Grace Bonallie died 1883 Middlesborough possible murder trial

[scruffypup]

My Cousin Joe was visiting from Ireland yesterday and told me that his dad (my Uncle Joe) had told him many years ago about one of his ancestors only a few generations back murdering his wife and being shipped to Australia, it's the first time I'd heard it and my late father never mentioned anything although he had told me someone in the family was dumped on a doorstep as a baby and raised by the Bonallie family ( a lot of things were hushed up in those days), my research confirms my grandfather Robert Bonallie born 12/4/1882 in Eston York was raised by his Uncle Alexander Bonallie's family in Sunderland this is confirmed in the 1901 census where he is living with his sister Harriet and her husband William Donkin in Sunderland (Harriet should be his cousin not sister). 

Robert's mother Grace Bonallie died a year after his birth in June 1883 in Middlesborough, I will be getting her death certificate unfortunately I've a big gas bill to pay first , but after Grace's death his father Robert Bonallie who was born Mar 1849 in Sunderland, just disappears I can't find anything about him, the family were also called Boneller,Bonella,Bonello and Bonellia, but my searches so far can't find any mention of a trial, or newspaper article or being shipped to Australia, he was a mariner so may have gone to sea, if anyone has any info on Middlesborough for 1883 that might indicate either foul play or not regarding Grace's death I'd love to know.

Julie

[Ecneps]

I've been looking through some old Middlesbrough Evening Gazette 'Chronicles of Cleveland' and there's nothing mentioned for a murder in c1883

You could perhaps contactl the newspaper http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/ and see if they know anything

Barbara

[scruffypup]

Hi Barbara

Many thanks for your reply, your knowledge of yorkshire is vast and thanks for all the help you've given me on both sides of my family tree.  I think a lot of the problems with my side of the tree is that the Bonallies were presbytarians and the Docherty's were staunch roman catholics when Robert Bonallie 1882 married Sarah Docherty 1886 in 1909 in Sunderland both sides of the family were appalled apparently and many of both sides of their families disowned them and all the family history was then lost, Robert's father being in the 1881 census, Robert's birth at Eston in 1882 and Grace's death in 1883 in Middlesborough seem to be the only time the Bonallie's venture out of Sunderland until my dad moved to Leeds after WW2, but I'll try the link you gave me see if I have any luck.

Thanks
Julie

[Ecneps]

No, it's not vast at all!

There's also some contact emails for Middlesbrough reference services here, Archives, Reference Library:

http://www.rootschat.com/links/02fs/

Hopefully someone will be able to find out for you

Barbara

[scruffypup]

I've just been having a look on the British Newspaper Archive and feel I might be getting somewhere at last

Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough
Mon 28 May 1883
Suspicious death at Grange-town
(incorrect spelling Bonnalie)

 and Wed 30 May 1883
The mysterious death at Grangetown

I have a feeling there may be more articles relating to my Great Grandmothers death, I have noticed a lot of spelling mistakes on the search results so chances are I might have missed an article or two.  I've found a few results for my Sunderland ancestors too, so trying to find enough to get a 2 day pass, if anyone comes across any more info that I've missed, let me know and then I can get credits for the articles in the newspapers.

Regards
Julie

[scruffypup]

Hi guys

Heard from Pels, looks like Grace's death may have been an unfortunate incident, her family the Sidney's did seem to have short lives, her mother dying in childbirth so perhaps it was genetic.

Julie

[Pels.]

Hi again Julie,

Here's the other article you mentioned :

Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough
Mon 28 May 1883
Suspicious death at Grange-town
(incorrect spelling Bonnalie)

A married woman named Grace Bonallie, 28 years of age who lived with her husband Robert Bonallie at 86 Laing Street, Grangetown died in suspicious circumstances on Saturday. About 9.30am she got up and appeared to be in good health. Soon afterwards she was taken very ill and suffered a severe attack of vomiting. The husband and a neighbour gave her some whisky, but she gradually got worse and died at 6.30pm. Dr W.P. Warren was called in. There will be an inquest.

Pels.

[scruffypup]

Hi Pels

Thanks once again for your help.  Somehow the newspaper reports seem too give an insight into the whole lifestyle of our ancestors, just confirmed how poor these folk were by having a look at the 8 streets that formed Grangetown at the turn of the 1880s on a Grangetown website it makes very grim reading. 

I suppose whisky would seem an odd cure these days but it was probably cheaper than buying milk back then.

Your help is very much appreciated I will pass on the info on the family to my cousins as they are as intrigued as I am about our ancestors lives.

Thanks
Julie

[scruffypup]

Hi

Just wondering if anyone can help me locate Grace's grave, I believe she may be buried at Eston and Normanby Cemetery it would be May/June 1883