Story: Saleema Imam
To celebrate the Burngreave Messenger’s 100th issue, our local history group decided to look back at Sheffield newspapers published in the same week of May 1912, 100 years ago.
The main papers at that time were The Guardian, The Telegraph and Star and The Sheffield Independent, plus of course The Green ‘Un. The Independent, a daily, covered international and national news as well as local happenings which were usually relegated to the latter pages, and included lengthy reports of council meetings in all their boring detail.
Small Adverts
More interesting were the long columns of small adverts. Surprisingly ‘long haul’ holidays seem popular, cure all remedies, musical instruments, property, lots of goods for sale from various pawnbrokers and as today, sports fixture results galore. One local property advert read:
PETRE STREET (267 – 275), near tram terminus – Four HOUSES; annual rents £85.16s. No 267 has dairy, coal shed, cow sheds etc. bargain for immediate purchaser Photographs and cartoons were of course only in black and white and mainly depicted London happenings or the occasional royal birthday or local visit.
Local news
Local happenings generally had only small paragraphs tucked in between loftier events as was the following:-
PAUPER SENTENCED In the Sheffield Police Court, on Saturday, Edward White, an inmate of Firvale Workhouse, was charged with assaulting another inmate, Thomas Marples. … White jumped out of bed and struck Marples violently in the face two or three times. It was explained that such occurrencies were becoming frequent at the workhouse, and the magistrates.
The Sheffield Independent WOMAN’S KINGDOM a daily fashion page also held ‘Wedding Bells’ reports such as the following on Thursday 30th May:-
An interesting wedding was solemnised at the Grimesthorpe United Methodist Church, yesterday afternoon, when Mr William H Robinson of Ellesmere Road, Osgathorpe (secretary of the Sheffield Teachers Association) was married to Miss Edith Craddock, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs Joseph Craddock of Earl Marshal Road. The bride who was given away by her father, wore a frock of cream cashmere de soie and a tulle veil and wreath of orange blossom, and carried a white shower bouquet.
