The year starts with an inquest on Elizabeth Worthington, a victim of a major railway accident at Broadstone – it seems that two human errors were fatal. Human error and inexperience contributed to the death by shooting of Sydney Spicer, a hedgerow being no barrier to gunshot. It seems inebriation of the wife saw off the husband in the William Stone case.
The Sawyer case shows that, if you are elderly, it did not do to fall down and break a limb in those days. It also did not do, as William Scott did, to shove ones hands down the mouth of a machine called a Devil. The Criswick Child case is reminiscent of that great novel ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists,’ but how very dangerous is a 40ft ladder stood loose. Ditto the Albert Simmonds case.
Sir Edmund Antrobus was extremely keen for readers to be aware that his son Robert did not commit suicide – he was also very closely involved at the inquest. I also cannot resist being cynical over the Elizabeth Lewis case, in which the patient newly arrived at the Fisherton House Asylum dies with eleven broken ribs.
The Rambridge and Hardiman cases cast light on the poor housing and hovels that existed behind the genteel street frontages of Victorian Salisbury.
Worthington, Elizabeth Broadstone
Saunders, Edward Bradford on Avon
Heath, Sidney; Chamberlain, Annie Newbury
Spicer, Sydney Donhead St Andrew
Kerly, Mabel ; Kerly, Lily Martin
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Wiltshire Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 