From this newspaper 150 years ago – Yorkshire Agricultural Show at South Stockton. Public meeting. On Thursday evening, a public meeting of the inhabitants of Stockton and convened by the Deputy Mayor, in compliance with a numerously signed requisition, was held at the Borough Hall, for the purpose of considering what steps should be taken to promote the success of the Yorkshire Agricultural Show, to be held at South Stockton in August next. The attendance was very meagre. J Laing, Esq (Mayor) presided.

The chairman said that the meeting had been called in accordance with the request of about 150 persons, but he did not see anything like that number present; and he hoped that when gentlemen entered into engagements, they would really carry them out, by attending the public meeting, and take part in the proceedings. (Hear, hear) There could be no doubt as to the importance of the subject they had met to consider, for the Yorkshire Show stood second only to the Royal, in the annals of the United Kingdom, and therefore he should proceed to call upon gentlemen who would submit resolutions and explain more particularly the object of the promoters of the meeting.

From this newspaper 100 years ago – At Stockton County Court on Tuesday, Judge Templar had a curious case from Norton to deal with. Alfred Bell, of 19 Beaconsfield Street, was sued by William Dyer, painter and decorator, of 31 Beaconsfield Street, for £1, the value of a red checker homer pigeon which the defendant’s cat was alleged to have killed in September of last year. The case resolved itself into a question of identity as far as the cat was concerned.

Plaintiff said he saw a cat worrying a pigeon in his pigeon trap in September last and later saw it go into Bell’s house. He followed and Mrs Bell admitted that the cat belonged to her. He then told her that it had killed a bird in his loft. Mrs Bell, who appeared for her husband, told the Judge that the cat was not hers, and called evidence in support of his contention that her cat was at home when the pigeon was killed. Mr R Strother Stewart of Newcastle, instructed by the National Homing Union, succeeded in establishing that the Bells had several cats and that the culprit had since been seen in the loft. Judge Templar accepted the plaintiff’s story and gave judgement for the amount claimed. Mrs Bell said that she would not pay and left the court loudly protesting.

From this newspaper 50 years ago – The president of the Methodist Conference, the Rev Leslie Davison, on Saturday called Methodists to an act of pity and intercession for Profumo, who, he said, had already paid a fearful price in a ruined career of great promise and in the public shame inflicted on his family, his Party, and his friends. Mr Davison, who was addressing a large congregation of Methodists attending a circuit rally in the Trinity Methodist Church, Barnard Castle, went on: “In Christian charity I beseech you, remembering that we have all sinned and fallen short, and that we are all in daily need of forgiveness, to commend this fellowman and those dear to him to our pardoning and gracious God.

Let us resolve that no words of ours will exacerbate these grievous things or encourage those who for political, financial or pornographic reasons, seek to exploit this affair.

Rather let us work for the cleansing of our national and personal life through discovery of the springs of moral and spiritual power by which alone nations become great in the sight of God.”