Drowned George Smith 1837 of Flaxley (Inquests)

by ChrisW , Thursday, April 10, 2008, 09:26 (6065 days ago) @ ChrisW

August: MELANCHOLY CIRCUMSTANCE. On the evening of Monday week last, a lad named GEORGE SMITH, jun. aged about twelve years, son of Mr GEORGE SMITH, farmer, of Flaxley, left school at Newnham, and with some other boys of about his own age went to bathe in the river Severn, and was unfortunately drowned. His companions were so much alarmed that they ran away without giving any information of the melancholy occurrence, which only became known from the poor boy's clothes being accidentally discovered on the river bank. The body was not recovered till the following Thursday, when it was found floating on the water. An inquest was subsequently taken before John Cooke, Esq. Coroner, and a verdict of Accidental Death returned.

A still more melancholy aspect is given to this distressing event, from the circumstance as we understand, that when Mr Smith, the father, went with the intention of announcing the recovery of the body to the ill-fated lad's grandfather, Mr R. SMITH, farmer, of Taynton, he found that the latter gentleman had just died suddenly, having been in apparent good health but a very short time previously. Both cases too clearly proving to old and young that 'in the midst of`life we are in death.'

Record_ID: 17355
Entry Number: 54
Year: 1837
Month: Aug
Day: 13
Surname: SMITH
Forenames: George
Place of Residence: Westbury [on Severn] (Grove Farm)
Age at death: 12
Officiating Minister: Charles Crawley
Event: Burial
Cause of death: (Drowned
Memoranda: By Coroners Order No. 1
Notes:
Register Reference: P145 in 1/17
Page No: 7
Parish_Chapel: Flaxley
Soundex: S530

Record_ID: 43679
Entry Number: 179
Year: 1837
Month: Aug
Day: 14
Surname: SMITH
Forenames: Robert
Place of Residence: Taynton
Age at death: 68 years
Officiating Minister: Hardwicke Shute Curate
Event: Burial
Cause of death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register Reference: P326 IN 1/9
Page No: 23
Parish_Chapel: Taynton
Soundex: S530