The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-02-02 00:00:00

Mr. Lawson, of Carlisle, was elected, on Friday last, hea
master of the Endowed School, Formby.
MR. WEBBE'S CONCERT.—Mr. Webbe's concert, we per-
ceive, is announced, to take place. We shall draw attention
to this scheme, at some length, previous to the concert tak-
ing place.

LICENSED VICTUALLERS' BALL.—We understand that
the use of the splendid suite of Rooms at the Town-
hall has been granted for the licensed victuallers' ball,
which will take place next month. The object of the
fund, which this festivity is designed to augment, is
the establishment and maintenance of an asylum for the
decayed widows, and a school for the orphans of the licensed
victuallers ; two noble objects, which our benevolent fellow-
townsmen cannot do too much to help forward. Our
authorities have evinced a sense of Propriety on the occa-
sion, which we do not often see manifested. As we shall
have frequent opportunities for adverting to the ball, we shall
only now observe, that it will be conducted in a manner
peculiarly gratifying to all who may have any desire to be
present.

k WARNING FOR MOTHERS.—Notwithstanding the many
cases reportd each week in the newspapers of children hav-
ing expired in agonies from their apparel having taken fire,
mothers persist in leaving young children unattended in
rooms where they are exposed to this fearful danger. An
inquest was held before the borough coroner on Saturday, to
inquire touching the death of Hannah Higgins, a little girl,
four years and a-half old. On Saturday week she was left
with two other children, the elder of whom was only seven
years old, in a parlour where a fire was burning. Suddenly
Mrs. Higgins heard the child screaming : she ran to the par-
lour, and there found the poor child in flames. She extin-
guished the fire immediately, and the little sufferer, who was
shockingly burned about the chest, neck, and arms, was
dressed with oil and flour, and subsequently conveyed to the
Infirmary, where, after lingering in pain till Thursday last,
she died. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the
above facts.
CHAPLAINCy OF ST. NICHOLAS-WITHIN, DUBLIN.—
Last week judgment was pronounced in the Court of Queen's
Bench, Dublin, in favour of the appointment of the Rev. T.
D. Gregg, the well-known champion of Protestantism, to
this chaplaincy. At the election Mr. Gregg obtained the
votes of all the Protestant parishioners, and the chapel-
wardens, who by an ancient charter of the reign of Edward
IV., are the returning officers, declared him duly elected.
Several Roman Catholics tendered their votes in support of
the Rev. Mr. Shannon, who was the only opposing candidate,
but the wardens, acting under the advice of eminent counsel,
refused to receive them, on the ground that, as Romanists,
they were legally disqualified, and precluded from interfering.
The Romanist party, however, with their usual modesty and
good faith, resolved to dispute this decision, and brought the
matter before the Court of Queen's Bench by mandamus,
with a view, if possible, to establish a claim on their part to
exercise controul and patronage in the church, and to substi-
tute in this instance, doubtless, some less hardy and less un-
compromising assertor of the true faith, in the room of the
successful candidate, arid no less successful controversial op-
ponent of the Rev. Father Maguire. The vaulting ambition
of old Rome has, however, over-leaped itself, and, we are
happy to say, that this attempt to fweep into her net the pa-
tronage and disposal of Church of England preferments, has
met with a decided repulse. The case was fully argued in
Michaelmas Term, but the judgment of the court remained
suspended till last week. Their lordships pronounced their
judgments seriatim, and were unanimous in setting aside the
conditional order, which, if ulterior proceedings be not re-
sorted to for the purpose of causing annoyance or delay—
and no 'other object is conceivable under existing circum-
stances—will put the Rev. Mr. Gregg, who so well deserves
the promotion he has obtained, into immediate possession of
the rents and profits of the chaplaincy. The income we un-
derstand, is about £l7O yearly. ,
ROBBERY OF PLATE IN DUBLIN.—PART OF THE PRO-
PERTY FOUND IN LIVERPOOL.—On Friday, at the Police-
court, an elderly man, named James Coyne, and three young
girls, apparently sisters, who gave their names as Ellen, Rose,
and Letitia Coyne (probably his daughters), were placed be-
fore Mr. Rushton, on a charge of having pledged, with vari-
ous pawnbrokers in this town, and being also found in pos-
session of a quantity of valuable plate, the property of Lieut-
General the Right Hon. Sir Edward Blikeney, Commander
of the Forces of the Royal Hospital of Duhlin. [Bills had
been published in the town describing the property, and offer-
ing a reward of £5O for the apprehension and prosecution to
conviction of the person or persons, and one of them was
produced in court.] It was to the effect that the apartments
of General Blakeney had on the 18th ult. been entered, and
that the plate had been stolen from the butler's pantry. It
consisted of gravy spoons, soup ladles, dinner spoons, tea-
spoons, forks, desert spoons, sugar tongs, tea-spoons, &c.,
bearing as a crest an arm and dagger, growing out of a mural
crown. Several articles of wearing apparel were also taken,
including a female's dark-coloured cloak.—. Mr. Superin-
tendent Tyrrell said that eleven silver salt spoons had been
offered in pledge by one of the girls, which led to the appre-
hension of the prisoners.—A police-officer stated that he had
been called to Mr. Batten's shop, where some spoons hid
been offered.—Mr. Batten, pawnbroker, said that the spoons
were offered to him in pledge, but observing a crest upon
them which was imperfectly erased, he suspected something
wrong, and after questioning the girl and receiving no satis-
factory explanation, he sent for a officer and had her appre-
hended.—Mr. Rushton remarked that Mr. Batten had acted
most properly.—Mr. Kewley, pawnbroker, said he had re-
ceived in pledge six of the spoons and a pair of sugar tongs.
—Mr. Rushton asked him to contrast his conduct with that
of Mr. Batten. The crest half beaten out was visible on the
articles, and he considered it scandalous in any pawnbroker
to receive them, particularly from a girl, evidently by her
dress, on the verge of pauperism.—Mr. Kewley said he was
sorry he had taken them. He did not look at them particu-
larly.—Two officers said that they had searched the house
where the prisoners lived, and found three pawn tickets.—
Mr. Tunstall (Powell and Tunstall), pawnbroker, and Mr.
Pye, pawnbroker, were called upon, and each admitted re-
ceiving in pledge four of the spoons, which were produced.—
Mr. Rushton strongly animadverted on their conduct; and
added, that in all probability a prosecution would be insti- •
tuted against them by the authorities in Dublin. In the
house of the prisoners two dozen of silver spoons were found
under the ashes by the police-officers. They all bore the
same crest. One of the girls wore a cloak when she pledged
the articles, similar to that described in the advertisement.
Some others were also seen by a person who lived in the
house, under the straw at the corner of the bed, in the room
where the prisoners slept. The risoners werstasetnanded,
and will doubtless be sent over to Dublin, there to be tried.
CHARGE OF EXTENSIVE FRAUD AT MANCHESTER.
A charge of fraud involving a considerable amount of
property, was last week brought before the magistrates,
Messrs. Maude and Garnett, at the New Bailey.—
Mr. Hunt, solicitor, of Rochdale, appeared on behalf of
the prosecutor, Mr. J. Waddington, of Colne, a cot-
ton-spinner; and Mr. Aspinall, solicitor, and Mr. Green,
barrister, both of Manchester, appeared in support of
the defence.—Mr. Hunt stated, that the prisoner, Thomas
Bullock, was bookkeeper and principal manager to Mr.
Waddington, who was a mill-owner and cotton-manu-
facturer at Colne. The prisoner was also sent occasionally
to Liverpool to buy cotton. On the 3rd of November, he
went to Mr. Johnson, an agent at Manchester. and said he
wanted ten pieces as samples. He made the application on
behalf of his employer, Mr. Waddington, and they were
given to him. On the 9th of November, he sent another
note to Mr. Johnson, signed on behalf of Mr. Waddington,
for 1500 pieces, which were also delivered. On the 10th he
sent another order to the same firm for 635 pieces, which
were delivered as before. In the same month he obtained
on a similar written order 1385 pieces from Mr. Tunstall, an
agent, of Manchester, which were sold to Mr. H. P. Reed,
and from the latter gentleman alone he received £795 17s in
the name of his employer.. He also attempted to obtain
2100 from Mr. John Greenwood, agent, of Manchester, but
did not succeed. In defence, it was stated that the prisoner
had a claim of £2OOO, which he had often pressed for, but
did not receive up to the time when he sold the goods deli-
vered to him by Messrs. Johnson and Tunstall. This was
denied by the prosecutor, who said he did not owe such a
sum. It appeared that thel prisoner had been previously in
possession as tenant of the mill in question, which was Mr.
Waddington's property ; that he had failed, sold up and
passed through the insolvent court ; the claim as a set off,
now made, was for improvements made in the mill, for ma-
chinery left in it, and for money advanced by his mother to
Mr. Waddington. It was shown by Mr. Hunt that the
books produced were bought and made up for the purpose,
and that the object of the prisoner was to have cleared the
market of the whole of Mr. Waddington's goods. The
books were most irregular, for after 1840 came accounts in
1839. Mr. Maude, the stipendiary magistrate, said there
was sufficient evidence to show that, the prisoner's books
were made up for purposes of fraud, and the bench would
therefore require him to give sureties in £lOO each, and him-
self in £2OO, to answer any indictment against him at the
sessions.

WARRINGTON PARISH CHURCH.—ST. ELFWIN'S WELL,
AND THE MOOT HILL.—The opinion which we advanced
last week relative to the discovery at the Parish Church,
namely, that the arched roof beneath the chancel had been
originally erected over a consecrated well, has been proved
by further research to be entirely correct. It will be inte-
resting, therefore, to add a few particulars connected with
its probable origin, and the period to which this may be re-
ferred. As has been already stated, the early patron of the
church was St. Elfwin, but on the subject of his history we
are as yet wholly in the dark, since his name does not even
appear in the Romish Calendar. We think, however, that
some light may be thrown upon the point by a passage in
the Ecclesiastical History of the Venerable Bede, who wrote
in' the eighth century :—" In the ninth. year of the reign of
King Ecgfrid,* a great battle was fought between him and
Ethilred, King of the Murcians, near the river Trent, and
Elfwin, brother to King Ecgfrid, was slain, being a youth
about eighteen years of age, and much beloved by both pro-
'Andes, for King Ethilred had married his sister Ostrich.
There was now reason to expect a more bloody war, and
more lasting enmity between those kings and their fierce
nations ; but Theodore, the bishop beloved of God, relying
on the Divine assistance, by his wholesome admonitions ex-
tinguished the dangerous fire that was breaking out; so that
the kings and their people on both sides being appeased, no
man was put to death, but only the usual mulct paid to the
, King for his brother that had been killed : and this peace
continued long after between those Kings and their king-
doms." ' There are several circumstances here narrated,
which would lead us to suppose that the St. Elfwin of
Doomsday Book is identical with the royal Elfwin of Bede,
who may have been dignified as a minor saint for the many
virtues he appears to have possessed. There was a strong
precedent for such a step in the case of his grandfather, Os-
weld, who fell in battle A.D. 642, at Winwick, was subse-
quently canonised, and a church and well consecrated to him
on the spot where he was slain. The distance from Warring-
ton to the field of battle in which Elfwin fell, is probably not
more than 25 or 30 miles, and being a relative of both princes,
it is more than likely that his remains would be brought for
Interment to his native province. Here, then, very near the
ancient ford of the Mersey, which they must have sought to
gain the kingdom of Northumbria, Elfwin was probably
interred, and here, too, may have taken place the reconcilia-
tion described by Bede as having been brought about by
Theodore, between the rival kings. The beautiful knoll to
the east of the church is an undoubted tumulus or funeral
mound, as was proved on its being opened in 1832; and al-
though a learned antiquarian in our vicinity considers it as
not unlikely to have been raised after the battle at Winwick,
yet we have at an earlier part of Bede, s history, too circum-
stantial an account of Oswald's death and burial to doubt of
its having taken place anywhere else than at the well-known
loCality of Winwick. Under all circumstances we may, there-
fore, safely regard the mound near the church as the burial •
place of Elfwin, subsequently, as its name, even at the pre-
sent day implies, made use of as the Moot Hill, or place of
Meeting in the district, appointed for the adjustment of dif-
ferences, before a competent judge and his assistants. At a
still later period it was the seat of the barony or residence of
De Villiers,
barons of Woryngton,. until the title passed by
marriage to the Butlers, of Bewsey, the last of whom, Edward
Butler, died about the year 1586. In an ancient manuscript
in the possession of Vlillin
inventory of
Esq., of Atherton, pur-
porting to be au nventory of the manor or barony A.D.
1587, we find the Moot Hill thus spoken of The sett of
the manner or baronnye is decayed, and no Byldinge there-
uppon," whilst Bewsey is shewn to have lost, in this our
time, much itsof. former glory. " Item, the mannorhowse
of Beawsey, with the owt howses thereunto, and the parke
wherein it standeth, conteyning ccxxij acres of the greate
measure, being xxiiij feete to the poule, wherein is xxix deere
and a heareonrye, are worthe p. ann., to be lett, beside ye
keepinge of ye deere—Xlx." The barony at this period was
in the possession of Robert Duddely, Earl of Leicester, though
the manner of his obtaining it is not clearly known. From
him it passed to the Irelands, of the Hutt and Hale, and
thence by descent to its present possessor.
* Eckfrid was King of Northumbria, the country north of the
Mersey, and began to reign A. D. 670.

Manchester Chronicle.