Threshing machine William Turner 1838 of Dymock (Inquests)

by ChrisW , Thursday, April 10, 2008, 13:51 (5859 days ago) @ ChrisW

February: FATAL ACCIDENT. An inquest was held at the Gloucester Infirmary on Thursday last, before Mr Rd. Coley, coroner, on the body of a labouring man named WILLIAM TURNER. The deceased, on the 4th of January, was working a threshing machine for Mr ROBERT PASSEY, of Dymock, when the roller caught hold of his glove and dragged his arm into the drum of the machine, where it was smashed in the most horrible manner. The unfortunate man was removed to the Infirmary, where amputation was performed, but the injury was too great for remedy by that means, and after lingering till Saturday last he died. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental Death, with a deodand of one shilling on the machine. [Glos. Infirmary Records, Glos. Ref Lib 17547; aged 30.]

Deodand From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The English common law of deodands traces back to the 11th century and has been applied, on and off, until Parliament finally abolished it in 1846. [1] Under this law, a chattel (i.e. some personal property, such as a horse or a hay stack) was considered a deodand whenever a coroner's jury decided that it had caused the death of a human being. [2]. In theory, deodands were forfeit to the crown, which was supposed to sell the chattel and then apply the profits to some pious use. [3]. (The term deodand derives from the Latin phrase "deo dandum" which means "to be given to God." In reality, the juries who decided that a particular animal or object was a deodand also appraised its value and the owners were expected to pay a fine equal to the value of the deodand. If the owner could not pay the deodand, his township was held responsible. [2].

Record_ID: 79855
Entry Number: 657
Year: 1838
Month: Feb
Day: 15
Surname: TURNER
Forenames: William
Place of Residence: Gloucester Infirmary
Age at death: 31
Officiating Minister: P Blencowe
Event: Burial
Cause of death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register Reference: P125 IN 1/15
Page No: 83
Parish_Chapel: Dymock
Soundex: T656