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Isabella Hewitt

Age: 72

Sex: female

Date: 30 Dec 1904

Place: 5 1/2 The Crescent, Blossom Street, York

William Hewitt and Isabella Hewitt were killed in their home at 5 1/2 The Crescent, Blossom Street in York between 27-30 December 1904.

Their 35-year-old adopted son who also lived with them was tried for their murder but acquitted after it was found that all the evidence was circumstantial.

They were found by their neighbour beaten to death in their home on 30 December 1904. Their heads had been beaten in and a blood stained mallet was found nearby in an old clothes basket in the pantry.

William Hewitt and Isabella Hewitt maintained their step son, who was a chemist's assistant, and received money from his parents on his behalf. He had lived with them continuously for the previous two or three years, and it was heard that he had done no work during that time and that there was nothing to take him away from the house, although on the day William Hewitt and Isabella Hewitt were discovered, he was not there and didn't return until the following evening.

It was claimed that the motive was that the step-son had killed them because he thought that they had retained some of the money sent for him by his relatives.

After their murders were discovered the police remained at the cottage day and night to guard it. On 31 December 1904, the step son returned to the property and was arrested. When they asked him what he was doing there, he said, 'Just having a look around'. They found William Hewitt's watch and chain on him but nothing else had been taken from the house. In court the prosecution said that it was significant that when he was arrested he did not ask why and just said, 'All right, don't handle me so roughly'.

When he was in the cells at York he said, 'There would not have been any trouble but for my father, who is in London. I know for a fact that he has been keeping me for the past two years. They wanted to stop the clock on me, but I would not have it'.

He had argued with them earlier about money that had been sent for him by his relatives that they had held back.

It was also heard that the step-son had argued with William Hewitt and Isabella Hewitt and that Isabella Hewitt had gone to a neighbour's house about a week before the murders and told them that he had threatened to 'do for' both of them.

A Boot at the Royal Station Hotel said that at midnight on the Wednesday he had left work and was passing the Blossom Street end of The Crescent when he heard a noise as if some fighting were taking place in one of the passages which ran from it. He said he heard someone shout, 'Oh, don't, don't'. He said that it was the voice of a gentleman but that he didn't hear anything more for five minutes and then he saw a man come from the passage and down The Crescent alongside the palisading walking very fast and then head off towards Micklegate Bar. However, he said that the man wore a Billycock hat and he didn't see his face and he was about 40-50 yards away.

A cook who also lived in The Crescent said that on Tuesday night on her way home she saw the step son, saying that he was wearing a blue-grey suit and a black hat.

When the police examined the step son's clothes they found blood on the trousers and coat but none on the shirt or vest.

The coroner said that William Hewitt and Isabella Hewitt were both very much in arrears with their rent which they had explained by the fact that the step son was living with them which took all the money they had. It was also said that the step son had lost his position in Castleford and was living with William Hewitt and Isabella Hewitt because they could not get him away. It was noted that they had tried to get him away but whenever they succeeded he always returned after a brief absence.

It was also heard that Isabella Hewitt had complained that she and her husband were frightened to death by their step son and because of that she had slept under the cart in the shed on many nights.

The step-son was tried at the York Winter Assizes on Monday 13 March 1905 but acquitted.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.truecrimelibrary.com

see Dundee Evening Post - Tuesday 10 January 1905

see Yorkshire Evening Post - Monday 16 January 1905

see Dundee Evening Post - Wednesday 04 January 1905

see Dundee Courier - Tuesday 14 March 1905