WHEN your peers describe you as a person being "benevolent, upright and with unsullied honour" you must be doing something right and Christopher Hebb did so much right in Worcester they named a street after him.

Strangely his name has not lasted as well as some others across the centuries, but being as January 22 was his birthday we’ll put that right now.

Born in 1772, Hebb was the first democratically elected Mayor of Worcester in 1836-1837 and became a reformer for good ethics in public office.

A hospital surgeon by profession, he was admitted as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1794 at the age of only 22, conducting his practice from his home first in Mealcheapen Street then Britannia Square.

Hebb was president of the Worcester Literary and Scientific Society and translated the work of a French pathologist. He was appointed the first chairman of Worcester’s Municipal Charities and also served as a Magistrate and Alderman.

Christopher Hebb’s standing in the city was such that Hebb Street, which lies off The Tything at Britannia Square was named after him.

For these gems of information we are indebted Worcester’s History and Heritage Calendar and as well as Hebb’s birthdate here are a few more happenings from Januarys past.

January 15, 1959: Always worth ringing on the calendar because it was on that day in 1959 Worcester City beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup at St George’s Lane. When Dick White, the Reds’ centre half, put into his own net in the 72nd minute to give City a two goal lead you’d have thought Armageddon had arrived. The roar from the 15,000 plus crowd was like God bringing down thunder upon mankind.

January 17, 1814: Worcester's most prolific novelist of some 50 novels, Ellen Price was born. She was the daughter of glove manufacturer Thomas Price who lived at Danesbury House in Sidbury. She married Henry Wood in 1836 and wrote under the name of Ellen Wood or Mrs Henry Wood. Her most famous romantic novel was East Lynne, written in 1861. This became a Hollywood film and had an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture in 1931. Ellen died in February 1887 and is remembered by a memorial in Worcester Cathedral from 1916.

January 18, 1886: Bonaker Ward at Worcester Royal Infirmary in Castle Street was opened by Countess Beauchamp. The Rev William Bonaker of Evesham, who died on 17 July 1865, had left £8,762 in his Will for the creation of a children's ward at the hospital and this was the result.

The first Worcester Infirmary opened in Silver Street in 1746 with the ambition to provide for the sick and poor and for the relief of suffering and the search for medical knowledge. Then the newly appointed Bishop of Worcester Isaac Maddox and local physician Dr John Wall led the campaign to establish a charity hospital in Worcester. Worcester at that time was prosperous and fashionable and many donations were given for this much needed institution. Sermons, concerts and social events as picnics were held to raise funds and many local landed gentry gave generously. Sir John Rushout and Edward Garlick were principal benefactors and Wards were named after them.

January 29, 1958. Charles William Dyson Perrins dies. Perrins is one name from Worcester known all over the world either for sauce or for porcelain and both were nurtured by Charles William Dyson Perrins who was born 1864. The Lea and Perrins Sauce partnership started on January 1, 1823 and Charles became a partner at the age of 30 in 1894. He grew the company until it was sold to HP Foods in 1930 and later on to Heinz, but today sauce still being made in at its Midland Road factory in Worcester. Charles became a director of Royal Worcester Porcelain in 1891 aged 27 and in 1898 loaned £ 20,000 and retained his controlling connections until 1954 when it became a public company yet with him as president. With its 250th anniversary celebrated in 2001 the factory had a long history including having been awarded the Royal Warrant in 1789. Its famous craftsmanship is on display at the Museum of Royal Worcester.

And here are a few more January happenings: skating on the River Severn at Worcester when the temperature dropped to -28C (1891), a new jail with a treadmill was opened in Friar Street (1885), bare knuckle boxing championship on Pitchcroft between Jack Langan and Tom Spring (1824) and in 1802 a terrific storm blew the sails of a windmill at Kempsey so fast it caught fire! Sound familiar?