From time to time the MGCTP team come across a gravestone inscription with gives a small clue as to the what caused the death of the deceased person and quite often there is a story to tell. In the case of William Henry Slack, the nature of his death and the story behind it is a tragic one.
The inscription on the gravestone on Non Conformist 1650 reads:-
“......... William Henry, beloved son of Matthew and Hannah Slack, who was killed in a main sewer at Moston, Octr 23rd 1868, aged 14 years and 6 months .........”
A main sewer seemed a very unusual place to die so it warranted further investigation. A search of the newspapers told the story of a tragic accident. At around 12.00 noon on October 23rd 1868 at Boggart Hole Clough, Moston, William and two friends left the nearby construction site where they were employed on their break and came across the opening of the sewer which was around 17 feet in depth. One of the boys wanted to show off his athletic ability descended into the sewer and came out again safely. Not wanting to be beaten, the second boy did the same. William Slack followed but on his way out, he missed his footing and fell. Seeing what had happened, one of his friends wanted to raise the alarm and bring help but the other boy cautioned against it thinking it would be better to say nothing, so they left him there. It wasn’t until around 10.00 p.m. that guilt got the better of one of the two boys and he confessed what had happened to his older brother who raised the alarm and called the police. William Henry Slack was found dead at the bottom of the sewer. At first the police thought his death was suspicious and was as the result of foul play but after an enquiry it was found to be an accident. The cause of his death was an injury to the head.
For more information about Manchester General Cemetery, please visit the project website at
www.mgctp.moonfruit.comPlease do not hesitate to contact us either through Rootschat PM or the website if you think we might be able to help.
Luzzu
