Droitwich News, Droitwich Sport, Droitwich Leisure - From The Droitwich Spa Advertiser

October 27 - November 3

From the Worcester News, first published Monday 29th Oct 2007.

100 YEARS AGO:

AT Worcester Police Court, Mary Taylor, married woman of 1 Court, Hares Lane, Worcester, was charged with assaulting her step-daughter Lucy, aged 14, in a manner likely to cause her unnecessary suffering.

The NSPCC, which brought the case, said the defendant had beaten the girl several times with a poker inflicting severe wounds. The magistrates, imposing a sentence of three months' hard labour, said the case was a very bad one. The bench decided that the girl should go to the workhouse until arrangements, with the consent of the father, were made for her to be sent to a home.

* Uncontrollable at seven. William Horace Onions, aged seven of 1Blockhouse Street was brought before Worcester Police Court on the complaint of his mother that she could not control him.

He threw things about and used bad language and had to be removed from Red Hill School at six for dipping pupils heads in horse troughs and otherwise behaving badly towards them and for using bad language to his teachers.

The bench ordered that the boy be sent away to a school, the Government paying five shillings a week and the mother and father to contribute 4s.6d a week

150 YEARS AGO:

THE Guildhall has received a communication from the War Office announcing that it has acceded to the request of the mayor and citizens that two iron guns captured from the Russians during the Crimea War be presented to the City of Worcester as trophies.

The War Office is unable to furnish carriages for the cannons but copies are to be made at a cost of £16 each. The Corporation has decided to set up the Russian guns at the Guildhall. (They were later made display items in the "new" Arboretum Gardens, but what eventually happened to them remains a mystery).

* Edward Bettam, groom of Spetchley, was fined five shillings at Worcester Police Court for being drunk and ringing the bell at Mrs Wells's house in London Road at quarter-past 11 on the previous night.

200 YEARS AGO:

THE following melancholy catastrophe took place on Friday morning. A well upon a farm near the Ketch adjoining this city was opened for the purpose of being altered and men proceeded to work at it. A workman went down and after remaining some time, he desired to be wound up, finding the foul air was likely to overcome him, but before this could be effected, he dropped down insensible.

Another workman immediately was let down and succeeded in fastening a rope to his companion's body but before he could get up, the foul air overcame him likewise and he dropped insensible on the body of the first unfortunate man.

Before assistance could be procured, the spark of life was completely extinguished in both ill-fated men. One was aged about 37 and the other 27 and each has left a wife and three children. At the inquest, verdicts of accidental death were returned.

We are happy to find that a subscription fund has set up by a few benevolent individuals for the relief of the widows and children.

250 YEARS AGO:

Yesterday, Thomas Sparkes of New Town just outside this city of was committed to our county gaol to await trial, charged by the coroner's inquest with giving a mortal wound in the belly to one George Southan of Worcester, shoemaker.

l On Friday last, Mr Pember, a maltster and soap-boiler of this city dropped down in an apoplectick fit and died immediately.

Archive Home