Coroner's Inquests - The Shipping Trade
182 HOn Sunday, July 30th, the Rev. C. D. (now Canon) Bell preached an eloquent sermon at St. Mary in-the-Castle, where he was curate, on the advantages of religious knowledge. He condemned all secular education and acquirements, whether of art, science, profession or trade, unless associated with religious inspection. Much as unrestricted secular education may have been advocated even by myself, there seems to be too much reason to tear that the present increase of juvenile delinquency is due in some measure to a laxity of moral and religious training. I was not unfamiliar with the earnest preaching of the St. Mary's curate of that day, nor of the profound sympathy that was felt and expressed with that gentleman’s bereavement occasioned by the death of his wife in 1861, at the comparatively early age of 32 years. She was a daughter of the Rev. Richard Tillard, who died at, his residence in Wellington Square at the advanced age of 84, and was interred in the St. Mary’s cemetery, where, only fourteen months later, the remains of Mrs, Tillard were placed. Apropos of this event, the Holiday Number of The News, issued in 1890 is before me, with views and sketches of Hastings, to which is appropriately added one of the Rey, Canon Bell's poems. From the foregoing remarks, my readers will, perhaps, better understand the allusions in Canon Bell’s lines, which are here transferred to our columns.
“Hastings ! fair Hastings! I do love thee well,
Shame on this thankless heart, were there not still
Within thy name a power to move and thrill.
It comes upon me like a happy spell,
To summon up from Time’s dark, silent cell,
Thoughts that with brimming tears the eye can fill,
God knows how dear to me each street, each hill,
More dear than I in any words can tell.
“I love the beach, washed by the emerald wave;
Green fields and shady dells, and glades that lie
Under a bright, almost Italian sky.
Nor is there spot that doth not gently blend
With memories of dead or living friend :
But most of all I love one little grave.”
It has been stated that the Rev. C.D. Bell's preaching in St. Leonards Church realised an offertory of £40 4s. for the Church Missionary Society, to which I might have added that on the 15th of October in the same year, a sum of over £54 in aid of the St. Mary’s Schools was the outcome of the pulpit efforts of himself and the Rev. Thomas Vores.
Another of the personal reminiscences of 1848 is that of Mr. Andrew Crawford, who came from Appleby Grammar School to Hastings as Second Master of the Proprietary School, in place of Mr. John Banks, who had been elected Master of Parker’s Endowed School. At the same time Mr. Frederick Foster was chosen Master of Saunders’s Endowed School in the place of young Mr. Bevins, who had recently died. The Proprietary School was at Hill House, Hill street, where Mr Foster (just mentioned) now resides and behind which, on the cliff, Mr, Banks (also just mentioned) built a house for his private residence. The said Proprietary School was once & principal lodging-house, wherein resided the father and family of another gentleman here mentioned (the Rev. G. D. St. Quintin), who married a Miss Wellesley, a niece of the Duke of Wellington, that lady’s father and family having also at one time taken the same house for their place of abode. While the said house was employed as a school, it served for the early training of George and Arthur Maw, whose father, in 1844-5, was an efficient and esteemed Mayor of Hastings, and whose two sons here mentioned completed their education elsewhere, and afterwards made for themselves an imperishable name as the inventors of that species of ornamental tile which now adorns so many public and private buildings. A biographic sketch of this family — particularly of Mr. George Maw, the eminent geologist, archeologist and botanist, appeared in the "Historico-Biographies." Some antediluvian remains of the iguanadon species were discovered whilst excavations were being made for a new gasholder. This new erection of the Gas Company - a third one - was of 19 tons weight, 18 feet deep, and 52,000ft. in capacity.
Among the many noteworthy events of 1848 was the more than average number of sudden deaths, either by suicide or by other means.
On the 26th of January, Mr. John Phillips, as Deputy-Coronor, held an inquest on the deceased Rev. James Peters, of the All Souls Convent. He was a priest, but being of weak mind, had not done duty for several years. On the preceding day, while dining from boiled pork, his attendant (Elizabeth Wells) noticed that he ate ravenously, and as she was getting something from the cupboard, with her back towards Mr, Peters, she heard him choking. Surgeon Gilbert was sent for, but life was extinct. Several pieces of meat were taken from the mouth and throat.
Two days later, Mr. Shorter held an inquest on Sophia Monk, who at 64 years of age, was found lifeless in bed. Death in this instance was caused by heart-disease.
On the 27th of March, an inquest was held by Mr. J. G. Shorter on Thomas Fautley Bossora, a carpenter by trade and a drunkard by habit. His age was 56 years, he having been born in the year 1792, and baptized at St. Clement’s Church as a son of Benjamin and Margaret. His body was found in French's pond at the Croft road, and although the jury had no doubt of the man having committed suicide, they recorded an open verdict of “Found drowned“ Our POSTMAN referred to the man and his unfortunate career in the following somewhat jaunty strain:—
“If my footsteps you'll be dogging,
1 to sev’nteen will be jogging.
Where Tom Bossom, as a carpenter,
Appears in "Thirty nine;
And ’tis hither, as reported,
He would sometimes be escorted,
If by accident he rambled
In a pool of beer or wine.
“He’ll remove to Pittman’s passage,
And will sometimes show his crassage
If at any time by strong desire
He seeks to raise the wind;
And some circumstance discloses
That some force his will opposes,
To compel all resolutions
For reforming to rescind.
“He will stray on Sunday morning,
And without the slightest warning,
In a pond well known as French’s,
Inadvertently to slip;
And, as being no opossum,
Thirsty Thomas Fautley Bossom
Cannot swing upon tree branches
While he takes a water-sip,
“If or not the act’s a sin-quest,
There is sure to be an inquest,
And Found drowned is the verdict
That on record will appear;
And if things like port and sherry
Will not come to wake him merry
There is doubtless some sup porter
That will bring him to his bier,
“But I ought to tell you, rather,
That Tom Bossom had a father,
Though you utter exclamation
“Can the parentage be true?”
And to which i’d be replying,
Tis a fact, there's no denying,
And I'd even make a wager
That it’s really nothing new.”
Only three days later, another inquest was held on another carpenter, whose name was Thomas Williams, and whose death was caused by his taking arsenic, and afterwards cutting his throat. He had lodged at the Hare-and- hounds Inn, and had made overtures to the landlady, which were received with disfavour.
On the 22nd of June, an inquest was held at the Angel Inn on a ten years old boy named Henry Davis, who had died from the effects of a wound on the head caused by a stone thrown at him.
Two days after that enquiry, another was held by the Coroner at the Hope Inn on a child, 2½ years of age, who had been drowned in a pond while sailing a toy-boat.
On Saturday, the 2nd of September, an inquest was held on an elderly man named John Noakes, of Ivy house Lane, who died in a quarter of an hour after falling from a waggon-load of wheat sheaves.
Another inquest was held on Monday, Nov. 27th, the subject in this instance being Arthur Barnes, alias Fuller, who died suddenly on the preceding day. On going home at breakfast time, he fell at the door-step, breathed heavily twice and expired, as was afterwards shown from heart disease. He had worked many years for Mr. Deudney, who, being foreman of the jury, said he knew of no man who in so humble a sphere had brought up a large family so respectably as the deceased had done.
On the 8th of December, it became the duty of Mr. J. G. Shorter to hold another inquest, a fatal burning having occurred the day before to Ann Vine, who fell on the fire while in a fit. The poor woman was 74 years old.
Another sudden death occurred on the same day as that of the last-named person, but that was at Hailsham, and is only here recorded in consequence of the person being well known at Hastings as a brother of a Hastings banker. The deceased, Mr. Richard Smith, of Vinehall, had been to the Cattle Show, and being afterwards found lifeless in one of the Marsh ditches it was conjectured that his horse had stumbled and thrown its rider.
But, even excluding this last unfortunate event, it has been shown that the number of sudden deaths in 1848 calling for judicial enquiry was phenomenally large.
To show that in 1848, even when vessels had to compete in the carrying of merchandize(sic) with the South Coast railway they were not yet extinct, it is only necessary to note their arrival and departure at and from the port of Hastings during the year under notice. From the 13th to 17th of May there might have been seen on the Hastings beach delivering their cargoes, and thus giving rise to busy scenes with which both residents and visitors appeared to take a deep interest, the Phoenix (Capt. Palmer) and the Milward (Capt. Fisher), arrived from London, each with a general cargo; the Victoria (Capt. Young) with coals from Seaham; the Lamburn (Capt. Woodgate), and the Perseverance (Capt. Winter), with coals from Hartlepool; the Hope (Capt Rayling) with building materials from Maldon; and the Thwaites (Capt Picknell), with coals from Llanelly.
During the third week of June the vessels that were beached for landing their cargoes were the Lamburn ( Woodgate), the Burfield Brothers (Piper), the Phoenix (Palmer), the Pelican (Phillips), the Perseverance (Winter), the Thwaites (Picknell), the Queen Victoria (Young), the Mary and Theodosia (Coppard), the Rock Scorpion (Phillips), and the Milward (Fisher). The freights of these vessels were mainly tradesmen’s goods from London and coals from the north of England.
