It all started when a young man of 32 years decided to kill himself. His name was John Hodgkinson and he had lived at home with his mother, sister and four brothers in Parkhead, Sheffield. He had moved back to his mother’s house since leaving his post as coachman to a Mrs Shore of Meersbrook, around February 1835. It had come to his mistresses attention that he had been paying his attentions to her lady’s maid, a young woman called Ann Clarke. As Mrs Shore was reluctant to lose the services of her lady’s maid, John had been asked to leave. He was sorry to lose his position, but his mistress’s decision was implacable, as she would not allow any of her servants to have male ‘followers.’
However John was a personable young man and he soon got another job, working as a coachman for Mr William Bradley. He employed him to drive his stagecoach, the Royal Union which ran from Sheffield to York every day. John loved the job and was quite content until he had a shooting accident, where he injured his thumb shooting birds out of a window. The injury simply would not heal and what made it worse, it prevented him from controlling the stagecoach horses properly, so Mr Bradley had reluctantly to let John go. As a result he had now lost two positions and was out of work again which left him most depressed. His family could not help but notice as the depression gradually took hold, but what they did not know was that John had decided to do away with himself.
He also made up his mind that he intended to give his watch to his former love, the lady’s maid Ann Clarke, to remember him by. Consequently John wrote her a letter, enclosing it in a box with the watch wrapped in moss to protect the workings. In the letter he spoke about his intention to kill himself due to the fact that he was unable to work any more. John explained to Ann that he was taking this drastic step as he did not wish to be a burden on his family. He then asked his mother to deliver the parcel at the collection office in Sheffield, although he did not tell her of the contents. This tragic young man then left the family home at Parkhead the next day around 4 pm on Saturday 20 November 1835, and taking his gun with him, went to Ecclesall Wood where he shot himself.
Sadly his body was found by his brother Samuel the next morning, who had gone into the woods to relieve himself. He was aware that his brother had not been home the previous night, nevertheless he was horrified when he found the body. A constable was called and the Sheffield Coroner Mr Thomas Badger was informed of the death. Meanwhile the family had noticed that John’s watch was missing and a search had been made for it. When they could not find it, only then was the link between the missing watch and the parcel his mother had delivered were connected. An inquest was arranged on the body of John Hodgkinson to take place at the Wheatsheaf Inn at Parkhead the following Tuesday.
The first witness to give evidence was the sister to the deceased man Ann Hodgkinson, who told Mr Badger that the last time she had seen her brother was at home at Parkhead after dinner the previous Saturday. She said that he had been very despondent since injuring his thumb in the shooting accident, which had happened a few weeks before. The witness said that around 4 pm her mother had gone into Sheffield and after she had gone, she noticed that her brother who was reading a book, was very despondent and quiet. When Ann asked him what was the matter, John told her that his thumb was hurting and he was beginning to think that it would never get better.
The coroner asked her if she had thought that her brother seemed like his normal self? She told him that she knew that John had been in low spirits for some time which had concerned her, but not to the extent that she thought that he intended to do something about it. Curiously, Mr Badger then asked her if she knew anything about her brothers watch or a letter which had been sent by him, which she quickly denied. Then there was a most strange occurrence when another brother of the deceased man came into the inquest room to give his evidence. Samuel Hodgkinson’s behaviour was reported to be openly contemptuous towards the inquest and the coroner. When he was shown a copy of the statement he had previously made about his brothers death, he threw it from him saying ‘I know nought about it.’
Mr Badger carefully warned the witness ‘I will not tolerate such conduct, which shows a complete disrespect towards myself and the jury’ and warned him to conduct himself with more decorum. Samuel was then also asked about John’s watch and a missing letter that his brother had written, to which he replied again that he ‘knew nought about it.’ At that point Mr Badger called a constable and ordered the witness to be confined in another room ‘until he came to his senses.’ Then the mother of the deceased man appeared to give her evidence, and told the coroner that her name was Deborah Hodgkinson. She too had last seen her son the previous Saturday afternoon and although she had known for some time that John had been disturbed in his mind, he had simply blamed it on the accident to his thumb.
The witness said that she had suspected that there was more to his depression of spirits, but although she had tried to talk to John about it, he would not admit it. Deborah said that her son had complained for sometime of an ‘uneasiness in his mind’ but then she too made a most curious statement. When in turn, she was asked about the missing watch or letter, the woman told the inquest that ‘I am insane; my memory is bad and I am not fit to be asked such questions.’ The witness was then asked by Mr Badger if she was aware that her son had possessed a gun and Deborah admitted that she had known that. A gun was produced and shown to her, but she said that she could not confirm or deny that it was her son’s gun.
By now it was becoming obvious that Mr Badger was getting very irritated at the lack of co-operation from the victim’s family members and she too was abruptly dismissed. The coroner then ordered that Samuel Hodgkinson should now be brought back into the inquest room. It was reported that the witness had sent a message to the coroner to the effect that he was ready to answer any questions that might be put to him. Samuel seemed to be a little bit more in control of himself, but it was reported that ‘nevertheless he still exhibited the greatest indifference and apparent contempt of the jury’. In fact throughout the questioning, he kept cracking open some nuts which had been placed on the table in front of him. Finally the Coroner demanded that he desist.
Only then did the witness made the following statement:
‘I saw my brother on Friday night at home, about a quarter before eleven. I left him standing on the hearth and he seemed much as usual. Sometime he was solid and at other times full of jesting, but that night he never spoke at all. I left home at five on the Saturday morning and was at work before six at Mr Spencers in Pea Croft. I worked until four o’clock. I then went to meet my mother at the Ball in Campo Lane. My mother and me returned home about eight o’clock. I went into the wood on Sunday morning at eleven o’clock to ease myself, I did not expect to find my brother.
I found him about three hundred yards down the wood, by the gate side. He was laid on his back, his hat was by his side and his gun lay across his legs. The butt end was off him and the muzzle lay in a slanting direction upwards. This was about twelve o’clock. Samuel Smith the constable and others assisted me to remove the body to the Wheatsheaf Inn at Parkhead. The gun found by him, I know to be his. He has been lately depressed. I do not think any one would injure him. I never saw any letter he wrote, nor never heard of one.’
Another brother of the deceased man called Thomas Hodgkinson then gave his his evidence. However he added nothing to the enquiry, beyond simply stating that he had not noticed anything strange about John on the Friday and they had both slept together that night. The next witness was a gardener at the house of John Hodgkinson’s previous employer Mrs Shore and he gave his name as William Waters. He told Mr Badger that on Saturday 20 November 1835, he had been given information that a small parcel was waiting to be collected at Meersbrook post office. The parcel was addressed to Ann Clark, the lady’s maid at the house and he had been instructed to collect it. Accordingly William told the inquest that he had delivered the parcel to Miss Clark and she opened it in his presence.
Inside was a letter and a watch which she told him had come from John Hodgkinson. William then said that later that afternoon, he was back at work when he was told that John’s other brother Joseph Hodgkinson had arrived at his employers house. He had asked to see Ann Clarke, and Mrs Shore knowing that her former coachman had been found dead in distressing circumstances, gave her permission. Consequently Joseph Hodgkinson and Ann Clarke were allowed to have a private meeting. The witness then told the inquest the reason for the visit, and offered some clue as to the mystery which had surrounded the inquest, and the suspicious behaviour of some of the witnesses.
William Waters said that Joseph Hodgkinson was taking his leave of Ann Clarke, when he heard him say to her ‘I want my brother’s watch back.’ The witness said that he had told Mrs Shore about Joseph Hodgkinson’s request, but she would not let Miss Clarke hand over the watch and the letter to John’s brother. Instead she had asked William to take them to his family at their home. Then William Waters dropped a bombshell. He stated categorically that he had delivered the watch, the letter and the box it came in, to the deceased man’s sister Ann at the home she had shared with her mother and brothers. What’s more, he added that the whole family had been in the room at the time and were well aware of it. He also related how on the journey to the house, he had met with Joseph Hodgkinson and shown the parcel and the letter to him.
Mr Badger explained to the jury that Joseph was due to attend the inquest, but had sent a message saying that he had been delayed. Nevertheless the coroner was clearly annoyed as he ordered that the deceased man’s mother, sister and two brothers were to be brought back into the inquest room, Once more the witness repeated his claim that he had handed over the letter and the watch to the family, however they still persisted in not knowing anything about them. It was noted that even when confronted with William’s evidence, the family did not look at all abashed at being caught out in their lies. They simply stared at the witness, William Waters with perfect composure as he repeated his damning evidence. Mr Badger could barely hide his disgust as he ordered them all to be taken into custody, threatening them all with perjury. Accordingly they were removed from the inquest room.
The coroner was obviously losing patience as then told the jury that the only option to get to the crux of the matter was to interview the one witness who had not been able to attend the inquest. He was the fourth brother called William Hodgkinson, who had been bedridden through sickness. Mr Badger and the jury then made arrangements to travel to the home of the man they hoped would reveal this obnoxious family’s greed. At first William too denied having seen the letter, but when the coroner explained William Waters statement and the importance of speaking the truth, he readily admitted it. The sick man stated that on the Monday night the watch had been delivered by William Waters and after he had gone, the letter had been read out in the presence of all the family. They all agreed to say that they knew nothing about it, before William finally gave the reasons why.
William Hodgkinson said that the family were aware that the outcome of the inquest on his brother would lead to a verdict of felo de se. This was an archaic custom which applied to persons who took their own life. In the eyes of the law at that time, the crime was seen as one of ‘self murder.’ As punishment the deceased would be buried late at night, without any mourners in attendance or any prayers being said or hymns being sung. The crucial part however for this grasping family was that with such a verdict, all the dead man’s possessions would then be returned back to them. The sad part about this case was that the only wealth that John Hodgkinson had to give, was a few pounds in savings and the watch which he wanted his former love to have to remember him by!
William Hodgkinson said that he had been urged to lie by his family, because it was the only way to ‘get him [John] into the churchyard and secure his property.’ Mr Badger thanked William for his honesty, before he and the jury returned back to the inquest room at the Wheatsheaf Inn. Now it was time to deal with the grasping relatives. Mr Badger and a deputation of jurymen went to the room in which the four members of the Hodgkinson family, Deborah the mother, Ann his sister and two brothers had been confined in the custody of two constables. There they tried to convince them that they were aware that the watch had been handed over to them. However they all persisted in the lie that they had not seen it or knew anything about it. Finally when confronted with William Hodgkinson confession, Deborah exclaimed that her son was lying!
Finally the last brother Joseph Hodgkinson arrived at the inquest, after being delayed. Only when he was sworn in, was a light finally shone onto the whole mystifying matter. Joseph said that he was the elder brother to the deceased man, and that he had indeed met William Waters on the road from Banner Cross. He had shown him the letter and the parcel containing the watch, but the witness had asked Waters to deliver them to his mother as he would be away for some time. Then Joseph actually produced the missing letter from his pocket and it was given to Mr Badger before being shown to the jury. Joseph said that he had found the letter lying on the floor of his mother’s bedroom on the Sunday afternoon, after his brothers body had been discovered in the woods.
The letter, which John Hodgkinson had sent to Ann Clarke, was then returned back to the witness to read out. In a clear voice Joseph read out his brothers last words which were addressed to Ann Clarke, who he called ‘my dear friend.’ In the letter John had written:
‘I am sorry that I have not always fulfilled my promises but as you know, I have always promised that I would leave you my watch. I hope you will accept of it, as it is the last token of my respect for you. I know my poor mother will be very much distressed when she hears of my untimely end, and all my brothers and my sister too, even my poor brother William who is very ill. I am afraid that it will be more than he can bear, but I feel so unhappy that my life is quite a burden to me. I have not had one moment of happiness since I left Meersbrook, and I feel forsaken of all my friends. What is worst of all at the same time, is the loss of strength of my right hand. I should have liked once more to have seen you, before I had gone to return no more. So farewell for ever, my most dear friend. Poor unhappy John Hodgkinson is no more.’
Joseph Hodgkinson then condemned his grasping relatives even further when he stated that the family knew that as well as the watch, his deceased brother had a small amount of money in a Savings Bank account, which they hoped also to have handed over to them. Finally the surgeon Mr James Walker stood to give his evidence. He told the inquest that he had completed the post mortem on the deceased man and he listed all the wounds which the gun-shot to the chest had inflicted. He said that never in his whole experience had he seen such injuries, which in his judgement had led to the man’s instant death. From the injuries he had deduced that the barrel of the gun had been held closely to his chest, as the waistcoat and shirt showed signs of being singed and nearly burnt.
The surgeon concluded that in his opinion, the disease to the man’s thumb might have affected his mind enough to produce a temporary insanity, which led him to commit the act which had taken his life. Mr Badger began his summing up as he told the jury that there was no doubt that the dead man had killed himself, therefore the only question that the jury had to consider was as to the state of his mind at the time. He also asked them to consider whether some of the witnesses who had committed perjury should also be prosecuted. The jury deliberated for a while before returning back into the inquest room. They had little option but to return a verdict on John Hodgkinson of felo de se. However they asked that the relatives ‘whether acting from stupidity or ignorance in their desire for their relatives property’ should be severely reprimanded by the coroner.
Mrs Hodgkinson, her daughter Ann and her two sons Samuel and Thomas were then brought into the room and were duly castigated by Mr Badger. However it was reported that ‘the reprimand seemed to have little effect on them as they left the inquest room with anything but humility or contrition.’ Mr Badger then concluded the inquest. According to the rules of felo de se the body of John Hodgkinson was ordered to be interred between the hours of nine and twelve the same evening. The interment took place in the Ecclesall Church yard according to the custom.
There had been much condemnation at the time of this archaic burial ritual, which was despised by most of the population. After the death of John Hodgkinson, Sheffield newspaper editors criticised local juries and coroners for still bringing in felo de se as a verdict. The deceased man it seems, unlike the rest of his family, had previously held a good standing in the community and perhaps the conclusion of this case should be left in the description of an unnamed reporter from the Sheffield Iris. In his report dated 1 December 1835 he concluded:
‘The deceased was a well made and good looking man, indeed the whole family in that respect, were rather superior. When Hodgkinson was found in the wood, he had a small bundle by his side containing books. These were “Doddridges Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul” and a tract entitled “Today” with two hymns “The Final Sentence and Misery of the Wicked” and “Now is the Accepted Time.”’
The fact that the deceased man had such elevated books with him as he chose to kill himself, illustrates how far removed John Hodgkinson had been from the rest of his most grasping family.