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Mary Ann Wilson

Age: 40

Sex: female

Date: 27 May 1925

Place: Recreation Ground, Leadgate, Consett

Mary Ann Wilson was found dead in a hole on some heaps in the Recreation Ground on Easter Sunday.

She had lived on King Street in Consett with her husband and five children.

A man said that he had been out for a walk on the night before and had heard some groans near the heaps and that when he went to investigate he saw someone rolling about in a hole there where Mary Wilson was later found dead. He said that a man shouted from the hole 'What's the matter, chum?' and that he replied 'Are you all right?' and that the man replied 'Yes, thanks, good-night'. The man said that he then left thinking that the man was all right.

He said that the man was about 22 or 23 years old and was 5ft. 7in. or 8in. tall and of slim build and dressed in dark clothing with something white around his neck.

The post mortem showed that Mary Wilson had been very badly used. She had a deep wound under her right eye caused by a blunt instrument and on both sides of her head there were severe contusions and both of her eyes were much discoloured, swollen and closed.

The Coroner said that the murderer was not far away and had not been given away by anyone, but that murder would out and the brand of Cain was on the murderer's brow and that he was sure that he would be found.

At the time her husband, a labourer, was ill in bed. He said that he last saw her on the Saturday night at which time she had no marks of violence on her. He said that she was a strong healthy woman. He said that when she hadn't returned by 11.45pm he left the house and went looking for her and wandered about until 3am without finding any trace of her. When he heard the next day at 11.30am that a body had been found on the Recreation Ground he said that he knew it was her.

He said that Mary Wilson was not addicted to drink and that she had taken a glass of beer for her supper but that he had never seen her the worse for drink.

The Coroner said that he had seen Mary Wilson's body at at the mortuary and agreed that she was a strong muscular person able to hold her own with a man. He said that he saw distinct signs that powerful fingers had grasped her by the throat and that there was a terrible gash on the right side of her forehead. He said that supposing she had been half strangled it would have been an easy thing for a man with a heavy toeplate to his boot to inflict the head wounds. He also said that he didn't think that she had been murdered where she was found and instead had been knocked down on the grassy slope nearby and then dragged to the hole where she was found.

He also noted that the Recreation Ground was entirely unfenced and that it was possible that it was used for other purposes than recreation.

A man was detained on suspicion but was later released.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Dundee Courier - Wednesday 27 May 1925

see Durham Chronicle - Saturday 25 April 1925

see Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail - Wednesday 27 May 1925

see Western Daily Press - Monday 13 April 1925

see Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail - Wednesday 27 May 1925

see Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser - Wednesday 15 April 1925

see Dundee Courier - Wednesday 27 May 1925