Beatrice Taylor

Beatrice Taylor was found dead in the River Aire near Ferry Fryston.

Her body was found by a young coal miner floating in the river after which he informed the police who then took her body out of the water.

She had been the daughter of a road surveyor of Whitwood Mere in Castleford and had for the previous four years been in service at Red Hill in Castleford and during that time she had become engaged to a young man. However, the engagement was broken off in the summer of 1901 and it was said that there was no doubt that that had troubled her.

It was heard that although she had always seemed cheerful at home when she went there for her 'nights out', she was said to have fretted about the engagement at her situation and in particular to have been unusually upset on the night before she disappeared when she was seen to have had a photograph of her old sweetheart in her hand.

Her parents however said that they didn't have the slightest suspicion that the fretting was taking place.

On 7 January 1902 she had been with her mother who said that Beatrice Taylor certainly said nothing to her to lead her to believe that she had still been troubled about her engagement. It was further noted that Beatrice Taylor also said nothing to her young sister when she later came home that night even though they had a long conversation together on various subjects. Her sister said that nothing was mentioned about her broken-off engagement.

Her father said that when he last saw her that she had appeared cheerful and in her usual health. He said that when she left the house that he had accompanied her to the top of the lane and that Beatrice Taylor had parted cheerfully saying that she was going back to her situation.

Beatrice Taylor left the house at 9.05pm saying that she was going abck to her situation a Red Hill but never arrived.

Her hat was found the following day, 8 January 1902 on the river bank near to the gas works and although the river was dragged in a search for her body it was not found until Wednesday 5 March 1902.

Her father said that he got to know about Beatrice Taylor's hat being found near the Castleford Gas Works on 10 January 1902 an stated that she would not have had to have passed the works on her way to her situation.

A police constable said that when Beatrice Taylor's body was taken out of the water that her face was very much decomposed but not the body. He said that she was fully dressed with the exception of her hat and that her jacket was buttoned. He said that she had a yellow silk handkerchief around her neck and that she had been wearing kid gloves.

He said that there was nothing on her body to show how she came to her death and no marks of violence could be seen and that she appeared to have been dead some weeks.

When the Coroner summed up he said that there was nothing in the evidence to show why she might have taken her life and that the only safe verdict in his opinion was an open verdict, namely that she was found in the river but that there was not sufficient evidence to show how she got into the water.