Newbery, infant 1901 December 27th
The City Coroner (Mr S Buchanan Smith) held an inquiry at the Crown Court, Salisbury, on Friday afternoon, touching the death of the female infant child of Elias and Annie Louisa Newbery, of 43 Rollestone Street.
Mr E G Kimber was chosen foreman of the jury. Two of the jurymen having come in late, before the jury proceeded to view the body the Coroner expressed his displeasure at being kept waiting, besides which, he added, it was a great inconvenience to the other jurymen to be delayed.
The father, in his evidence, stated that he was a labourer. The deceased would have been a month old on Sunday. It was alright when he and his wife retired on Thursday. The child awoke between 4 and 5am on Friday and was fed. About 6.30 he awoke his wife telling her it was time to get up, when she found the baby dead and acquainted witness of the fact, he being in the act of dressing at the time. Witness imediately called his mother and reported the matter to the police. The child was lying on the outside of the bed.
Dr Ellis deposed to being called to see the deceased that morning shortly before nine o’clock. He saw the body. Death had taken place nearly four hours. The child was really lying on the pillow. From his examination he was of the opinion that death was due to convulsions although he could not tell what caused the convulsions without post mortem examination. The body could not possibly have been laid upon in the position he found it. There were no marks on the body, which was fairly well nourished.
The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.
Wiltshire Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 