DEATH FROM BURNING

On Thursday evening, the Borough Coroner, T. H. Hawkins, Esq., and a jury, of whom Mr. W. Burgess was foreman, held an inquest at the New Cattle Market Inn, on the body of a married woman, named Maria Godwin, aged 35, living in Victoria-place, New Market-street, whose death was caused by burning under the distressing circumstances detailed by the witnesses as under: George Gray, carpenter and joiner, a lodger in the house occupied by deceased, said, that at about eleven o'clock on the previous evening, he retired to rest, and had been in bed a few minutes, when deceased and her daughter came upstairs. Five minutes afterwards he fancied he heard someone go down, and then someone called loudly, "George, George," and the daughter came to his door calling "Mother is on fire." He rushed downstairs and saw the staircase door in flames, and deceased standing with her arms lifted above her head exclaiming, "0 George." Her clothes were a mass of flames. He wrapped a cloth around her neck, and she fell senseless to the ground. He could not see anything to wrap round her. He opened the back door, where there was a pail three parts full of water, which he threw on her head. By that time her husband came down, and put a coat round her. Witness then unlocked the front door, and called "Fire!" The front room carpet was one fire, which Mr. Thorn came and extinguished. The fire broke out in deceased's clothes three times. More assistance came, and the flames on the door and among the children's clothes that were lying about, were extinguished. He went upstairs and partly dressed. His hair caught fire as he rushed out of the front door; his eyebrows and face were singed, and his hand was also burnt in trying to extinguish the flames on the deceased. All her clothes were burnt except her waist-band. She was quite sensible, and after the flames had been totally extinguished she ran into the passage, but was brought back almost directly. She sat in a chair, and said, "Oh, George, what should I have done if you had not come when you did? I must have been burnt to death. What shall I do as I am now, roasted alive?" Blood was then pouring from her breast and all parts of her body. Mr. Hickman, surgeon, then arrived and had her taken up stairs, and dressed the wounds. Witness was then overcome himself by the smoke an the smell. While downstairs, deceased said she came down thinking to do something to the benzoline lamp, but the top of the lamp was not unscrewed, and, as witness understood, she took the funnel off the benzoline bottle. The bottle was in the larder, and it must have fallen, as the spirit was running about on the floor, and some was in the front doorway. All he could understand from her muttering was that some cloths fell from the door and caught fire. The lamp was found on the floor. It was used in the socket of a candlestick. Deceased expired at a quarter past 9 o'clock this morning. Mrs. Ellen Baylis, living next door, stated that about a quarter past eleven she heard cries of "Fire," and on looking through the window saw the deceased enveloped in flames, which were extinguished by Mr. Thorn. Witness assisted her into her (Mrs. Baylis') house, and afterwards back into her own house. Mr. Hickman came directly. The whole body was burnt from head to foot. She was in great agony, but quite sensible. Deceased did not tell witness how it happened. She was a very sober, hard-working woman. She had a family of seven children, the youngest of whom was nine months old. She was quite alone when the accident occurred.

The Coroner remarked that the shock to the nervous system would be quite sufficient to cause death.

The jury returned a verdict "That death was caused by burning, resulting from the accidental upsetting of a benzoline lamp and the breaking of a bottle containing benzoline."

The husband of the deceased is a sawyer, and a steady respectable man. The jury handed over to him their fees, which was also supplemented by donations from the Coroner and the Foreman, and a subscription on behalf of the family, which has been readily responded to, has been undertaken by Mr. Richard Harrison.

(We are requested by the witness Gray, and also the husband of the deceased, to give a distinct contradiction to unfounded rumours which are in circulation; and also to thank the public for the kind aid rendered and sympathy shown to the family of deceased in their great trouble.)

Newbury Weekly News

 dated 24 August 1876

 Not in Mrs. P. Book No. 1868, page 141, Record No.3528

SHOCKING CASE OF BURNING.

The Borough Coroner (T. H. Hawkins, Esq.), held an inquest at the New Cattle Market Inn, Cheap-street, on Thursday evening, on the body of Maria Godwin, a married woman, of 7, Victoria-place, who died that morning, through shocking burns, caused in using abenzoline lamp. Mr. W. Burgess was foreman of the jury. Having viewed the body, which presented a distressing spectacle, the evidence was taken follows :— George Grey, carpenter and joiner, deposed that he lodged with deceased, and at 11 o'clock last night, he retired to rest. He bad been in bed a few minutes when deceased and her daughter came upstairs. Five minutes afterwards he fancied he heard somebody go down. He heard some one call " George " very loudly, and the daughter came to his door, saying " Mother is on fire ! He rushed down stairs and saw deceased on fire at the bottom of the staircase. The staircase door was in flames. Deceased was standing with her arms lifted above her head, and she exclaimed "Oh George." Her clothes were a mass of flames from her feet to her head. He wrapped a cloth round her neck, and she fell senseless to the ground. He could not see anything to wrapronnd her. He opened the back door, where there was a pail three parts full of water, which he threw on her head. By that time her husband came down, and put a coat round her. Witness then unlocked the front door, and called " Fire ! " The front room carpet was on fire. Mr. Thorn came and extinguished it. The fire broke out in deceased's clothes three times. More assistance came, and the flames on the door and among the children's clothes that were lying about, were extinguished. He went upstairs and partly dressed. His hair caught fire as he rushed out of the front door his eyebrows and face were singed, and his hand was also burnt in trying to extinguish the flames on the deceased. All her clothes were burnt except the waistband. She was quite sensible, and after the flames had been totally extinguished she ran into the passage, but was brought back almost directly. She sat in chair, and said, " Oh George, what should I have done if you had not comedown when you did? I must have been burnt to death. What shall I do as lam now, roasted alive ?" Blood was then pouring from her breast and all parts of her body. Mr. Hickman, surgeon, then arrived and had her taken stairs, and dressed the wounds. Witness was then overcome himself by the smoke and smell of the spirit. While downstairs, deceased said she came down thinking to do something to the benzoline lamp, but the top of the lamp was not unscrewed, and, as witness understood, she took the funnel off the benzoline bottle. The bottle was the larder, and it must have fallen, as the spirit was running about on the floor, and some was in the front doorway. All he could understand from her muttering was that some clothes fell from the door and caught fire. The lamp was found on the floor. It was used in the socket of candlestick. Deceased expired at a quarter past 9 o'clock this morning. Mrs. Ellen Baylis, who lives next door, said that at about a quarter past 11 last night she heard cries of "Fire! "and on looking through the window saw tbe deceased enveloped in flames, which were extinguished by Mr. Thorn. Witness did not think she was burnt so seriously as she was, and she assisted her into her (Mrs. Baylis') house. Witness then found all the deceased's things were burnt off her. Deceased did not say how she had been burnt. Witness led her back to her house, and Mr. Hickman came directly. She was taken upstairs. The whole body was burnt from head to foot. She was in great agony, but quite sensible. Witness was in and out of the house until she died. She spoke clearly several times. The back kitchen door and the children's clothes were on fire when witness went in. Witness could not see where the benzoline had been spilt on the floor. She saw the benzoline bottle on the floor. The lamp was then on the table, in the back kitchen. Deceased did not tell witness how it happened. Witness saw her at 11 o'clock. She was very sober, hard-working woman. She had a family of seven children, the youngest of whom was nine months old. She was quite alone when the accident occurred. The Coroner said the shock to the nervous system must have been most severe in this case, and quite sufficient to cause death. The jury did not consider it necessary that any additional evidence should taken, and they returned a verdict to the effect " That death was caused by burning, resulting from the accidental upsetting of benzoline lamp and the breaking of bottle containing benzoline." Deceased's husband is a steady, respectable man, by trade a sawyer. Deceased was years of age. The jury kindly handed over their fees for the benefit of the husband in his distress, which, together with a donation added by the Coroner and the foreman of the jury, made the gratuity to guinea. the close inquest, subscription was once raised by the company in the public rooms of the inn, on behalf of the bereaved family.

Reading Mercury

19 Aug. 1876

GODWIN   -   Aug. 17, at Victoria Place, Newbury, Maria Godwin, aged 36 years