100 YEARS AGO:

AN exciting incident occurred opposite the Shirehall, Worcester on Saturday. It appears that a horse attached to a float belonging to C Beck, milkman of Claines, was standing on the Foregate when, through some unexplained cause, the animal took fright. It dashed down Foregate Street but when near the cab stand opposite the Shirehall, it swerved and turned turtle, the float crashing against a hansom cab belonging to JA Edwards of St John’s. No one was injured but the float and cab were damaged and one of the horses was badly injured.

All the milk contained in the cans on the float was lost.

􀁥 Sir Edward Elgar, who was to have sailed for Canada on Saturday, has been obliged to postpone his departure as he is laid up with a chill at his home, Plas Gwyn in Hereford.

150 YEARS AGO:

FREQUENT complaints having been made of the dirty and unsatisfactory state of the hackney carriages in Worcester, the subject was brought up before the city watch committee at a meeting on Friday. Councillors ordered the detectives to inspect all cabs plying for hire and to summons the proprietors of such as are in a dirty condition or out of repair, and requested the town clerk not to grant licenses to drivers until their cabs were notified by the police to be in a fit and proper condition for use.

􀁥 A woman named Elizabeth Haynes was charged at Worcester Police Court with begging in St Swithin’s Street. She had thrust her head and shoulders into a lady’s carriage and asked for a loaf of bread for her children. PC Franklin witnessed the incident and took her into custody but as he was conveying her to the police station she turned upon him, threw him down and bit him. He had to call another officer to get her to the station. She was sentenced to one month in prison with hard labour.

200 YEARS AGO:

WANTED in a gentleman’s family at Worcester, a footman who understands the management of a sideboard and can be well recommended from his last place for honesty, sobriety and cleanliness, and where he must have resided at least two years. Apply to Berrow’s Journal.

􀁥 We have been favoured with the following recipe for the cure of warts: Wash the hands twice a day in the water used by blacksmiths to plunge their hot irons in.

Regularity in the use should be observed and in six weeks or two months the warts will disappear.

250 YEARS AGO:

A FEW days since, the Rev Mr James, rector of Spetchley and Himbleton in this county, was married to Miss Hurdman of Kempsey, an agreeable maiden lady with a genteel fortune.

􀁥 Notice is hereby given that the stage-coach for London will begin its two days stage on Tuesday next and continue the same every Tuesday and Friday during the summer season.

It will set out precisely at 3 o’clock in the morning from the Crown in Broad Street, Worcester, and at the same time of the George and Blue Boar in Holborn, London.

No money, plate, watches, rings, jewels, writings of any kind, or other things of value will be answered for, unless notice given, and paid for by agreement on delivery.

300 YEARS AGO:

WHEREAS John Blackmore, senior and junior, R Baggett, widow Trovel, J Hoply, Sam Cooke, and R Jarvice, being bred up to the trade of feltmaking, have maliciously signed a ridiculous and scandalous paper, insinuating, that I know nothing of my business; I think myself obliged to clear those false aspersions cast upon me and to satisfy the publick that I shall continue at the corner shop at the Cross in Worcester, to sell all sorts of well-made hats for men, women and children (and being as good or better than they can pretend to sell) at much cheaper rates.

Signed, Joshua Lilly.