Gloucestershire Chronicle, 11th April 1846 – Child murder and attempted suicide at Syeford, near Andoversford:
The neighbourhood of Andoversford became on Saturday last the scene of a most distressing domestic tragedy, resulting in the murder of an infant child, named Mary Newman, by her mother, a married woman, who also attempted her own life, and well-nigh succeeded in rushing into the presence of her Maker, in a state of the most fearful guilt. The circumstances of the case have awakened the deepest interest and commiseration in the neighbourhood, chiefly because they were attended with peculiarities which are happily of rare occurrence. An inquest was held at the Andoversford Inn, on Tuesday, before John Barnett, Esq, coroner, which lasted from about one o’clock p.m. until after twelve. We copy the following details from the Cheltenham Chronicle: –
“A married woman named Mary Ann Marchant, the wife of a labouring man, of Sevenhampton, deposed that she was a near neighbour of Jane Newman, the mother of the deceased, and that she had had known her for about twelve years, about which time she was married to the father of the deceased, John Newman, labourer. Husband and wife, with their five children, including the deceased infant, who was about five months old, resided during the whole of the time mentioned in the same house with is relatives, who consisted of his father, James Newman, and two sisters, Elizbeth and Jane Newman, the latter of whom was an invalid.
On Saturday morning last between eight and nine the mother of the deceased called at the deponent’s cottage, and left three of her children in her care, leaving some barley bread for them at the same time, as also some dripping to put on it; she had her infant in her arms at the time, and told deponent she was going to Dowdeswell. She seemed distracted in manner and declined taking shelter in the deponent’s cottage, though it was raining hard at the time. Deponent saw no more of the deceased nor of the mother until twelve o’clock that day, after both had been taken from Syreford mill pond, and were placed at the Syreford Inn. From what she had heard of the circumstances of the Newman family deponent could not say how they treated the mother of the deceased, but on one occasion, about a fortnight before, she complained that her husband had struck her severely on the head and had caused her to become very deaf. The deponent could not state anything further connected with the enquiry.
“Mr Samuel Dyer, of Syreford Mill, deposed that a little before nine on Saturday morning, he had occasion to go to his mill pond to look at the water, and while there his attention was attracted to what he at first supposed to be something floating on top of the water, about six feet from the bank. At that particular place the water was not more than fifteen inches or so deep, but there was a bottom of mud of considerable depth. In order to observe better what was going forward, Mr Dyer went to an elevated spot from which he had a good view, and he could then clearly perceive a woman standing in the water and mud up to her waist. She was evidently plunging something into the water, and from the fact of some clothes being on the bank close at hand, he concluded that she was trying to drown some human being. She was in an erect position, and was bending forward, keeping her hands and arms under the water. At this time she did not plunge her whole person into the water, but she proceeded in a moment afterwards into a deeper part of the stream, and threw herself forward, stretching her arms out as though she was trying to drown herself. All this occurred in a very few minutes, and the witness, as soon as he fully understood the matter ran for assistance. After some delay in getting a small boat out, a man put off from the bank, and succeeded in fastening a rope to the wretched woman’s arm, when she was drawn out quite insensible. She gave one groan when taken out, but betrayed no other signs of life, being quite motionless from the beginning.
From the bank the witness saw the body of a child lying in the water, just about the place he first observed the woman plunging her arms under the water. When taken out the child was quite dead. Mr Dyer said his impression was, from all he saw, that the women in the first instance was drowning the child and that she afterwards attempted her own life. He immediately despatched a messenger on horseback to Charlton Kings for Mr Carey, surgeon, and he also caused the woman and child to be carried up on the on a hurdle to the Syreford Inn, where effort was made to restore the latter by Mrs Denley the landlady. He picked up on the bank of the pond the outside clothes of a woman and a child. Mr Carey arrived at the inn between eleven and twelve o’clock, and succeeded in restoring animation to the woman, whom deponent knew to be Jane Newman, the mother of the deceased infant Mary Newman.
“Several other witnesses were then examined, including the father of the deceased, his sister Elizabeth, the elder Newman, and the medical man, Mr Carey. After considerable difficulty and a most protracted examination, the coroner succeeded in eliciting from the relatives of the deceased and other of the witnesses certain admissions, which tend in a great degree to account for the state of mind in which the wretched mother was at the time she perpetrated the rash act. Her husband and his relatives throughout the enquiry betrayed the most obdurate determination not to admit a syllable if possible calculated to palliate the offence of the mother or bring to light their own ill-treatment of her.
They admitted however that Jane Newman had been frequently ill-used even to blows by her husband and his sister. On one occasion he beat her with a portion of a flail, and on another struck her twice with his clenched fist on the head. The sister not only frequently quarrelled with and struck her brother’s wife, but also beat and ill-used her children, for the purpose, as she was forced to avow, of driving them from her father’s house to a separate residence.
The poor woman was ultimately made wretched beyond endurance, and she appears to have been meditating the step which ended so fatally for some time before she proceeded to put her intentions into practice. She frequently complained to her neighbours of the miserable life she led in the house with her husband and his relatives, and after her recovery from her almost drowned condition, she begged of those who were about her to do anything with her rather than take her back to the home which she so much dreaded.
Mr Carey in his evidence touching the cause of deceased’s death stated that he had not the slightest hesitation in saying it was caused by drowning, inasmuch as all the symptoms accorded with those usually attendant upon such cases. When the evidence closed the jury after a consultation of considerable length recorded a verdict of “wilful murder” against Jane Newman.
The Jury were so strongly impressed with the cruel treatment the unfortunate woman had of late experienced that they handed in a document referring to the circumstances in extenuation of the offence, and in a very strong recommendation of her case for merciful consideration later. Doubtless the Coroner will use this in such a way as he may deem most advantageous for the forlorn and unhappy prisoner.
With thanks to Dr Martyn Beaufort for the above research.