The vicar's grate was not great in the circumstances !

Hertfordshire Mercury, 19th January 1918

At Hertford Borough Sessions, on the Thursday, with W. Graveson in the Chair, the Reverend J.T. Hodgson of 11 Queens Road, was summoned for a breach of the lighting restrictions, and pleaded guilty.

Police Sergeant Palmer stated that, at 9pm on the Friday, he was instructed by Superintendent Pear to go to the defendant’s house and see what light was showing from the bay window.  When he got there, he found that the fire was burning brightly in the front room, no blinds were drawn, and the only screen to the window was the thin muslin curtains.  The Reverend gentleman said that it was quite an oversight that the blinds were not drawn before he went out in the early evening, and that he had returned home much later than he had expected.  He regretted that the blinds were not drawn before he went out.

The Chairman said that that was the only safe way under the circumstances, and that he would have to pay a fine of 10 shillings.