A Boy called Georgina - Norton Woodseats Sheffield 1929
In the BMD Registers there are entries for the following child
Births Jun 1929 - Shaw Georgeina Shipston Ecclesall B. 9c 649
Deaths Jun 1929 - Shaw Georgeina 0 Ecclesall B. 9c 436
She was the child of
Surname First name (s) Spouse District Vol Page
Marriages Jun 1915 Shaw George married Letitia Shipstone Willesden Volume 3a
Page 563
Georgeina had a short life but nothing could be as pointless and tragic as "her" death
The Manchester Guardian dated 9th May 1929 carries a report of the Inquest into Georgeina's death
The Sheffield Daily Independent dated 9th May 1929 also carried a report of the inquest
This is a cutting from the Northern Daily Mail dated 9th May 1929
As far as I'm aware no criminal proceedings were initiated against the parents. The Coroner and the Jury were clearly incensed at the conduct of the father - his behaviour was deemed to be callous and disgraceful. There was ample evidence to indicate that George Shaw was "under the influence of drink" that Saturday evening, and his actions or rather the lack of them clearly point to neglect. But I doubt whether he would have been successfully prosecuted for his reprehensible conduct that night - George Shaw did absolutely nothing apart from calling his son Georgeina. And it is very difficult to prosecute someone when they have done nothing!
When the Coroner called the case an "unsavoury one" he was in my opinion understating it. Grotesque would have been a better description!
And as for the little baby. The excellent Sheffield Indexers site has the following burial record
"SHAW, Georgina (Daughter of George, age 7 1/2 hours). - Died at 288 Derbyshire Lane; Buried on May 9, 1929 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 3030, Section D of Abbey Lane Cemetery, Sheffield.
The grave is also the last resting place of another 19 persons,
Sources
The Manchester Guardian dated 9th May 1929
Northern Daily Mail dated 9th May 1929
The Sheffield Daily Independent dated 9th May 1929
Sources
This page was last updated on 11/10/16 17:54