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Saturday 19 May 1934 – Open verdict on Thomas Byrd found drowned at Aldington Lock

Category Hatches, Matches and Dispatches » Deaths
Publication
Evesham Standard & West Midland Observer
Transcription of article

EVESHAM OPEN VERDICT, ALDINGTON MAN FOUND DROWNED – Possibilities of fall into water

The District Coroner (Mr H Basil Harrison) returned a verdict of “Found drowned” at an Evesham inquest on Tuesday night on Thomas Byrd, aged 54, of 100 Commercial Road, Southampton, and formerly of Aldington, whose body was recovered from a lock at Aldington Mill on Sunday morning.  Mr H J H Saunders represented deceased’s two sisters.

Mr Albert William Barrett of West End Farm, Sedgeberrow, gave evidence of identification, saying deceased was his brother-in-law.  He had not seen him for some years.  His brother-in-law was of independent means, and so far as witness knew there was no reason whatever why he should want to take his life.

Miriel Joan Knight of 23 Synehurst, Badsey, said that on Sunday morning she was walking towards Aldington Mill.  On arriving at the Mill she passed over the lock bridge and looking down noticed a body in the water close to the lock gate.  Witness immediately telephoned for the police.

Mr Harry Webb of the Avon Hotel, High Street, Evesham, said he knew Mrs Byrd who had resided at his home.  Deceased arrived at the hotel on March 26th and was intending to return to Southampton two days after his body was found.  To witness, Mr Byrd appeared quite normal.  Since deceased’s death, witness had enquired as to his financial state and discovered that he had a substantial sum of money to his credit.  On one occasion Mr Byrd returned to the Hotel in a drunken condition, but apart from that, he did not seem to be in any trouble, or depressed at all.

PC Haines of Badsey said he went to the lock at Aldington at 10.50 am on Sunday and found deceased’s body lying on the bank near a mill pond.  It had been removed from the water by men who passed near by.  A watch in Byrd’s waistcoat pocket had stopped at 10.55 and it was obvious that it could not have stopped that morning.  With the exception of his hat, which was found five yards from the lock gate, and in which were deceased’s spectacles, his body was fully clothed.  A small bridge, three feet wide, ran along the top of the lock gates.

“It would be possible for anyone to fall into the lock,” said witness, “because there is only a small wall and railings two feet high surrounding it.”

Fell Over Railings?

The Coroner:  “Could a person fall over the railings?”

“Oh, yes.  If a person stumbled against the railings, it would be possible for him to fall into the water.”

“Say he had had a few drinks and stumbled against the railings?”

“Yes, it would be possible.”

Then in answer to a further question by the Coroner, witness said there was no lighting system near the lock, though it was a public footpath.  Questioned by Mr Saunders, witness said he had bseen deceased a little the worse for drink, and unsteady on his feet.

The Coroner said, in his summing up, that it was one of those cases where there was no evidence as to the actual manner in which death was caused.  There were two point to look at.  The question that deceased might have had a little more drink than was good for him, and might have been unsteady and gone over the side.  Then there was the other point that his hat and spectacles were placed there.

“I think it is possible that he may have put his hat down, taken his spectacles off, and lain down,” added the Coroner.  “Possibly he fell asleep, and on waking up suddenly, wondered where he was, and had fallen over the lock side.  But there is no evidence of any sort about that.  The only evidence that points to the suicide question is that his hat and spectacles were found placed in a certain place.  On the other hand it appears from the evidence that there was no reason for him to take his life.  I cannot bring in a verdict of ’Accidental Death’, and I shall return an open verdict that he was found drowned in Aldington Lock,” concluded the Coroner.

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In a separate section of the paper there was a report of Thomas Byrd’s funeral:

BADSEY, FUNERAL

The funeral of Mr Thomas Byrd (The circumstances of whose death are reported on page 7) took place at Badsey on Thursday afternoon when a short service in the Parish Church preceded the interment at the local cemetery.  Canon W C Allsebrook (Vicar) officiated and at the church service read Psalm 39.  The mourners were:  Mrs A W Barrett and Mrs Bomford (sisters), Mr A W Barrett and Mr W Bomford (brother-in-law), Mr Bomford (nephew) and several other friends.  The bearers, all friends of deceased, were Messrs G Knight, W Sparrow, J Hartwell and E Evans.

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Many other newspapers reported Thomas Byrd’s, including The Gloucestershire Echo of Monday 14th May 1934, just a day after the drowning.

EVESHAM TRAGEDY – Finding of Spectacles leads to Discovery

The discovery of a pair of spectacles and a hat on the footpath near Aldington Mill Pond, Evesham, yesterday morning, led to the finding in the pond of the body of Thomas Byrd, aged 57, married, formerly a well-known market gardener at Aldington.

Mr Byrd had been away from the Evesham district for some years.  Before returning to stay at an hotel in the town seven weeks ago, he had been residing at Southampton.  He owned property at Aldington.  His father, the late Mr T Byrd, was a prominent Liberal and for many years a magistrate for the county.