Woman

The body of an unknown woman was found in a field at Great Clayne Farm.

It as found by a police constable stationed at Denton. He said that at about 2.30pm on the Saturday afternoon that he had been on duty on the London Road, Chalk, going towards the Lisle Castle and that on looking into Mr Brann's field adjoining the London Road that he noticed something lying down against a tree. He said that when he then went up to it that he found that it was the body of a woman lying on her face on the ground and that she was dead although still warm and didn't appear to have been dead for very long. 

He noted that he had passed the spot a short while before at about 1/15pm and didn't notice her then. 

He said that there were no signs of a struggle and that she appeared to have fallen down and lain there. 

He said that he then went off for some assistance and had the body removed. 

The woman was described as:

• About 5ft 1in tall.
• Aged between 24 and 30.
• Wearing a ragged black skirt and petticoat and an old bodice but no hat.

She was found to have had a sixpence in silver in her pocket.

It was heard that she appeared to only be known as 'crutches' as she used to walk about with a crutch and a walking stick. 

A man that had lived in Chalk Street said that he had seen the woman on the Thursday evening at about 6pm when she went to the Nelson public house, noting that another man in the house remarked to her that she looked very cold and that she had replied, 'Yes, I am, I have just walked from London and I am going to Chatham'. 

A doctor from Gravesend said that he had examined the woman's body superficially and found it to be in an emaciated and filthy condition, noting that he had been unable to find any marks of violence. He said that she had an old disease of the left knee joint and that her probable cause of death was consumption and that there was no reason to suppose that death arose from other than natural causes. He also estimated her age to be about 36.

However, a foreman at the inquest said that he thought that a post mortem examination was necessary in such a case stating that he thought that it was a matter of impossibility for a doctor to give an opinion as to the cause of death without one. He added that it might be the case that she had been poisoned and that a post mortem would have cost only a guinea and that he was sure that no one would mind paying the 30th part of a farthing extra on the rates. 

However, the Coroner said that if there had been any circumstances of a suspicious character that he should of course have ordered a post-mortem, however, he pointed out that there was no evidence of any struggle having taken place although he noted that that did not destroy the possibility of her having been poisoned. 

He then told the jury that if they did not feel thoroughly satisfied that her death was due to natural causes that they could return a verdict of 'Found Dead' which was a perfectly open verdict. 

The jury then returned an open verdict of Found Dead, the foreman remarking that they never knew what might crop up, and that if anything occurred, they could re-open the case.