The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-27 00:00:00

Breach of Promise of Marriage.

The Manchester Guardian reports a case heard in the
Sheriff's Court on Friday, in which a jury was impannelled
to assess the amount of damages in an action for breach of
promise of marriage. Mr. Sergeant Simon, in stating the
case to the jury, said the plaintiff, Miss Ann Sykes, was a
lady of very prepossessing appearance, about 47 years of
age,:who lived at Victoria-terrace, Strand, near Manchester.
The defendant, Mr. T. H. G. Berrey, was about two years
older, had private property, was the manager of the Man-
chester Corporation Waterworks, and was at the time of
his engagement to Miss Sykes, a widower. He resided at
Sedgly Bank, Higher Broughton. The proposal was
made on Sunday, the 29th of March, 1863, and the pro-
mise was supported by several letters he afterwards wrote
to her. On the 17th January, 1862, he wrote a note to
" Dear Ann," saying, " I send you herewith a bottle
of the all-famous oil, which I am sure will improve your
hair. It is very dear, but so small a quantity suffices. if
properly applied, it will last a long time." He gradually
waxed in warmth, from " Dear Ann" to " My dear Ann ;"
and then came a letter, written on a Monday evening,
addressed to " My dear love," in which he stated, for her
gratification, that he had been to that terrible fellow,
Hopton, who had, without the slightest pity, dragged out
five of his unfortunate teeth, leaving his mouth a perfect
honeycomb. On the 3d April he wrote to her from Gam-
bier-terrace, Duke-street, Southport, to say he had arrived
safely, and added :—" The thing I now miss is the Darby
and Joan business which you previously described to Char-
lotte, and I shall not be content until it is revived. I feel a
most extraordinary change to have come over me, and but
for having arrived at a reasonable age I should almost fancy
myself rather spoonoy. You must come down and see us
all dressed up for Fred's wedding, and give us your opinion
of our taste, and, if satisfactory, it may suit another occa-
sion." The plaintiff's sister was in the room on the Sun-
day he proposed, and he asked her to go out, and in her
absence he made the proposal. It was in reference to this
that the following passage was written :—" Give my love to
Sarah, and tell her not to be offended at being ordered out
of her room, as I had something to say, as you knew, which
nobody else should hear. Accept my dearest and truest
love, and trusting you aro very well and very happy, I am,
my dearest Ann, yours for ever, T. H. G. BERREY." On
the 29th of April the defendant wrote to " Dear Miss Ann
Sykes, my dearest love for ever and ever, amen." In that
letter occurred the following passage :—" Now, my dearest,
dearest love, when shall we have such another very happy
evening ? lam completely undone after it, how are you ?
We must meet soon, therefore don't fail to call when you
are out, as Willie (his son) is away, and we can be alone.
1 will soon be with you again at Whitefield, when your
sweetness and good senso will again delight me. True
hearts can be understood ; but one cold, and the other hot,
no fellow can possibly understand." He had also sent:Miss
Sykes a piece of poetry as follows :

" A MAY-DAY ODE.
" Dear Miss Ann Sykes,
'Tis you I likes,
So don't make any bother;
You know full well
I ne'er shall tell
This tale to any other.
So let us onward through life's way,
Regardless of high rank,
Each other's happiness promote
Upon this bedgley Bank.
So if you are now thus inclined
Our hearts here to make merry,
You will in me, love, always find
Your own T. H. G. Berrey."

Soon afterwards he sent another stanza from South-
port :

" Duck of the Village !
" Oh ! Miss Ann, Miss Ann,
How could you use me so,
I've heard of many a breeze before,
_ _

But never such -a
blow.
" Here I am, thank Goodness, safe and sound, but being
alone in silent sorrow to mourn, I'm not myself at all.
" Your spooney work acts like a Turk,
Upon my tender frame,
And I shan't at all bo quite content
Until you change your name.
A line you must send soon, love,
Containing kisses sweet,
Which I will treasure in my breast
Until we both do meet.
Sure and could you not have found something to do in
Manchester the day I came off, that might have been the
means of bringing our lips together ? Botheration to you ;
you did not scheme at all at all. I shall almost begin to
think you have a disinclination to move about, and that
you would almost like constantly to be behind your screen,
making a constant family portrait, than trip to this ere
man. Is it so ? Tell me in your next, or I shall be vest,
and, perhaps, cast you off for ever. Then what will you
say ?" He wrote to her many letters similar to those which
had been read. Ho appointed the wedding day, and pre-
pared a list of persons who were to be invited to the cere-
mony, and others who were to be at the wedding breakfast.
Subsequently the wedding day was postponed from time to
time, and then he managed to pick a quarrel. It was a
mere lover's tiff, in which she refused to kiss him when he
was taking his leave of her for the night. He subsequently
married another woman, and for the breach of his promise
to the plaintiff an action was brought. The breach was
admitted, and all the jury had to do was to say how much
he should pay for the disappointment.—The Assessor
briefly summed up, and the jury, after deliberating for half
an hour, assessed the damages at £1,250.