Clifton Park had been opened to the people of Rotherham on 29 June 1891 by the then Prince of Wales, although the house and park had been in existence since 1783. It was part of the estate attached to Clifton House and its beautiful grounds were, and still are, a pleasure to behold. The park is central to the town and because of that is visited regularly by local people and tourists alike. It is a place where families gather, and so no one took much notice when a young mother entered with her three children on Tuesday 16 May 1916. Only one man noted her distress and decided to follow them.
Arthur Marsden lived in Whybourne Grove, Rotherham and he was walking in Clifton park near to the lake, when he was passed by the woman. She was carrying her young baby and had two other small children holding onto her skirts. Something about her gave him cause for concern and all he could say about it later was that ‘she looked troubled’. At that stage he was not to know that the baby she carried was called John who was just three months old, and the other two children were Edith aged five and Margaret aged three. Nevertheless he was concerned enough to watch as the young mother sat down at the side of the lake.
Marsden decided to sit down opposite and just watch the troubled woman for a while. He could not help but notice that she still appeared to be in some distress as she contemplated the lake. To his horror Marsden saw her suddenly leap up and catch hold of the two eldest children, throwing them bodily into the lake. She then took the small baby and jumped in the water, still holding him in her arms. Without hesitation, Marsden took off his jacket and jumped into the place where he had last seen the mother and child disappear under the water. Thankfully he quickly found them both a short distance from the edge of the lake, and managed to pull them clear.
He then jumped in again and found the two older children who were about further out from the edge and he carefully brought them also safely onto dry land. At this point a police officer named Sergeant Wilson, who had been taking a short cut through the park, also arrived on the scene. He could see that the family was now completely exhausted by their efforts, and the mother was in a semi conscious state. The baby had also been semi conscious when he was pulled from the water, so the sergeant wrapped all the children in his police overcoat, before taking them to a nearby shelter in the park.
Then he sent for medical help in the form of Dr Anderson. Whilst waiting for help to arrive, the mother seemed to come around and so the sergeant tried to question her, but to no avail. Shortly afterwards the police ambulance arrived to take the little family to the Rotherham workhouse infirmary where they were put to bed and cared for by the workhouse Matron. Dr Anderson told the sergeant that thanks to the swift intervention of Arthur Marsden, there were no serious concerns for the health of the family. However, if he had not been suspicious and taken immediate action, all the family would most certainly have perished.
It emerged that the mother’s name was Edith Thornton aged 36, and she was the wife of a soldier, John Thornton (who she called Jack) who had enlisted recently in the Royal Engineers. Left on her own, she had struggled to take care of the two children with a baby on the way. Even after she had given birth to little John in February, Edith felt unable to continue with the struggles of her daily life as she became more and more depressed. As she was being taken to the workhouse infirmary, Edith told Sergeant Wilson that she had written a letter to her husband, which she had left on the table at her home in Selborne Street.
After some consultation with the Chief Constable Mr. E. Weatherhogg, constables were dispatched to the house to gain admittance and to retrieve the letter. However the letter revealed little about the young mother’s real feelings. She wrote:
‘Dear Jack. Forgive me, but I feel I have not got the strength to battle with the children. You will find us in the lake. I have been up all night badly myself and all the children.’
At 10 am on Wednesday 17 May 1916, Edith was brought before the magistrates at the Rotherham Borough Court, charged with the attempted murder of her three children. She was also charged with attempted suicide, which at that time was seen as a crime. Throughout the hearing, the poor woman held a handkerchief to her face, sobbing as if her heart would break. Mr Weatherhogg, the Chief Constable outlined the case for the court, but stated that police enquiries were still continuing and asked for a remand for the prisoner for a week, which was agreed.
Despite the assurance of Dr Anderson, on Monday 22 May at the workhouse, Edith was informed that the baby, John had died earlier that morning. The Coroner, Mr W J Bradford had been informed, and he ordered that a post mortem was to be held on the child’s body later that same day. The inquest on little John Thornton was held at the Court House on the following day. Fortunately Private John Thornton had been sent home on compassionate leave, and thankfully he was with Edith throughout her ordeal. It was reported that during the enquiry, she simply rested her head on her husbands shoulders.
Private Thornton told the coroner that he had identified the body of his son who had been ‘chesty’ from birth. This had presented difficulties for his wife to have to deal with, as it was hard for the baby to settle. Dr Anderson was the next witness and he told the inquest that the other two children, were continuing to recover from their ordeal. The surgeon then gave details of the post mortem where he found bronchitis and a small patch of pneumonia on the child’s lungs. Mr Bradford asked him if that had contributed to his death, to which he admitted that it might have. Therefore the jury took little time in recording a verdict that death was ‘due to natural causes.’ The coroner ordered that Edith Thornton was to be remanded and during that time was sent to Leeds Gaol Hospital at Armley where she would be able to have more specialised help.
When the inquest re-convened the following week, the first witness was Edith’s mother, Mrs Caroline Simpson. She told the court that she had identified the body of her grandchild. She said that she had removed him from the workhouse on 18 May and had taken care of him up to the day he died. She told the court that her daughter had been ill ever since the birth, and had become very silent and despondent in her manner. Arthur Marsden was the next witness and he described passing the woman and noting that she looked so ill and down. He then described the rescue, for which he was praised by the coroner Mr Bradford who told him;
‘I should like to take this opportunity in commending you for your bravery and the presence of mind which you displayed in going into the water and rescuing the woman and her children from what, without the slightest doubt would have been their death. You must have the satisfaction of knowing that you have been the means of saving the lives of this mother and her children’.
Thankfully a solicitor Mr. Gichard had been engaged to watch the inquest for Edith and he asked the witness if he was prepared to say that the prisoner had jumped or had fallen into the lake. Marsden told the inquest that he was not prepared to swear that, so Mr Gichard then asked another question. He asked him ‘would you say that her actions in throwing the children into the lake were deliberate or impulsive’ but once again Marsden replied that he was not prepared to state either way. Dr Lodge, who was the family doctor was the next witness. He said that he had visited Edith at the workhouse after the ordeal, but at the time she had still been in a coma.
Although his patient had since recovered, he confirmed the fact that she had been ill ever since the birth of baby John. He said that he had prescribed medication for her health for the last four or five months. The jury considered for just a few moments before returning a verdict that Emily Thornton was guilty. The coroner then announced that the prisoner would be sent for trial to the Leeds Assizes. Her solicitor asked for bail, but the coroner thought that she would continue to be cared for better at Leeds Gaol ‘where she would have every care and attention’.
Mr. Gichard then asked for a certificate under the Poor Persons Defence Act stating that the prisoner’s husband, Private Thornton, was now back serving with the colours and therefore it would be difficult for him to make arrangements for his wife’s defence. The certificate was granted. The trial of Edith Thornton was held at the Leeds Assizes in July 1916. A reporter stated that the prisoner appeared to feel her position keenly, and she was obviously under a lot of stress. Thankfully once again the prisoner had her husband and her mother in the Court room to support her during her terrible ordeal. When asked how she pleaded Edith told the judge that she pleaded guilty.
One of the staff at Leeds Gaol, a Doctor Exley had the opportunity to observe her during her stay and he felt that she remained in a condition of being suicidal and depressed. It was his recommendation that she was never to be left on her own and that consequently a constant watch had been made on her during her stay at Leeds. The Judge after listening to the medical officer’s advice said that to send her back to her life in Rotherham with the two children would be inadvisable right now. He felt that she had suffered enough following the death of their youngest child, but nevertheless justice had to be done.
In sentencing her to just two months imprisonment, he felt that in prison she would hopefully receive the psychiatric help she so clearly needed. However there was little chance that Edith Thornton would have the kind of specialised help she would be offered today. I have often wondered what happened to her after finishing her term of imprisonment. Did she return back to Rotherham and take care of her two remaining children supported by her husband and her mother? I would like to think she did.