Patrick Noon, Church Street, Labourer
Patrick Noon was served a summons on 4th January 1888 for the unlawful assault and beating of Hannah Bain, the wife of a George Bain of No.10 Church Street. Noon was expected in court on 5th January 1888.
According to an article from the Berwick Advertiser dated 6th January 1888, this case of assault was Patrick Noon’s 35th offence, and he failed to make an appearance in court. An article from the Illustrated Berwick Journal, dated 5th January 1888 provides more information. It describes Hannah Bain claiming that he entered her coal shed and kicked her on the legs with a shovel whilst shouting rude language at her when she asked him to go outside. For his crimes, Noon was fined 5s, with 11s costs, or 7 days imprisonment and he was ordered to be bound over to keep the peace to Mrs Bain for six months.
Patrick Noon was born In Ireland c 1839 and his family settled in Berwick around 1851. On 3 June 1861, noted as a shoemaker, he married Eliza McFarlane at Lamberton Toll. He had been living at Eyemouth for 3 weeks to satisfy the Scottish qualification for this type of marriage. The couple remained in Berwick mainly living in Chapel Street. Their relationship was tempestuous and Eliza died in the June quarter of 1884, aged 46
As early as 1864, Patrick was appearing before the Justices at the Petty Sessions Court. This entry which appeared in the Berwick Journal on 19 August, implies that he appeared for stealing pewter and then being drunk and disorderly within a very short period of time.
Illustrated Berwick Journal, 19th June 1868
Illustrated Berwick Journal, 13th October 1892
The original summons held at Berwick Record Office (M11/19/6)
Illustrated Berwick Journal, 19th August 1864
From then on, Patrick regularly appeared at court for various crimes including theft and drunkenness. Some of them resulted in imprisonment, whilst others resulted in fines which he didn’t always pay.
By 1892, Patrick had appeared 35 times before the bench although on that last occasion, he said that he had not been at court for 4 years.
Chapel Street, before the 1930s slum clearnaces.
Patrick’s final appearance at Court seems to have been in July 1902 when he was summonsed for being drunk. The newspaper report indicated that this was his 38th appearance although he had not been there since 1894. By this time, he was living in the Workhouse.
Patrick died in the Workhouse in January 1909.
It’s interesting that Patrick must have known David Robertson as both of them appeared at court for poaching.
