Sudden Deaths and Inquests from the Longtown area
From the Carlisle Journal (CJ) and Carlisle Patriot (CP) Newspapers
1830-1834
March 27th 1830 CJ
Inquest on Thursday week at Longtown on the body of William Leash, aged 9 months, who on the preceding Tuesday having been left in the charge of a girl named Jane Nicholson, by his mother, caught hold and upturned a teapot of boiling water which was standing upon a table and received the whole contents upon his neck, breast and thighs, whereby he was so severely scalded that he languished in the greatest agony until the following day when he died.
Verdict - accidental death.
June 19th 1830 CJ
An aged woman named Ann Johnston living at Hill Top in the parish of Stapleton, put period to her existence yesterday week in a fit of temporary derangement, by hanging herself from a beam in her own cottage.
Inquest verdict - lunacy.
June 26th 1830 CJ
On Sunday last, as Mr William Mitchinson of Trough in the parish of Stapleton, was riding a bay mare near Scaleby, the mare stumbled and fell, throwing Mr Mitchinson upon the road with such force that he received a severe fracture on the skull, and other bruises. He lingered in great agony until the following day, when he expired.
Verdict - accidental death.
July 17th 1830 CP
Inquest at Shawhead, parish of Bewcastle, on Friday 9th inst. in view of the body of John Hetherington, aged 54, who on the preceding day was sliding down a rope into a coalpit at Oakshaw. Whilst in the act of descending, it was supposed that the head of the deceased had come into contact with the corners of some of the stones that project from the side of the pit, or that he had gone with great violence to the bottom, where his head had probably struck against a stone, from which he received the fracture on the back part of his head from which he instantly died.
Verdict: accidental death.
September 11th 1830 CJ
On Monday last, a little boy about 5 years of age, the son of Mr David Laidlow of Longtown, was unfortunately drowned in the river Esk. He had been playing in company with some other children on the bank of the river, and was struggling with one of his companions for possession of a stick, of which both had hold, when his hold slipped and he fell back into the river. The river was considerably swollen at the time, and the body was carried down by the current so rapidly that it could not be saved...
(The following week, an article described the child as George Laidlow, the son of Adam Laidlow. The body was eventually found in the Solway Firth, about 8 miles from Longtown, 11 days later).
October 9th 1830 CP
On Monday last, Mr William Graham of Westlinton bridge, having gone into one of his fields to bring home his cows, was attacked by a bull of the Galloway breed, which he kept in the same field. On his beginning to drive the cows, the bull showed signs of irritation, and Mr G fled, and was pursued and overtaken by the furious animal. Mr G defended himself for some time with a stick, and his cries having alarmed his family and some of his neighbours, they ran to his assistance. Before they had reached the spot, the bull had thrown him down, but he had risen again, and the animal, not liking to encounter a repetition of the blows which had been dealt at its head, got to Mr Graham's back and driving at him with its head, broke several of his ribs and otherwise so much injured him that he died on Thursday last, after much suffering.
The infant daughter of Mr William Wright of Longtown was scalded to death on Tuesday week, by drinking boiling water from the spout of a tea kettle... we would again urge parents to be more watchful of their offspring, and not to suffer them to be alone if they can help it.
April 2nd 1831 CP
Inquest at Hethersgill, parish of Kirklinton, on the 24th ult in view of the body of Mary Barnes, aged six years, who was accidentally killed on the 22nd by a clay wall falling upon her, which produced instant death. Verdict accordingly.
July 9th 1831 CP
Inquest at Reay Banks, Bewcastle, on Saturday last, on the body of James Little, aged 9 years. The deceased was working in a coal pit, called Ash Moor End, on the Thursday preceding, when a stone accidentally fell from the roof of the pit, and inflicted a mortal wound upon his belly, which caused his death in about an hour.
Verdict: accidental death.
July 16th 1831 CP
Inquest at Dubwath on Tuesday last, on the body of David Blackburn, aged 88 years. It appeared that on Sunday last, the deceased was seized with a vomiting of blood, occasioned by the rupture of a blood vessel, of which he died instantly.
Verdict: died by the Visitation of God.
August 13th 1831 CP
A man named John Graham, 54 years of age, hung himself in a barn at Whamtown in the parish of Kirklinton on Monday last. An inquest was held upon the body by R Lowry Esq. and a verdict of lunacy returned.
February 11th 1832 CP
Inquest - Lately in view of the body of James Forrester, who was found dead in a field near Brampton. There were no marks of violence on the body and the jury returned a verdict of Found Dead.
The deceased, who was of weak intellect, was a native of Bewcastle; he was generally called Daft Jamie of the Rack. The deceased often went his rounds, begging tobacco, a piece of which was found grasping in his hand after his decease.
March 31st 1832 CP
Another Child Burnt to Death.
The occurrence of fatal accidents from leaving children near fires in becoming more and more frequent. Another case occurred at Moss Head in Nicholforest on Tuesday last, a little girl named Betsy Stewart about three years old, had been left alone in a dwelling room occupied by her grandfather, when her clothes were caught by the fire, and she was so dreadfully burned on the breast and other parts of the body that she died on the following day.
Verdict - that the child had come to her death accidentally, casually and by misfortune.
May 12th 1832 CP
Inquest
At Haggtown, parish of Kirkandrews upon Esk, on the body of James Telford, aged 2 years. This unfortunate little child was found drowned in the river Sark on Saturday last, but no evidence appeared on the inquest to show by what means the accident had occurred.
June 9th 1832 CJ
Inquest at Shield Green in the parish of Kirklinton, upon the body of Thomas Graham, aged 38.
(He was struck by a large oak tree, which he and some others were trying to fell, and died 14 hours later).
Verdict: accidental death.
October 27th 1832 CP
An inquest was holden on Wednesday week at Mount in the parish of Kirklinton upon the body of George Birrell. It appeared that on the Wednesday preceding whilst the deceased was at work as a dyer in the dye house at Warwick Bridge, he received an injury in his cheek, by coming violently in contact with a moveable poll, and extensive inflammation having ensued, he died on the Monday following.
Verdict - that the deceased died accidentally, casually and by misfortune.
October 27th 1832 CP
We regret to record another fatal instance of the danger of leaving children alone near fire. On Saturday a little girl, four years old, named Jane Armstrong, being left by herself in a room of her father’s house at Bar Close in the parish of Scaleby, her clothes caught fire and she was so much injured thereby that she died on the following day.
Verdict - accidentally burned.
April 6th 1833 CP
Inquest
On Monday at Longtown upon view of the body of John Brown, aged 68, who on the Saturday preceding being in a certain malt kiln there, was seized by a fit, of which he died in about half an hour afterwards.
Verdict - died by the visitation of God.
June 15th 1833 CP
Inquest on Wednesday last, at Hethersgill, in the parish of Kirklinton, upon the body of Richard Graham, aged 61 years. It appeared that the deceased, on the preceding day, had got out of bed and was in the act of dressing himself when he suddenly fell down upon the floor in a fit of apoplexy and died.
Verdict - died by the visitation of God.
June 22nd 1833 CP
Inquest was held at Hallflat in the parish of Scaleby on Monday last, upon the view of the body of Matthew Palmer aged 13 years. It appeared in evidence that the deceased had laboured under an attack of the complaint called quinsy, on the Sunday preceding the swelling of the throat suddenly suppurated and burst internally, whereby he was instantly suffocated and died.
The jury returned a verdict to that effect.
October 5th 1833 CP
Lamentable Occurrence
On Monday evening last, William Jackson, Hall-Green, Canonbie, met his death under the following melancholy circumstances. He and his brother went out to fish in the River Esk, with a draught net, and after working hard all day, while in the act of drawing the pool called the Dead Nook, the deceased, it is supposed, had stumbled over a bank of gravel into the pool, which is very deep, and although his brother was on the other side of the pool, he never heard him fall or cry for help...
The deceased was 37 years of age; an industrious man and he left a wife and four children to lament their severe bereavement.
October 12th 1833 CP
An accident of a dreadful description and which proved fatal to one of the parties concerned, occurred on Eden Bridge near this city on Saturday afternoon last. The servant of Mr Charles Wannop of Hethersgill, Kirklinton, named Anthony Hind, was returning home with a horse and cart in which were seated a man named John Laidlaw and a woman named Ellen Gilliburn - Hind leading the horse. When they had got about half way across the bridge, Hind, who was in a state of intoxication, by some means unloosed the choke hand of the bridle, and in endeavouring to buckle it again, the blinkers slipped down... the horse started off, throwing down Hind, over whose arm the cart wheel passed and nearly cut it off... Laidlaw was thrown out of the cart, and pitching upon his head, was killed upon the spot...
December 7th 1833 CP
Fatal Accident
A distressing occurrence took place at Westlinton on Saturday last. As Mr Thomas Pringle, yeoman, of Jerriestown, was in the act of mounting his horse, the animal became somewhat restive and he was thrown from its back. The horse in plunging struck the unfortunate man on the back part of his head, by which he was so much injured that although surgical assistance was promptly obtained, he died in about seven hours afterwards.
Verdict: accidental death.
January 4th 1834 CP
Inquest
At Henry’s Town on Friday last, upon view of the body of a male child, aged 11 weeks, who had been smothered whilst being carried in its mother’s apron, on the road called Cullen’s Town Lonning.
February 1st 1834 CP
Death by Poison
A coroners inquest was held at Brampton on Monday last, upon the body of W Wheatley, ironmonger, who on the preceding day had taken a quantity of oxalic acid, from the effects of which he died in half an hour afterwards.
The jury returned a verdict that the deceased had poisoned himself “not being at the time of sound mind, memory or understanding, but lunatic and distracted”
The unfortunate man was 55 years of age.
February 15th 1834 CP
As a man named James Little of Lairdstown near Longtown was employed in cutting an ash tree on Wednesday last, it fell upon him and so seriously injured him in his side that he died in ten hours afterwards.
Verdict - accidental death. The deceased was 44 years of age.
September 6th 1834 CP
Inquest at Longtown on the 28th ult, on the body of James Marrs, aged 49, who a few days before fell from the loft at the brewery there down a flight of steps, and received a concussion of the brain and other injuries.
Verdict - accidental death.
September 6th 1834 CP
At Stone Know in the parish of Scaleby, on the 2nd inst on the body of Robert Irving, aged 68, who on the Thursday preceding, while forking wheat from a cart to a stack, fell backwards over with great violence to the ground, and was so severely injured that he died on Monday.
Verdict - accidental death.
October 25th 1834 CP
On Wednesday last an inquest was held in Longtown on view of the body of James Robinson, aged 73, who was found dead in bed on the day preceding. No marks of violence appeared on the body, the jury deciding that the deceased died by the visitation of God.
November 22nd 1834 CP
Inquest at Longtown on the 19th inst on the body of James Mitchell Hill, aged 48, who on the preceding day was found dead in bed. Verdict - died by the visitation of God.
