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Baby

Age: 0

Sex: male

Date: 17 Nov 1938

Place: Church Farm, Pinvin

The body of a newly-born child was found in a well at Pinvin.

It was found by two workmen that had been fishing for an old bucket in the well in an orchard at Church Farm in Pinvin.

They had been ordered to recover some old buckets that had fallen ito the well. When they got there, they found sticks placed across its opening.

One of the workmen said that he put a hooked pole down the well and when he had brought it nearly to the top he found that he had hooked a piece of iron to which was attached a bundle. He said that in trying to land the bundle on the top, some fleshy substance fell back into the well.

The other man then took a hook and fished out part of the fleshy substance and found that it was part of a child's body.

The body was in an advanced state of decomposition.

The bundle consisted of an article of women's underwear that was tied to a piece of iron.

It was thought that the well was about 20 feet deep and had contained about 10 feet of water.

A policeman that went to the scene said that the well was about 300 yards from the nearest road and was in an isolated position. When he saw the remains, he found that the right leg and foot was missing and that the left arm was separate. He said that he searched the well for the remains but without result.

However, he said that the following day he pumped the well practically dry and after removing several long sticks, he searched the bottom where he found parts of a skull, right arm and small pieces of bone.

He said that he also found another piece of iron in the well and said that the metal parts were consistent with them having been one piece of wire that had joined both pieces of iron.

The doctor that examined the remains said that they were apparently those of a newly-born full-term child. He said that the soft parts were very decomposed due to immersion in the water. He said that it had probably been in the water for months.

He said that there was no evidence of violence.


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

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Gloucestershire Echo - Thursday 24 November 1938, p1

see The Tewkesbury Register, and Agricultural Gazette. - Saturday 19 November 1938

see Gloucestershire Echo - Friday 18 November 1938