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Baby

Age: 0

Sex: male

Date: 29 Aug 1937

Place: Church of the Sacred Heart, 112 Horseferry Road, Victoria, London

The body of a newly-born child was found under a pew in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Horseferry Road, Victoria, London.

It was thought that the body had been left by two women. It was found by the statue of St. Joseph after two women left. It was heard that the two women had gone into the church and that one had knelt down to pray and that the other had gone over to the statue and deposited the bundle under a bench. The two women were seen by a domestic servant who was a voluntary worker in the church, however, she was not able to describe their dress or appearance other than the fact that one of the women had been wearing a hat and that the other had not.

It was found wrapped up in a small piece of ordinary white damask cloth which was then put inside a paper carrier bag.

It was said that the smell from the package was so offensive that it was only reasonable to assume that they had walked to the church, because if they had gone by public transport notice would have at once been attracted to them. as such, it was concluded that they could not have come from a place very far away. It was also put forward that someone in some house might have noticed an offensive smell in the house that had persisted until the time that the child was found in the church and to have then ceased.

Its throat had been cut and it also had other injuries making it clear that a violent assault had taken place. The pathologist said that the cause of death was a throat wound caused by some sharp weapon. He said that it would not require much but did require some violence.

The police said that they were able to trace the bag to a firm of provision merchants in Lupus Street and Wilton Road where it had come from.

A verdict of murder by person or persons unknown was returned.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Nottingham Journal - Saturday 28 August 1937

see Gloucestershire Echo - Tuesday 17 August 1937