250 YEARS AGO:

A FEW days since, a widow woman of Whittington near this city took a large dose of poison which in just a few hours dispatched her. This rash action was occasioned, as supposed, by a quarrel with her sweetheart, in which he signified that he would not marry her, notwithstanding certain marks of a particular intimacy between them began to be pretty visible.

200 YEARS AGO:

YESTERDAY an inquest was held by Mr Hill, coroner at Eldersfield in this county, on view of the body of Jeremiah Seymour, a fine boy, five years of age, whose death was occasioned by the following melancholy circumstance: The deceased and his elder brother were playing together on Sunday when the brother, who had but a little time previous come to the house, observed an old gun in the chimney corner, took it up and, not knowing it was loaded, tried the lock, on which it went off, and the contents passing through the head of the deceased, caused his instant death. Verdict – accidental death.

● On Sunday afternoon, as some persons were passing near the house of Mr Parker, attorney, in Newport Street, Worcester, they perceived an extraordinary blaze in an apartment on the first floor and immediately alarmed the family. It was found that floors and furniture were ablaze and instant steps were taken to quench the flames. It seems the cause was a fire flue which had ignited a large length of adjacent beam. Had it not been for the early alarm given by the passers-by, the fire would most probably have caused the destruction of the whole premises.

150 YEARS AGO:

MARY Kane, an Irish vagrant without legs, was brought up at Worcester Police Court, charged with moving along the principal streets of the city, attended by two or three children, and soliciting the alms of the benevolent. When arrested by Superintendent Chipp and taken to the police station house, the prisoner, with great volubility of tongue, endeavoured to justify her conduct, strongly denying the charge of begging but stating that she got her living by singing, and as it had pleased the Lord for her to be a cripple, she preferred maintaining her children that way than going into the workhouse. On promising to leave the city next morning, she was discharged.

● Mr Hughes, coroner, held an inquest at the St George’s Tavern, Worcester, on Monday, touching the death of a female infant, name and parentage unknown. HN Hopewell, turnkey at the County Gaol, drew the body out of the canal near St George’s Bridge. It was naked and muddy and had evidently been in the water several days. Mr Jeffery, surgeon, made a post mortem examination of the body and found that it had never breathed. He had no doubt from the swollen state of the head that the birth had been protracted and difficult. Verdict – still born.

100 YEARS AGO:

EDITH Brown, aged 34, of Little Hereford, near Tenbury Wells, was charged at Worcester Police Court with being drunk whilst in charge of a child under the age of seven years. PC Hawker said the prisoner was staggering about the streets at the Cross with a baby, 18 months-old, in her arms and accompanied by a girl aged 11. The children were taken to Worcester Workhouse. The prisoner had a husband and five children. The chief constable Mr Byrne said she had two previous convictions for neglect of children. She was sentenced to 14 days hard labour.