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Child

Age: 6 Weeks

Sex: male

Date: 31 Aug 1923

Place: Winding Lane, Marton, Westmoreland

The body of a 6 week old child was found behind a hedge near Winding Lane, Murton, near Westmoreland.

An open verdict was returned at the inquest at Murton Colliery.

A doctor said that the child had weighed 10lbs, less an ounce, and that from its wight he concluded that it must have lived for about six weeks.

The post mortem showed that the child's left parietal bone of the skull was fractured, but that there was no depression. There was also haemorrhage of the brain and its cause of death was given as fracture of the skull and cerebral haemorrhage.

The doctor noted that the injury might have been caused by a fall, such as a fall out of bed, or by someone dropping the child, adding that if there had been a blow that he would have expected there to have been a depression.

The child was described as having been well nourished.

At the inquest the police said that they had carried out every inquiry, but without result.

The Coroner said that it was a very unusual case and that every inquiry had been made, but that nothing had arisen to throw any light on the affair.

The Coroner said, referring to the medical evidence, that there could be only two views, either that death was caused accidently, and that in order to get over the trouble someone had disposed of the body, or that a crime had been committed.

However, he noted that there was no evidence upon which they could come to a definite conclusion, and he advised the jury to return such a verdict as would leave it open to the police to pursue their inquiries, and if a crime had been committed, to bring the parties to justice.

The jury then returned a verdict that the cause of death had been a fracture of the skull and cerebral haemorrhage, but how, when , or where such a fracture was caused there was not sufficient evidence to show.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Dundee Evening Telegraph - Friday 31 August 1923