Baby

The body of a newly-born was found in a hedge at Holder's Nursery, adjoining Erleigh Court Lane on Tuesday 5 June 1917.

It was found by a gardener there wrapped up in a brown paper parcel.

He said that he then removed it to the nursery and the foreman cut the string and unwrapped it and that they then found that it contained the body of a newly-born child. It had been wrapped up in several wrappings.

The body was described as having been quite cold and dry.

A police constable that was called out and examined the spot where the child was found at the foot of a tree said that the leaves appeared to have bene damage and that the grass on which the parcel had lain was very green and fresh.

He said that the child appeared to be fully developed and that it had been wrapped up in a woman's under vest and three large sheets of brown paper, one dark brown, a second paper of brown and the third of thinner paper.

He said that on the vest there were five buttons and seven button holes.

A doctor that examined the child said that it had been a fully nourished female child and that he was of the opinion that it had had a separate existence. He said that it had breathed and had probably been dead for about 24 hours when found.