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Grace Weston Goodall

Age: 73

Sex: female

Date: 25 Dec 1924

Place: 8 Harrington Square, London

Grace Goodall was found dead in her apartment in Harrington Square at the bottom of her stairs and later died on Christmas Day 1924.

She was the apartment house keeper.

She was found unconscious by a chef from the Hotel Russell who said that he found her huddled up on the stairs with her face covered in blood.

She was taken to the London Temperance Hospital where a doctor found that she had a wound on the top of her head that he said might have been caused by a violent blow with a sharp instrument. He later inspected the staircase of the house and found no projection which might have caused the injuries.

The pathologist said that one of her fractures could have been caused by her falling backwards from a height against a sharp object, or by a blow from behind inflicted by a blunt or semi-blunt instrument such as a hammer. He also noted that she had an injury to her finger that was probably caused whilst she was trying to protect herself.

A nurse that had attended Grace Goodall when she arrived in hospital said that she asked her if she had fallen but said that she got no definite reply.

Another nurse said that later when Grace Goodall was conscious she first told her that she had fallen down the stairs but then later said something about a quarrel with a lodger and when asked who he was she had replied 'A stranger'. Grace Goodall then added that she was showing the stranger a room and mentioned something about a bath. She said 'A strange man came about a room. I preceded him down the stairs, and he struck me three times on the head'. When the nurse asked her for a description of the man she said 'Go away. I want to sleep'.

Her death was stated to be due to laceration of the brain caused by extreme violence.

She was last seen talking to a man in her front room on 23 December 1924. The man who saw the man with Grace Goodall said that he saw them just as he was passing out shortly before her death. He said that he was about five feet four inches.

The man also noted that Grace Goodall made a will in 1912 under which he would benefit. Her estate consisted of the house in Harrington Square and three small cottages in chipping, Hertfordshire. she also had about £30 in the bank.

The man also said that he later found a brass candlestick which was produced at the inquest that he said he found under a table in the basement which he said was usually kept in her room and said that she never took it downstairs.

There were two men that lodged on the ground floor. The man that had been included in her will had lodged in the house for 25 years but said that she frequently exchanged lodgers although there were others who had been there for a long time.

It was noted that he recently intended to have electric light laid on in her house.

Scotland Yard said that two men were thought to have arranged to take one of her rooms and appealed for assistance in their identification.

She was married to an artist but they had not seen each other for seven or eight years.

The part of Harrington Square where number 8 would have been has since been demolished and redeveloped.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Aberdeen Press and Journal - Monday 02 February 1925

see Dundee Courier - Friday 09 January 1925

see The Scotsman - Friday 16 January 1925

see National Library of Scotland