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Ethel May Carline

Age: 35

Sex: female

Date: 29 Nov 1935

Place: Kelstedge, Ashover

Ethel May Carline died from an abortion.

The Coroner said that death had been due to criminal abortion and a verdict of murder against some person or persons unknown was returned.

She died in Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

A doctor said that in his opinion an instrument had been used.

Her husband said that Ethel Carline had mentioned a woman in Clay Cross and had expressed her intention of going to see the woman. However, he said that he didn't know why she should desire to go and see the woman and so replied, 'Please yourself'. He added that Ethel Carline had also said to him that she was going to go to Clay Cross, 'even if she had to borrow money for the fare'.

He said that when she came back from Clay Cross on 23 October 1935 she seemed poorly. He said that she told him that she had been jolted and frightened by the bus and was crying.

The husband said that at about 4am on the morning of 26 October 1935 he found Ethel Carline missing from the bedroom and then found her lying on the couch downstairs and said that she said, 'I have done it'.

When the Coroner asked the husband if he knew very well that when Ethel Carline had told him she was going to Clay Cross that she was going to a certain person for a certain purpose, the husband said, 'Well, it struck me like that'.

He said that when he later asked his wife about her visit to Clay Cross she told him that the woman there had used a certain instrument.

When the woman from Clay Cross was called before the Coroner she said that she had known Ethel Carline for about five years. She said that she remembered Ethel Carline coming to her house about six or seven weeks earlier but said that she thought that she was just calling and that she just asked how she was and said that Ethel Carline told her that she was doing two day's work and getting bits for the kids. She said that she didn't mention to her that she was pregnant. She denied using an instrument on Ethel Carline and said that she didn't have one in the house.

The Coroner concluded that it appeared that Ethel Carline's illness developed from the date of her visit to Clay Cross.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald - Friday 29 November 1935

see Sheffield Independent - Wednesday 27 November 1935