Newbury Weekly News

Dated 25^th October 1888

ALLEN – Oct. 18, at Greenham, Elizabeth, widow of William Allen, aged 36 years.

Faringdon Advertiser and Vale of the White Horse Gazette

Saturday 27^th October 1888

SAD SUICIDE AT GREENHAM

The Inhabitants of Stroud Green were startled on Friday morning, the 19^th instant, by the news that Elizabeth Allen, a widow, living in a cottage neat the “Blue Ball”, had committed suicide by hanging herself in a woodhouse. Mrs. Allen was the widow of a gardener, who was a native of Burghclere. For some time, he did jobbing gardening at Burghclere; afterwards he assisted in the gardens at Sydmonton Court, leaving this situation to enter upon one as gardener to Mr. Edward Wells, of Westmead. Dying about four years ago, he left a widow and three children. To maintain herself and family, Mrs. Allen took in needlework, which was given to her by ladies interested in her welfare, and a sewing machine was subscribed by ladies of St John’s parish, and presented to her. She also received some assistance from the parish. She appears however, to have suffered mentally, and her bereavement so affected her that she had to be placed in Moulsford Asylum.

During her absence the baby died, and though the instrumentality of the late Vicar of St John’s, the oldest, a little girl, was placed in an Orphanage, whilst the little boy was very kindly taken care of by Mrs. Smith, wife of P. C. Fred Smith, who seems to have been very kind in other way to the poor woman.

After remaining in the Asylum about nine months, she was liberated, and returned to her home about Christmas, and she continued to live with her little boy in a cottage near the “Blue Ball.” No difference was seen in her usual manner, but on Friday morning her little boy, who must have been put to bed on the previous night, got up, and was downstairs crying for his mother. In the search that followed, the dead body of the poor woman was found hanging in the wood-house, life having apparently been extinct for hours. On searching the house after the inquest, it was found that the boy’s clothes were all in order and placed in a box, with his name, age and date of birth written inside.

The boy is being taken care of by Mrs. Smith, the policeman’s wife, and it is hoped he may be admitted to some Orphanage. Beside the parents of her late husband the poor woman is without a relative in the world. She was a clean, tidy, and respectable woman, and it is melancholy that she should have ended her days in such a sad way.