250 YEARS AGO:

ON Sunday last, a private belonging to the Dragoons quartered in this city, who is now in confinement in our gaol for not giving security for the maintenance of two twin-born bastard children and being, as supposed, under the influence of some direful planet or comet, attempted to hang himself and had nearly effected it before his design was discovered and prevented.

● On Monday, a Worcester magistrate levied the penalty of £2 directed by Act of Parliament, on a butcher for profanation of the Lord’s Day by driving sheep through the streets of the city.

● On Saturday last, a servant girl of this city, meeting with some disappointment in her amours, took a dose of poison which in a few hours released her from all afflictions of this life.

200 YEARS AGO:

ON Monday night, two men of the names of Taylor and Tolley, who had an animosity against each other, meeting accidentally at Droitwich, fought, when the latter received so violent a blow that he expired, and his opponent was conveyed to our county gaol.

On Thursday last, two young men, farmers, met at Bromyard to decide a quarrel. However, a very few blows had been exchanged before one of them received a blow which instantly terminated his existence. The unfortunate deceased had manifested great unwillingness to fight.

His opponent has been conveyed to gaol to take his trial for manslaughter.

On Saturday an inquest was held on Richard Daykin of Tedstone Delamare who, in a pitched battle with James Nutt, received a blow which killed him on the spot.

The melancholy circumstance of these three men having been hurried into eternity “out of the very flames of rage and hate” is a most striking argument against prize fighting. It is probable that the opponents of these unfortunate men had taken instruction from the Belcher school to enable them to direct their blows with precision and effect.

We leave our readers to reflect upon the morals.

150 YEARS AGO:

AT the City Police Court, Emma Hammond, a “blighted flower,” living in Watercourse Alley, Worcester, charged William Price, well-known as an old offender and her former paramour, with assaulting her and also breaking her crockery-ware. It appeared that the defendant came to her house and asked her to lend him a frying pan. She gave him one whereupon he struck her a violent blow and knocked her over a table, also striking her several other blows and breaking crockery with the frying pan. No provocation whatever had been given him. Defendant, a hawker of fruit and a very violent tempered individual, was committed to three months’ hard labour.

100 YEARS AGO:

AN inquest was held at Worcester Guildhall on 31 years-old Henry Edwin Cook, who died suddenly at Carter’s Lodging House. His mother Sarah Cook said he had been a soldier but had become “very wild” and drank a good deal. Dr WG Bennett said a post-mortem revealed that death was due to heart failure caused by drink.