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Child

Age: 2 days

Sex: male

Date: 17 Mar 1927

Place: Shearwater, Longleat, Warminster, Wiltshire

The body of an unknown child was found in a pond at Shearwater, Longleat.

It was found on 17 March 1927 at about 9.45am by a Longleat estate workman that had been working the weir at the Frome end of the pond that connected with the lake running past Longleat House. He had seen some sacking floating in the water and when he recovered it with a rake he found that it contained the naked body of a male infant.

The workman said that he had seen no unauthorised person in the vicinity lately and noted that no one had permission to go to the place without a permit from the Longleat Estate office.

A doctor that examined the child said that he found bruises on the child's nose and ears, with a bruise on the front of the face being the largest.

The pathologist that later examined the child's body said that the child was not more than three days old and that it had undoubtedly been fed.

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 Warminster & Westbury journal, and Wilts County Advertiser - Friday 22 April 1927

see Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser - Saturday 23 April 1927

see Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer - Friday 25 March 1927

see Shepton Mallet Journal - Friday 22 April 1927