Death in Treeton Meadows Sheffield December 1938
DROWNED IN FLOODED MEADOWS
MAN WAS LOOKING FOR HIS POULTRY
From the Sheffield Telegraph and Daily Independent - February 1939
There are a couple of things that puzzle me. Everyone agrees that CHARLES WELLS died on or around 13th December when he did not return home but his body was not found until two and a half months later. "He was found laying face downwards in the mud near to some bushes" I find it incredible that a body can lay undiscovered for that period of time without it being found. He was on the banks of the River Rother in a fairly populated area but the search did not find him, and it appears that there were no follow-ups, dredging etc.
And the Inquest does seem rather perfunctory relying heavily on the opinions of Mr Arthur Hoyland that Charles had fallen into the flooded river whilst looking for his poultry. It seems rather strange as poultry are known to be averse to swimming in any stretch of water. He could just as easily have had a heart attack and fallen into the river, in which case the verdict would have been "death by natural causes" and not accidental death. And as a side-note he and his family had lived in the area for over thirty years - see 1911 census. Surely Charles would be fully aware of the dangers a flooded river can have
And the secondly the person who found Charles' body, Benjamin Harvey, was out shooting in the meadows with his dog. If anyone nowadays went in Treeton Meadows shooting they would in all probability end up the victim of a police tactical support unit!
Notes
Deaths Mar 1939 Wells Charles 61 Rother Valley. vol 9c page 900
1911 Census
Sources
From the Sheffield Telegraph and Daily Independent - February 1939
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