Suicide in Liversedge

[Catswhiskers]

That is so sad!!!!!!!!!  Whatever state must she have been in poor soul?   I don't think we understand how hard life was then. 2 of my famly died in the asylum one of alcoholism and the other after being in a deranged state of mind for several yeasr following the death of his wife and two of his children Looking at the background and where they lived and what happened in their lives neither of these 2 things surprises me.

[suttontrust]

Thanks to Winston I got the newspaper account to supplement the coroner's notes.  There was obviously a reporter sitting in the inquest because the newspaper account is much more detailed.  It goes on to give the evidence of 3 witnesses - Sarah's husband, who didn't think she had anything troubling her, the man who found the body, and a neighbour who said in effect that she'd been mentally deranged for a while.  One thing that strikes me is the effect it must have had on the children.  A little girl of 5 was left looking after the baby.  And the body was taken straight back to the family home, where the children would obviously have seen it.  I can, however, report that George, Sarah's husband, remarried very quickly. 

[Catswhiskers]

I think he would have had to have done.

There were so many tragedies like this one, as somebody once said the Industrial Revolution was dearly bought.   

PS
I just had an afterthought. The response of her husband sounds fairly typical then and now

[suttontrust]

Yes, the report reall brings home the reality of life then.  George going off to work at 5.30 every morning including Saturday.  Sarah giving birth to 7 children in 12 years - her derangement was probably post natal depression.  And so on.
There's one question that arises out of the report; a few days before her death Sarah had gone missing and come home at 1 am "the worse for drink", according to George, and with grazes on her face.  She would only say that she had been "in the closes".  Does anyone know what that means?

[KathyM]

Closes are 'fields' ......

[suttontrust]

Thanks.  That makes sense.

[brassbounder]

The Yorkshire Post (address Wellington St., Leeds LS1, phone 01132432701) may also have carried a report of the inquest.

If you're really lucky, it will have been written by a different reporter, so you might get some different details.

Jon