A look back at Andover Advertiser stories from years gone by

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 4 MAY 1860

SERVANTS WANTED

Wanted in a bachelor’s house: a cook and housemaid, neither less than 30 years of age, both of them members of the Church of England – confirmed – able to read and write. No scullion nor kitchen maid is kept. The cook must understand making of butter, and the housemaid, the cleaning of plate, waiting at table and sewing. Also wanted by the same person, a general out-door man servant; must understand gardening, milking and the care of horses, cows and pigs. Please apply by letter to Miss Godden, High Street, Andover (agent).

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 5 MAY 1899

ACCIDENT

An accident occurred shortly before noon yesterday to a young man named John Cail, in the employ of Mr Watson of the Acre Iron Works. He was driving that gentleman’s horse attached to a high trap when from some cause, it took fright, and when opposite The Priory, the residence of the Misses Poore, it suddenly swerved and came with terrific force against the iron fencing in the front of the house. The impact was so great as to smash the large posts supporting the gates and some of the rails on either side; while the driver was thrown violently over the horse’s head. He fell with such force that he was rendered unconscious, and it was fortunate he did not strike the iron rails, or he must have been killed. Ready assistance was rendered by Miss Poore and the servants at The Priory, while the vicar and Rev Hindson were soon on the spot, using every effort to restore the injured man to consciousness, while Dr Oliver was sent for. In the meantime, the frightened horse was secured and taken to the stable at the Angel Inn, where it was found that the trap was only slightly damaged. Cail, on the arrival of Dr Oliver, was removed home, and under medical treatment recovered consciousness, but sustained some internal injuries; but on the whole the injured man is doing as well as can be expected.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 2 MAY 1924

CHUTE – LOSS OF MEMORY

There was some excitement in this placid parish on Thursday evening, when it became known that a visitor had become lost in the neighbourhood. It appears that a young woman was on a visit to Tangley, having come from London, and on Thursday morning went for a walk. The same afternoon she was seen near Chute post office, and from there disappeared. When she did not return, a search was made for her in the surrounding woods and on the down to the Causeway, and later bloodhounds were employed, but they only carried the line as far as the post office. On Saturday, a large number were chasing round endeavouring to find traces, but without success. On Sunday afternoon, however, the search came to an end when the missing woman was found close to Chute schools. It was on account of ill-health that she came into the country from the Metropolis, and that her mental faculties suddenly deserted her, and she had no idea where she was or whither she wished to be going.  

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 6 MAY 1949

LAUNDRY’S MYSTERY PARCEL

Mrs Doris Miles, working in the sorting department of the Southern Fyne Laundries Ltd, had a shock on Tuesday morning when she opened one of the laundry’s special suitcases and found 1lb of sausages, some corned beef, a paper bag of cutlery, some curtain pelmets and £150 in £1 notes. She handed the parcel over to the management and it was found that it had been collected from the Stockbridge area by the laundry’s van-man on Saturday morning. The management thought that it was sufficiently mysterious to get in touch with the police but in the end, there was a quite simple explanation. The laundry’s official carton had been used by someone as the container for a registered parcel and this had been taken to the house in an early delivery by the postman, who obtained the receipt and left it on the doorstep. It was not taken in immediately and when the laundry man called very shortly afterwards and when he saw it there he mistook it for the weekly laundry in the firm’s container and whipped it off as usual. Luckily, the affair had a happy ending and Mrs Miles got a suitable reward.

FORTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO – FRIDAY 6 MAY 1977

SURPRISE FIND FOR ANTIQUES DEALER

Antiques dealer Fred Holloway could not believe his eyes when he was sorting out his latest purchase of old postcards. For eight that he removed from an album turned out to be written to and by his parents, as well as an uncle and aunt, and it is sheer coincidence that he came across them. His daughter Wendy Holloway bought the album at a sale in Nether Wallop last week. Sorting them at home, Fred, who has the Bric-a-Brac shop in Chantry Street, noticed the names and local addresses that connected with his own family. The cards dated from 1900-1910 and Fred remarked that ‘the odds of finding them must be 1000-one. I don’t know how the cards ended up in the sale but my family used to live in Rack Close, and all those cottages have gone now.’