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John William Ward

Age: 25

Sex: male

Date: 29 Apr 1904

Place: 30 Jarretts Buildings, Worsborough Dale, Barnsley

John William Ward died after a lamp set him on fire during a row with his sister-in-law.

His 32-year-old sister-in-law was tried for his manslaughter but acquitted after the jury found that there was not sufficient evidence to convict her.

The sister-in-law had been creating a scene on the night of Friday 29 April 1904. John Ward, who lived over the street went over to her house and went inside and moments later caught on fire.

The prosecution said that the sister-in-law had hit him on the head with the lamp when he had gone in which had caused him to fall down and catch his clothing on fire and that she had then poured the rest of the oil over his body.

However, his sister-in-law said that when John Ward had gone into her house he had struck her and the lamp had fallen and he had caught fire accidently.

John Ward was taken to Barnsley Hospital where he later died.

They had all lived in Jarrett's Buildings, the sister-in-law living at 18 Jarrett's Buildings and John Ward living opposite at 28 Jarrett's Buildings.

When his sister-in-law was charged, she said, 'I did it in self-defence, he should have kept away from me'. She said that when she had gone back into her house that she had picked up the lamp to look for her door key, which was missing, and that John Ward then came rushing in and that the lamp fell to the floor. She denied striking him with the lamp or pouring out the oil over him when he was down.

She said that they had previously been on the best off terms and that she was sorry 'from the bottom of her heart' for what had occurred.

A woman that had lived at 30 Jarrett's Buildings said that at about 10pm on 29 April 1904 that she had seen a policeman leave a summons at the sister-in-law's house and that shortly after he had left that the sister-in-law had come out and had started a disturbance that had carried on until 11pm.

She said that at that time she saw John Ward sat on his step and said that his sister-in-law was using obscene language respecting John Ward's dead mother, his sister, and another man. She said that John Ward then went to the wall that separated the two rows of houses in which the parties lived and tell his sister-in-law that if she repeated her remarks about his parents, that he would go over the wall to her.

However, she said that the sister-in-law did repeat them and that John Ward did go over the wall to her, but that the sister-in-law, in seeing him, went into her house and shut the door.

However, she said that John Ward then pushed the door open with his foot, and had just got inside when she saw the sister-in-law pick up the lighted paraffin lamp, there being no glass on it, and strike John Ward over the forehead with it and that he was instantly enveloped with flames.

She said that after she struck him with the lamp that she then overturned it and poured the oil out over him as he was reeling in the doorway.

She said that John Ward reeled round several times and then fell to the floor and that the sister-in-law said, 'Take that, you ---, you have got it', after which she threw the lamp onto the flags and kicked it into the yard.

She added that she thought that the sister-in-law had been drunk.

When she gave her evidence, the sister-in-law said that she had only had two glasses of beer that day, noting that her husband had given her fourpence in the morning as she had been 'badly'.

A woman that had lived at 29 Jarrett's Buildings gave similar evidence to the other neighbour, adding that she had tried to prevent John Ward from going over the wall.

When she was questioned by the sister-in-law, she said that she had seen her turn the lamp on to John Ward.

The sister-in-law then said, 'No, I do not know what I was. I was surprised'.

The neighbour then said, 'No, I don't think you did'.

The sister-in-law then said, 'I had the lamp in my left hand, and he came and kicked. I have the mark on the left arm now. And it was loose, the body of the lamp was loose'.

When the sister-in-law was asked, 'Do you say that he kicked you?' the sister-in-law said, 'He butted at me with his head'.

However, when the neighbour was asked whether she saw John Ward butt the sister-in-law with his head, she said, 'No, sir, I didn't'.

A miner that lodged with John Ward at 28 Jarrett's Buildings said that he saw the first blow with the lamp and immediately went to the assistance of John Ward, who he said was very badly burned, and was then taken to hospital.

A policeman said that when he charged the sister-in-law with wilful murder, that she said, 'Oh, my Lord, when did he die'.

A woman that had lived at 32 Jarrett's Buildings said that she saw two women trying to persuade John Ward to leave his sister-in-law alone as well as hearing his sister-in-law tell him to go into his own house and mind his own business, and that if she had married his brother, that she had not married his whole family. She added that she also heard John Ward threaten his sister-in-law.

She said that John Ward then got over the wall and pushed his way into her house and that she saw his sister-in-law with the lamp in her right hand. She said that John Ward then got hold of his sister-in-law's left and then strike her with his right hand. She said that the lamp then went crash, but that she could not say what caused it. She added that each party struck the other.

Another woman gave similar evidence, saying that she saw the sister-in-law holding the lamp in front of her, as though to prevent John Ward from striking her, although she subsequently said that she saw the sister-in-law raise the lamp and strike John Ward on the head with it.

The sister-in-law was tried at the Leeds Assizes on Friday 5 August 1904 for manslaughter, but acquitted after the jury found that there was not sufficient evidence to convict her.

When the sister-in-law was acquitted, she said, 'Thank you, my lord, long life to you'.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Yorkshire Evening Post - Friday 29 July 1904

see Belper News - Friday 20 May 1904

see Barnsley Chronicle - Saturday 06 August 1904

see Denise Bates