100 YEARS AGO:

DR Crippen and his companion Miss Le Neve were landed in Liverpool on the White Star liner Megantic which had brought them after arrest from Canada. An enormous crowd had gathered at the landing stage in the hope of seeing the notorious couple suspected of murdering Cora Crippen.

Extraordinary precautions were taken by the police to keep the landing as secret as possible. While the crowds waited patiently behind the barriers, a cargo port out of their sight was opened, the gangway hurriedly lowered, and a small group of figures emerged and walked down to the dock. They were the detectives and their prisoners who were speedily driven from the scene on their way to London, although not before a few of the crowd had spotted the car and shouted: “There’s Crippen.”

150 YEARS AGO:

AN inquest was held on Monday at the St George’s Tavern, Claines by R Woof, deputy coroner, on the body of a child named John Dobbins, aged six years, son of William Dobbins, bricklayer of St George’s Lane, who was drowned in the canal while bathing on Saturday morning. It appeared that the boy went with four others, somewhat older than himself to bathe in the canal. He was advised not to get into the water, as he could not swim, but he stripped himself, entered the canal and soon found the water too deep for him. He tried to reach the bank but was unable to do so, and he sank below the surface. He rose again and the other boys tried to reach him but could not do so, and he drowned before assistance could arrive. A verdict of accidentally drowned was returned.

200 YEARS AGO:

NOTICE having been given of an application to Parliament in the ensuing session for leave to form a horse-towing path along the banks of the Severn from Worcester to Gloucester, the principal proprietors of lands on the intended line met on Wednesday at the Hop Pole Inn, the Foregate, to take the subject into consideration. The Earl of Coventry being called to the chair, opened the business of the meeting by expressing the pleasure he should feel in sacrificing his own interests to promote any measure which had benefit for its object. However, he observed that the most effectual means of attaining the aim would be to raise the sum necessary for the completion of the path by mortgage, and when such mortgage was paid off, then the path should be enjoyed by the public free of toll.

Lord Somers and other proprietors ably seconded this suggestion of the noble earl and expressed the obligation which the public would feel towards him for his exertions on the occasion.

250 YEARS AGO:

LAST Friday night, a fire broke out in a stable at the King’s Head Inn, Sidbury, in this city but, by timely assistance, was happily extinguished before it did any considerable damage. It was occasioned by a candle being carelessly struck against the wall, from which it fell among some straw and set it on fire.

● A few days since, a person of Harvington, near Kidderminster, being between 60 and 70 years of age, was married at Chaddesley Corbett to a very agreeable young woman of 15.