Conisborough Households in Dispute – The family row.

June 1882

Mexborough and Swinton Times, June 9.

The family row.

Alfred Bell, of Conisborough, glassblower, was said to have beaten his wife, Alice. He had before accused his father in law William Grindle and a labourer named Pye, his lodger, both of Mexborough, with having assaulted him; and the magistrates then after hearing the particulars of a family row, had dismissed the case. But the father said that the wife, his daughter, was at his house in bed, and terribly bruised, and been attended by a surgeon; and the case was then adjourned for her appearance.

Man and wife are young and small, she now told that she could have come on the last occasion and that she wasn’t in bed ill, and averred that, as a fact, her father struck her with a stick on the side of her head and took out the summons against her husband in respect of her.

She is subject to fits and now put full blame upon her father and Pye, saying that she saw them both hit her husband.

The old man, the father, was now present, and was very indignant with Mr Hall, who defended Bell, and whom he accused of making Alice and others tell lies; and he called a young girl, Harriet Taylor, who declared that she saw Alfred in a crowd in Wellgate Street, kicking Alice with his clogs as she lay on the ground, and old woman Sarah Morton, who said the like, and his wife, Elizabeth, who averred that Alice complained to her of Alfred ‘s blows and showed her bruises – on the day before the row.

Grindle said that the surgeon who gave the certificate that Alice couldn’t come on a previous occasion was unable now to attend to prove what he wrote, and he offered to pay the costs of subpoenaing him if the case was adjourned.

However the case was dismissed.