Echoes of our Past, NEWS......... 11th March 1871

Read all about it……. Echoes of our past NEWS

What was in the local news this weekend in 1871?

MAIN NEWS –

*Women trouble –

A woman named Sarah Jones who was not from the area was found by P.C William Binney on Saltergate acting in a drunken and riotous manner.  She was shouting and swearing in front of the passers-by, which included children.  P.C Binney asked her to leave but this only made her worse.  When he attempted to move her on she lay down on the floor and refused to move.  He had to strap her legs together and carry her to the police office.

The next day she seemed to have calmed down and walked amiably down the Mayors Residence for her incident to be told.  He decided to remand her for 4 days, until the following Monday.  This brought on a return in Sarah’s unwieldy behaviour; she sat straight down on the floor and two officers had to carry her back to the Municipal Hall.  From there the Police Officers asked her to walk to the Gaol, but of course she was having none of it.  They tried to push her along, but when they walked through Theatre Yard she began shrieking loudly.  A wheelbarrow was then obtained and without instruction Sarah climbed in and was thus wheeled through the Market Place to the Police lock-up.

Monday morning came and the fun and games began again; as she had been so ill behaved the Bench decided to commit her for 21 days with hard labour.  Sarah once again seated herself on the floor and refused to move an inch.  This time her mode of transport was a short ladder, which she was tied to by the wrists and legs.  She was then moved on to the Gaol in the Market Place.  Sarah must have become quite a celebrity as it was said that a hundred people turned out to watch this last transfer.

OTHER ITEMS –

*Derbyshire Police Force report –

The report was issued by the House of Commons and gave the following figures –

v  171 men in the Derbyshire force

v  623,992 acres area covered

v  272,400 population in 1861

v  347 indictable offences in the year

v  243 persons apprehended against 305 offences

The report suggested that the force need enlarging in Chesterfield, Smalley, Alfreton and Eckington due to the increase in population. 

Chesterfield Force –

v  14 men in the Chesterfield force

v  296 acres area covered

v  9,835 population in 1861

The duties of the Head Constable included; inspector of lodging houses and weights and measures, assisting the vagrancy officer, inspector of workshops and sanitation and billet master.  He is paid extra wages annually of £20 (sanitary inspector), £25 (inspector weights and measures) and £10 (assistant vagrancy officer).

The lock-ups were found to be inadequate and room in the Market Hall in Chesterfield had been purchased to serve as police cells.

*Bigamy –

Frederick Horton of Glossop was charged with marrying a lady named Lucy on 13^th October 1867 whilst still legally married to another woman.

Frederick was 30 years old and had married his first wife Letitia Phillips on 17^th February 1863 at Glossop.  He and his wife separated and she went away, her mother told Frederick that she had gone to live in France.  It was unknown whether Letitia was alive or dead and Frederick had made an attempt to find the answer.  Her mother had written that she suspected that she may have drowned. 

The Jury decided that Fredrick was guilty of bigamy, but asked that the Judge have mercy upon him.  Frederick was sentenced to three days imprisonment.  I have looked for his second marriage in the civil registration indexes and it does not appear, this may have been removed after this case.  Or, did Frederick suspect that he was marrying bigamously and fail to register the event to the authorities?

*Explosion at Staveley Colliery –

A slight explosion occurred on Friday morning at Staveley Coal and Iron Company’s Colliery.  Two men were burnt when the gas ignited and caused an explosion.  Luke Barrett was burnt on the face and Amos Oughton was burnt on the hands.

*Concealment of birth –

Ann Page and Sarah Page appeared at the Crown Court Derby accused of attempting to conceal the birth of a child on 21^st December 1870 by burying the dead body at South Normanton.  The Grand Jury threw out the bill and Ann and Sarah walked free.

*Pancake Day –

To celebrate Shrove Tuesday Mr T Irving had provided the Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Hospital and Dispensary with flour and eggs to make into pancakes for the patients.

MARRIAGES –

*George Moon to Elizabeth Beresford at the Parish Church, Chesterfield on 6^th March

*Charles Hunt, lace manufacturer of Heanor to Eliza Ratcliffe of Chesterfield at the Parish Church, Chesterfield on 7^th March

*Frederick Hudson Vickers, miner to Ellen Drury at the Parish Church, Chesterfield on 7^th March

DEATHS –

*Louisa Holdsworth aged 18 years at Alma Cottage, Clay Cross.  Louisa was the youngest daughter of Thomas Holdsworth a colliery proprietor and she had suffered a protracted illness

*John Johnson aged 17 years, son of Samuel and Lucy Johnson of Atlow Wynn, near Ashbourne

*George Pike, miller aged 66 years at Walton

*Ann Whetton aged 58 years, at Clay Cross, wife of John Whetton, horse keeper

*Edward Corrance Belfitt aged 9 weeks at Saltergate

*Charles Hesketh aged 3 months at Brampton

*Arthur Pemberton aged 2 years at Soresby Street

SPORT –

*Football –

A match was played in between Messrs Greenhalgh’s Club and Mansfield Athletic Club on Parr’s ground at Mansfield.  There was a good turnout of spectators and the play was said to have been “most interesting”.

Messrs Greenhalgh’s club won the game by 2 goals to 1.

AND FINALLY…

*Railway Clocks –

A letter written by “A TRAVELLER” complained at the lack of synchronization of the train station clocks.  The watch of the writer “a very good one” varied at the Stockport Station by 8 minutes, which could have meant that he would have missed the train.  When he arrived in Buxton the time of his watch and the station clock was now the same. 

 

UPDATE of the Past News 2nd November 1901

 

 

Catch up on the full story of last weeks NEWS...........

*Bigamous Henry Bombroffe -

Henry’s case was transferred to the Leeds Assize Courts and he appeared in front of the Bench on Monday 9^th December 1901, just a week before he should have been celebrating his first wedding anniversary to his new wife Emily. 

The Court heard how Emily had been told by Henry that he had buried his wife.  The couple were expecting a baby and so on 17^th December 1900 Emily and Henry married.  Two weeks later * their child was born and Henry left her and Emily and the baby had to take refuge in the workhouse for a week as they were destitute.

*this fact may be exaggerated for the courts as we had earlier heard how Emily was 4 months pregnant at the time of the wedding.

Henry repeated his defence that he thought his first wife Ann had died in Mickleover Asylum; he did not produce the letter he stated had been sent to his son denying any knowledge of Ann at the Asylum.

The Judge decided upon a sentence of imprisonment for 6 months with hard labour.

There is a child named Emily Bombroffe whose birth was registered in the June quarter of 1901, which means she would have been born in April, May or June, which would confirm that Emily was 4 months pregnant at the time of the marriage.

On the night of the 1901 census (31^st March) the Bombroffe family are living at 23 Bower Road, Hallam, Sheffield -   “Harry”, Emily, William Bombroffe and 3 children from Emily’s first marriage; George, Walter and Vincent Dewick.  Baby Emily is not recorded on the census return.

 

So at some point between the birth of baby Emily and October of 1901 the news that Henry was still married must have been broken to Emily.  It is not known how she found out, but with four children to look after it must have been an awful shock. 

So what happened after the trial?

Emily picked herself up after her humiliation by Henry Bombroffe and on 13^th April 1903 she remarried; a brave step after what she had been through.  Her new husband was Edward Hannah a 51 year old widower.  They married at St Philips Church, Shalesmore, Sheffield.  Emily died a few years later in 1905 at the age of 41 years old.

What became of baby Emily Bombroffe is unknown; I can find no death or census under that name or the names of Dewick or Hannah.  She may have been put up for adoption after the emotional time her poor mother endured.  If anyone knows any more about the fate of Emily then please let me know.

Henry Bombroffe, well he to disappears from the census listings.  He may well have changed his name or been in an establishment which only listed the inmates as initials (H.B).  He died in November 1924 at 11 Charles Street.  He is buried in consecrated ground at City Road Cemetery, Sheffield.  He was 58 years old and a painter by trade.

Lastly we must not forget the woman Henry tried to forget….. His first wife Ann.  In the 1911 census she is still an inmate in Derby County Lunatic Asylum, Mickleover.  Still ironically maintaining her title as “married”, this would be much to Henry’s dismay.  I can only find one death for an Ann Bombroffe and that is in 1939 aged 78 years at Hayfield in the Peak District – if this is the correct Ann then she definitely was not dead and buried on that cold day of 17^th December 1900, when her husband and son had conveniently erased her from their lives.

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*Susanna and George Sykes –

 

George was accused of “thrashing” his wife and spending his wages on sandwiches and ice cream.

 

What became of the couple?

 

Before the trial and accusations they were living at 9 Hallowes Lane, Dronfield.  George was employed as a miner and they have three daughters; Ethel 6 years, Elsie 4 years and Rebecca 1 year old.  The couple had married in 1892.

 

The couple are still together in 1911 but they now live with Susannah’s parents Herbert and Elizabeth Hibbert at 28 Scarsdale Road, Dronfield.  George is still a coal miner hewer and their family has now grown with the addition of James 9 years, Arthur 6 years, Annie 4 and Beatrice 9 months.  In fact George and Susannah have born 9 children but sadly 2 have passed away. 

 

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