Suicide in Liversedge

[suttontrust]

I have the death certificate of Sarah Parkin who committed suicide on 2nd December 1882.  There was an inquest on 5th Dec, presided over by Thomas Taylor.  The verdict was "Unsound mind - drowned herself in Broomfield Mills, down in the water 1 hr."  I would love to find any local newspaper account of this.  Does anyone know where the newspaper archives from the time are kept?

[Ykskiwi]

The local newspaper would have been the Spenborough Guardian but I don't know where the archives are held. However the paper is still going strong, the address is:
1, Market Street, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, BD 19 3RT.
so they may be able to help. Sorry I don't know their email address.  Joan

[suttontrust]

Many thanks, I'll contact them.

[winston]

Hi Suttontrust,

Interesting tale the archway to the Broomfield mills still stand today it's only down the road from me.  Mills long gone as are many.

I could if you like on Monday if you can wait until then take a trip to the library which does have the Spen Guardian it wasn't called that then if I remember rightly. 

But I am willing to print off anything that I find and either copy type when I get home for you or send by post to your home address?

The newspaper itself only keeps archives for about 5 years do you unlimited storage.

Let me know and then we can play the waiting game together.

Wendy

[suttontrust]

That is an amazing offer, thank you very much.  I've been in touch with the Wakefield Archives because I discovered that they have the notebooks of the coroner who did the inquest.  For a fee they're going to send me a copy of the entry which they say is "relatively short", so it will be good to get anything the newspaper has.  look forward to hearing from you.

[KathyM]

Just seen this posting - did you manage to find anything ?

I am planning on going to Morley library in the next few days and will have a look in the newspaper archives there if you like -

[suttontrust]

Yes, thanks, got the newspaper cutting.  Great information.

[Catswhiskers]

Well come on then, put it on the page, we're all dying to know what it was all about

[winston]

Hi

Hope you don't mind Suttontrust but I still had this on my computer so I will post it.

Found it, as reported in the Cleckheaton Advertiser dated 8th December 1882.

Shocking suicide at MoorBottom

On Saturday morning last, a married woman named Sarah Parkin, aged 39 years wife of George Parkin, a grinder in the employ of Messers Thornton Bros, machine makers, Marsh, Cleckheaton and residing in School Street, Moorbottom, commited suicide by drowning in the Broomsfield Mill, Moorbottom.  About seven o'clock in the morning she left the home.  After that time she does not appear to have been seen alive.  At a quarter past nine o'clock John Tidswell, engine tenter at Mr Wadsworth Mill had  occasion to go to the dam, and on approaching observed a woman clothes floating in the water.  On looking into the water, which was about 3 feet deep, he saw the deceased's body.  He raised an alarm and the body was recovered but life was extinct.  By direction of P.C Goforth the remains were removed to the husbands house.  Deceased had been married 13 years, she had been in a disordered state of mind for two years.  She leaves a family of six children.


Suttontrust has the inquest which was also in the paper but I posted that to her house address as it was too much to type it correctly.

Wendy