Found Dead infant Dinah Murrall 1837 of Westbury (Inquests)

by ChrisW , Monday, April 07, 2008, 00:17 (6083 days ago) @ ChrisW

Dec 16. INQUESTS. The following inquests have been held during the present week before John Cooke, Esq. Coroner: At Westbury, in the Union Workhouse, on the body of an illegitimate infant, named DINAH MURRALL. The circumstances were somewhat singular, and at a time when the most absurd and false statements respecting paupers are circulated with so much mischievous industry, it may be as well to detail the particulars of this inquiry with more minuteness than would otherwise be necessary. The mother, also named DINAH MURRALL, was admitted into the workhouse some time ago, on the allegation of her parents that they were unable to support her, and from her being a complete idiot, she was totally unable to provide for her own subsistence; but nothing was said as to her being in a state of pregnancy, which was not suspected by the Matron or others till the time of her delivery, when she gave birth to a female child. Such was the imbecility of her mind that she had not the smallest idea of the duties of a mother, and another female pauper was put to sleep in a bed alongside her's, to teach her when to give the child suck and otherwise to attend to it. A third female also slept in the same room, and things thus proceeded till the infant was five weeks old, when one of the females above alluded to observed the idiot make a motion as if of distress, and it was ascertained that the child was dead, but from what cause, unless the mother had accidentally lain upon it, could not be discovered. There were no marks of violence upon the body. The mother was brought before the coroner and jury, but nothing could be gathered from the unconscious creature, and a general impression of disgust was created against the person who could take advantage of such a wretched being. The inquiry was very minute, both by the coroner and by the Board of Guardians, which had assembled the same day, and we are most happy in being enabled to state that nothing could exceed the humane attention which has been bestowed upon the poor woman ever since she has been an inmate of the workhouse, and more particularly since and at the time of her accouchement. The father of the infant is not known. The jury returned a verdict that the deceased was Found Dead

Cannot find a burial for the infant.
This is the mother:

Record_ID: 46009
Entry Number: 915
Year: 1839
Month: Dec
Day: 12
Surname: MURRELL
Forenames: Dinah
Place of Residence: Westbury
Age at death: 28
Officiating Minister: T M Wetherell Curate
Event: Burial
Cause of death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register Reference: P354 IN 1/8
Page No: 115
Parish_Chapel: Westbury on Severn
Soundex: M640