On the 6th January 1875, a report appeared in the Western Mail with the title “Death From Starvation at Knighton”. The article which followed is a harrowing read, but, at the same time, shows what a sense of ‘community’ existed amongst people who had virtually nothing – and how those who had ‘care’ of their welfare could be taken to task, but usually go unpunished. The following tells the tale.

“An inquest was held yesterday morning at the Swan Hotel Knighton, before Mr Stephens, touching the death of Elizabeth Jones, a pauper, on out-door relief from the Union, who was found dead in her bed on Thursday, the 31st of December last.”
      The first witness was Maria Powell who stated “I am a single woman, and I live at Cwm Bank, Knighton, I identify the body that the jury have just seen as that of Elizabeth Jones. I have known her for six months. She was a widow, and apparently about 47 years old. I am her next door neighbour. Her daughter Eliza lived with her; she is about 10 years of age.”

      The Coroner asked if Elizabeth’s daughter was in Court and was told “that she had no clothes to wear, being perfectly destitute”, Maria Powell said that the child was now being cared for at her house “by order of the relieving officer.”
      According to Maria Powell, Elizabeth Jones worked very hard, sometimes as a char-woman and also in the fields. The house she lived in was rented for £5 a year from Mr Wilding of the Barley Mow Inn, and she sometimes took in lodgers to help pay what she owed. Maria Powell went on; “She often came to me and said she had nothing to eat. I saw very little of her the last nine days. I last saw her on Saturday week, the 26th ult., at the water tap, before she took to her bed. On Thursday the 31st, I took her breakfast to her own house. She was in bed, and her daughter downstairs, There was a very little fire in the grate. I saw her again that evening About 5 o'clock. She could not then speak to me. She appeared to be dying. My mother came in, and she died in her presence.”
      Maria went on to say that there was very little bedding on the bed which she shared with her young daughter, just “two blankets and a coverlid; no sheets fit to use.” When Maria went to check on Elizabeth, little Eliza had told her that “her mother was very ill upstairs, and there was nothing in the house.” She went on to say that after her husband had died, Elizabeth applied to the parish for help, but she was refused relief unless she went into the workhouse. Maria said that after Elizabeth died, “Mr Massey, the relieving-officer, came about 6 p.m. to see her, and Dr Brown afterwards, but the woman was then dead. Mr Massey gave me 2s, and told me to take care of the child. Deceased was a sober woman, and strove hard to support herself. She often came and asked me for a piece of bread before she went to her work. Mrs Brown, the Vicarage, often went to visit her. Mrs Lewis, of Cwm Bank, was also very kind.”
      The Coroner went on to add that “there was nothing in the house except a beef bone and half a pound of bacon, which the mice had been running over; no bread” and he thanked Maria Powell for the “straightforward way she had given her evidence, and for her kindness of heart in tending to her neighbour.”
      Another neighbour, Elizabeth Langford, also visited Elizabeth on a regular basis. She was called as the next witness and stated, “I am a widow, and live at Cwm Bank Knighton. I knew the deceased, Elizabeth Jones. I last saw her alive on the 31st of December. I saw her three times on that day. She was in bed. I first saw her about ten a.m. The daughter came for me. I could not understand what deceased said, she was so weak. I gave her some tea, and then left her. I went again between one end two, and found her worse than before. I gave her a drop of tea, and remained half an hour. I went again at four and gave her a halfpenny cake. She ate about half of it, and drank some tea. I went home, and a few minutes after, John Stedman, a neighbour, came and said she was dead. She had relief from the union about three weeks before she died, 1s 6d a week.” She went on to say that Mr Massey, the relieving officer, had “always been most kind to us poor people”, although as she had been asked the question by Mr Massey himself, one wonders whether she felt she had to say that.
      Elizabeth’s daughter was then questioned (remember, she was 10 years old) and said, “I had nothing to eat the day mother died. The day before I had something about one o'clock - a bit of bread, no tea; nothing more that day. Mrs Powell gave me something after mother died. She gave me some bread and butter and tea. There was no bread in our cupboard. I made mother some toast the morning before that; there was nothing on it. Mother had no money.”
      The next witness was Henry Osmond Brown, who was the medical officer for Knighton Union and whose ‘patch’ covered Cwm Bank. He claimed to have known Elizabeth for several years and had treated her in the past. He went on, “I attended her last on the 30th of December, by an order from the relieving officer (Mr Massey). It was between 11 and 12 o'clock. I found her in a very weak state and suffering from a bad cough, pulse nearly natural as to time, about 78 to the minute, but weak and feeble. She was in bed. I asked her if she had any pain. She said, “No.” I don't think she was suffering from any disease. I asked her to take a “sigh”, to see if there was any  inflammatory action on the lungs. She was shivering fearfully from want of clothing. The sheets were in a most dirty state, and the smell was very offensive. I desired Mrs Lewis who was present, to come down at once to my house for a certificate for the relieving officer. I endorsed the certificate on the back, stating the woman was destitute and without proper nourishment. She seemed to me to be suffering from a want of the ordinary necessaries of life, combined with the extreme severity of the weather.” (Another brief report in the Eddowes Journal of the 6th January stated the doctor had found that snow had drifted in the window).

      The Coroner then asked Dr Brown if he thought Elizabeth’s life could have been saved if she had had enough to eat. The doctor replied “I believe it would. I consider her death was attributable to the causes mentioned, and cannot account for it in any other way. I could find nothing in the house. There was no food or fuel She told me she had one penny. I never saw her alive after I had given her the certificate, and I cannot say if my orders were complied with.” He went on to add that he would agree to a post-mortem being carried out.
      Mr Massey was then cautioned by the Coroner and made the following statement, “The deceased made an application to me on the night of December 16th, to take her name before the board for outdoor relief at their meeting on Dec. 17th. I did so, and the following day she appeared before the board and was allowed 1s 6d per week for herself and child. The first payment was on the 18th and the second on the 24th being Christmas Eve. The next was due on the day after she died.” 
    Then followed a discussion as to whether there should be a post-mortem. Dr Cartwright of Leintwardine claimed to have examined Elizabeth’s body “and thought that the organs were, in such a state that a post mortem examination would be of little service,” although how he could tell by looking at her seems very improbable. Because of this evidence, the Coroner decided not to order a post-mortem. He then said that he intended sending all the evidence to the Local Government Board so that an inspector could be appointed to look into the case, and he then adjourned the inquest.

 

The inquest resumed on the 21st January and the jury reached the verdict that “the deceased died from severe cold, accelerated by want of proper clothing and fuel.” The Coroner then committed Mr Massey “to the next assize on a charge of manslaughter.” He was allowed bail.

 

William Massey appeared at the Lent Assizes at Presteign on the 25th March 1875 on a charge of manslaughter. He was found ‘Not Guilty’.

 

Elizabeth’s death certificate speaks for itself – the cause of death being stated as “Died from a severe cold, accelerated by want of proper food, clothing and fuel”