Beatrice Shepherd

Beatrice Shepherd died from an illegal operation.

The coroners concluded that Beatrice Shepherd had died on 3 August 1910 that the Burnley Union Workhouse having died from peritonitis resulting from an illegal operation that had been performed on her by some person or persons unknown and that that person or those persons unknown did feloniously and wilfully kill and murder her.

She had been married for 18 months and had a 5 month old child. They had separated for a time but at the time of her death they had been together for three weeks after a five week separation.

The husband said that Beatrice Shepherd first told him that she was not well on the Thursday. She was then taken to her mother's but her condition became worse. A doctor was then called for and he ordered her to be sent to the workhouse where she died on the following Wednesday.

The doctor who carried out the autopsy said that he thought that the operation had been carried out about a month before she died and that it was carried out with a metal instrument.