THE WRETCHED MURDER OF RUTH SAMPSON - SHEFFIELD 1881
In Sheffield's General Cemetery, there is a record of a burial of a six month old baby called RUTH SAMPSON
burial no: 22830
grave no: F 145
death date: 03 Jan 1881
burial date: 06 Jan 1881
name: Ruth Sampson
sex: female
age: 6 months
cause of death:
description: Daughter of Charles H. Sampson, Forger
birthplace:
residence: 4 Court, Cumberland Street
parents:
informant:
minister: Thomas S. King
burial type: unconsecrated
She was the daughter of CHARLES SAMPSON, a forger, who lived at 4 Court, Cumberland Street which has disappeared many years ago although the street name still exists - it is in the Moorfoot area of Sheffield
This photograph was taken in 1939 and shows the junction of Porter Street and Cumberland Street.
The cause of death was left off the burial record but RUTH was murdered by her father in a manner that beggars belief. The The Illustrated Police News etc (London, England), Saturday, January 15, 1881; Issue 883.gives the following report
The Illustrated Police News etc (London, England), Saturday,
January 15, 1881; Issue 883.
The Illustrated Police News were incorrect when they stated the murder had occurred last Monday which would have been the 10th. It did in facct take place a week earlier on Monday 3rd January. The Leeds Mercury dated Saturday 8th January 1881 gave the following report
On the 12th January 1881 the same newspaper carried a brief report of the inquest
The trial was held at Leeds Assizes (Leeds Town Hall) and was covered in detail by the Leeds Mercury dated 5th February. The trial judge was MR JUSTICE MANISTRY
MR JUSTICE MANISTRY's order that he be detained in prison during Her Majesty's pleasure is not quite correct. He was not sent to prison but instead he was sent to "Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum". The 1881 Census taken a couple of months later shows him as an inmate there.
Charles Henry SAMPSON Birth Year 1852
Birthplace Sheffield, York, England
Age 29
Occupation File Forger
Marital Status Married Relation Inmate
Source Information:
Institution "Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum"
Census Place Sandhurst, Berkshire, England
Family History Library Film 1341320 Public Records Office Reference RG11 Piece /
Folio 1320 / 100 Page Number 17.
The same census also has an entry for his family who were still living in the same house where Ruth was so cruelly and viciously murdered
Household:
Name Relation Marital Status Gender Age Birthplace Occupation Disability
Mary SAMPSON Head M Female 30 Sheffield, York, England File Dresser
George W. SAMPSON Son Male 11 Sheffield, York, England Scholar
Mary J. SAMPSON Daughter Female 7 Sheffield, York, England Scholar
Thomas SAMPSON Son Male 5 Sheffield, York, England Scholar
Sarah H. SAMPSON Daughter Female 3 Sheffield, York, England
Joseph HAWKWORTH Lodger M Male 19 Sheffield, York, England File Forger
Source Information:
Dwelling 4 Ct Cumberland St House 4
Census Place Ecclesall Bierlow, York, England
Family History Library Film 1342119 Public Records Office Reference RG11 Piece /
Folio 4635 / 91 Page Number 25
Ten years on in 1891, Mary had moved to 2 Rockingham Street
Name Mary Sampson
Age 40
Estimated Year of Birth 1851
Relationship to Head of Household Housekeeper
Occupation House Keeper
Address 2, Rockingham Street District Sheffield, West Sheffield
Parish Sheffield Administrative County Yorkshire (West Riding) Birth Place Park
Birth County Yorkshire.
South Street, Moor, at junction with Rockingham Street, 1895-1915
Housekeeper is I think in this respect a bit of an euphemism.
Mary was "keeping house" but also living with her were her four children - George, Mary Thomas and Sarah. Whilst the head of the house WILLIAM STRETTON was single Mary was down as a widow, and so if this is correct her husband must have died in the interim. I can find no record of his death.
But this census is the last time Mary and her son William would appear in a census. The burial records for Sheffield's City Road Cemetery show the following entries
Godbehere, George .Wiliam . Sampson (Razor Setter, age 23).
Died at 14ct Rockingham St; Buried on November 11, 1893 in Consecrated ground;
Grave Number 8694, Section T of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield.
Sampson, Mary (Alias Stretton) (Marr or Widow, age 46).
Died at Rockingham St; Buried on April 21, 1897 in Consecrated ground; Grave
Number 8694, Section T of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield.
Sampson, Thomas (Child, age 2mo).
Died at 9 Rockingham St; Buried on August 30, 1898 in Consecrated ground; Grave
Number 8694, Section T of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield.
Stretton, William. Samuel (Table Knife Hafter, age 39).
Died at Dipensary; Buried on May 18, 1895 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number
8694, Section T of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield.
The burial records hedges with regards to Mary's marital status but the interesting entry is that of her son GEORGE WILLIAM - "Godbehere, Geo.Will. Sampson". GODBEHERE was Mary's maiden name as shown by the entry of Mary's marriage in 1873, the event that was a prelude to this tragedy
Marriages Jun 1873
Godbehere Mary Sheffield 9c 621 Sampson Charles Henry Sheffield 9c 621
The entry in the registers for GEORGE WILLIAM's death in 1893 - Deaths Dec 1893 Godbehere George William S 23 Sheffield 9c 280 is revealing in that George has adopted his mother's maiden name. He must have tried to distance himself from the terrible actions of his father.
Sources
The Illustrated Police News etc (London, England), Saturday, January 15, 1881; Issue 883.
The Leeds Mercury dated 5th - 8th - 12th January 1881 - 5th February 1881
Sheffield Indexers
UK Census
This page was last updated on 15/05/12 10:06