Arthur Taylor

Arthur Taylor died after he fell down the stairs at his home at Brierly Hill.

An open verdict was returned.

He had been a refuse collector.

He had fractured his skull in the fall.

However, it was noted that although his fall was not heard by either his wife or their lodger, that it had awakened their next-door neighbour.

The neighbour said that he was awakened in the night on 6 December 1962 by two loud bumps from Arthur Taylor's house and shortly afterwards head a child crying.

The lodger at the house said that Arthur Taylor had suffered from fainting and dizzy spells for some time and that at the time of his death had been off work with influenza. He said:

However it was noted that when he was asked by the Coroner, he admitted that it was true that he had been intimate with Arthur Taylor's wife, although he denied that there had been any row in the house that night. He also denied that there had been any fighting in the house between himself and Arthur Taylor.

Arthur Taylor's wife said that her husband had been prescribed tablets. She said that she didn't hear him get up on the night of his death, but added:

The pathologist that carried out the post mortem said that Arthur Taylor's injuries were consistent with a fall downstairs, adding that there was also an injury to the side of his neck that was again, consistent with a fall, and not a blow.

When the Coroner summed up he said that the strange circumstance was that Arthur Taylor had been a powerfully built man and that he had fallen with two bumps, loud enough to wake up the neighbour, whilst a child was also crying out for quite a time. He then said to the jury:

The jury then returned an open verdict.