ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 1 AUGUST 1862
FESTIVITIES
On Monday, the village of Enham was in a state of considerable excitement; G Prowse Esq, having on that day attained his majority, the customary festivities attending the coming of age of an eldest son, were entered into with spirit and eagerness.
A substantial dinner was provided for the benefit of all the villagers, which was succeeded by the customary routine of English sports, such as cricket, foot racing, leaping, jumping in sacks etc, the performance of the band of the 13th Hants RVC enlivening the day’s proceedings with selections of operatic and dance music.
Two commodious marquees were erected, the larger of which was filled with villagers dressed in holiday costume, the smaller being devoted to friends and relatives of the heir.
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 2 AUGUST 1901
A FRIVOLOUS CASE
Mr F W Kent appeared on behalf of his son, Alfred Ernest, aged 13, against Henry Archard for assault.
The boy lived with his father and attended Mr Archard’s school in East Street.
On 15 July, he went to help the organ tuner at church, and at dinner time he wanted another boy to help, so fetched one.
When he went to school on Monday, Mr Archard caned him for taking away a boy from school.
He was caned again in the afternoon for making two or three mistakes.
There was a wheal on his hand from the caning; he was also hit on the head and on the back three times.
After prayers, he went home and showed it to his mother and to his father.
F W Kent said that at about 4.30 in the afternoon of 15 July, his son came to him in the shop and showed him a mark on his head and his wrist.
He went and saw Mr Archard about it and said that was taking the boy away from school and going to see two of the magistrates, one of whom was the Mayor.
The Mayor confirmed that Mr Kent brought in the boy to his office and there was a mark on his wrist that went straight across and a bruise on his head like a bump.
Mr Philip Ponting said the complainant and his boy also came to him and there was mark on his wrist, and on the arm, as well as a rising on the neck. Mr Kent was very upset.
The defendant said this was nothing but a matter of spite.
On previous occasions, the complainant told him that if the boy did anything wrong, then to lay it on thick, and the first time he did it, it was brought before the magistrates.
In the morning, he struck him twice on the shoulders for enticing another boy from the school on the Friday, and again in the afternoon he struck him twice for careless dictation.
The cane might have touched his hand if he brought it up but he did not touch his head.
He had been master for 25 years and this was the first complaint.
Canon Braithwaite offered evidence as to character but the Bench did not think it necessary.
After consultation, the Bench unanimously decided to dismiss the case and considered it ought never to have been brought.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 30 JULY 1926
ON ENCLOSED PREMISES
Sydney Edwards, of no fixed abode, was brought up on remand charged with being found on enclosed premises at 46 London Road, Andover, on 13 July, for an unlawful purpose.
Defendant pleaded guilty.
Dorothy Bartlett, residing with her father at 46 London Road, said that on the date at 10 o’clock she was going out of the front gate, when she saw a strange man jump over the fence, and when he saw her, he went into the kitchen.
She called her father and told him.
Albert George Bartlett said his daughter told him of the occurrence and he saw the prisoner coming from his front gate.
He stopped him and asked him what he was doing.
Prisoner said, 'Who are you; what is it to do with you?'
Witness told him he was the owner of the property and detained the prisoner until the arrival of the police.
PS Bulpitt said that at 10.30 he received a complaint respecting the accused, and he went to the address and found the prisoner sitting on the trailer of a lorry going to London.
PS Bulpitt challenged prisoner with the offence and asked what he was doing in the house.
There was no reply then but later at the police station, he said that he went in for a cup of tea.
Supt Jones read to the court a long list of convictions against the prisoner who now pleaded guilty, saying that he was under the influence of drink.
The sentence was two months imprisonment with hard labour.
SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 16 FEBRUARY 3 AUGUST 1951
PROPERTY SALES
One of the most successful property sales in Andover for some time was held at the Star and Garter on Thursday afternoon, which in total realised £11,190.
The auctioneer was Mr Frank W May of Messrs B S Allen and May, the highest price being £5,000 for Yewbank at Abbotts Ann, paid by Mrs E C M Harrison.
Two semi-detached properties were Nos 116 and 118 Junction Road: each were of similar layout but No 118 had vacant possession and fetched £2,000, while the other was bought by its tenant for £850.
An Old Winton Road property – No 55 – was sold to Mr R Pearl, of London, for £1,250.
It included two flats which produce £175 per annum.
The Old School at Over Wallop was sold for £1,600 to Mr F J Gumn of Abbotts Ann; an acre of land off King Lane, Over Wallop, went to Mr V Wallis for £150, and half-an-acre at Hook Lane, Monxton, containing a bore for water with engine, a pump and a range of outbuildings, went to Mr H Suckling of Andover for £340
FORTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 3 AUGUST 1979
COUNCIL OFFICES OVERLOADED
A thoroughly unsatisfactory situation at the council offices in Bridge Street, Andover, is worrying the officers, the Policy and Resources Committee was told on Wednesday night.
The committee heard that structural engineers had been called in to report on the loading capacity of the office floors.
In one room of the housing department, timber beams were deteriorating and there was decay beneath the painted surface.
A row of heavy filing cabinets along one wall imposed a load far in excess of the theoretical capacity of the beams to hold them, while rack shelving in the planning department were overloading the joists in the filing room.
All of this should be removed for safety reasons, though light furniture in its place would be satisfactory.
It was decided to abide by the recommendations but to defer a decision on a full structural survey costing some £2,000, pending the outcome of present investigations into new council headquarters still on-going.
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