Drowned At The North Dock In Sunderland, 1902?

[JackB015725]

Hello,

I'm trying to find information about my great great granduncle, Thomas Pigg Blenkinsopp. He was born in 1857 the son of George Scott Blenkinsopp (1827-1869) and Mary Pigg (1830-1905). He married Mary Louisa Wright in 1887 and lived in Victor Street, Monkwearmouth, Durham, England.

I know he died in 1902 in Sunderland, and I've heard something about him drowning in a dock in Sunderland. Was this accidental? Or was it a suicide? Would anybody be able to try and help me find newspaper reports (if there is any) into the death and drowning of Thomas Pigg?

Thank you very much,

JackB

[mckha489]

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-share/19343aa7-b0cb-42b1-8012-060e07e1d288

[JackB015725]

Thank you very much for this.

So it seems like an apparent suicide because he was in ill health. How unfortunate that is, I really can't believe that.

Thank you,

JackB

[AlanBoyd]

There are a couple of extra details in these accounts from the Sunderland Echo

20 January 1902: Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette

Sad Case at Monkwearmouth.
A drowning case occurred at Monkwearmouth yesterday, the circumstances of which strongly point to the affair being a suicide. Yesterday morning information was left at the Barclay Street Police Station that Thos. Pigg Blenkinsop (45), of 69, Victor Street, Monkwearmouth, had disappeared from his home that morning, and, as he had been ill with influenza and somewhat strange in his manner, some alarm was felt. P. C. Leadbitter made inquiries in consequence of the information, and was informed by a man named James Whiskens that he had found two coats, a vest, a boot, a peaked cap, &c., on the quayside at the North Dock. These garments were recoguised as belonging to Blenkinsop, and P. C. Leadbitter, Whiskens, and another man commenced grappling in the water. At 11.30 the body was found. It was dressed in trousers, shirt, one boot, and a coat. The body was removed home and the coroner's officer informed. Blenkinsop had been carefully attended to for some while, and had evidently taken advantage of those in the house being asleep to get out and down to the dock side

21 January 1902: Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette

The North Dock suIcide
An inquest was held last night by Mr Deputy-Coroner Shepherd at the Workmen's Hall, Monkwearmouth, on the body of Thomas Pigg Blenkinsop, a riveter, aged 45, of Victor Street, whose body was found in the North Dock on Sunday.

Evidence was given by the wife, Mary Louisa Blenkinsop, which showed that he had suffered from influenza, and had been considerably depressed for a time. She had been watching him, but on Sunday morning he left the house while she was asleep:

James Whiskens spoke to seeing the clothes on the quay, and to the body being got out of the water, and the and the jury returned a verdict of "Suicide while temporarily insane."

[AlanBoyd]

This 25 inch map from 1902 shows Victor Street running SW-NE, parallel with Dame Dorothy Street (the latter still exists, but Victor Street is gone).

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=54.91565&lon=-1.37441&layers=168&b=osm&o=100

From the 1954 large scale map of the area, travelling NE on Victor Street, no. 69 was the third house on the left after crossing Brandling Street.(i.e. in the final short stretch of houses at the extreme NE end of the street next to the docks, including the North Dock.)

[AlanBoyd]

Burial
Mere Knolls Cemetery, Fulwell, Sunderland
22 Jan 1902 Thomas Blenkinsop, of [abode blank], 45, rivetter, found drowned in the North Dock

[JackB015725]

Hi Alan,

Thanks very much for all of this information, it's very interesting, yet so so tragic.