Unsolved murder in Manchester 1880 - Sarah Jane Roberts

[Yorky]

Sarah Jane Roberts from Pembrokeshire was a domestic servant to Mr & Mrs Greenwood of Westbourne Terrace, Harpurhey.

Does anyone have any information or family folk lore with regard to this tragic event.

[avm228]

I don't have any information, but do you have Sarah's death certificate - and if so what does it say? Have you looked for any surviving coroner's inquest report and/or local press reports around the relevant time?

[uk2003]

Are you sure it was 1880 found this on the burial site
04/01/1879, Sarah Jane Roberts, Philips Park Cemetery, CofE K1682 

[uk2003]

After a quick call, this lady was a Housekeeper

[uk2003]

You've hit gold with this one

http://www.blacksheepindex.co.uk/BSI-RobRoby.pdf

Look down the list, these entries indicate news items on the lady, but they will cost you a couple of bob from this website to get copies.

[avm228]

Closest death reg I can find is this:

Death, Mar qtr 1880

Sarah Jane ROBERTS aged 18

Prestwich 8d 314

[purplekat]

Hi Yorky

I've been on the Gale newspaper website. The murder was reported in local Manchester newspapers at the time, the earliest newspaper report I found was on the 9th Jan 1880.

[avm228]

The inquest was reported in The Times of 24 Jan 1880 (the verdict having been given the previous day).

Verdict: "That deceased, Sarah Jane Roberts, died on the 7th of January, inst., in the township of Harpurhey, from the effects of a fractured skull, produced by violent blows inflicted by some person or persons unknown, and such person or persons wilfully and of malice aforethought murdered her; and the jry also find that the deceased was 18 years of age."

[uk2003]

Knew I had seen her name before on Rootschat

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,390705.15.html

also

http://www.rootschat.com/links/06pf/ read page 11