The events of Guy Fawkes Night in Frome before 1864 are not known but whatever they were, they must have been great fun as they caused the authorities to bring in various bye-laws to ban the use of fireworks in the Market Place and around town.
Nonetheless, a few hardy souls were determined to celebrate and were brought before the magistrates who asked if notices had been issued around the town informing people of the ban. Superintendent Deggan replied that they had not but that he had cautioned some people that he had seen in the possession of fireworks.
The Bench then dealt with the following cases.
James Peacock was summoned for unlawfully firing off a small cannon on the public highway. Deggan stated that it seen the defendant let off the cannon between 9 and 10 o’clock and that the firing had occurred at intervals of three-quarters of an hour. The defendant did not deny the offence and the bench took into consideration that it was committed on 5 November and imposed a mitigated penalty or five shillings plus costs.
John Pryor was summoned for letting off a rocket in the Market Place which again was not denied but Pryor pleaded ignorance of the illegality of the act and claimed that he had not been in Frome before on November 5 and had only done what he saw others do. Fined 5 shillings
William Penfield an employee of Cockey & Sons was summoned for letting off a squib but didn’t appear as his masters had sent out of town. He was fined 5 shillings or 21 days in prison. Josiah Carter was charged with the same offence and did not deny it but claimed that he had only been there a few minutes and had caused no harm. Both were fined 5 shillings.
Finally, in what must have been the most serious offence, William Padfield was charged with assaulting PC Keevil. The officer stated that the defendant had ‘squibbed him’ in the neck and singed his hair. Keevil did not think the act was malicious and the defendant had apologised and so he too received the nominal fine of 5 shillings.
