Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

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On Tuesday night, between 10 and 11, the inhabitants of York were much alarmed by the report that the body of Mr. Richard Nicholson, of Clifton, near that city, had been found in the river Ouse, and that the unfortunate gentleman had been the cause of his own death. Mr. Nicholson was brother-in-law to Mr. Hudson, M.P. for Sunderland, and from his connexion with the directorate of the York and North Midland Railway Company, great and melancholy interest is felt in this affair. A variety of rumours are afloat as to the deceased’s pecuniary circumstances, but, as these were not adverted to at the inquest, we shall not further allude to them. The following abstract of the evidence gives all that is at present known as to the immediate circumstances of his death.

A jury was summoned on Wednesday afternoon, when the coroner for York, Mr. John Wood, proceeded to hear the evidence.

The first two witnesses were watermen, who saw the body in the river Ouse about 10 o’clock on Tuesday night. The deceased’s hat was visible above the surface, and by the light of the moon they saw the body. Having got the body out of the water it was conveyed to a public-house, by which time medical aid had arrived.

Mr. T.K.L. Walker, surgeon, stated, that when he reached the place where the body lay he recognized it to be that of Mr. Richard Nicholson. Pulsation was quite gone, and when he attempted to extract blood from the jugular vein none would flow. Dr. Laycock was also called in, and after they had examined the body they came to the conclusion that deceased had been dead at least half an hour, and that the cause of death was drowning. There were no marks of violence whatever on the body.

John Reynard, who had lived upwards of 17 years with the deceased as servant, said his late master was about 56 years of age. His late master dined at home on Tuesday afternoon, at the usual hour (5 o’clock), and he left the house about 8 o’clock in the evening, having first put hie top coat on. He told his servant he was going into the town for a short time. Witness had observed for about a week or 10 days previously his master had appeared not so cheerful and well as he was wont to be. He appeared restless, and often went in and out of the house. On Tuesday, while taking soup, he observed that hie master’s hand trembled, but that he accounted for from the fact that deceased had received an injury on one finger, which he said caused him pain. Witness never saw the deceased again alive after 8 o’clock that evening. When told of the circumstance of his late master’s death, he went to the place where the body lay, and there took several articles of value, and 9s. 6d. in silver, from one pocket. Deceased had left his watch at home.

The next evidence referred to the deceased’s movements after he left home on Tuesday evening. A youth named Catling saw the deceased on the bank of the Ouse, a short distance from the York and Scarborough Railway bridge. He then had his top coat on, and the collar was turned up. He stood with his face to a large tree, as if to avoid being recognized by the witness and his companions. This was about 9 o’clock. Mr. M. Richardson, a solicitor, also saw the deceased near to the place spoken to by the youth Catling. He was then walking slowly, and with his head down (an unusual thing), and appeared to be in a moody state.

No evidence could be procured to show the precise time when the deceased got into the water, and nothing can be ascertained as to what has become of the top coat, which was not on the body when found.

The Coroner addressed a few remarks to the jury, and they immediately returned the following verdict:— “That the deceased was found drowned, and that there is not satisfactory evidence to show how he got into the water.”

Comment

Comment

Via John Bibby (Bibby 2022). Nicholson had been in partnership in a drapery business in York with George Hudson, and Hudson had married his sister. When Hudson went into railways – and was dubbed the Railway King by Sydney Smith – he took Nicholson with him and made him moderately well-off. However, the revelations at this time that Hudson had been defrauding shareholders and the business alike – for example by using capital instead of earnings to pay dividends, and by selling the company materials at artificially inflated prices – led the downfall of both. For a charitable view, see the chapter “The fall of George Hudson and the great amalgamation, 1848-1854” in William Weaver Tomlinson’s history of the North Eastern Railway (Tomlinson 1915).

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Original

On Tuesday night, between 10 and 11, the inhabitants of York were much alarmed by the report that the body of Mr. Richard Nicholson, of Clifton, near that city, had been found in the river Ouse, and that the unfortunate gentleman had been the cause of his own death. Mr. Nicholson was brother-in-law to Mr. Hudson, M.P. for Sunderland, and from his connexion with the directorate of the York and North Midland Railway Company, great and melancholy interest is felt in this affair. A variety of rumours are afloat as to the deceased’s pecuniary circumstances, but, as these were not adverted to at the inquest, we shall not further allude to them. The following abstract of the evidence gives all that is at present known as to the immediate circumstances of his death.

A jury was summoned on Wednesday afternoon, when the coroner for York, Mr. John Wood, proceeded to hear the evidence.

The first two witnesses were watermen, who saw the body in the river Ouse about 10 o’clock on Tuesday night. The deceased’s hat was visible above the surface, and by the light of the moon they saw the body. Having got the body out of the water it was conveyed to a public-house, by which time medical aid had arrived.

Mr. T.K.L. Walker, surgeon, stated, that when he reached the place where the body lay he recognized it to be that of Mr. Richard Nicholson. Pulsation was quite gone, and when he attempted to extract blood from the jugular vein none would flow. Dr. Laycock was also called in, and after they had examined the body they came to the conclusion that deceased had been dead at least half an hour, and that the cause of death was drowning. There were no marks of violence whatever on the body.

John Reynard, who had lived upwards of 17 years with the deceased as servant, said his late master was about 56 years of age. His late master dined at home on Tuesday afternoon, at the usual hour (5 o’clock), and he left the house about 8 o’clock in the evening, having first put hie top coat on. He told his servant he was going into the town for a short time. Witness had observed for about a week or 10 days previously his master had appeared not so cheerful and well as he was wont to be. He appeared restless, and often went in and out of the house. On Tuesday, while taking soup, he observed that hie master’s hand trembled, but that he accounted for from the fact that deceased had received an injury on one finger, which he said caused him pain. Witness never saw the deceased again alive after 8 o’clock that evening. When told of the circumstance of his late master’s death, he went to the place where the body lay, and there took several articles of value, and 9s. 6d. in silver, from one pocket. Deceased had left his watch at home.

The next evidence referred to the deceased’s movements after he left home on Tuesday evening. A youth named Catling saw the deceased on the bank of the Ouse, a short distance from the York and Scarborough Railway bridge. He then had his top coat on, and the collar was turned up. He stood with his face to a large tree, as if to avoid being recognized by the witness and his companions. This was about 9 o’clock. Mr. M. Richardson, a solicitor, also saw the deceased near to the place spoken to by the youth Catling. He was then walking slowly, and with his head down (an unusual thing), and appeared to be in a moody state.

No evidence could be procured to show the precise time when the deceased got into the water, and nothing can be ascertained as to what has become of the top coat, which was not on the body when found.

The Coroner addressed a few remarks to the jury, and they immediately returned the following verdict:— “That the deceased was found drowned, and that there is not satisfactory evidence to show how he got into the water.”

711 words.

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• Clifton, York (5) ·
• Drowning (22) ·
• East Coast Main Line (2) ·
• George Hudson (4) ·
• Inquest (14) ·
• Newcastle and Berwick Railway (1) ·
• Railway Mania (5) ·
• River Ouse, Yorkshire (19) ·
• Suicide (9) ·
• William Weaver Tomlinson (1) ·
• York and North Midland Railway (2) ·
• 📌York (164) ·

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