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Baby

Age: 0

Sex: male

Date: 25 Sep 1918

Place: Barrack Field, Brandy Hole Lane, Summersdale, Chichester

The body of a newly-born child was found in a disused garden in a gravel pit adjoining Barrack Field in Brandyhole Lane, Summersdale.

The infant was found by a labourer from Broyle Road that had seen it lying there naked with a bag and some brown paper lying nearby.

When the policeman went there he said that it was about 250 yards from the main road and could not have been seen except by leaning over the fence. He said that it was in a place where the gravel had been taken away.

A doctor who examined the body said that there was evidence of blows to the head on the right side, there being haemorrhage beneath the scalp. He said that both lungs were inflated and that the umbilical cord had been tied with tape although he noted that it had been done evidently by an unskilled person. He also said that the child had been washed and had probably lived for about 30 hours.

He said that the cause of death was a blow to the head which could not have been caused accidently or as a result of having been thrown into the field.

When the Coroner summed up he said that the doctor's evidence pointed to the fact that the child had been murdered and the jury returned a verdict of murder against some person or persons unknown.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Chichester Observer - Wednesday 25 September 1918