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R. Stephenson-Smythe  
#1 Posted : 26 January 2013 09:53:24(UTC)
R. Stephenson-Smythe
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A young lady (name not known as yet) was in service at Brookfield House, on Reservoir Road, Whaley Bridge.

She was somehow ‘involved’ with a local police officer, Police Constable Gage from Bridgemont.

One Saturday night she got off the Buxton train at Whaley Bridge and started to walk up Reservoir Road to Brookfield House where she was ‘in service’. She was followed by PC Gage from Bridgemont as witnessed by Frank Collier who was employed at Botany Bleach Works. PC Gage did not see Frank Collier.

The next day the young lady was found dead in William Eyre’s hen run and, not intended as a pun, foul play was immediately suspected. The hen run was in the field opposite Brookfield House.

A post mortem revealed that the girl had been poisoned with a very rare poison.

It was thought locally at the time that the hen house was used as a rendezvous point for them.

The police made enquiries at all the local chemists and the only person who had acquired this type of poison was Police Constable Gage.

Gage was suspected of murdering the girl and was summoned as a witness to the inquest held at the Mechanics Institute on Market Street in Whaley Bridge.

The number of people who wanted to attend the inquest was far too many than the building could cater for so seats were fixed on the pavement outside and loudspeakers were erected so that those people could at least hear the proceedings.

Gage was very evasive with his answers to the Coroner.

When asked why he had bought the very same poison that killed the girl he said he knew nothing about it and he had simply bought the poison to end his dog’s life as it was suffering from a medical condition.

The Coroner asked Gage where he had buried the dog so that checks could be made on its body.

Gage said he had thrown it in the fire-box at Blandola Riddle Works in Bridgemont close to where he lived.

Asked where he had kept the remains of the poison so that could be also checked he said he had also thrown that in the fire-box.

The jury was ordered to return an open verdict and Gage was free to go.

He was transferred the next day to take up duties in Northwich and nobody was ever charged with the poor girl’s murder.

Below is a photo of the scene: it is the field where Grant Ford built his house and you can see the hen house in the corner beside the bush.

I am fairly certain that one of Grant’s relatives was in service at Brookfield House at the time and next time I see him I will ask if he has any further information about the case.

R. S-S

G. Jackson  
#2 Posted : 28 January 2013 12:58:35(UTC)
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On another thread recently Ernest Crabtree was mentioned. In the 1960's he owned or rented the field mentioned by R.S-S and there was a wooden shed in the same corner in which he kept his daughters Shetland pony.
G.J.
R. Stephenson-Smythe  
#3 Posted : 28 January 2013 14:55:20(UTC)
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The Mechanics Institute’s Cricket Club was formed in 1865 and good crowds were always in attendance that first season.

In May of that year the team faced the mighty Furness Vale Cricket Club and the occasion was attended by The Drum and Fife Band of the 7th Derbyshire Rifle Volunteers. Apparently it was a very lively game.Afterwards the band then played "God Save the Queen", which brought the proceedings to a close.

During those summer months the cricket club became more popular with the villagers. The final match of the season was played on the first Saturday in October, and after the match a tea meeting was held to celebrate the doings of the club in its first season.

But:

The second annual meeting of The Mechanics Institute on the 16th February 1867 said this:

 


"The Cricket Club in connection with the Institute, which, in the first year of its existence promised to be a very good one, has somewhat fallen off, and the Committee would urge the officers of it to at once bestir themselves, in anticipation of the ensuing season."

Anyone got any photos of the Mechanics Cricket Team?

 

R. S-S

 

 

parabuild  
#4 Posted : 28 January 2013 17:46:55(UTC)
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Here's a little about the opponents.

 

In 1875 a cricket club was formed as part of the newly founded Furness Vale Mutual Improvement Society.  This probably had no connection with the "mighty Furness Vale Cricket Club" mentioned by R.S.-S. The latter was perhaps short lived for in 1895 a meeting was hed at the Station Inn in order to form a cricket club.  The first pitch was laid out at Yeardsley Hall where more than 300 people watched the opening match.  By the 1897 season the club had moved to a new ground at Gow Hole where a tent was provided as a "dressing room".  This was soon found to be inadequate for at the 1899 annual dinner at the Station Inn, it was said that they would have to find a new ground next season or enlarge the present one.  I believe they stayed on at Gow Hole until 1914 when the club was disbanded. The club seems to have been moderately  successful playing teams such as Macclesfield, Bollington, Poynton and of course Whaley Bridge.

R. Stephenson-Smythe  
#5 Posted : 28 January 2013 18:49:51(UTC)
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Hi David,

 

Is this the place up Dolly Lane where all the electricity comes from. I think it may be and there was also a tennis court/s there as well.

 

R. S-S

High Peak Harry  
#6 Posted : 28 January 2013 18:58:29(UTC)
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I assume it is where the old sidings are. Also on the other side of the road, I was told that there used to be a whippet track. Although how true that is is open to argument.
parabuild  
#7 Posted : 28 January 2013 20:08:43(UTC)
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You can still make out where the tennis courts used to be. I imagine the cricket pitch was there too.  Where there was land level enough at Yeardsley Hall, I don't know

shallcross  
#8 Posted : 28 January 2013 20:26:21(UTC)
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This is a very early Whaley Cricket team  certainly pre 1900, if it is the Mechanics team I can't say  it's taken from a glass slide (cracked if you notice) but I would date this around 1880

File Attachment(s):
IMG_0295.jpg (266kb) downloaded 54 time(s).
Shallcross
parabuild  
#9 Posted : 28 January 2013 22:21:43(UTC)
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Furness Vale Cricket Club

parabuild attached the following image(s):
cricket.jpg
parabuild  
#10 Posted : 28 January 2013 22:23:36(UTC)
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The Tennis club at Gowhole. No doubt about the location.

parabuild attached the following image(s):
tennis.jpg
R. Stephenson-Smythe  
#11 Posted : 29 January 2013 12:26:18(UTC)
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Now that is interesting stuff David,

I am very interested in the 1896 Committee in particular with Mr David Drinkwater. Do you know if this is the Mr Drinkwater who was a building contractor? I hope it is I have a lot of documents about David Drinkwater but alas no photograph.

Amongst other projects David built the houses on Bingswood Avenue, he bought the three cottages at the bottom of Reservoir Road and demolished them to make the extension of Whaley Lane under the railway instead of the level crossing. He worked a lot for Williamsons at the Gunpowder Mill.

Here is a photo just after the cottages were removed and the boss is there and he looks a bit like your man in the photo but the dates don’t tie up.

R. S-S

 

parabuild  
#12 Posted : 29 January 2013 13:41:28(UTC)
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Well R. S.-S. Drinkwater is an important name locally as everybody knows but I am afraid I don't have any definitive information.  We have David Drinkwater, the property developer, David Drinkwater of the cricket club, Drinkwaters builders merchants and Drinkwater who owned a deal of property in this area.  It would be interesting to know if these are one and the same.

I have been told that the Drinkwater who owned the builder's merchants and sold out to Riddicks about 15 years ago, had lived on Yeardsley Lane. 

I believe the property owning Drinkwater owned Meadow Farm, some of the cottages at Furness Row ( alongside the canal) as well as much other land and buildings. This information will of course be documented somewhere.

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