Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

On Tuesday the authorities at the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway station at Sheffield received a small box by rail from Retford, addressed to William Town, of 18 Sorby Street. In the ordinary way of delivery it was taken to this address, where lodged a young man who seems to be known both by the name of Town and that of Jones, but as he was not in at the time it was taken back to the station, instructions being left for him to call for it. He did so yesterday, and on opening it at his lodgings found that it contained the body of a newly-born female child. On making more minute examination he found the following note: “Well W I have sent you this box and I hopes you will carefully exhamon it and put it away respectful as you have behaved so bad to me. At the time you get this box I shall be left Retford. I hope never to (see) you again it died as it was born you ar the cause of all my misery but I hope God will provide something (for) me you will never prosper I have (sent) a many letters but you wont answer you promised me money.”

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations:

• ER: East Riding
• GM: Greater Manchester
• NR: North Riding
• NY: North Yorkshire
• SY: South Yorkshire
• WR: West Riding
• WY: West Yorkshire

Comment

Comment

The inquest on 16 January had no news of the mother and found that the child had lived a short time after birth (Sheffield Independent 1873/01/17). What happened to her?

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Original

On Tuesday [14 January] the authorities at the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway Station, at Sheffield, received a small box by rail from Retford, addressed to William Town, of 18, Sorby Street. In the ordinary way of delivery it was taken to this address, where lodged a young man who seems to be known both by the name of Town and that of Jones, but as he was not in at the time it was taken back to the station, instructions being left for him to call for it. He did so yesterday [16 January], and on opening it at his lodgings found that it contained the body of a newly-born female child. On making more minute examination he found the following note:

Well W I have sent you this box and I hopes you will carefully exhamon it and put it away respectful as you have behaved so bad to me. At the time you get this box I shall be left Retford. I hope never to (see) you again it died as it was born you ar the cause of all my misery but I hope God will provide something (for) me you will never prosper I have (sent) a many letters but you wont answer you promised me money.

The note was badly written, and was almost unintelligible. The writing was apparently that of a woman, but no signature was attached. On finding what the box contained, Town communicated with the police, and the body of the child was subsequently removed to the police station, where it awaits the Coroner’s investigation. It is stated that Town is 25 years of age and married.

281 words.

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• Adultery (8) ·
• 📌Burngreave (1) ·
• Manchester (18) ·
• Nottinghamshire (10) ·
• Perinatal mortality (2) ·
• Police (10) ·
• Retford (2) ·
• Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (1) ·
• 📌Sheffield (72) ·

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