Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Whereabouts of Maybrick in December 1888 - Grand Jury service

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Whereabouts of Maybrick in December 1888 - Grand Jury service

    Liverpool Mercury
    4 December 1888

    LIVERPOOL CITY SESSIONS
    A General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for the city of Liverpool was opened yesterday at St George's Hall, the Recorder (Mr C H Horwood), Q.C.) presiding in the first court, and the Assistant Recorder (Mr Leofric Temple, Q.C.) in the second court. In the calendar are the names of 85 prisoners, whose educational attainments were thus defined:-
    Neither read nor write, 21; read and write imperfectly, 51; read, 10; read and write well, 3. The following gentlemen were sworn on the
    GRAND JURY
    Mr William Adamson, broker, Chapel Street, foreman
    Mr Joseph Atkinson, produce broker, Tithebarn Street
    Mr Arthur Wilson Bibby, merchant, Exchange Street East
    Mr William Colbart, iron merchant, Queen Street
    Mr John Robert Callender, the younger, merchant, Tithebarn Street
    Mr Frederick Easton, broker, Oldhall Street
    Mr Andrew Forrester, engineer, Wapping
    Mr James Henry Howell, broker, Tithebarn Street
    Mr William Henry Kirkby, insurance broker, Tithebarn Street
    Mr Hugh Mennard Melly, wool broker, Tithebarn Street
    Mr James Maybrick, merchant, Silkhouse Lane
    Mr Henry Morton, cotton broker, Tithebarn Street
    Mr Louis Philip Montefiore, cotton broker, Tithebarn Street
    Mr Frank Giddings Nicholls, general broker, Tithebarn Street
    Mr John Richard Pattinson, broker, Tithebarn Street
    John Richard Peace, general broker, Ormond Street
    James Smith, wine and spirit merchant, Tithebarn Street
    Augustus Towill, broker, Oldhall Street
    John Benjamin Treasure, glass manfacturer, Vauxhall Road
    The recorder, in addressing the grand jury, remarked that some people argued that the duties of grand juries were not so useful as to necessitate the maintenance of such an old institution. He did not agree with such a contention, and thought the numerous advantages given to gentlemen of their station to view the state of crime in a great city like Liverpool, and to have their minds awakened to any mode by which that might be obviated and improved, was of itself an essential service to the public. Grand juries knew very well it was their duty to see that no one was put upon his trial unless there was a prima facie case made out. For these reasons he thought it was right to keep up such an institution, which was as old as any in this country. The duties of the grand jury on the present would not be light, but that was due to the fact that the sessions had been delayed as long as possible so as to be held just prior to the assizes. This had been done so that these cases might be tried at the sessions, and not take up the valuable time of Her Majesty's judges. There was no necessity for him to address them on that occasion, and he would discharge them from their duties.

    There is a photo of Silkhouse Lane, Liverpool, the address given for Maybrick, at:

    and a "then and now" set of the street at
    View the full set This picture was taken in the early 1960's by Brian Saville, it is published here by the kind permission of his wife.
    Attached Files
    Last edited by Chris Scott; 03-02-2009, 01:57 AM.

  • #2
    Dear Chris:

    What a nice find,sor..

    May I ask how you came about this information?

    Was it a random search which led you to this...or perhaps a hunch?

    As always,suerte mi amigo.

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi Howard
      I did a search for anything relating to the whereabouts of Maybrick during and around the time of the murders and this came up
      Suerte también!
      Chris

      Comment


      • #4
        Excellent research congratulations!

        Comment


        • #5
          Nice find Chris, even poor James couldn't get out of Jury Service!

          Silkhouse Lane looks a little down market as opposed to Battlecrease, I wonder if this was his commercial address, rather than his domestic.
          Regards Mike

          Comment


          • #6
            Hi Bob
            Many thanks for your message

            Mike,
            The 60s photo of Silkhouse Lane does look like a commercial district so I assume it was an office address. Many of the men on the jury gave Tithebarn Street as their address which I assume was also a commercial district
            Regards
            Chris

            Comment


            • #7
              Hi Chris, Mike,

              Yes, it certainly looks like these jurors were all selected from Liverpool City business premises, rather than by their home addresses.

              Now if only Chris can find the earlier request from James to defer his duties until these December Sessions as he was expecting to be suffering from nervous exhaustion between August and November.

              Love,

              Caz
              X
              Last edited by caz; 03-02-2009, 07:07 PM.
              "Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious." Peter Ustinov


              Comment


              • #8
                Wouldn't there be records of these cases held on file at the archives in Liverpool? Worth checking out for someone who is local to that area.
                Regards Mike

                Comment


                • #9
                  Silkhouse Lane

                  Originally posted by Chris Scott View Post
                  Hi Bob
                  Many thanks for your message

                  Mike,
                  The 60s photo of Silkhouse Lane does look like a commercial district so I assume it was an office address. Many of the men on the jury gave Tithebarn Street as their address which I assume was also a commercial district
                  Regards
                  Chris

                  Chris,

                  Excellent piece of research - very interesting.

                  Although the Knowsley Buildings, in which James Maybrick worked, had the address of Tithebarn Street, it had an entrance in Silkhouse Lane. The lane was at 90 degrees to Tithebarn Street and separated the Knowsley Buildings (northside) from the Grovenor Building (southside). The lane was a busy short-cut used by many people to access Tithebarn Street. It was so named because the Buildings had originally been a silk factory. One report suggests that the Knowsley Buildings was the first building in Liverpool to be converted from a factory into offices. When the Knowsley Buildings was knocked down in the 1960s, the new building erected on the site was named Silkhouse Court after the lane.

                  I have a plan of the Knowsley Buildings in 1888 showing Silkhouse Lane. The stone stairway to James' office is clearly marked on the picture and the stairs are accessed through the lane. I did try to attach the picture to this reply, but unfortunately it exceeded the forum's size limit for pictures. I will add it to my website in the near future.

                  Best wishes, Chris Jones

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I cant believe they demolished those lovely buildings around Silkhouse Lane and replaced them with the eyesore that is Silkhouse Court.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Mike
                      Re. your query as to cases in these sessions, here are the cases heard the following day, 5 December 1888:
                      Attached Files

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        And those for 6 December 1888
                        Attached Files

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          It all Came Tumbling Down

                          Originally posted by carol smith View Post
                          I cant believe they demolished those lovely buildings around Silkhouse Lane and replaced them with the eyesore that is Silkhouse Court.
                          In the 1960s they demolished many fine buildings in Liverpool. (I am sure they did the same elsewhere.) They also pulled down many of the houses in the city centre and moved the people to new satellite developments. It was town planning gone mad - they destroyed whole communities and some parts of the city are still feeling the effects of the upheaval. The famous 'Dockers-Umbrella' was another casualty of the era. There is a book (see the title) that documents the sad process in Liverpool.

                          Best wishes, Chris Jones

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            The report below says that the City Sessions finished in 7 December 1888
                            Attached Files

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              To give some idea of the time interval, the next Grand Jury for the City Sessions was sworn in on 16 April 1889
                              Chris
                              Attached Files

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X