The Albert Edward on Church Street, Eccles is a small, tidy pub which has a rich history dating back to 1830, however in September 1915 it hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Eccles Magistrates Court heard that on the evening of 27 September, PC Bridge was on duty on Church Street when he was shocked to see a woman, Ann Clutterbuck, staggering along the road before lurching through the pub doors.
The officer followed her inside and saw her “drunk and incoherent” standing in the lobby clutching a glass of beer.
he summoned downstairs the landlord Mr James Ogden and asked him who had served the woman as she was obviously drunk and incoherent.
Mr Ogden said that he hadn’t served her, blaming his wife and then ejected the woman.
Mrs Clutterbuck wasn’t going to take this lightly and commenced to bang on the pub door demanding a drink, so bad and violent was her behaviour that PC Bridge went outside and arrested her for being drunk and disorderly and taken into custody.
The very next day she was imprisoned for one month: prompt action indeed.
However the case wasn’t over as far as PC Bridge was concerned, he went back into the Albert Edward and charged the landlord with selling beer to a drunken woman. You have to admire his keenness for the upholding the law.
Mr F. Watson appeared at court in defence of Mr Ogden and told the court that the landlord wasn’t in the same position as PC Bridge to see that the woman was drunk as he was upstairs and didn’t see her come in.
He then hinted at clemency by stating that Mr Ogden was the first landlord since the pub was wrecked in riots in May 1915 by a 2,000-strong mob after the sinking of the HMS Lusitania that year. At the time the landlord, Mr Lorenz, was an Austrian and by mob mentality that meant that he was just as guilty as the German U-Boat commander that sank the ship.
Mrs Lily Ogden took the stand and admitted serving the woman, adding that she “didn’t look drunk” to her, however a customer told her that a policeman was watching Mrs Clutterbuck and that is when the trouble started.
The Chairman of the Bench was satisfied that an offence had taken place but also realised the difficulties of carrying out their businesses.
For that reason it was decided to be lenient with Mr Ogden and fine him 10 shillings, warning him to be very careful of the conditions of the persons to whom they were serving drink.
I wonder if the Bench would have been so lenient if Mr Lorenz, the absentee Austrian landlord, had appeared before them, somehow I doubt it.
