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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Northumberland => England => Northumberland Lookup Requests => Topic started by: joanbc53 on Sunday 12 August 12 15:06 BST (UK)
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Hi,
I am looking for information on Dr. John Stratton Brogdon who was killed in a climbing accident, 10th April 1932, at Dow Cragg, Coniston, Cumberland. I have seen an obituary for him in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) which informs that his funeral was held at Hexham Abbey and that it was attended by many colleagues and local dignitaries.
I would be grateful if anyone could search the 'Hexham Courant' around that time for a death notice/obituary or possibly a report about the circumstances in which Dr. Brogdon died.
Regards
Joan
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Hi
A report in the Times Tues. 12 Apr. 1932
Dr John Stratton Brogdon aged 31 of Hartlepool was killed in a climbing accident on Dow Crag, near the Coniston Old Man mountain on Sunday afternoon, and 2 of his companions miss vera brown of baronet road tottenham and mr. h w tilman of Liverpool were seriously injured. All three were roped together, the rope broke and all three fell from almost the top of the crag, a height of 170ft. Dr Brogdon was killed and miss brown was unconscious. Mr Tilman was able to crawl and walk the 4 miles to coniston for help, which took him 4 hours.
The police organized a rescue party, who began the ascent of the mountain in a gale and darkness carrying lanterns for their safety. It was after midnight before the party retrieved them and arrived back at Coniston.
It goes on to say that Dr Brogdon was killed instantly, having fallen a greater distance. It says he was an experienced climber having climbed in the Alps Morocco Norway and Wales. He was the son of Alderman Brogdon of Hexham, and studied at the Newcastle College of medicine. He went to Hartlepool in 1923 and was police surgeon and hon. radiologist at Hartlepools hospital.
claire
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Hi Claire,
Thanks for that. I hadn't read that particular article although the accident was well reported at the time as Dr. Brogdon was well regarded in medical circles.
I am looking for more specific information about his funeral in Hexham. I am particularly interested in any mention of his widow Adèle Constance Brogdon. He married Adèle Constance Robson 30 Jan 1924, but I have been unable to trace any evidence of her after their marriage. I have looked at deaths, remarriage, emigration, children, all to no avail. Dr. Brogdon died intestate and administration was granted to his father John Henry Brogdon of Hexham, so no information about Adèle there either.
I am also looking for information that might lead me to locate his final resting place.
Thanks again for the information Claire
Joan
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I'll take a look for you next time I'm in the library.
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Hi Jen,
That would be great. Any information will be gratefully received. I would love to know where he was laid to rest, I suspect there may be a family grave in Hexham.
Unfortunately I live in Cheshire so am unable to get to Hexham Library myself. I believe they have copies of the 'Hexham Courant' on microfilm.
Regards
Joan :)
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I followed up on all of the information on Dr. Brogdon's life and found no mention of adult Adele other than on their marriage in the South Shields area. He was born 1899 - Hexham area. His death was registered in the Ulverston Registration District which includes Coniston. The only thing I can suggest is checking the Electoral Registers for British West Hartlepool for the "Brougham Terrace" address mentioned below - 1928 and onwards for her (but possibly earlier according to her qualifications to vote) and then to 1932 and possibly later than that if she was with him in Brougham Terrace. The BIG IF! I found no children born to the couple.
The article gives more concise details of the accident.
West Cumberland Times, Wed. April 13, 1932
DOCTOR KILLED AND TWO INJURED.
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CONISTON TRAGEDY.
A doctor - one of a party of three experienced climbers, was killed, and
his woman and male companions were injured badly when their rope broke on
Sunday evening, on the 175ft Dow Crag, near Coniston, they had crashed into a
precipice.
The dead man was Dr. John Stratton BROGDON, age 32, radiologist at
Hartlepool Hospital, of Brougham Terrace, Hartlepool.
The injured are Miss. Vera BROWN, aged 37, French mistress at Tottenham
County School, of Baronet-road, Tottenham, N.
Mr. H. W. TILMAN, aged 34, coffee planter in Kenya, on a visit to his
parents at Grove-road, Wallasey, Cheshire.
While a strong wind and a blinding rain were sweeping the mountain, the
party were climbing Easter Gully, one of the five gullies on Dow Crag,
forming part of the range of hills that include Wetherlam and Coniston Old Man.
Their rope broke and the three crashed into the precipice.
Dr. BROGDON, who was apparently killed instantly, and Miss. BROWN fell
on a ledge, and Mr. TILMAN, lay unconscious for some time. He was the least
seriously injured, and he managed to struggle for four hours in the dark to
Coniston - a journey of four miles, normally taking an hour or so - for help.
Local climbers, police and villagers with lanterns and ropes started out
searching the mountain side in the gale to find Miss. BROWN and the doctor's
body.
When the rescue party reached the crag, Mr. J. C. APPLEYARD, secretary
of the Fell and Rock Climbing Club, made a perilous ascent in darkness. He
drew up improvised stretchers and let down the body of Dr. BROGDON and then the
injured woman.
The walk back to the village across the mountain side was covered in a
howling gale, and was not ended until early on Monday morning.
Mr. TILMAN and Miss. BROWN were both too badly injured to attend the
inquest, which was formally opened at Coniston on Monday afternoon and then
adjourned.
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Hi Barry,
Thanks for the information, I should have mentioned that I have a number of newspaper articles relating to his death and have details about family all verified with BMD's, censuses, & parish records etc. I have no details about his burial though, apart from the funeral was held at Hexham Abbey. His family were residents of Hexham so I am assuming his body was brought 'home' to rest in Hexham.
Thanks also for the suggestion to search Electoral Rolls for Adèle, she is a bit of a mystery. I know that her father was James Robson, a minister in the C of E and he officiated at Adèle's marriage to John Stratton Brogdon. She was born in 1898 in South Shields where my family originate from. I have also traced her parents and siblings but she seems to have vanished!!! She has one of those names that stand out so you wouldn't think she could disappear so easily :) One of those 'brick walls'; I'll have to keep hammering away.
Thanks again Barry for your help.
Regards
Joan
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There is a huge article about this young man and about his funeral, in the Hexham Courant of the 16th April 1932.
The first thing to say is that, according to the article, the funeral took place, not at Hexham Abbey, but at Hexham Wesleyan Church '....in which Alderman Brogden* and his family are so intimately interested.' *his father
He was buried at Hexham Cemetery.
As to his wife the article says: 'It was at Hartlepool, in January 1924, that he began married life, and that he lost his wife, Miss Constance Robson, daughter of the Vicar of All Saints Church, Tyne Dock, a short 15 months later'.
The latter has got me stumped - I'm struggling to find her death registration.
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Hi Jen,
Thank you so much for looking up this article; I am absolutely thrilled. :D Could you give me a date for the funeral please?
This shows that you cannot always rely upon what you see in print. The article in the BMJ says the funeral was at Hexham Abbey, however it makes sense to me that it was held in the Wesleyan church, as there are Wesleyan connections in the family. I believe it was a big funeral with colleagues of Dr. Brogdon and local dignitaries also attending.
Jen, would you know whom to contact about Cemetery records as I would love to track down his final resting place? Could I impose on your time further and also enquire whether it is possible for me to obtain a copy or transcript of this article directly from the library?
You mention Alderman Brogdon, this was probably his father John Henry Brogdon, and his brother Frank Loraine Brogdon was also an alderman of Hexham in later years.
Finally I have a clue about his wife Constance; I will have to follow this one up.
I am very grateful to you Jen for taking the time to look up this article for me.
Regards
Joan
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How idiotic of me, I was so delighted to find the article I completely forgot to write down the date of the funeral ::)
I'll check it next time I'm at the library.
You are right that it was a big funeral, the list of names seemed endless.
I will enquire about the possibility of getting a copy of the article for you.
As to the cemetery, here is the link http://www.hexhamtowncouncil.gov.uk/cemetery/ and there are some contact phone numbers at the bottom which you might like to try. If you can find out the plot number and if there is a memorial stone I'd be quite happy to go and photograph it for you.
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Hi Jen,
I am equally excited as I have been hammering away at this brick wall for ages.
I'll try ringing Hexham Town Council tomorrow. Thanks for that link.
Update on Constance: I've just found her in the 1911 Census at a school for the daughters of clergy in Casterton, Kirby Lonsdale, Westmorland. She must have been a boarder, this explains why she was missing off the 1911 Census return of her parents.
Joan
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Please let me know if you have any luck with the Cemetery and if they can provide you with a plot number. Since you know the exact date of the funeral it should be an easy look-up.
I am still mystified about Adele/ Constance's death, I can't find anything on the GRO indexes.
Adele's mother and brother were among the list of people who attended the funeral.
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I wonder if Adile Constance died abroad her mother is Swiss her husband mad on mountaineering,
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Jen,
I will let you know the outcome.
I must admit the death registration for Constance is a mystery. I have looked through the indexes for the year 1925 and extended my searches but come up with nothing. It is odd because the surname of Brogdon is rare and jumps out on the page, even with the alternative spelling Brogden it is not difficult to find.
Still, I am a little closer to breaking down the brick wall than I was yesterday.
My motto is 'never give up'.
Joan
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Radcliff,
It did cross my mind that she may have died abroad as her mother was Swiss.
H W Tilman who was climbing with Stratton when he died was a well known mountaineer and took part in two Everest expeditions during the 1930's. The accident at Dow Crag obviously didn't put him off climbing!
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I am watching this post with interest, as I have been up Dow crag,when I was young ,but quite obviously not to the heights these brave people went,I was lucky as our school encouraged us to do these activities ,and it was part of our curriculum,shame health and safety has put a stop to it,
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Hi Radcliff,
It has fascinated me ever since I started researching John Stratton Brogdon. If you are interested this is a link to a newspaper article when the accident happened.
http://www.cultrans.com/index.php/west-cumberland-times/wed-april-13-1932/1219-doctor-killed-and-two-injured
Joan
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Hi,
This is an update on my original query. This afternoon I have spoken to the 'Administrator' at St. Andrew's Cemetery, Hexham. He very quickly located the Plot and Grave numbers of John Stratton Brogdon. He went up the cemetery to the grave and phoned me from there and described the headstone to me. Apparently Dr. Brogdon's wife, Constance Adèle is buried in the same grave along with his mother and father.
For Jen, the grave is located in Plot G, no 283. The headstone has a cross on it and is made from brown marble and is apparently quite large. I am hoping to visit Hexham in the near future so am looking forward to seeing this headstone and to taking photographs for the records.
Finally, I want to say huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to this post.
Regards
Joan :)
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If you have not tried the Scotlandspeople.gov.uk website for the death of Adele Constance I would recommend a try.
When I do a search on 1925 for Adele Brogdon, Constance Adele Brogdon or Constance Brogdon it comes back with a hit. Its a subscription website so you will have to pay to see the details and download the death certificate - the latter is cheaper and more detailed than in England and Wales
No gurantees as I was using a soundex filter but worth a go I think
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Hi David,
A huge thank you for the advice.
I have some credits with Scotlands People and have just done a search as you suggested. This is the record I have been searching for. :D I cannot believe I didn't think to look further afield. I am one very, very happy woman today.
I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the people on this forum, I am so excited by this find you would think I had just won a gold medal at the Olympics :D
Anyway she died from Pulmonary Tuberculosis, so sad and so young. I am going to go away to decipher all the writing now. Scotland Records give so much detail.
Amazing David, thank you
Joan
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This is an update on my original query. This afternoon I have spoken to the 'Administrator' at St. Andrew's Cemetery, Hexham. He very quickly located the Plot and Grave numbers of John Stratton Brogdon. He went up the cemetery to the grave and phoned me from there and described the headstone to me. Apparently Dr. Brogdon's wife, Constance Adèle is buried in the same grave along with his mother and father.
For Jen, the grave is located in Plot G, no 283. The headstone has a cross on it and is made from brown marble and is apparently quite large. I am hoping to visit Hexham in the near future so am looking forward to seeing this headstone and to taking photographs for the records.
That's excellent service for you!
I'm quite happy to go down there and take a photo for you, but if you're going to visit in the near future perhaps you'd rather wait until you can do it all for yourself?
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Hi Jen,
That is so kind of you Jen, you really have been an enormous help.
I'm not sure yet, but I am hoping to visit within the next couple of weeks. If my plans don't come to fruition perhaps I could take you up on your very generous offer. I am very happy today, thank you for all your help :D
Regards
Joan
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I'm not sure yet, but I am hoping to visit within the next couple of weeks.
In that case I'll leave getting a copy of the Courant article from the library up to you as well. The record is on microfilm, but I think there's a special film reader on which you can also do copies.
(library opening hours here http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=10444 )
If you don't visit, please let me know and I'll do the necessary.
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Thanks Jen,
Do you know if I need to book a time to use the readers?
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I'm really not certain - I don't think they are bookable (and there are only a few). Best to ring and make sure I think. As I live close by I usually just drop in and if they are in use I can try another day!
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ok Jen, I'll do that
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Fantastic ,at last to find the answer to your brick wall,
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As a followup to a fantastic search I found Adele under her maiden name in 1925 in the deaths on ScotlandsPeople. Adele Constance Robson.
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Hi Barry,
Thank you for that little bit of follow up information. It is interesting that you found it under her maiden name.
Joan
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Hello to all those lovely people who have helped me,
Purely for interest, this is a photo of John Stratton Brogdon taken shortly before his death in April 1932 at the wedding of his brother Frank Loraine Brogdon.
Left - Right: Angus Brogdon, Frank Loraine Brogdon & John Stratton Brogdon with the Penman sisters.
(http://i45.tinypic.com/ftmtg1.jpg)
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Hi everyone,
The detail on Scottish Records is fantastic. This is a summary of what appears on the death certificate of Adèle:
Adèle Constance Brogdon aged 26, died 21 April 1925 at 2.00 pm. in the Nordrach-on-Dee Sanatorium, Banchory-Ternan, Kincardineshire. Cause of death: Pulmonary Tuberculosis (1 year, 1 month). Informant: J S Brogdon of Brougham Terrace, Hartlepool. It also names her father and mother.
I had a bit of trouble deciphering the handwriting but Genuki.org.uk helped with the Parish name. I then googled Sanatoriums in Banchory-Ternan and I found the Sanatorium in question. It seems it was a private sanatorium for Tuberculosis patients and closed in 1928 due to new treatments for the disease and the decline in numbers of patients suffering from the condition. Sadly Adèle did not survive.
Joan
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How sad. Thanks for letting us know.
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Hi everyone,
This is an update on John Stratton Brogdon. :)
I have just spent a very prodigious week in Haydon Bridge & Hexham. I visited St Andrew's Cemetery, Hexham and located the family grave where John Stratton Brogdon is buried alongside his wife and his parents. The manager of the cemetery was extremely helpful and as well as looking at the burial registers he also took me to the family grave. I also found a couple of other ancestors' graves.
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g_FVE0VrGXQ/UES2g28H0wI/AAAAAAAAAEY/l3_jNEHnDao/s800/IMG_1898.JPG) (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g_FVE0VrGXQ/UES2g28H0wI/AAAAAAAAAEY/l3_jNEHnDao/s1600/IMG_1898.JPG)
Burial Register at Hexham Cemetery
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gvtZdl8Kauk/UES4nUTaGgI/AAAAAAAAAEs/ALO_u65Ow2k/s800/IMG_1904.JPG)
Brogdon family grave
I then went to Hexham library where I found the article in the Hexham Courant dated 16 April 1932 that Jen had so kindly looked up for me. This proved to be a lengthy article detailing John Stratton's life and his funeral. I cannot believe how much information I have gleaned from one newspaper report. However I am very proud to say that John Stratton Brogdon was a very highly regarded young man, both professionally within medical circles and also in the local community. It was a very tragic loss of a young life but he died doing something he loved, climbing in the Lake District.
I want to say thank you again to everyone who has contributed to this research and to Jen for the lookup, and Davidft for pointing me in the right direction to find Dr. Brogdon's wife, Adèle.
Regards
Joan
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So pleased you manage to tie up the loose ends. :)