In 2005 I sent for the death certificate of who I thought was my 4th great grandfather, Jeremiah Owen(s) but it wasn't clear that it was the right one - the certificate said that he had died after an accident and that an inquest had been held but I hadn't been able to find evidence to back that up. Checking up recently on Findmypast, I found the following from the Shrewsbury Chronicle of 22 Nov 1862 - it's his granddaughter's evidence that clinches it:
Fatal accident: On Saturday last,
an inquest was held at the Bear Hotel, before Dr. Slyman, coroner, and a
respectable jury, to inquire into the cause of the death of Jeremiah Owen, an
old man, residing in the Pool Road, who had met with his death under
circumstances which will be gathered from the following evidence.
Mr. W Baird said: I am
Chief-constable of the county of Montgomery. Deceased had been in my employ for
seventeen years. He was in his ninety-first year, and latterly he has been
rather more frail than usual. No man could be more honest and straight forward
than he was. On Sunday he was in his usual good health. I saw him on the street
on Tuesday morning, but did not speak to him.
Harriet Jones said: the deceased
was my grandfather. He lodged with my mother. He rose on Tuesday morning about
eleven or twelve o’clock and had his breakfast as usual. He dressed himself to
go to a funeral at the New Inn about one o’clock on that day. When he returned home
about five o’clock he said he had had a very foul fall, and cut his eye-brow,
and Mr. Hall had sewn it up. He went to bed without complaining much. Next day,
he did not rise. His eye was much swollen, and he was very ill. Mr. Hall saw
him on Wednesday morning. Finding he was not the club doctor, my mother sent
for Mr. Owen, who is the club doctor. On
Thursday night he was very restless. I was up with him every night. He died on
Friday afternoon at four o’clock.
John Evans said: I am one of the
stewards of the Newtown Friendly United Society. The late Jeremiah Owen was a
member of that society. He had been a member about thirty-five years. A rule of
the club is to invite twenty-two members of the club, with two stewards, to
attend the funerals of deceased members. Jeremiah Owen was one who was selected
to attend the funeral of the late Richard Davies to the parish church of
Llanllwchaiarn. I attended the funeral. The members started from the new Inn.
They were all orderly and soberly. The allowance of drink is a pint for each
man and deceased did not have more than a pint. I cannot say he was not the
worse for liquor. I should say he was not drunk. He did not go further than the
pump, next to the National Schools, near Severn side wall. There were several
slides there, and they were dangerous. As I was appointing four to carry the
coffin, the deceased fell just opposite the pump. He fell on one of the slides,
in the middle of the road, which had been made by children. I and another
steward assisted him up, and took him to Mr. Hall’s surgery. Mr. Hall dressed
the wound which he had received in his fall. The wound was on the left eye, and
he had a cut upon his cheek. I left the deceased at Mr. Hall’s surgery and did
not see him afterwards.
Mr. Hall said: I am a surgeon
residing in Newtown. I saw the deceased on the day of the accident at my
surgery. I should think it was about four o’clock in the afternoon. He had a
lacerated wound above the left eye, dividing the soft parts quite to the bone,
of about two inches in extent. There was a slight bruise also upon the left
cheek. I dressed the wound, and after having asked him whether he was capable
of walking home, he left my surgery with that intention. I saw him next on
Wednesday morning about ten o’clock when he appeared abut as well as I could
expect. I directed his daughter to send for Mr. Jones, who was the medical
officer of the district in which he resided. I saw him again on Thursday night,
at the request of Mr. Baird, when he appeared feeble and rather drowsy, but he
knew me, and answered my questions correctly. I did not give him any medicine,
because I was informed that he had taken some from Mr. Owen. He appeared quite
sober when he came to my surgery. I don’t think he had suffered much from loss
of blood occasioned by the wound. My opinion is that he died from the combined
effects of congestion of the brain and exhaustion, consequent upon injury to
the head.
Mr. J. Owen said: I am engaged to
attend the sick members of the Newtown Friendly United Society. I have attended
the members about three years last July. I don’t know whether my name appears
or not in the list of the Medical registers.
The Coroner then said he could
not therefore receive any medical evidence from Mr. Owen. The Coroner then
called Mr. Evans, the steward of the club, and told him that a recent Act of
Parliament required that all medical practitioners should have their names
registered on an authorised medical list. Mr. Owen, by practising, not having
complied with this, rendered himself liable to a penalty; but the effect upon
those who employed unregistered medical practitioners was, that no fees could
be legally claimed from them by these practitioners. It was much to be
regretted that a public body did not employ properly authorised medical men,
and that they did not offer to pay them a sum which was worthy of their
receiving; the labourer was worthy of his hire, and the contemptible small sums
which were offered to medical men by these clubs was disgraceful. He then
addressed the jury, and in referring to the cause of the death of the deceased,
said, there was no doubt was traceable to the fall upon the slides. Those
slides were made in the middle of the road by boys, who indulged in this
dangerous and mischievous practice with impunity, and which he was sorry to say
they were encouraged by their parents. He hoped an example might be made of
some of them as that might have the effect of preventing its repetition. Mr.
Hall had seen the deceased at first, immediately after the accident, and it
would have been better in his opinion if Mr. Hall had continued his attendance;
as it was the poor man seemed to have had both too little and too much medical
advice. He was sorry that he was obliged to speak of Mr. Owen’s interference in
the way he had, but it was his duty to do so, and he was anxious to take every
public opportunity of protesting against the interference of unauthorised
medical practitioners.
A verdict of ‘Accidental death’
was then returned.
