Rose Watson

Rose Watson was found dead in the Fossdyke on Monday 13 February 1911.

She had been a domestic servant in Boston for a woman at 15 Orchard Street, Lincoln.

She had gone missing from her situation sometime in the evening of Monday 30 January 1911 and nothing more was heard of her until her body was found in the Fossdyke near Messrs Jekyll and Co,'s Works.

A confectioner that lived at 15 Orchard Street said that Rose Watson had been in the service of his mother since November 1910 and that he last saw her on the Monday night, 30 January 1911 at about 6.15pm, but said that no one saw her leave the house and she was not missed until about 8pm. He added that she had not complained of being unhappy.

The mistress of the house said that Rose Watson had been a general servant and that she had seemed happy and comfortable but said that she had told her that she had no friends. She said that Rose Watson came from Boston and that she believed that she had been at Burgh before that but had run away from a situation there, adding that she had come to her crying and that she had taken her in.

She said that she had only once had occasion to find fault with her for not doing her work right and that that was on the Sunday morning, the day before she went away.

Her body was found in the Fossdyke by a youth that had been on the keel Vivian.

A policeman that searched her clothing said that he found a purse containing 2s 1d along with a postcard with the name Rose Watson. He said that in her box at 15 Orchard Street he found some receipted bills and a bank book with £5 10s to her credit.

The medical officer that examined her body said that her death was due to drowning but that she had not been in the water for more than 24 hours as her body was comparatively fresh. He added that there were no marks of violence on her body.

When the Coroner addressed the jury he said that an unsatisfactory feature about the evidence was the time that had elapsed between the date that she had left her situation and the finding of her body, which he noted certainly presented the appearance of a recent drowning. He added that it could only be supposed that she had had one of those sensitive natures which were upset if anyone found fault.

Other evidence was given by the caretaker of Sessions House stating that he had telephoned the Boston police concerning Rose Watson and had been informed that her name was Rose Wilkinson and that she had been in Boston Workhouse in September 1910 at which time she was depressed. He added that he found that she was an illegitimate child and that she had some distant relations at Boston and had been told that she had been born in 1891.

The jury returned a verdict of 'found drowned'.