Keighley Pieman

[dobfarm]

Maybe heartattack that would fit with his other complaints symptoms or shock after falling in clinching his cap and coat with the pain stress of the sudden instant attack on his heart

[benicio]

I just received a copy of the 'Certified Copy of an Entry of Death' from the GRO for James Kenny. 

Transcription:

When and where died:  Found dead Seventh June 1897; Leeds and Liverpool Canal; Silsden U.D.
Name and surname:  James Kenny
Sex:  Male
Age:  43
Occupation:  General Labourer
Cause of death:  Found drowned; No mark of violence upon his person
Signature, description and residence of informant:  Certificate received from T.P. Brown; Coroner for Craven District; Inquest held Ninth June 1897
When registered:  Twelfth June 1897
Signature of registrar:  A.H. Dawson, Registrar

I have sent an email request to the West Yorkshire Archive Service, in an attempt to obtain the coroner's inquest.  Hopefully, they will be able to locate it.

benicio

[benicio]

I just received the data contained in the Coroner's inquest from the Wakefield Archives.  Unfortunatly, not too much data was recorded. 

Transcription of data provided via email:

Number: 19
Held when: 1897 June 9th
Held where: Liberal Club, Silsden
Name and surname: James Kenny
Age: 43
Verdict:  Found drowned in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal no mark of violence
Expenses paid by coroner: £2 16s 6d
Miles: 6

[dobfarm]

As I said before, for an accomplished swimmer to try to commit suicide in a calm still shallow waters of a canal in warm June, who would not panic like a non swimmer and  it would be like trying to sink one of the polystyrene floats at the swimming baths to a good swimmer. Therefore there must be some other reason. 

[sallyyorks]

Apart from anything else , i would think the Leeds/Liverpool canal would have been a pretty unhealthy place to go anywhere near at that time , especially around Keighley with all the mills . Pollution from the mills dye works , coal , heavy barges and then the summer heat . Even in the 1960s the water could change colour depending on what dyes were being used in the mills . A few mouthfulls of it would be nasty enough i imagine . Dangerous places .

[benicio]

From what I can tell the following RC Churches are located in Keighley:

St. Anne's
Christ the King
Our Lady of Victories
St. Joseph's

Of these, what would be my best bet for locating funeral information (if it exists) for James Kenney?  Bearing in mind that the family lived on 6 King Street when he died and the year was 1897.

Thanks,

Ben

[sallyyorks]

I tend to agree with your train of thought, however, the thing that is giving me pause in totally agreeing with you is the following sentence from The Yorkshire Evening Post 8 Jun 1897 "Yesterday morning, on leaving home, he made use of language suggesting that he might not come back."

Although I supposed if you are knowingly going to kill yourself, you wouldn't do so with money in your pocket when you are leaving a family behind who could definitely use it.

Have been thinking about your James this week.
Last week i  looked up two deaths in the Leeds library  newspaper archives.
A father (48 b Keighley)  whose body  was found in sept 1900  "dreadfully mutilated"  after being hit by a train on the down line at Manningham, (Bradford) train station (not far from Keighley) .  Eight months later 1901 his eldest son (29) drunk,  threw himself in the canal at Bradford and drowned himself , " verdict suicide" . The canal ran pararell to the train tracks at Manningham where his father died. There were other suicides reported in the same newspaper column. The headline was "The Epidemic Of Suicides. Another Batch Of Cases From Bradford"
It would seem some people did commit suicide in the canals . I think your chap might have comitted suicide too. Life was so very hard for them, the areas slum  living and mill working conditions were quite bad.