100 YEARS AGO:

ARCHIBALD Bevan, a 13 years-old schoolboy of Summer Street, Worcester, was charged at the City Police Court with trading without a licence and also with stealing from near the Grandstand Hotel a gent’s bicycle, value £2, the property of Stanley Phelps of Rowley House, Little London. The bike disappeared when its owner went swimming in the nearby Pitchcroft bathing barge.

The boy’s father said his son had given him a great deal of trouble. The chief constable, Mr Byrne said the boy had been summonsed for a cycle theft about a month ago.

The bench decided to send him to a reformatory school for five years.

􀁥 The annual outing of the members and friends of the Worcester and District Butchers’ Association took place on Thursday when a visit was paid to the Festival of Empire at the Crystal Palace, London. The party of more than 50 left Shrub Hill Station at 8.30 am and returned from Paddington at 11.30 pm arriving home at 2.30am.

150 YEARS AGO:

THE members of the Court Providence of the Ancient Order of Foresters held their first anniversary dinner at their court house, the Bull Inn, Fernhill Heath on Monday last. A most bountiful dinner, neatly served, was put on the table by Mr and Mrs Key. Song and sentiment passed merrily round until midnight when each one wended his way home, much gratified with the evening’s entertainment.

􀁥 Charlotte Smith, a girl of bad character who had been apprehended by PC Vaughan in Pump Street at two in the morning, was committed by the magistrates at Worcester Police Court to seven days’ hard labour.

George Williams, her companion at the time, was discharged with a caution.

200 YEARS AGO:

THURSDAY, as a poor man of the name of Bunn was building a wheat rick for Mr Bagshaw at Crowle, near Worcester, he unfortunately fell to the ground, and a dislocation of the neck taking place, instantaneous death ensued.

􀁥 A quantity of salmon, out of season, was seized in our market place at Worcester on Monday and publicly burnt.

􀁥 This morning, a poor man of the name of Stephen Price fell from a river boat on the Severn near Pitchcroft and was drowned. The body has not been found. He has left two children.

250 YEARS AGO:

LAST Tuesday evening, the following unhappy accident happened in this city. Mr Crump of Droitwich, jumping from the shafts of his wagon near All Saints Church, unfortunately fell under one of the wheels which, going over part of his body and head, bruised him so terribly as to render him a melancholy spectacle and notwithstanding proper assistance, he died soon after. What makes this accident dismally remarkable is that this is the third person that has been killed by the salt wagons within these four weeks.

300 YEARS AGO:

A GREAT disturbance happened here last Friday night between the officers, soldiers and some of the townsmen, whereby some of the latter were wounded, we hear the same is to be determined at the ensuing assizes. The quarrel, it seems, first began at a publick house, between a soldier and his landlord.

􀁥 Miles, the soldier, imprisoned in Worcester for desertion and who a little before stood in the picket for stealing geese, being lately tried by a court martial and found to be an old offender, was, pursuant to his sentence, shot last Thursday.