The first one-o'clock-gun was in 1867 [last 1969].
I remember reading of an account of sailing ships on reaching the port of Liverpool would let off a blank canon round - to announce their arrival in the town. One ship, on one unfortunate occasion left a cannon-ball in the barrel when fired. It screamed down the right-handside of the Old Dock killing and maiming a number of sailors on the quayside. This would be roughly the between the new Hilton hotel and the bus stops.
After the accident this practice was banned on all ships coming to port. I'll try and find a little more of the source and year that it happened. The names of the sailors are given, as are the vessels etc.
So cannon fire in the town would have been a familar event up to the accident, and then continuing with the one-o'clock-gun in 1867.
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