Lewis, Agnes 1915 September 3Fonthill Giffard
Rector’s Daughter’s Mysterious Fall
An inquest was held by the City Coroner (Mr S Buchanan Smith) at the Infirmary on Saturday afternoon, concerning the death of Miss Agnes Mary Lewis, daughter of the Rector of Fonthill Gifford, who died as the result of a fall from her bicycle at Wylye on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr E J Case was elected foreman of the jury.
The Rev W H Lewis, Rector of Fonthill Gifford, stated that his daughter was 45 years old, and was a single woman. For the last five or six months she had been working at the Red Cross Hospital at Tisbury, and to his knowledge had also enjoyed excellent health. He was told that on Wednesday afternoon she was cycling from Wylye towards Fonthill with a friend, and he was informed that she had met with an accident while coming down Wylye Hill. At the time he was away in Gloucestershire , but on the following (Thursday) morning he received a telegram stating that she been taken to Salisbury Infirmary, and he arrived there at about 5pm. He found his daughter lying unconscious, and remained with her, and was present when she died on Friday afternoon at about 5.30. His daughter had cycled for years and was a careful cyclist.
Miss Louisa Ellen Mathews, daughter of Mr Edwin Mathews, a retired sheep farmer of Brackley Combe, Weybridge, stated that she had been staying at Fonthill Gifford Rectory. On the previous Wednesday she went for a cycle ride with Miss Lewis to the top of Wylye Hill, and when the accident happened they were returning home. At the top of the hill she noticed nothing wrong with Miss Lewis but she said that she was not going to go down the hill fast as she was feeling cold. Witness went on fairly fast, and when half-way down on looking back saw that Miss Lewis had hardly started. Just afterwards witness heard a bicycle rattle which was followed by a thud. She stopped as soon as she could and went back and found Miss Lewis in a heap by the edge of the road. She was bleeding from the nose and ears, and was moaning. She was unconscious. A man who was at the bottom of the hill went for assistance, and later she was taken to the Infirmary. There was nothing at all on the road, and it was very open. It was rather bumpy, but not bad enough to throw anyone off.
Dr T A Black, house surgeon at the Infirmary, said that when Miss Lewis was admitted to the institution on Wednesday she was unconscious and was suffering from a fracture of the base of the skull. There was a contusion at the back of the head on the left side, and there were also minor cuts and bruises on the face and arms. She died on Friday at 5.30pm, not having gained consciousness. Death in his opinion was due to the fracture of the base of the skull. He could tell that she fell on the back of the head, and the injuries were consistent with her having fallen from a bicycle.
The Coroner, addressing the jury, said there was no doubt Miss Lewis met with an accident, but how the accident happened he could not say. As far as one could see both brakes were in perfect order.
A juryman : The roads are very rough now.
PS Cutler produced the bicycle and it was seen that it was in good order.
A verdict of “Accidental death” was returned.
Wiltshire Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 