There are two large cases this year. One concerns a suicide pact of a young couple – Elizabeth Yates and Albert Sparey – who had met only recently. It makes an interesting comparison with the only other such case in the collection, that of Walter Brown and Dorothy Dredge in 1914.
Dinah Hibberd died in terrible poverty and starvation – not helped by the treatment of her abusive husband – and this inquest took an entire page and a half of newsprint, one of the largest I have transcribed. Much of this revolved around the doctor involved, in this case a locum tenens, Mr Birkett, standing in for Mr Kelland. His actions and the lackadaisical form of his testimony raised the hackles of coroner and jury, who strongly pursued their questioning of him, much to the chagrin of Dr Kelland, who appeared in the latter half of the inquiry and provoked a heated argument with the foreman.
Apparently a certified midwife in the middle of the twentieth century would deal with about 150 births a year in a city area – Catherine Bunsell was not certified and seemingly dealt with at least fifteen other women in Salisbury in the three weeks since helping Mrs Smith, several of which were infected with puerperal fever, of whom Martha Alsford and two others died. Lack of communication by Dr Kelland (not the first time) seems to be a contributory factor. Bunsell was also to be involved closely in a fatal case in 1889, that of Elizabeth Warne.
The inquiry concerning William Miles shows clearly that many people walked down the railway lines as short-cuts. There were no instructions for staff to stop people so doing. The same applies to Luke Turner, though there is some contention about the state he was in, perhaps some turning of a blind eye. Similarly a farmer, Thomas Powell, seemingly had to cross the railway daily to come and go from his land, and frequently did so on horseback.
Samuel Tancock was station-master at Wilton for 20 years. One of the witnesses was his son George, whose own death would be inquired into in 1899. The death of young Sarah Sturgess appears to have been natural causes, despite being beaten by a boyfriend, and the deceased’s sister used a classic folk remedy, applying for a pain in the stomach a linseed meal poultice.
John New collapsed and died as he had just chased and beat his errant son with a stick, a beating the lad probably never forgot. Isaac Carter fell from a tree and broke his neck, but Dr Chadwick examined him and then disappeared into the village for an hour before coming back and ordering the man to the Infirmary.
Tom Brewer died of hydrophobia, the symptoms of which are described graphically by several witnesses.
Reuben Snook rashly decided to try and get clear of the oncoming train by climbing on the platform instead of crossing back over the line – alas, at four miles an hour, the brakes then in use could stop the train only after five or six coach lengths. Station-master Davis clearly has experienced similar near-misses several times.
Pretty, William Stratford-sub-Castle
Biddescombe, Frank jnr Redlynch
Yates, Elizabeth, and Sparey, Albert Fisherton Delamere
Woods, William Donhead St Andrew
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Wiltshire Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 