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Baby

Age: 0

Sex: male

Date: 21 Nov 1923

Place: River Don, Penistone Road, Sheffield

The body of a newly-born child was found on the banks of the River Don by some children near the junction of Hillfoot Bridge and Penistone Road in Sheffield.

It was found by a 14-year-old boy near Clubmill Road on Wednesday 21 November 1923.

The boy said that he had been with some other lads when they told him that there was a bag over the wall in the river with a baby in it. He said that he then looked over the Don wall and saw on the bank a green jersey fastened with a safety pin. He said that he then jumped over the wall and looked at it and saw the baby and then reported the matter to the Walkley police.

It was said that it appeared that the body had been washed ashore from the river.

The doctor that examined the child said that it had been so tightly pinned in the jersey that it would have been impossible for it to have breathed.

He said that in his opinion that there had been no attention at birth.

He noted that there was a blood stained piece of tape on the child's clothing, but that he attached no significance to that, and stated that the cause of death was undoubtedly asphyxia, and that there was not the slightest evidence that the child had died from drowning.

He said that he thought that the child might have lived a few minutes, or a few hours after birth.

An open verdict was returned.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Sheffield Independent - Saturday 24 November 1923

see Sheffield Daily Telegraph - Saturday 24 November 1923