Report of The Inquest Held at
Hullavington
into The Death of Mr William Stoneham
Wednesday 19th May 1880
(Ken Greenman has been researching his family tree and, as
you might expect, there are many connections with Hullavington. Ken
has made a couple of requests for
information which have a appeared here on this website. If anyone has
any information that might be useful to Ken please do get in contact with him. (
ken.greenman@googlemail.com)
The following article concerns a death in Hullavington to which Ambrose
Greenman (Ken's great Grandfather) was a witness. In addition Ken
has sent us the service records of Ambrose which also make interesting reading
and will be added soon )
The Bath Herald reports an
inquest recently held at Hullavington,
by Mr W R Whitmarsh, on the body of Mr. William Stoneham, a farmer, 55 years of
age.
Ambrose Greenman, a
private in the 62nd Foot, now staying on sick leave at Hullavington, deposed
that on the previous Saturday evening, at about 7 o’clock, as he and Thomas
Shearwood a labourer, of Hullavington, were standing outside the village, on the
high road leading from Malmesbury to Hullavington, he saw the deceased walking
by the side of his horse and cart. He was alone, coming towards home, and
leading his horse (a colt about two years old) when a bicycle came along in the
opposite direction, and as it passed the deceased his horse shied and bolted.
The deceased was knocked down by the bait, the wheel passed over his body, and
he died almost immediately.
The rider of the bicycle went to Malmesbury and brought back Mr. Pitt, surgeon,
who examined the body. The bicycle passed the cart on the proper side of the
road. Charles W Pitt, surgeon, practicing at Malmesbury, said that on Saturday
evening, the 8th inst., Mr. Lancelot William Andrews, of Somerford Magna, came
to his surgery and fetched him to the house of Stoneham, who was found dead. He
examined the body, and found that his trousers were torn on the right leg, and
underneath the trousers there was a wound leading down to the bone. He had made
a post mortem examination of the body, and found that the cause of death was
owing to the rupture of the bowels and haemorrhage into the cavity of the
abdomen.
Lancelot William Andrews
said he lived at Somerford Magna. On Saturday evening, May 8th, a little after 6
o’clock he was riding his bicycle through Hullavington, and met a horse and
cart. A man was leading the horse. Directly witness passed the animal he became
restive and ran away. He ran back and saw deceased lying on a heap of stones.
Just at this time two men came up, and witness immediately went to Malmesbury
and fetched Mr. Pitt. The jury returned a verdict of “Accidentally killed by
falling under the wheel of his cart, which passed over his body”.
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