Albany Christie Bradshaw

Albany Christie Bradshaw was found dead from gunshot injuries in his cottage in Bosham.

He had come home for the weekend in his usual cheerful self, but at 5.30pm on the Sunday he was found dead with a bullet wound just over his heart.

He had had lunch with the people that rented the cottage next to his, but he said that he was not feeling well and looked ill and so went back to his cottage. One of his neighbours went back with him to his cottage and left him by his fireplace at about 4pm.

However, when a trap arrived at 5.30pm to take them to catch the 6.23pm train back to London he was found dead.

He was found lying on his left side with a twelve-bore gun on his right knee and in the right barrel of the gun was a discharged cartridge.

A doctor's assistant spoke of finding a packing needle and a piece of string under his body and at the request of the coroner the doctor tried to show if it was possible for Albany Bradshaw to have discharged the gun with the aid of the articles.

The wound was clean cut and his sixth rib was smashed to pieces.

Albany Bradshaw's housekeeper said that she went into his cottage at 4pm to light his fire and a lamp but said that she didn't see him at the time.

Albany Bradshaw had been in partnership with his brother and they had a branch in Streatham where Albany Bradshaw lived with his mother.

His brother, who saw his body, said that he thought that Albany Bradshaw had not looked well and thought that he probably took up the gun to put it away and had then fallen forward on it in a faint. He said that he was confident that Albany Bradshaw did not shoot himself intentionally.

The jury returned a verdict stating that his death was caused by a gunshot wound but that there was insufficient evidence to show how or by what means the wound was caused or inflicted.