I'm hoping that someone living in Oxford would be kind enough to scan through a few papers for me. I know it's a big ask so will understand if nobody wants to.
The Local History section of Oxford Central Library have films of the Reading Mercury. In the November 16th 1867 edition I found the inquest report for Eli Ballard. That inquest found that he had accidentally fallen over a chair and died at his home in Charney.
The way that the report was worded made me suspect that his wife was a little less than innocent. As Eli was apparently not the nicest of men it seemed to me that the authorities had turned a blind eye. End of story, I thought.
However, I was talking to a distant relative recently who told me that she had heard years ago that he had been murdered.
What I'm hoping is that someone could have a scan through the next few editions to see if anything of the kind was reported.
Here's hoping that someone in Oxford (other than Morse) loves a murder mystery.
Jackson's Oxford Journal says the jury at the inquest returned an open verdict. The doctor thought he must have had assistance to get home and the circumstances were suspicious - not clear at to what suspicion was.
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Ron was born in Shepherds Bush and "Knew" London fairly well LANKSHEAR and SKEGGS - EAGLE (Norfolk Scotland and London) HAYBALL HALE ROBBINS KING RUSSELL (Northampton and Islington) famiy history but many research links for everyone at http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~lankshear/
Ron was born in Shepherds Bush and "Knew" London fairly well LANKSHEAR and SKEGGS - EAGLE (Norfolk Scotland and London) HAYBALL HALE ROBBINS KING RUSSELL (Northampton and Islington) famiy history but many research links for everyone at http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~lankshear/