150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (30th MARCH - 5th APRIL 1870)
This week's stories include the Bridge Street butcher's wife who said her husband threatened to cut her heart out, the "shocking immorality and depraved habits" that were revealed in court, the man prosecuted for wasting water and why the copper workers in Sutton bought a bible for their boss.
We begin on March 31st when a rally of the coal miners of St Helens took place on waste ground at Moorflat, which was near Baldwin Street. Over the last year great efforts had been made to motivate the indifferent miners to join a trade union to fight for improved rights. Minds had been concentrated by the many explosions in coal mines in Lancashire over the last couple of years that had led to many deaths. However the speaker at the meeting stated that much more recruitment needed to be done. Thomas Halliday estimated that there were a total of 5,000 mineworkers within St Helens and Haydock but said only 500 of them had so far joined the union – which he described as a "painful fact".
I wonder how many people have died over the years in St Helens Canal? It certainly must be in the hundreds, as the police had the regular, grim task of removing bodies from the waterway. Very often the deceased had been floating in the canal for two or three weeks before being found, as in the case of James Oxendale. The 69-year-old was fished out on April 1st, having last been seen on the canal bank at 3am on March 12th. The man had been in Whiston Workhouse but had left without permission on the previous day.
Although many people committed suicide in the canal, others drowned accidentally and often it was impossible to know the truth of what had happened. Inquest juries investigating canal drownings regularly brought in an open verdict of "found drowned", as happened in James Oxendale's case. His jury met in the Navigation Tavern by the canal side and they called for the fencing of the canal where the deceased had been seen, as a "protection to human life".
The offence of drink driving goes back a lot further than the invention of the motor car. In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 4th Henry Briars and James Birchall were charged with being drunk in charge of a horse and cart at Rainford. Briars was fined 10/6 and Birchall, who failed to show up in court, was fined an extra shilling.
"Affiliation Case – Shocking Immorality", was the St Helens Newspaper's headline to their report on a child maintenance case. Mary Lowton, "a stout girl of seventeen", summoned Robert Hunter, "a stunted youth of eighteen", to show cause why he should not contribute to the support of her illegitimate child. Hunter completely denied having had sex with the girl and many witnesses were called to prove that he had, as the Newspaper described:
"The mother of the girl and a host of young women were called as witnesses, every one of whom had seen illicit acts between the complainant and defendant, and in some cases under circumstances revealing the shockingly ignorant and depraved habits and feelings of the whole of the parties." As the Chairman of the Bench made a maintenance order of 2s 6d per week he said it was a pity that the defendant had been put into the box as he had "perjured himself in a most gross and scandalous manner".
The Newspaper described the behaviour of the many spectators in the courtroom: "During the hearing of the case the court had been crowded with an auditory of both sexes belonging to the same locality as the principals, and whenever there was any revelation of an obscene character, it always evoked a hearty burst of laughter in which females of all ages appeared cheerfully to join. When the decision of the magistrates was given, the less prurient business to follow had no interest for the greater part of the assemblage, and they left the court in such numbers, and with such noise, that the proceedings had to await the disappearance of the last of them, before being continued."
We are regularly told that an enormous amount of water is wasted these days. Perhaps if like Patrick Doolin people were prosecuted, the loss would be reduced? He appeared in the Petty Sessions charged with wasting water after an investigation by Alexander Atwell. The water official with the job title of turncock said he had found an iron rod in Doolin's water closet attached in such a way as to cause water to escape. The borough surveyor asked the court to impose only a nominal fine, saying the case had been brought as a warning to others. So the Bench gave Doolin a lecture and a fine of 1/6.
"Assault on an Old Man" was the St Helens Newspaper's headline to their account of Walter Lewis's appearance in court. However checking the 1871 census his victim was only 50. Hugh Carroll claimed that Walter Lewis had twice knocked him down and kicked him at Peasley Cross. Lewis admitted the offence but claimed he had received provocation. The Bench said the complainant had been very savagely assaulted. If the man had stolen some of Hugh Carroll's clothing he would have been sent to prison. However a very savage assault was only considered worthy of a 10-bob fine.
Elizabeth Davies brought a prosecution against her husband for threatening to assault her with a large knife. John Davies was a 26-year-old pork butcher living over a shop in Bridge Street and Elizabeth was 21. I have confirmed their ages using two censuses. However Elizabeth's solicitor told the court that the couple had been married for eight years and had lived apart for five due to the husband's behaviour. I expect the solicitor was exaggerating or had been given wrong information, as I doubt the woman was thirteen when she married. Elizabeth told the Bench: "He has beaten me and made me black several times" and said that on March 12th he had threatened to cut out her heart with a knife.
The defence made much of the fact that Elizabeth had waited four hours before leaving the house after the alleged threat had been made. They also said the woman simply wanted to go home to her mother and was trying to get money out of her husband. The unsympathetic Chairman of the Bench said there was insufficient evidence to bind over or fine John Davies, and so he dismissed the case. He added that it was quite possible that the parties might not be happy but that was a matter for them.
Last week I wrote about the legal action by William Tipping of Bold Hall against the Sutton Copper Works for damage to vegetation and crops on his estate. The eccentric cotton merchant had only been partly successful due to the difficulty of proving where the damaging noxious vapours had emanated from. Workers only cared about their jobs and not the environment and during the evening of the 4th the men at the copper works made a presentation of a family bible to their boss.
This was in appreciation of John Fenwick Allen's efforts at the Liverpool Assizes and the bible bore the inscription: "Presented to J. Fenwick Allen, by the Workmen of the Sutton Copper Works, as a token of their esteem for his exertions in keeping the men together when oppression and injustice would have separated them." The copper works band played a few numbers at the event where it was also pointed out that there had been "not a quarter of the drunkenness and dissipation" amongst the workforce since the arrival of Fenwick Allen.
A new coach-making establishment took out a large advert in the St Helens Newspaper on the 5th. Marsh and Stormouth had premises in Brownlow Street, off Church Street, and made coaches to order with a 12-month warranty.
There was a fire at Pilkington's Crown Glass Works on the 5th, which set light to the roof of a building. They had their own small engine for dealing with fires but it hadn't been used for a while and so initially failed to function. The town fire brigade was sent for but they often took a while to arrive and by the time they got to Grove Street the workers had managed to extinguish the blaze.
Being a carter taking goods from A to B might be thought of having been a simple life, a slower version of modern day couriers delivering goods from the likes of Amazon. However there were an enormous number of laws and regulations that had to be observed. On the 5th twenty carters were summoned to Prescot Police Court accused of committing a wide variety of offences on the highway and turnpike roads.
They included having no name on their cart, leaving their horse and cart on the street unattended, being asleep in their cart, allowing their ass to stray, driving a cow on the footpath and driving their cart on the wrong side of the road. The average fine was 2s 6d, although some carters were fined 5 shillings – quite a big chunk out of their weekly wages of around 20 to 25 shillings.
Next week's stories will include a poker assault in Tontine Street, two women battle it out in Greenbank, two more women battle it out in Parr, the girl who stole a child's sovereign in Pocket Nook and concern over the danger of drowning in St Helens Canal.
We begin on March 31st when a rally of the coal miners of St Helens took place on waste ground at Moorflat, which was near Baldwin Street. Over the last year great efforts had been made to motivate the indifferent miners to join a trade union to fight for improved rights. Minds had been concentrated by the many explosions in coal mines in Lancashire over the last couple of years that had led to many deaths. However the speaker at the meeting stated that much more recruitment needed to be done. Thomas Halliday estimated that there were a total of 5,000 mineworkers within St Helens and Haydock but said only 500 of them had so far joined the union – which he described as a "painful fact".
I wonder how many people have died over the years in St Helens Canal? It certainly must be in the hundreds, as the police had the regular, grim task of removing bodies from the waterway. Very often the deceased had been floating in the canal for two or three weeks before being found, as in the case of James Oxendale. The 69-year-old was fished out on April 1st, having last been seen on the canal bank at 3am on March 12th. The man had been in Whiston Workhouse but had left without permission on the previous day.
Although many people committed suicide in the canal, others drowned accidentally and often it was impossible to know the truth of what had happened. Inquest juries investigating canal drownings regularly brought in an open verdict of "found drowned", as happened in James Oxendale's case. His jury met in the Navigation Tavern by the canal side and they called for the fencing of the canal where the deceased had been seen, as a "protection to human life".
The offence of drink driving goes back a lot further than the invention of the motor car. In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 4th Henry Briars and James Birchall were charged with being drunk in charge of a horse and cart at Rainford. Briars was fined 10/6 and Birchall, who failed to show up in court, was fined an extra shilling.
"Affiliation Case – Shocking Immorality", was the St Helens Newspaper's headline to their report on a child maintenance case. Mary Lowton, "a stout girl of seventeen", summoned Robert Hunter, "a stunted youth of eighteen", to show cause why he should not contribute to the support of her illegitimate child. Hunter completely denied having had sex with the girl and many witnesses were called to prove that he had, as the Newspaper described:
"The mother of the girl and a host of young women were called as witnesses, every one of whom had seen illicit acts between the complainant and defendant, and in some cases under circumstances revealing the shockingly ignorant and depraved habits and feelings of the whole of the parties." As the Chairman of the Bench made a maintenance order of 2s 6d per week he said it was a pity that the defendant had been put into the box as he had "perjured himself in a most gross and scandalous manner".
The Newspaper described the behaviour of the many spectators in the courtroom: "During the hearing of the case the court had been crowded with an auditory of both sexes belonging to the same locality as the principals, and whenever there was any revelation of an obscene character, it always evoked a hearty burst of laughter in which females of all ages appeared cheerfully to join. When the decision of the magistrates was given, the less prurient business to follow had no interest for the greater part of the assemblage, and they left the court in such numbers, and with such noise, that the proceedings had to await the disappearance of the last of them, before being continued."
We are regularly told that an enormous amount of water is wasted these days. Perhaps if like Patrick Doolin people were prosecuted, the loss would be reduced? He appeared in the Petty Sessions charged with wasting water after an investigation by Alexander Atwell. The water official with the job title of turncock said he had found an iron rod in Doolin's water closet attached in such a way as to cause water to escape. The borough surveyor asked the court to impose only a nominal fine, saying the case had been brought as a warning to others. So the Bench gave Doolin a lecture and a fine of 1/6.
"Assault on an Old Man" was the St Helens Newspaper's headline to their account of Walter Lewis's appearance in court. However checking the 1871 census his victim was only 50. Hugh Carroll claimed that Walter Lewis had twice knocked him down and kicked him at Peasley Cross. Lewis admitted the offence but claimed he had received provocation. The Bench said the complainant had been very savagely assaulted. If the man had stolen some of Hugh Carroll's clothing he would have been sent to prison. However a very savage assault was only considered worthy of a 10-bob fine.
Elizabeth Davies brought a prosecution against her husband for threatening to assault her with a large knife. John Davies was a 26-year-old pork butcher living over a shop in Bridge Street and Elizabeth was 21. I have confirmed their ages using two censuses. However Elizabeth's solicitor told the court that the couple had been married for eight years and had lived apart for five due to the husband's behaviour. I expect the solicitor was exaggerating or had been given wrong information, as I doubt the woman was thirteen when she married. Elizabeth told the Bench: "He has beaten me and made me black several times" and said that on March 12th he had threatened to cut out her heart with a knife.
The defence made much of the fact that Elizabeth had waited four hours before leaving the house after the alleged threat had been made. They also said the woman simply wanted to go home to her mother and was trying to get money out of her husband. The unsympathetic Chairman of the Bench said there was insufficient evidence to bind over or fine John Davies, and so he dismissed the case. He added that it was quite possible that the parties might not be happy but that was a matter for them.
Last week I wrote about the legal action by William Tipping of Bold Hall against the Sutton Copper Works for damage to vegetation and crops on his estate. The eccentric cotton merchant had only been partly successful due to the difficulty of proving where the damaging noxious vapours had emanated from. Workers only cared about their jobs and not the environment and during the evening of the 4th the men at the copper works made a presentation of a family bible to their boss.
This was in appreciation of John Fenwick Allen's efforts at the Liverpool Assizes and the bible bore the inscription: "Presented to J. Fenwick Allen, by the Workmen of the Sutton Copper Works, as a token of their esteem for his exertions in keeping the men together when oppression and injustice would have separated them." The copper works band played a few numbers at the event where it was also pointed out that there had been "not a quarter of the drunkenness and dissipation" amongst the workforce since the arrival of Fenwick Allen.
A new coach-making establishment took out a large advert in the St Helens Newspaper on the 5th. Marsh and Stormouth had premises in Brownlow Street, off Church Street, and made coaches to order with a 12-month warranty.
Being a carter taking goods from A to B might be thought of having been a simple life, a slower version of modern day couriers delivering goods from the likes of Amazon. However there were an enormous number of laws and regulations that had to be observed. On the 5th twenty carters were summoned to Prescot Police Court accused of committing a wide variety of offences on the highway and turnpike roads.
They included having no name on their cart, leaving their horse and cart on the street unattended, being asleep in their cart, allowing their ass to stray, driving a cow on the footpath and driving their cart on the wrong side of the road. The average fine was 2s 6d, although some carters were fined 5 shillings – quite a big chunk out of their weekly wages of around 20 to 25 shillings.
Next week's stories will include a poker assault in Tontine Street, two women battle it out in Greenbank, two more women battle it out in Parr, the girl who stole a child's sovereign in Pocket Nook and concern over the danger of drowning in St Helens Canal.
This week's stories include the Bridge Street butcher's wife who said her husband threatened to cut her heart out, the "shocking immorality and depraved habits" that were revealed in court, the man prosecuted for wasting water and why the copper workers in Sutton bought a bible for their boss.
We begin on March 31st when a rally of the coal miners of St Helens took place on waste ground at Moorflat, which was near Baldwin Street.
Over the last year great efforts had been made to motivate the indifferent miners to join a trade union to fight for improved rights.
Minds had been concentrated by the many explosions in coal mines in Lancashire over the last couple of years that had led to many deaths.
However the speaker at the meeting stated that much more recruitment needed to be done.
Thomas Halliday estimated that there were a total of 5,000 mineworkers within St Helens and Haydock but said only 500 of them had so far joined the union – which he described as a "painful fact".
I wonder how many people have died over the years in St Helens Canal?
It certainly must be in the hundreds, as the police had the regular, grim task of removing bodies from the waterway.
Very often the deceased had been floating in the canal for two or three weeks before being found, as in the case of James Oxendale.
The 69-year-old was fished out on April 1st, having last been seen on the canal bank at 3am on March 12th.
The man had been in Whiston Workhouse but had left without permission on the previous day.
Although many people committed suicide in the canal, others drowned accidentally and often it was impossible to know the truth of what had happened.
Inquest juries investigating canal drownings regularly brought in an open verdict of "found drowned", as happened in James Oxendale's case.
His jury met in the Navigation Tavern by the canal side and they called for the fencing of the canal where the deceased had been seen, as a "protection to human life".
The offence of drink driving goes back a lot further than the invention of the motor car.
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 4th Henry Briars and James Birchall were charged with being drunk in charge of a horse and cart at Rainford.
Briars was fined 10/6 and Birchall, who failed to show up in court, was fined an extra shilling.
"Affiliation Case – Shocking Immorality", was the St Helens Newspaper's headline to their report on a child maintenance case.
Mary Lowton, "a stout girl of seventeen", summoned Robert Hunter, "a stunted youth of eighteen", to show cause why he should not contribute to the support of her illegitimate child.
Hunter completely denied having had sex with the girl and many witnesses were called to prove that he had, as the Newspaper described:
"The mother of the girl and a host of young women were called as witnesses, every one of whom had seen illicit acts between the complainant and defendant, and in some cases under circumstances revealing the shockingly ignorant and depraved habits and feelings of the whole of the parties."
As the Chairman of the Bench made a maintenance order of 2s 6d per week he said it was a pity that the defendant had been put into the box as he had "perjured himself in a most gross and scandalous manner".
The Newspaper described the behaviour of the many spectators in the courtroom:
"During the hearing of the case the court had been crowded with an auditory of both sexes belonging to the same locality as the principals, and whenever there was any revelation of an obscene character, it always evoked a hearty burst of laughter in which females of all ages appeared cheerfully to join.
"When the decision of the magistrates was given, the less prurient business to follow had no interest for the greater part of the assemblage, and they left the court in such numbers, and with such noise, that the proceedings had to await the disappearance of the last of them, before being continued."
We are regularly told that an enormous amount of water is wasted these days. Perhaps if like Patrick Doolin people were prosecuted, the loss would be reduced?
He appeared in the Petty Sessions charged with wasting water after an investigation by Alexander Atwell.
The water official with the job title of turncock said he had found an iron rod in Doolin's water closet attached in such a way as to cause water to escape.
The borough surveyor asked the court to impose only a nominal fine, saying the case had been brought as a warning to others. So the Bench gave Doolin a lecture and a fine of 1/6.
"Assault on an Old Man" was the St Helens Newspaper's headline to their account of Walter Lewis's appearance in court.
However checking the 1871 census his victim was only 50. Hugh Carroll claimed that Walter Lewis had twice knocked him down and kicked him at Peasley Cross.
Lewis admitted the offence but claimed he had received provocation. The Bench said the complainant had been very savagely assaulted.
If the man had stolen some of Hugh Carroll's clothing he would have been sent to prison. However a very savage assault was only considered worthy of a 10-bob fine.
Elizabeth Davies brought a prosecution against her husband for threatening to assault her with a large knife.
John Davies was a 26-year-old pork butcher living over a shop in Bridge Street and Elizabeth was 21. I have confirmed their ages using two censuses.
However Elizabeth's solicitor told the court that the couple had been married for eight years and had lived apart for five due to the husband's behaviour.
I expect the solicitor was exaggerating or had been given wrong information, as I doubt the woman was thirteen when she got married.
Elizabeth told the Bench: "He has beaten me and made me black several times" and said that on March 12th he had threatened to cut out her heart with a knife.
The defence made much of the fact that Elizabeth had waited four hours before leaving the house after the alleged threat had been made.
They also said the woman simply wanted to go home to her mother and was trying to get money out of her husband.
The unsympathetic Chairman of the Bench said there was insufficient evidence to bind over or fine John Davies, and so he dismissed the case.
He added that it was quite possible that the parties might not be happy but that was a matter for them.
Last week I wrote about the legal action by William Tipping of Bold Hall against the Sutton Copper Works for damage to vegetation and crops on his estate.
The eccentric cotton merchant had only been partly successful due to the difficulty of proving where the damaging noxious vapours had emanated from.
Workers only cared about their jobs and not the environment and during the evening of the 4th the men at the copper works made a presentation of a family bible to their boss.
This was in appreciation of John Fenwick Allen's efforts at the Liverpool Assizes and the bible bore the inscription:
"Presented to J. Fenwick Allen, by the Workmen of the Sutton Copper Works, as a token of their esteem for his exertions in keeping the men together when oppression and injustice would have separated them."
The copper works band played a few numbers at the event where it was also pointed out that there had been "not a quarter of the drunkenness and dissipation" amongst the workforce since the arrival of Fenwick Allen.
A new coach-making establishment took out a large advert in the St Helens Newspaper on the 5th.
Marsh and Stormouth had premises in Brownlow Street, off Church Street, and made coaches to order with a 12-month warranty.
There was a fire at Pilkington's Crown Glass Works on the 5th, which set light to the roof of a building.
They had their own small engine for dealing with fires but it hadn't been used for a while and so initially failed to function.
The town fire brigade was sent for but they often took a while to arrive and by the time they got to Grove Street the workers had managed to extinguish the blaze.
Being a carter taking goods from A to B might be thought of having been a simple life, a slower version of modern day couriers delivering goods from the likes of Amazon.
However there were an enormous number of laws and regulations that had to be observed.
On the 5th twenty carters were summoned to Prescot Police Court accused of committing a wide variety of offences on the highway and turnpike roads.
They included having no name on their cart, leaving their horse and cart on the street unattended, being asleep in their cart, allowing their ass to stray, driving a cow on the footpath and driving their cart on the wrong side of the road.
The average fine was 2s 6d, although some carters were fined 5 shillings – quite a big chunk out of their weekly wages of around 20 to 25 shillings.
Next week's stories will include a poker assault in Tontine Street, two women battle it out in Greenbank, two more women battle it out in Parr, the girl who stole a child's sovereign in Pocket Nook and concern over the danger of drowning in St Helens Canal.
We begin on March 31st when a rally of the coal miners of St Helens took place on waste ground at Moorflat, which was near Baldwin Street.
Over the last year great efforts had been made to motivate the indifferent miners to join a trade union to fight for improved rights.
Minds had been concentrated by the many explosions in coal mines in Lancashire over the last couple of years that had led to many deaths.
However the speaker at the meeting stated that much more recruitment needed to be done.
Thomas Halliday estimated that there were a total of 5,000 mineworkers within St Helens and Haydock but said only 500 of them had so far joined the union – which he described as a "painful fact".
I wonder how many people have died over the years in St Helens Canal?
It certainly must be in the hundreds, as the police had the regular, grim task of removing bodies from the waterway.
Very often the deceased had been floating in the canal for two or three weeks before being found, as in the case of James Oxendale.
The 69-year-old was fished out on April 1st, having last been seen on the canal bank at 3am on March 12th.
The man had been in Whiston Workhouse but had left without permission on the previous day.
Although many people committed suicide in the canal, others drowned accidentally and often it was impossible to know the truth of what had happened.
Inquest juries investigating canal drownings regularly brought in an open verdict of "found drowned", as happened in James Oxendale's case.
His jury met in the Navigation Tavern by the canal side and they called for the fencing of the canal where the deceased had been seen, as a "protection to human life".
The offence of drink driving goes back a lot further than the invention of the motor car.
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 4th Henry Briars and James Birchall were charged with being drunk in charge of a horse and cart at Rainford.
Briars was fined 10/6 and Birchall, who failed to show up in court, was fined an extra shilling.
"Affiliation Case – Shocking Immorality", was the St Helens Newspaper's headline to their report on a child maintenance case.
Mary Lowton, "a stout girl of seventeen", summoned Robert Hunter, "a stunted youth of eighteen", to show cause why he should not contribute to the support of her illegitimate child.
Hunter completely denied having had sex with the girl and many witnesses were called to prove that he had, as the Newspaper described:
"The mother of the girl and a host of young women were called as witnesses, every one of whom had seen illicit acts between the complainant and defendant, and in some cases under circumstances revealing the shockingly ignorant and depraved habits and feelings of the whole of the parties."
As the Chairman of the Bench made a maintenance order of 2s 6d per week he said it was a pity that the defendant had been put into the box as he had "perjured himself in a most gross and scandalous manner".
The Newspaper described the behaviour of the many spectators in the courtroom:
"During the hearing of the case the court had been crowded with an auditory of both sexes belonging to the same locality as the principals, and whenever there was any revelation of an obscene character, it always evoked a hearty burst of laughter in which females of all ages appeared cheerfully to join.
"When the decision of the magistrates was given, the less prurient business to follow had no interest for the greater part of the assemblage, and they left the court in such numbers, and with such noise, that the proceedings had to await the disappearance of the last of them, before being continued."
We are regularly told that an enormous amount of water is wasted these days. Perhaps if like Patrick Doolin people were prosecuted, the loss would be reduced?
He appeared in the Petty Sessions charged with wasting water after an investigation by Alexander Atwell.
The water official with the job title of turncock said he had found an iron rod in Doolin's water closet attached in such a way as to cause water to escape.
The borough surveyor asked the court to impose only a nominal fine, saying the case had been brought as a warning to others. So the Bench gave Doolin a lecture and a fine of 1/6.
"Assault on an Old Man" was the St Helens Newspaper's headline to their account of Walter Lewis's appearance in court.
However checking the 1871 census his victim was only 50. Hugh Carroll claimed that Walter Lewis had twice knocked him down and kicked him at Peasley Cross.
Lewis admitted the offence but claimed he had received provocation. The Bench said the complainant had been very savagely assaulted.
If the man had stolen some of Hugh Carroll's clothing he would have been sent to prison. However a very savage assault was only considered worthy of a 10-bob fine.
Elizabeth Davies brought a prosecution against her husband for threatening to assault her with a large knife.
John Davies was a 26-year-old pork butcher living over a shop in Bridge Street and Elizabeth was 21. I have confirmed their ages using two censuses.
However Elizabeth's solicitor told the court that the couple had been married for eight years and had lived apart for five due to the husband's behaviour.
I expect the solicitor was exaggerating or had been given wrong information, as I doubt the woman was thirteen when she got married.
Elizabeth told the Bench: "He has beaten me and made me black several times" and said that on March 12th he had threatened to cut out her heart with a knife.
The defence made much of the fact that Elizabeth had waited four hours before leaving the house after the alleged threat had been made.
They also said the woman simply wanted to go home to her mother and was trying to get money out of her husband.
The unsympathetic Chairman of the Bench said there was insufficient evidence to bind over or fine John Davies, and so he dismissed the case.
He added that it was quite possible that the parties might not be happy but that was a matter for them.
Last week I wrote about the legal action by William Tipping of Bold Hall against the Sutton Copper Works for damage to vegetation and crops on his estate.
The eccentric cotton merchant had only been partly successful due to the difficulty of proving where the damaging noxious vapours had emanated from.
Workers only cared about their jobs and not the environment and during the evening of the 4th the men at the copper works made a presentation of a family bible to their boss.
This was in appreciation of John Fenwick Allen's efforts at the Liverpool Assizes and the bible bore the inscription:
"Presented to J. Fenwick Allen, by the Workmen of the Sutton Copper Works, as a token of their esteem for his exertions in keeping the men together when oppression and injustice would have separated them."
The copper works band played a few numbers at the event where it was also pointed out that there had been "not a quarter of the drunkenness and dissipation" amongst the workforce since the arrival of Fenwick Allen.
A new coach-making establishment took out a large advert in the St Helens Newspaper on the 5th.
Marsh and Stormouth had premises in Brownlow Street, off Church Street, and made coaches to order with a 12-month warranty.
They had their own small engine for dealing with fires but it hadn't been used for a while and so initially failed to function.
The town fire brigade was sent for but they often took a while to arrive and by the time they got to Grove Street the workers had managed to extinguish the blaze.
Being a carter taking goods from A to B might be thought of having been a simple life, a slower version of modern day couriers delivering goods from the likes of Amazon.
However there were an enormous number of laws and regulations that had to be observed.
On the 5th twenty carters were summoned to Prescot Police Court accused of committing a wide variety of offences on the highway and turnpike roads.
They included having no name on their cart, leaving their horse and cart on the street unattended, being asleep in their cart, allowing their ass to stray, driving a cow on the footpath and driving their cart on the wrong side of the road.
The average fine was 2s 6d, although some carters were fined 5 shillings – quite a big chunk out of their weekly wages of around 20 to 25 shillings.
Next week's stories will include a poker assault in Tontine Street, two women battle it out in Greenbank, two more women battle it out in Parr, the girl who stole a child's sovereign in Pocket Nook and concern over the danger of drowning in St Helens Canal.