100 YEARS AGO:
WHILST awaiting removal to Powick Asylum on Tuesday, a lunatic named Bowen of School Road, St John’s, Worcester, caused considerable excitement by his extraordinary behaviour. Armed with a large hammer, he smashed various articles of furniture in his house and caused great consternation by the threatening way he brandished the hammer.

Though a considerable crowd gathered outside, no one had sufficient temerity to enter the house. Then the man went upstairs where he continued his destruction.

He hammered the walls, set fire to curtains and smashed windows, knocking the sills into the street. At this point, two policemen arrived and found the man lying on the floor in his smoke-filled bedroom. They secured him to prevent any further damage until the relieving officer arrived to convey him to the asylum.

150 YEARS AGO:
ON Tuesday evening last, a young man named Richard Walker, 18 years-old, lately in the employment of J Coucher, wool stapler of St John’s, was drowned in the Severn just below Worcester Bridge in the following distressing circumstances.

A child named James Loftus, aged eight, was playing on the bank of the river when he accidentally fell in. Deceased, who was standing nearby fishing, without taking off his clothes jumped in after the child but was unable to swim and after plunging about in the water for some minutes, sank. An elderly man also went into the river after the child and he too, narrowly escaped drowning, not being able to swim.

After a few minutes the child was rescued and eventually taken to a lodging house in Birdport where his father lodged.

Walker, having sunk in the river not many yards from the bank, remained there about 15 minutes.

Meantime, boats were got out and every exertion made by several persons to rescue him. At length they got the body to the surface and brought it to shore. It was laid on the grass in the meadow and means were used by a police constable and a great many other persons to restore animation. After several minutes spent ineffectually, the body was conveyed to the Farmers Arms beer house in Bridge Place where a surgeon pronounced life to be extinct. At the inquest, the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

200 YEARS AGO:
AN inquest was taken at Upton-upon-Severn on Monday on the body of Mary Nash who was found hanging in her house. It appeared the deceased had been for several days before in a melancholy state of mind, and the jury returned their verdict of lunacy.

􀁥 On Friday evening, violent storms of thunder, lightning, hail and rain were experienced in various part of the county. The Bishop of Worcester’s palace and gardens at Hartlebury suffered immensely, there being no fewer than 790 panes of glass broke in the palace and its hot houses, besides damage done to many trees. It is rather singular that scarcely a pane of glass was broke in the village of Hartlebury.

250 YEARS AGO:
WE are assured that a cock match is agreed on between the gentlemen of Worcestershire and Herefordshire against the gentlemen of Warwickshire and Staffordshire for £10 a battle and £200 the odd battle. The first match is to be fought at Birmingham and the second at Worcester.