Episode List
A Walsallian Story
Dead Men’s Shoes – Part 1
Dead Men’s Shoes – Part 2
The Baddow Elopement
107 River Street
The Bramford Diapers
The Sible Hedingham Witch
An Alleged Outrage – Part 1
An Alleged Outrage – Part 2
The Hannah Chronicles – Part 1
The Hannah Chronicles – Part 2
The Hannah Chronicles – Part 3
The Hannah Chronicles – Part 4
The Real Margaret Catchpole
Manslaughter at Hadleigh – Part 1
Manslaughter at Hadleigh – Part 2
Trailer
A Walsallian Story
George Ebbans & Sarah Ann Crossley married in Walsall, Staffordshire during the Great War. By the 1920s, the marriage had broken down and George ultimately disappeared leaving behind his wife, two small children, and a family mystery. Did George desert his family willingly or did ‘Sarann’ kick him out?
Guest: Dave
Surnames: Ebbans, Crossley
Places: Walsall, Staffordshire
Newspaper sources used in episode:
“I Love Her” – Walsall Observer, 21 Feb 1920, p8, c3
“You Will Get Tired First” – Walsall Observer, 8 Aug 1925, p5, c2
Nothing For His Wife – Walsall Observer & South Staffordshire Chronicle, 6 Feb 1926, p4, c5
£174 Arrears – Birmingham Daily Gazette, 25 November 1930, p3
Post Show Notes:
- Being born without a skull is a real condition known as anencephaly. It is a serious birth defect that occurs in about 5 babies out of every 10,000.
“There is no treatment for anencephaly. Sadly, most babies (up to 3 out of 4) with the condition are stillborn. Babies who survive throughout the pregnancy die shortly after birth. On rare occasions, babies may live for a few days.” (Source: gov.uk) - George was transcribed/indexed as ‘George Greatrex’ on the 1921 census – the surname of the family he was boarding with.
Read the Companion Post to this episode
Dead Men’s Shoes – Part 1
Edwin Whittaker was born and raised in Sandbach, Cheshire. A shoemaker by trade, he was involved in a range of escapades before emigrating to America with his son, Samuel in 1871. Why did he decide to move to Lowell, Massachusetts, and did he manage to achieve the American Dream?
Guest: Vicky
Surnames: Whittaker, Davies
Places: Sandbach, Cheshire; Lowell, Massachusetts
Newspaper sources used in episode:
Furious Driving – Cheshire Observer, 03 October 1863, p2, c3
“Ill-treating a Horse” – Cheshire Observer, 18 June 1864, p2, c3
Having Unjust Weights – Northwich Guardian, 23 July 1864, p5, c7
Stealing a Cask and Whip – Northwich Guardian, 10 September 1864, p5, c3
Stealing a Cask and Whip Acquittal – Cheshire Observer, 22 October 1864, p3, c4
“Drunk and Riotous” – Northwich Guardian, 16 June 1866, p5, c7
“Obstructing the Highway” – Northwich Guardian, 13 October 1866, p4, c5
Assaulting a Police Officer – Chester Courant, 28 Sept 1870, p8, c4
Assaulting a Police Officer 2 – Runcorn Examiner, 01 October 1870, p3, c3
“A Suicide” – Lowell Daily Citizen & News, July 13, 1871, page 2
Post Show Notes:
- The photo of the Algeria can be seen on the Norway Heritage website (Heritage Ships)
- Edwin and Samuel definitely did not see the Statue of Liberty when they arrived in 1871. Work did not begin on the statue until 1875 (in France). It was shipped over to America in 1885 and the entire structure was completed in 1886. (Source: National Park Service)
- The inventor was referred to on the podcast as ‘Blake Lyman Reed’ based on information from this site, but his name was actually Lyman Reed Blake.
- A concise history of shoemaking in Massachusetts can be found on ComputerImages.com
Dead Men’s Shoes – Part 2
The Whittaker family story takes another tragic turn… What lay in store for Edwin’s son, and fellow shoemaker, Samuel Whittaker after his father’s demise? And, what was Samuel’s role in the crime known as “one of the most fiendish” in the criminal history of Cambridge, Massachusetts?
Guest: Vicky
Surnames: Whittaker, Kelley
Places: Cambridge, Massachusetts; Lowell, Massachusetts; Boston, Massachusetts
Newspaper sources used in episode:
“Wife Is Dead” – The Boston Globe, 2 Jan 1897, p8
“Whittaker and his $300” – The Boston Globe [??], 4 Jan 1897
“Life Sentence” – The Boston Globe, 12 Apr 1897, p12
Post Show Notes:
- An ‘expressman’, at the time, was someone who ensured the safe delivery of gold or currency, being shipped by railroad. (Source: wikpedia)
- “First degree murder is where the person intentionally killed another person with premeditation and deliberation. Second degree murder can be charged when you intentionally killed an individual but did not premeditate the crime. To be convicted of second degree murder, the killing must have been done with malice aforethought, but without premeditation. These types of killings often happen in the spur of the moment, such as during an argument. The accused definitely intended to kill the person, but there was no plan up to that moment to commit the crime.” (Source: GeoffreyGNathanLaw.com)
- A photograph of Catherine’s grave can be see on FindAGrave.com
- The newspaper headlines and illustrations can be seen on the Podcast Images page
The Baddow Elopement
Thomas and Eliza Playle had been married 20 years when an event occurred that ‘created much excitement’ in the usually quiet village of Little Baddow, Essex, and became ‘a fertile subject of gossip among the parishioners’. What happened? And what role did this couple play in the proceedings?
Guest: Claire
Surnames: Playle, Nunn, Allen
Places: Little Baddow, Finchingfield, Cressing, Bardfield Saling, Springfield, Chelmsford, Braintree, Toppesfield (all in Essex)
Newspaper sources used in episode:
Elopement in Humble Life from Little Baddow – Chelmsford Chronicle, 4 Oct 1872
A Rascally Lodger and a Faithless Wife – Essex Newsman, 11 Jan 1873, p4, c4
The Little Baddow Elopement Case – Essex Weekly News, 17 Jan 1873, p7
The Elopement from Little Baddow – Essex Newsman, 22 Feb 1873, p3, c1
Little Saling: A Tenant’s Claim – Chelmsford Chronicle, 10 Jan 1890, p3, c2
Post Show Notes:
Eliza and James were at Lanham’s Green, Cressing in 1881 but had moved to Bardfield Saling by 1886. The house that caved in, 1890, was at Bardfield Saling. I referred to the ‘transient population’ of Lanham’s Green here to support the ‘hobo/tramp’ inference of his 1891 profession of ‘roadman’. It is unclear whether they were living in a house in either 1881 or 1891.
107 River Street
The Craik family lived at 107 River Street, Brechin from around 1881 to at least 1955. In that time, the family encountered births, marriages, neighbourhood disputes, bureaucracy, domestic violence, mental illness, deaths and many, many floods.
Guest: Pip
Surnames: Craik, Sadler, Christie, McPherson
Places: Brechin, Forfarshire (now Angus), Scotland
Newspaper sources used in episode:
River Street, Brechin, Converted into a Lake – Dundee Evening Telegraph, 30 August 1910, p4
Closing Order on River Street Houses – Brechin Advertiser, 12 September 1950, p8, c1
Brechin Council Mistake, Says Witness – Dundee Courier, 10 November 1951, p4, cc3-4
Withdrawal of Closing Order – Brechin Advertiser, 12 February 1952, p8, c2
Closing Order on 109 River Street – Brechin Advertiser, 13 November 1951
Flood-zone Tenants Have Had Enough – Dundee Courier, 21 November 1951
Battle of Ashes at Brechin – Dundee Evening Telegraph, 22 January 1929, p5, c3
Brechin Man Ignores Interdict – Dundee Courier, 21 July 1926, p10, c3
Births, Marriages and Deaths – Brechin Advertiser, 27 January 1953, p8, c5
Court Told of Family Split – Dundee Courier, 21 December 1954, p3
Father Claims Furniture – Brechin Advertiser 06 September 1955 p6
Other sources used in episode:
Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (published 1884), p188
Some pump stations did not work automatically during floods – BBC News (website), 22 Nov 2022 (page link)
Post Show Notes:
- Bleachfields were open areas used for spreading cloth on the ground to be whitened by the action of the sun and water. (source: Aspin, Chris (1981), The Cotton Industry, Shire Publications Ltd, p. 24)
- The 1910 photograph, “River Street, Brechin, Converted Into A Lake” can be seen here
The Bramford Diapers
In about 1875, newlyweds William Diaper and Mary Ann Risby left Lavenham to settle in Bramford. This episode discusses what life may have been like for the Diaper family in rural Suffolk and how it may have been affected by events happening at the time.
Guest: Sam
Surnames: Diaper, Risby, Poulson
Places: Lavenham, Bramford, and Ipswich (all in Suffolk)
Newspaper sources used in episode:
A Dying Industry – Pearson’s Weekly, 24 March 1894, p9
The Factory Acts – Evening Star, 4 March 1897, p4, c4
Crescent Bakery – East Anglian Daily Times, 10 Mar 1865, p2, c4
Other sources used:
Agricultural Labourers – The Victorian Web
Agricultural labourer’s wages – 1850-1914 – Wages Through History
Bramford Great War Project – Served and Survived – Bramford WW1 Memorial Project
Post Show Notes:
The tree diagram illustrating the family connection between Grace Diaper and Edward Poulson can be seen here
The Sible Hedingham Witch
In 1863, a rural village in Essex made news all over the world after some of its inhabitants took part in a ‘witch trial’ of sorts. What happened that summer night at the Swan Inn in Sible Hedingham? Who was accused of practicing witchcraft and why? How would it all end?
Guest: Claire
Surnames: ‘Dummy’, Smith, Stammers, Gibson, Pettit, Drury, Garrod, Fowke
Places: Sible Hedingham, Castle Hedingham, Ridgewell (all in Essex)
Newspaper sources used in episode:
In 1863 a Hedingham ‘witch’ died after a trial by ‘swimming’ – Suffolk and Essex Free Press, 21 March 1963, p10
EXTRAORDINARY CREDULITY. – Chelmsford Chronicle, 21 August 1863, p4, c6
THE SIBLE HEDINGHAM WITCHCRAFT CASE. – Reynolds’s Newspaper 13 March 1864, 13 March 1864, p4, c5
SINGULAR CASE. – Essex Standard, 4 September 1863, p2, c6
THE EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF WITCHCRAFT AT HEDINGHAM. – The Mercury, 19 Nov 1863, p3
ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. – The Express, 10 March 1864, p4, c5
THE SIBLE HEDINGHAM WITCHCRAFT CASE. – Essex Standard 25 March 1864, p4, c5
THE EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF WITCHCRAFT. – London Evening Standard, 23 March 1864, p2, c3
THE EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF WITCHCRAFT. – Morning Post, 5 April 1864, p3, c6
DERELICT SCHOOL GETS NEW LIFE – Haverhill Echo, 20 July 1972, p9
Other sources used:
Some aspects of our Industrial Heritage – The Colne-Stour Countryside Association
Francis Thomas Hurst – “Cambridge University Alumni, 1261-1900” via Ancestry
History Notebook Number 10: The Sible Hedingham Witchcraft Case – Essex Police
Post Show Notes:
None as yet
An Alleged Outrage – Part 1
A newspaper article titled, ‘Alleged Outrage by a Walsall Man’, led to the discovery of an interesting couple living in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire in the late 1800s. This episode throws some ‘sidelights on low life’ and explores the circumstances of two less-than-fortunate people. Were they really so outrageous?
Guest: Dave
Surnames: Hartshorne, Pemberton, Bentley, Dale, Heath
Places: Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stone, Stoke (all in Staffordshire), Liverpool (Lancashire)
Newspaper sources used in episode:
ALLEGED OUTRAGE BY A WALSALL MAN. – The Walsall Advertiser, 23 February 1895, p6, c5
BEGGING. – Staffordshire Sentinel, 22 February 1879, p5
LIVERPOOL CERTIFIED INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS – Liverpool Mercury, 10 April 1880, p8
ALLEGED FALSE PRETENCES. – Staffordshire Sentinel, 14 February 1891, p3
‘At Stone Police Court on Tuesday,’ – Worcestershire Chronicle, 24 August 1901, p3
CASE OF LAMP-THROWING AT STOKE. – The Staffordshire Sentinel, 23 April 1904
Other sources used:
Calendar of Prisoners (1891) – Emily Pemberton
Calendar of Prisoners (1895) – Samuel Hartshorne and Emma Hartshorne
Marriage Record of Samuel Hartshorn and Emma Pemberton (1892)
Register of Burials – Newcastle-under-Lyme (1904)
Post Show Notes:
- Newcastle under Lyme is about 35 miles from Walsall (part 1)
An Alleged Outrage – Part 2
A newspaper article titled, ‘Alleged Outrage by a Walsall Man’, led to the discovery of an interesting couple living in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire in the late 1800s. In part 2, we continue to throw some ‘sidelights on low life’ and explore the circumstances of two less-than-fortunate people. This episode focuses on the life of the so-called ‘Walsall Man’, Samuel Hartshorne.
Guest: Dave
Surnames: Hartshorne, Pemberton, Heath
Places: Newcastle-under-Lyme, Wolverhampton, Aldershot
Newspaper sources used in episode:
ALLEGED OUTRAGE BY A WALSALL MAN. – The Walsall Advertiser, 23 February 1895, p6, c5
TOO ABUNDANT DIET IN MILITARY PRISONS. – St James’s Gazette, 15 March 1887, p5
‘SEVERAL commanding officers at Aldershot…’ – The Echo (London), 15 March 1887, p2
Other sources used:
The Glasshouse – The Aldershot Military Detention Barracks – TownsInBritain.co.uk
British Army Service Records (Attestation) – Samuel Hartshorn (8469)
Calendar of Prisoners (1895) – Samuel Hartshorne
Registers of Habitual Criminals (1895) – Samuel Hartshorne
Post Show Notes:
- Oleomargarine is the original name for margarine – National Geographic
- Gonorrhea History – News Medical Life Sciences
The Hannah Chronicles – Part 1
If you lived in the West End of Derby in the 19th century, you were considered to live in the slums. It is in these conditions that Hannah Bates was born and lived most of her life. Her life story may not be heroic, but it’s fascinating all the same.
Guests: Liz and Michael
Surnames: Bates, Rollett, Wright, Sharratt, Webster, Gell, Murphy, Beeby, Bentley
Places: Derby, Derbyshire
Newspaper sources used in episode:
A COUNTY CASE. – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 27 August 1875, p7, c4
ASSAULT CASE. – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 27 August 1875, p8, c2
“Hannah Rollet was charged in her absence…” – Derby Mercury, 22 March 1876, p2, c5
THE ASSAULT UPON POLICE-CONSTABLE WEBSTER – Derby Mercury, 30 August 1876, p8, c2
MURDEROUS ATTACKS AT DERBY. – Nottinghamshire Guardian 26 October 1877, p2 col3
SERIOUS CASE OF CUTTING AND WOUNDING. – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 9 November 1877, p8
THE CHARGE OF CUTTING AND WOUNDING. – Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 8 November 1877, p7 c6
AN OLD OFFENDER. – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 12 September 1879, p6, c4
Other sources used:
‘Wages and Prices’ – AFamilyStory
Post Show Notes:
- Model of Court Housing via National Museums Liverpool (see image here)
- 1899 map of the West End of Derby via National Library of Scotland (see image here)
The Hannah Chronicles – Part 2
Our guests finally learn about the incident involving their 2nd great grandmother, that the newspapers labelled ‘Shocking Immorality’.
Fights, assaults, infidelity, drunkenness and even disorderly houses… the story of Hannah Bates continues in the West End of Derby in the 1880s.
Guests: Liz and Michael
Surnames: Bates, Rollett, Lamb, Banks, Wright, Jones, Limbert, Tearney, Hill, Hemsley
Places: Derby, Bonsall, Derbyshire
Newspaper sources used in episode:
SHOCKING IMMORALITY. – Sheffield Independent, 5 March 1880, p4, c2
THE MARRIAGE LAWS. – Derby Mercury, 10 March 1880, p2, c6
ASSAULT IN A PUBLIC HOUSE. – Derby Daily Telegraph, 5 August 1881, p3, c3
“Alexander Rollett was charged with having been drunk and riotous…” – Derby Daily Telegraph, 16 August 1881, p3, c3
DRUNKENNESS. – Derby Daily Telegraph, 12 June 1884, p3 c5
FIGHT BETWEEN GIRLS. – Nottingham Evening Post, 5 June 1885, p3, c4
FIGHTING WOMEN. – Derby Daily Telegraph, 5 June 1885, p3, c4
ALLEGED VIOLENT ASSAULT IN WILLOW-ROW. – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 28 August 1885, p3, c5
THE VIOLENT ASSAULT IN WILLOW-ROW. – Derby Daily Telegraph, 25 August, 1885, p3, c6
THE SUPPRESSION OF DISORDERLY HOUSES – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 29 January 1886, p3, c5
Other sources used:
‘Building record MDR3161 – Via Gellia Colour Works, Middleton’ – Derbyshire Historic Environment Record
Post Show Notes:
When talking about alcohol laws, the word I was grasping for was ‘temperance’. In England, temperance societies began to be formed in the 1830s to campaign against alcohol.
The ‘painting’ I was referring to was actually an illustration/print by William Hogarth called Gin Lane. (1751). Designed to be viewed alongside another called ‘Beer Street’, Hogarth sought to depict the evils of drinking gin, as opposed to the merits of drinking beer.
The Hannah Chronicles – Part 3
We learn more about how difficult life in ‘the slums’ of Derby could be, as Hannah and William fight to survive… literally.
What other shady practices will our friends on Willow Row be involved in next?
(Images discussed in the episode can be found in the links below.)
Guests: Liz and Michael
Surnames: Bates, Rollett, Lamb, Gregory, Heys, Banner, Wright, Kilmartin, Moore, Curley, Wills, Sweeney
Places: Derby, Derbyshire
Newspaper sources used in episode:
A SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN WILLOW-ROW. – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 15 October 1886, p3, c6
LAMBLIKE BEHAVIOUR IN WILLOW-ROW. – Belper & Alfreton Chronicle, 16 October 1886, p3
A WILLOW-ROW SCENE. – Derby Daily Telegraph, 16 May 1889, p3, c2
POLICE ASSAULTS AT DERBY. – Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 15 September 1891, p7, c5
“Hannah Rollitt was charged with being drunk and disorderly…” – Derby Mercury, 16 September 1891, p5, c7
“Hannah Rollett was charged with being guilty, whilst drunk…” – Derby Daily Telegraph, 15 September 1891, p3, c5
DRUNK AND DISORDERLY. – Derby Mercury, 2 March 1892, p7, c3
DRUNKENNESS, &c. – Derby Daily Telegraph, 20 May 1893, p3, c2
THE SAD SUICIDE OF A CORPORATION SERVANT. – Derby Daily Telegraph, 4 September 1893, p2, c7
KICKING A WOMAN. – Derby Daily Telegraph, 7 November 1895, p2, c5
“William Lamb was charged with being drunk and disorderly…” – Derby Mercury, 27 May 1896, p6, c5
ASSAULT AT DERBY. – Lichfield Mercury, 15 April 1898, p8, c5
“Hannah Rollitt, of St. Helen’s Street…” – Derby Mercury, 7 June 1899, p8, c6
Other sources used:
‘Map of the Boro’ of Derby shewing the number and position of Houses Licensed for the Sale of Intoxicating Drinks.’ (c1897) via Derby Local Studies and Family History Library (Images can be seen here)
“Derby is one of the easiest places to buy booze in the country, new figures show” – via Derbyshire Live
Birth record of Rose Hannah Rollett Lamb (see image here)
Marriage record of William Henry Lamb and Ann Banner (see image here)
Birth record of Reuben Henry Lamb (see image here)
Birth record of Ann Rollett (see image here)
Post Show Notes:
When I spoke of zoomed-out sections of the map, I clearly meant ‘zoomed-in’. I have no idea what my brain was doing.
The Hannah Chronicles – Part 4
In this fourth and final part, Hannah’s story comes to its conclusion.
Drunkenness, sham marriages, assaults, disorderly houses, attacks, wife swapping, neighbourhood quarrels, domestic abuse… life in the Derby slums is HARD.
How will it all end?
Guests: Liz and Michael
Surnames: Bates, Rollett, Lamb, Till, Ensor, Steele, Allkins, Oakley
Places: Derby, Derbyshire
Newspaper sources used in episode:
A VIOLENT WOMAN. – Derby Daily Telegraphy, 29 May 1900, p3, c2
“Hannah Rollett, Willow Row, was summoned by Elizabeth Till” – Derby Mercury 6 June 1900
VIOLENT SCENE IN WILLOW-ROW. – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 17 August 1900, p2, c6
SERIOUS ASSAULT CHARGES. – Derby Daily Telegraph, 20 August 1900, p3, c1
DRUNK AND DISORDERLIES. – Derby Daily Telegraph, 29 October 1906, p3, c3
THE MOST IMPORTANT TOPIC BEFORE THE TOWN – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 5 July 1901, p13, c3
COMMON ASSAULT – Derby Daily Telegraph, 23 July 1914, p3, c2
A Cruel Assault. – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal – 25 July 1914, p9, c2
DERBY BRUTE SENTENCED. – Nottingham Journal, 24 July 1914, p8, c2
SUPPOSED ATTEMPTED SUICIDE IN DERBY. – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal 25 July 1914 p9 c2
DERBY WOMAN’S SUDDEN DEATH. – Nottingham Evening Post, 8 April 1927, p5, c3
NATURAL CAUSES. – Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal, 15 April 1927, p9, c4
Other sources used:
SPIRITS OF SALTS 251 – CHELA.co.uk
Death record of William Henry Lamb (see image here)
Death record of Hannah Rollett (see image here)
Messages from Hannah’s granddaughter Rose, sent 2 August 2016
Post Show Notes:
Liz asked how old Hannah’s son Reuben was when he died – I gave his death year (1953) but forgot to give his age – it was 55.
A tree diagram showing the relationship of William Lamb to Samuel Steele can be seen here
The Real Margaret Catchpole
Suffolk native, Margaret Catchpole, was a REAL person, and shining star of Australia’s convict history. Unfortunately the story often told about her is largely false. 25 years after her death, the Reverend Richard Cobbold wrote a fictionalised account of Margaret’s life which he declared to be a “perfectly true narrative”. It was not. Unfortunately, Cobbold’s novel, with all its embellishments and inaccuracies, still tends to be the main source for how Margaret’s life story is told today.
This episode discusses the known facts of the life of Margaret Catchpole, a Suffolk girl.
Guest: April
Surnames: Catchpole, Cobbold, Stebbings, White, Palmer, Pitt
Places: Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Sudbourne, Melton, Suffolk, Botany Bay, Sydney, Richmond, New South Wales
Newspaper sources used in episode:
“Declaration of William White, of Reading, in Berkshire.” – Windsor & Richmond Gazette (NSW), 5 Feb 1915, p8, c1
“Tuesday se’nnight…” – Ipswich Journal, 3 June 1797, p3, cc1-2
“At these assizes…” – Ipswich Journal, 19 August 1797, p4, c3
“Tuesday evening, Margaret Catchpole effected her escape…” – Ipswich Journal, 29 March 1800, p2, c5
“Information having been received…” – Ipswich Journal, 5 April 1800, p2, cc3-4
“To the Editor.” – Evening News (Sydney, NSW), 5 Dec 1890, p2, c5
Other sources used:
Handbill seeking for information about John Cobbold’s stolen horse (see image here)
Handbill offering a reward for the capture of Margaret Catchpole (see image here)
England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892
Convict Transportation Registers, 1787-1870
Transcription of Margaret’s Letters – State Library of New South Wales
‘The remarkable Margaret Catchpole’ – Museums of History New South Wales
‘The Legend of Margaret Catchpole’ – NaomiClifford.com
‘The History of Margaret Catchpole – A Suffolk Girl’ by Rev. Richard Cobbold (1845)
Post Show Notes:
- Historian Naomi Clifford suggests Margaret may have been born at Brandeston and baptised at Hoo on March 1762
- The word I was grasping for to describe “those things that look like you” (26:30) was ‘effigy’
- Judge or Magistrate? Quarter Sessions (for local, less serious matters) were presided over by a local magistrate or ‘Justice of the Peace’ with a jury. Assizes (for more serious offences) were presided over by professional, legally trained judges, visiting from London. (see Shire Hall Museum for more)
Manslaughter at Hadleigh – Part 1
On a Friday night in September 1842, some young men – local agricultural labourers – went out for a drink or three in Hadleigh, Suffolk. A few hours later, one of them would be found slumped on the road dead.
My guest’s family turned out to be linked to this story in a surprising number of ways.
Guest: Vicky
Surnames: Blandon, Smith, Wright, Eighteen, Palmer, Chisnall, Growse, Springett, Tricker, Oxford, Beaumont, Gentry
Places: Hadleigh, Layham, Raydon, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Newspaper sources used in episode:
“ALLEGED MURDER AT HADLEIGH, IN SUFFOLK.” – Essex Chronicle, 16 September 1842, p3
“MURDER AT HADLEIGH.” – Ipswich Journal, 17 September 1842, p3
“ALLEGED MURDER AT HADLEIGH.” – Bury & Norwich Post, 21 September 1842, p2
“John Wright, & William Wright…” – Ipswich Journal, 9 July 1836, p2
“CONVICTIONS.” – Ipswich Journal, 23 Apr 1842, p3
Other sources used:
History, Gazetteer and Directory of Suffolk, William White, 1844
Map of Hadleigh and Layham (River Brett and High & Benton Streets highlighted) c1893, via National Library of Scotland (see image here)
‘The Suffolk Constabulary in the nineteenth century’, Catherine Prescott, in Suffolk Institute of Archaeology Proceedings, vol. XXXI, pp. 1-46
Map of Hadleigh c1884 (specific places marked) via National Library of Scotland (see image here)
‘Hadleigh History – a Timeline’ – The Hadleigh Society
“Farm-Labourer Wearing a Smock. Early Nineteenth Century”, Costumes of Everyday Life, Margot Lister, p136 (see image here)
England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892
Post Show Notes:
- The farm labourer’s costume referred to was early 19th century – as this event was nearing middle 19th century, and the men were quite young, their outfit may have differed somewhat from the one pictured
- Mary Gentry was the wife of a shoemaker. The 1841 census does not list any occupation for Mary herself.
Manslaughter at Hadleigh – Part 2
On a Friday night in September 1842, some young men – local agricultural labourers – went out for a drink or three in Hadleigh, Suffolk. A few hours later, one of them would be found slumped on the road dead.
In part 1, we heard all about the coroner’s inquest looking into John Blandon’s death on the streets of Hadleigh. The inquest decided that Charles Smith had a case to answer, and he was committed to Bury Gaol to await trial.
In part 2, we hear about the trial, its verdict and how my guest’s family is linked to this story.
Guest: Vicky
Surnames: Blandon, Smith, Wright, Eighteen, Palmer, Chisnall, Growse, Springett, Oxford, Beaumont
Places: Hadleigh, Layham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Newspaper sources used in episode:
“MANSLAUGHTER AT HADLEIGH.” – Ipswich Journal, 1 Apr 1843, p3
“COMMITTED TO BURY GAOL” – Ipswich Journal, 26 April 1845, p3
“BURGLARY AT BILDESTON.” – Bury and Norwich Post, 26 August 1845, p4
Other sources used:
‘County Gaol and Bridewell, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk’ – ThePrison.org
Family Tree showing connections to guest Vicky – (see image here)
England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892
Overbury Hall by John Constable, 1815 – (see image here)
Post Show Notes:
- none yet