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Alleged attempted suicide at Quorn - 1897
A very sad tale - resulting in a custodial sentence.
Loughborough Herald - 28th October 1897
At the Loughborough Police Court on Monday before the Mayor (Ald. Coltman) and Ald. Cartwright, Annie Wykes, a widow of Quorn, was charged with trying to drown herself in a soft-water tank on Saturday evening. James Rumsby, landlord of the White Hart, at Quorn, said the defendant had been employed by him as general assistant for the past six years. On Saturday she was at work all day til 8.30, when she said she would go home. About three quarters of an hour afterwards witness went into the yard to get some water from the pump. He then heard a noise of someone groaning, and on searching in the garden found defendant in the soft water cistern. She was kneeling down, and supporting her self against the wall. He asked what she was doing, and she told him to let her alone. He told her to stand up and he would try to get her out. She said she would not, adding that “the lad was drownded, and she would be”, referring to a son of hers who was drowned in July last. Witness held her arm, and called for help, and defendant was got out. Lately she had been fretting very much over her lost son, getting things that belonged to him, and crying over them. Rev E Foord-Kelcey, vicar of Barrow, wished the magistrates to know that the defendant was a very respectable woman, of good reputation till the last few months, when she seemed affected by the loss of her son. Defendant said she did not see that she had done anything for which she ought to be sent away. It was not the drink that made her do this.
Remanding in custody for eight days.
Note: In days gone by, when people travelled less than they do today and the population of Quorn was smaller, many of the families were related to each other.
Annie Wykes was born Annie Tuckwood in Quorn in 1857. She married Ezra Wykes (senior) from Mountsorrel in 1875 and they had at least seven children. She was the mother of Sarah Ann Bancroft nee Wykes, whose death in a house fire is reported in Artefact Artefact 1037 and Ezra Wykes (junior) who died in WW1, Artefact 2267.
This connection was pointed out by Kerry Wykes, from Tasmania, Australia, who is the first cousin, four times removed of Annie’s husband Ezra Wykes (senior).
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Submitted on: |
2011-10-23 |
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Submitted by: |
Kathryn Paterson |
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Artefact ID: |
1424 |
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Artefact URL: |
www.quornmuseum.com/display.php?id=1424 |
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Print: |
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