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Not Brentford

January News

The following items have been extracted from the British Newspaper Archive, also available on findmypast. They are in date order and range from 1786 to 1947:

Notes follow some items: further research, useful links etc.

The Ipswich Journal 07 January 1786

The Thames at Brentford is entirely frozen over, and several persons walked across on Tuesday.

Notes

This is the eighteenth item under the heading ’Friday’s Post, C. London, Thursday Jan.5’.

Liverpool Mercury 01 January 1847

On Sunday and Monday last, the lakes in the London parks were covered with skaiters and sliders, and several accidents occurred, owing to the rottenness of the old ice, but none of a serious nature. On the Serpentine there were on Monday about 6000 persons, on the Long Water about 800, on the Round Pond about 3000, including several members of the Skaiting Club, on St James’s park about 10,000, and on the Regent’s park about 8000.

On Monday there was a good deal of floating ice in the river above bridge; and the Grand Junction Canal, which joins the river at Old Brentford, was completely frozen over, and the navigation stopped, until ice-boats were used to break it. On Tuesday there was thaw, followed by rain. On Wednesday, there was a slight return of frost.

Notes

Read a rare eye-witness account of the harsh winter of 1890/1.

Gloucester Citizen Monday 21 January 1878

SERIOUS CHARGE
At the Brentford Petty Sessions on Saturday, Mr. F.H.N.Glossop in the chair, Charles Hickes, a journeyman shoemaker, was charged with causing the death of Bernard Burgess, 46, a platelayer, who had been in the employ of the Great Western Railway Company. Mr. G.W. Lay prosecuted, and the prisoner was undefended. It appeared that the prisoner had lodged with deceased in Catherine Wheel-yard, Brentford, for two years, and that they had recently quarrelled very much, deceased believing that his wife was unfaithful to him. At noon on Monday they had some angry conversation in the yard, and prisoner presently said he would murder the deceased if he were hanged for it, at the same time knocking him down. Deceased got up, and was advancing towards the prisoner when the latter struck him violently behind the right ear, and rendered him insensible. He was carried to his cottage, and shortly afterwards recovered consciousness, but the injury he had received was so severe that he died the same night. The prisoner was remanded for the completion of the depositions, the chairman stating that it would be the duty of the magistrates to commit him for trial.

Notes

This case was reported in other newspapers, Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper of 3 February carries a longer piece with more detail: Charles Hicks was 36; Burgess’s wife ’about ten years younger’ than Burgess, ie around 36; they had a son who stated his father accused Hicks of taking his mother to the theatre and keeping her out all night; the Burgesses also had a daughter; Hicks had been a lodger with the Burgesses for two years; the prisoner was committed for trial at the Central Criminal Court for the wilful murder of Burgess.

The Globe 13 February reported Charles Hicks, 34, was indicted, the jury returned a verdict of manslaughter and Hicks was sentenced to fifteen months’ hard labour.

I could not spot Charles Hicks in the 1871 or 1881 censuses. Bernard Burgess was buried in Ealing & Old Brentford Cemetery on 21 Jan 1878, ground division C, grave 21/e (Ancestry; this site also includes a family tree with Bernard (or Barnard) Burgess indicating he was born in Tilehurst Berkshire and moved to Brentford by 1861).

Dundee Courier Friday 21 January 1881

A SINGULAR FATALITY.- A fatal accident occurred
at the house of a furniture dealer, of High Street,
Brentford. He had a number of friends staying
with him, and for their amusement a private stage
had been fitted up in a large room in the house.
Three or four men were engaged in taking down the
stage, and one of the visitors, a young man named
William Riddell, of Egham, was in the room at the
time when one of the men, named John Liddington,
was engaged in removing the nails in the carpet
placed on the stage. Some slight obstacle lying in
his way, the workman used the screwdriver he held
in his hand to remove it. Giving the obstacle a
smart blow, the steel of the screwdriver flew from
the wooden handle right across the room, and struck
Riddell on or near the temple. The victim of this
singular accident fell backwards, his head breaking a
looking-glass, and he lay bleeding and insensible on
the floor. A doctor was immediately sent for, and
everything possible was done for the sufferer, but he
remained inconscious, and died in half-an-hour. It
appeared, so far as could be judged from a superficial
examination, that the screwdriver had penetrated
the skull and reached the brain.

Top

Notes

FreeBMD includes the death of a William Riddell, age 17, in Brentford Registration District, January-March quarter of 1881.

Furniture dealers at High Street addresses in 1878/1881:

  • John Dickman at 178 High Street in 1878 & 1881
  • Joseph / Mrs Samuel Goddard at 191/2 in 1878 & 1881; Samuel Goddard at 236 in 1881 (auctioneer)
  • Robert Goodman, at 147 in 1878; and at 314 in 1881
  • Peter Sands at 293 in 1881

The Times January 9, 1889

REQUIRED a SITUATION as USEFUL MAID and COMPANION to a lady going to India. Age 26 years. Highest References. Address E.G. 105 High Street Brentford Middlesex.

Notes

This is a very specific request, I wonder if ’EG’ was successful in her quest. The 1881 census shows 105 High Street was a bakery, run by Frederick Lightfoot. He had three servants with a surname starting G, but two were male: William Gosling and William Green. The third contender is Lilian Gray, who was 15 at the time: wrong forename initial and being only 22 or 23 in January 1889 makes it seem unlikely it was her advert.

If ’EG’ was unsuccessful did she stay at 105 High Street until the 1891 census. The answer is a ’no’: in 1891 George Parsons, a porter, lived at no. 105 with his wife and two male assistants, providing no further clues as to the identity of EG.

Top

Shields Daily News 30 January 1947

CUP-TIE REPLAY
Dewis Worried Brentford Defenders
Snow-sweeping began at 6.30 this morning on the Leicester City ground where Brentford were the visitors in the fourth round FA Cup re-play. The winners will meet Newcastle at St James’s in the next round.

There were 28,000 spectators present when the game started. The pitch still had a covering of snow and was marked out with red distemper.

Leicester, with Davis a dangerous leader, attacked for the first quarter of an hour, but Crozier, the visitor’s goalkeeper, had few anxious mloments.

Brentford had a turn on the attack and Scott had two shots in as many minutes, but both were wide.
Half-time:
Leicester City...........0
Brentford .................0

Notes

I live in Leicester and occasionally attend a LCFC match so this item caught my eye.
Only the half time score was available at the point of printing. The replay reported above had followed a goalless draw at Brentford on 25 January and the final score on January 30 was again 0 - 0. This prompted a second replay at Leicester on 3 February where Leicester won 4 - 1. (Additional information from wikipedia)

The site has some photos of BFC Programmes from this era and later including one for another Brentford v Leicester City match on Christmas Day 1947.

Published January 2013; updated December 2017