Suicide
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Driven to suicide my brutal parents
Sarah Adshead 1877-1892
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Sarah Adshead was born on the 23rd July 1877, at Collyhurst, Manchester in the County of Lancashire, into a poor working class family, both her parents being drunken brutes. Her father William was a carter, born in Manchester, in about 1852, he married Eliza Fallon an Irish woman who was born in Dublin in 1851. They were married at Manchester in 1873.
A son James was born in February 1874, Sarah was next in 1877, nine years' later on the 16th June 1886, a son William was born, and lastly Ellen in 1890. By the age of 14, Sarah, who would receive beating from her parents and older brother, would do all the housework and be mother to her younger brother and sister. Her reward was a punch and a kick from her father. |
The Illustrated Police News 6th August 1892:
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It all come to an abrupt end on Friday evening, the 22nd July 1892, at seven o'clock, the day before her fifteen birthday, Sarah who was bleeding from a wound on her forehead, had met a friend, she told her, that it was caused by her father, throwing a cup at her. He had also, she said, kicked her. Sarah asked her friend to walk with to her grandmother's. As they were crossing the canal bridge at Collyhurst near Manchester, Sarah suddenly crying out “Good-bye all,” sprang over the parapet and very quickly disappeared.
Her mother had said, after hearing the news of her daughter's death. “If she has drowned herself it serves her right, there will be one the less to keep.”
An inquest was held before the Deputy City Coroner Mr. S. Smelt on Monday the 25th July 1892, on the body of Sarah Adshead, aged 14, who lived at 182 Cheltenham Street, Collyhurst near Manchester in the County of Lancashire.
Her dead body had been found in the Rochdale Canal, at Miles Platting, on Friday the 22nd July 1892, at seven o'clock in the evening.
Mr. and Mrs. Adshead denied that they had ill-treated the girl. The father had said, when he got home the tea was not ready, and all he did was to tap the girl three times on the arm.
The Coroner told him he did not believe a word of it. The jury returned a verdict of “Suicide by drowning herself while insane owing to the brutality of her parents.”
The Coroner suggested that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children should take the case up. In which they did.
William and Eliza Adshead, Parents of Sarah, appeared at Manchester City Police Court on Wednesday the 4th of August 1892, in answer to summonses taken out by Mr. Ashley, on behalf of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, charging them with having been guilty of cruelty to their daughter Sarah Adshead, aged fourteen. Both were discharged through lack of evidence.
Her mother had said, after hearing the news of her daughter's death. “If she has drowned herself it serves her right, there will be one the less to keep.”
An inquest was held before the Deputy City Coroner Mr. S. Smelt on Monday the 25th July 1892, on the body of Sarah Adshead, aged 14, who lived at 182 Cheltenham Street, Collyhurst near Manchester in the County of Lancashire.
Her dead body had been found in the Rochdale Canal, at Miles Platting, on Friday the 22nd July 1892, at seven o'clock in the evening.
Mr. and Mrs. Adshead denied that they had ill-treated the girl. The father had said, when he got home the tea was not ready, and all he did was to tap the girl three times on the arm.
The Coroner told him he did not believe a word of it. The jury returned a verdict of “Suicide by drowning herself while insane owing to the brutality of her parents.”
The Coroner suggested that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children should take the case up. In which they did.
William and Eliza Adshead, Parents of Sarah, appeared at Manchester City Police Court on Wednesday the 4th of August 1892, in answer to summonses taken out by Mr. Ashley, on behalf of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, charging them with having been guilty of cruelty to their daughter Sarah Adshead, aged fourteen. Both were discharged through lack of evidence.