Catalogue

Origins of this old building, the Newcastle under Lyme Barracks is reminiscent of a buy-gone age and remains much as it was when built. The first mention of significance is found in Keates Directory of 1882/3, nearly thirty years after the date that it states the barracks were built – 1855. An opening of a donation list commenced with the donation of £100 from the North Staffordshire Colliery Proprietors followed by numerous pottery owners and people of importance totalling twenty-eight who donated a total of £595, a huge amount in 1842.

Moving on in 1881, there were eleven resident families under the leadership of Sergeant Major William Dickinson, 3^rd Staffordshire Militia, aged forty-nine, and his wife Mary aged forty-three occupied No.1 The Barracks. They had four children, the eldest was James aged fourteen, a tailor’s apprentice in the town. There were two families with five children, Joseph Payne, aged forty-three, Colour Sergeant 3rd Staffordshire Militia, and his wife Jane and five children aged from ten months to eight years. The second was John Walton, Colour Sergeant 3rd Staffordshire Militia, aged forty-two and his wife Jane aged thirty-five. Their children were aged from one year to 13 years of age.

Its a facinating study to read of its development from 1855 until the Militia finally left the barracks.  Four pages long and a facinating read of an important feature of the town of Newcastle under Lyme.

Quite by chance I came across an article dated 26^th December 1846 which pre-dates the official published date of 1847. In the article recorded in the Potteries Mercury it first acknowledged the work of Prof Simpson, who had demonstrated chloroform for its anaesthetic properties on humans but in fact had applied numerous experiments on himself and others first which gave rise to its rapid increase by the of the medical profession in favour to that of ether. The interesting fact remains is that surgeons at Etruria had performed operations with the use of chloroform several months prior to the work of Simpson being published, such was their skill of administering the drug resulting in a number of successful operations. Two pages

Guilty or Not Guilty that is the question or does a Duel prove who is or who is not?

Searching through my archives of the Potteries Mercury for 1830, I came across a most interesting account of a duel taking place in London but what made it special was the behaviour of both parties following the outcome of the duel but also the inquest that followed.

Duelling had been the way officers and gentlemen settled matters of honour for centuries. Up until the mid-19th century there were situations where a meeting with pistols or swords was seen not just a possible response to a perceived insult, but the only honourable one. Men risked being ostracised from society for not issuing a duelling challenge in response to an insult. This is a true story. An introduction to a two page facinating artical of the once popular was of resolving and argument or a public insult. two pages.