struck.
His recommendation was that a new borehole be sunk by the side of the railway on the eastern boundary of Whiston and then be connected to the present well by a tunnel.
In accounting for his mistake he explained that faults are generally in the form of two vertical to one horizontal – but in this case the proportions had been reversed, which was very unusual.
The chairman of the water committee, Alderman Radley, had to admit that he had known about the issue for ages but had said nothing until the geologist had confirmed his fears.
This admission at the meeting infuriated Cllr. William Hibbert – the co-proprietor of the Parr Alkali Works – who ten days earlier had complained that the water delivered to his works and the people of Parr was "manifestly impure".
He knew it came from Whiston and that something was wrong and was livid that Radley had kept him and other committee members in the dark.
Cllr. Hibbert demanded that the pumping of water at Whiston should cease at once and the committee finally agreed to that course.
On the 30th the Liverpool Mercury published this account of what they called a "sacrilegious burglary" at St Peter's Church in Parr (pictured above):
"Early on Friday morning, the church of St. Peter, Parr, was broken into by burglars, who ransacked the pews, collecting a number of church prayer and hymn books.
"They appear then to have paid especial attention to the vestry, which they entered, drank the communion wine, secured a couple of white damask altar covers, and then made an attack upon the safe, which they endeavoured to force open.
"The lock resisted their efforts to destroy it, and although they, by means of chisels and hammer, strove hard to enter the safe, they did not succeed, as it was one of Milner's strong make. The burglars were not destined to escape.
"The local postman, who is also caretaker of the church, was going [on] his round early in the morning, when he met two men of rather suspicious appearance, who asked him the way to Warrington.
"After delivering his letters, he went to the church to prepare it for service.
"He then discovered the burglary, and, remembering the two men, he immediately gave information to the police, who started in pursuit, and overtook the men in Burtonwood, and, finding on them a number of housebreaking tools, at once took them into custody."
Newton Petty Sessions met on the 30th and heard a case of women neighbours from Blackbrook squabbling and then coming to court telling the usual one-sided tales.
And both sides had six witnesses to support their own selective versions of reality! This is how the Warrington Examiner reported the case.
"Mary Ann Platt and Jane Platt were summoned for having assaulted Mary Mawdsley.
"From the statement made by Mr. Ashton, of Wigan, it appeared that on Monday evening, the 17th July, the complainant, who was the wife of a collier living at Haydock, happened to go into the back yard attached to her house, when a dispute arose between her and the defendants respecting a ball.
"The second prisoner then struck the complainant heavily in the face, and came out with the most abusive and filthy epithets.
"Shortly afterwards the other prisoner arrived upon the scene, backed up her daughter and assaulted the complainant.
"Mr. Bretherton who appeared for the defendants, denied everything stated by the complainant, and called six witnesses who swore that the complainant first commenced the assault.
"There were six witnesses called by the prosecution but the case became one of credibility, and the Bench dismissed the case."
Last month I wrote how the Liverpool Mercury had said: "A sitting of the St. Helen's county court was held yesterday. The cases heard were without interest."
I commented how sometimes the court in East Street dealt with as many as 150 cases in a single day and wondered how they all could be without interest.
Well, on the 3rd the County Court was reported as having had over 400 cases to deal with!
Justice was then dispensed rapidly. Even at the Liverpool assizes where the serious criminal cases were heard, the judges could easily try 30 people in a day and decide in an instant how many months or years they should serve in prison.
Also on the 3rd, Richard Pilkington laid the memorial stone for a new Sunday school connected with the Congregational Chapel in Peasley Cross.
In the 1871 census the 30-year-old glass magnate at Windle Hall had eight servants to attend to his family's every need – and there was only three of them, his young wife and 2-year-old son!
Pilkington was a huge supporter of the "Congs" and his father had laid the memorial stone for the church's chapel in Sutton Road in 1864.
There were now 473 pupils with 28 teachers and officers and the new Sunday school that adjoined the chapel was able to accommodate 600 persons.
It was the custom to present a silver trowel to those undertaking such a ceremony and Richard Pilkington was handed his.
The Congregational School stone contained what we would call a time capsule – containing some local newspapers and a list of all the pupils and teachers.
And finally, a not uncommon court case during the Victorian era was breach of promise of marriage.
It usually involved women suing men for damages, although sometimes men were plaintiffs.
These days many young people think nothing of dumping their boy or girlfriends verbally or by text message.
However, in the past, when respectability and reputation were all-important, there was shame and embarrassment in being rejected or jilted, which could be ameliorated by money.
The damages that courts awarded varied, but they could be quite substantial and well worth the airing of dirty linen in public.
This week this article concerning another case was published in the Liverpool Mercury:
"On Monday, the town hall at Holmfirth [near Huddersfield] was crowded to excess to hear a case of breach of promise of marriage, in which the plaintiff (who was represented by Mr. Waddy, barrister), claimed £200 for breach of promise of marriage.
"Her name is Elizabeth Copley, and she is cook at the Rev. M. B. Moorhouse's, at Hepworth Parsonage.
"The defendant, William Ottley, is a gasfitter, residing at Farnmouth, near Bolton.
"The courtship had extended over six years, and during that period defendant sent her a great number of letters, which were read by Mr. Waddy.
"They created considerable merriment in court. In one he called her his “Pet, darling, and most dearly beloved,” expressing a hope that they might soon be made one.
"In May of the present year he left her altogether, alleging that he had to keep his mother, and could not keep two wives. The jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff, £50 and costs."
Next week's stories will include a death on the railway at Sutton Oak, the unfriendly man who cheated the Prescot friendly society, the St Helens children that never attended school, the Haydock Park farm sale and the anti-vaccinator from Preston.
Water is not taken for granted in many parts of the developing world – and it certainly wasn't in St Helens 150 years ago.
In July 1869 the St Helens Newspaper described how every evening hundreds of women in Thatto Heath would walk almost half-a-mile bearing large cans on their heads.
They were collecting water for their families' use from wells or springs – as did many other women in other parts of the town.
There were huge issues with both the supply of water into St Helens and its distribution within the town and increasing demand meant that the existing waterworks at Eccleston regularly ran dry.
Last April the Corporation had announced that their new waterworks at Whiston was operational and since then encouraging reports on its progress had been regularly made.
However, in recent times they had not been telling the whole truth, having known for a while that they had serious problems on their hands.
This week on the 28th, a special meeting of the St Helens Water Committee was held to consider a report on the new Whiston well from a geologist called Hull.
Last June the expert had assured the committee that a borehole could be driven 100 yards below the bottom of the well without striking the fault in the strata.
However, the engineer in charge had only bored down 37 yards when operations had to be suspended as the rock formation had drastically changed.
After an investigation, a somewhat embarrassed Mr Hull had to report that purple sandstone strata overlaying coal measures had been struck.
His recommendation was that a new borehole be sunk by the side of the railway on the eastern boundary of Whiston and then be connected to the present well by a tunnel.
In accounting for his mistake he explained that faults are generally in the form of two vertical to one horizontal – but in this case the proportions had been reversed, which was very unusual.
The chairman of the water committee, Alderman Radley, had to admit that he had known about the issue for ages but had said nothing until the geologist had confirmed his fears.
This admission at the meeting infuriated Cllr. William Hibbert – the co-proprietor of the Parr Alkali Works – who ten days earlier had complained that the water delivered to his works and the people of Parr was "manifestly impure".
He knew it came from Whiston and that something was wrong and was livid that Radley had kept him and other committee members in the dark.
Cllr. Hibbert demanded that the pumping of water at Whiston should cease at once and the committee finally agreed to that course.
"Early on Friday morning, the church of St. Peter, Parr, was broken into by burglars, who ransacked the pews, collecting a number of church prayer and hymn books.
"They appear then to have paid especial attention to the vestry, which they entered, drank the communion wine, secured a couple of white damask altar covers, and then made an attack upon the safe, which they endeavoured to force open.
"The lock resisted their efforts to destroy it, and although they, by means of chisels and hammer, strove hard to enter the safe, they did not succeed, as it was one of Milner's strong make. The burglars were not destined to escape.
"The local postman, who is also caretaker of the church, was going [on] his round early in the morning, when he met two men of rather suspicious appearance, who asked him the way to Warrington.
"After delivering his letters, he went to the church to prepare it for service.
"He then discovered the burglary, and, remembering the two men, he immediately gave information to the police, who started in pursuit, and overtook the men in Burtonwood, and, finding on them a number of housebreaking tools, at once took them into custody."
Newton Petty Sessions met on the 30th and heard a case of women neighbours from Blackbrook squabbling and then coming to court telling the usual one-sided tales.
And both sides had six witnesses to support their own selective versions of reality! This is how the Warrington Examiner reported the case.
"Mary Ann Platt and Jane Platt were summoned for having assaulted Mary Mawdsley.
"From the statement made by Mr. Ashton, of Wigan, it appeared that on Monday evening, the 17th July, the complainant, who was the wife of a collier living at Haydock, happened to go into the back yard attached to her house, when a dispute arose between her and the defendants respecting a ball.
"The second prisoner then struck the complainant heavily in the face, and came out with the most abusive and filthy epithets.
"Shortly afterwards the other prisoner arrived upon the scene, backed up her daughter and assaulted the complainant.
"Mr. Bretherton who appeared for the defendants, denied everything stated by the complainant, and called six witnesses who swore that the complainant first commenced the assault.
"There were six witnesses called by the prosecution but the case became one of credibility, and the Bench dismissed the case."
Last month I wrote how the Liverpool Mercury had said: "A sitting of the St. Helen's county court was held yesterday. The cases heard were without interest."
I commented how sometimes the court in East Street dealt with as many as 150 cases in a single day and wondered how they all could be without interest.
Well, on the 3rd the County Court was reported as having had over 400 cases to deal with!
Justice was then dispensed rapidly. Even at the Liverpool assizes where the serious criminal cases were heard, the judges could easily try 30 people in a day and decide in an instant how many months or years they should serve in prison.
Also on the 3rd, Richard Pilkington laid the memorial stone for a new Sunday school connected with the Congregational Chapel in Peasley Cross.
In the 1871 census the 30-year-old glass magnate at Windle Hall had eight servants to attend to his family's every need – and there was only three of them, his young wife and 2-year-old son!
Pilkington was a huge supporter of the "Congs" and his father had laid the memorial stone for the church's chapel in Sutton Road in 1864.
There were now 473 pupils with 28 teachers and officers and the new Sunday school that adjoined the chapel was able to accommodate 600 persons.
It was the custom to present a silver trowel to those undertaking such a ceremony and Richard Pilkington was handed his.
The Congregational School stone contained what we would call a time capsule – containing some local newspapers and a list of all the pupils and teachers.
And finally, a not uncommon court case during the Victorian era was breach of promise of marriage.
It usually involved women suing men for damages, although sometimes men were plaintiffs.
These days many young people think nothing of dumping their boy or girlfriends verbally or by text message.
However, in the past, when respectability and reputation were all-important, there was shame and embarrassment in being rejected or jilted, which could be ameliorated by money.
The damages that courts awarded varied, but they could be quite substantial and well worth the airing of dirty linen in public.
This week this article concerning another case was published in the Liverpool Mercury:
"On Monday, the town hall at Holmfirth [near Huddersfield] was crowded to excess to hear a case of breach of promise of marriage, in which the plaintiff (who was represented by Mr. Waddy, barrister), claimed £200 for breach of promise of marriage.
"Her name is Elizabeth Copley, and she is cook at the Rev. M. B. Moorhouse's, at Hepworth Parsonage.
"The defendant, William Ottley, is a gasfitter, residing at Farnmouth, near Bolton.
"The courtship had extended over six years, and during that period defendant sent her a great number of letters, which were read by Mr. Waddy.
"They created considerable merriment in court. In one he called her his “Pet, darling, and most dearly beloved,” expressing a hope that they might soon be made one.
"In May of the present year he left her altogether, alleging that he had to keep his mother, and could not keep two wives. The jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff, £50 and costs."
Next week's stories will include a death on the railway at Sutton Oak, the unfriendly man who cheated the Prescot friendly society, the St Helens children that never attended school, the Haydock Park farm sale and the anti-vaccinator from Preston.