The Trivett Darwent Murder- Sheffield 1927
Like so many articles on this site I came across this particular tragedy purely by chance. I was in fact researching another murder that occurred at the same time in Sheffield when I saw a report in the local newspaper
The Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 1st August 1927
The house where the tragedy occurred was demolished many years ago, but Hollis Croft still exists today. The "Crofts" area of Sheffield were notorious at the turn of the twentieth century for its deplorable living conditions and social deprivation, and so I was rather surprised to note that gas had been laid to these slums
Hollis Croft Sheffield
The actual crime was straightforward. The father HENRY WOODHAM had murdered his five year old son TRIVETT DARWENT by slashing his throat, and then gassed himself. I was puzzled that the father had a different surname to his son but the BMD registers state that his mother had the surname DARWENT
Year of Registration 1922
Quarter of Registration Apr-May-Jun
Registration District Sheffield Registration County Yorkshire
Mother's maiden name Darwent
Volume Number 9C Volume Page 1053
As Henry had been married to his wife since 1895
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1895 Staniforth Martha Sheffield 9c 767 Woodham Henry Ernest
who is mentioned in the report, the only conclusion you can draw, is that HENRY had an adulterous relationship with a woman with a surname DARWENT, and the result was the birth in 1922 of TRIVETT. There is also mention of a death to an adopted daughter in the report but I cannot find a record of that death. I should add that HENRY WOODHAM was no stranger to infant deaths. In Sheffield's Burngreave Cemetery, there is a grave Grave Number 31, Section A that contains SIX of his children who died in childhood, the eldest being just eight years old. There is another grave nearby that contains another child of HENRY's, making a total of SEVEN, there could well be more. (see notes for full details).
The 1911 Census records that HENRY and MARTHA had been married 15 years, had 7 children, 5 had died and only 2 were living
1911 Census Record
Name Henry Ernest Woodham
Relationship to Head of Household Head
Condition Married Gender Male
Age 38 Estimated Year of Birth 1873
Occupation Scissor Filer
Employed Yes Working at Home Yes
Industry M Mather Shoreham St
Place of Birth Sheffield Yorkshire
Nationality British
Enumerator Information Address Court 1 Hse 1 Hollis Croft Sheffield Parish
Sheffield Town Hollis Croft Sheffield
Type of Building Flats Number of Rooms 2 Rooms Inhabited Yes
Reference RG14PN27873 RG78PN1595 RD510 SD2 ED6 SN121
Administrative County Yorkshire (West Riding) Registration District Sheffield
Registration Sub District North Sheffield Enumeration District 6
Reference Information Folio 245 Page 1 Piece 27873 RD number 510 SD number 2 ED number 6 Schedule 121
It is interesting to note that they were still living in this "2 room flat" 16 years later when the tragedy occurred
Two days later The Manchester Guardian reported on the inquest that was held by the Coroner for Sheffield. And there was a surprise in store
The police surgeon was quite clear. Trivett Darwent did not die from wounds to his throat but from gas poisoning. The wounds to the throat accelerated the process, but it was not the actual cause of death. From the report it appears that HENRY must have gone berserk. The only reason given at the inquest was that he had a fierce row with his wife and daughter REBECCA earlier that night. No-one will know for sure why HENRY murdered TRIVETT in such a hideous fashion. Coal or Town Gas as it is known is both highly combustible and poisonous with a high carbon monoxide content. The death would not have been a pleasant one for TRIVETT
HENRY and his son TRIVETT were buried together in Sheffield's Burngreave Cemetery on Saturday 6th August 1927
DARWENT, Trevitt Ernest (Son of, age 5). Died at 1/1 Hollis Croft; Buried on
August 6, 1927 in General ground;
Grave Number 4, Section Q of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.
Parent or Next of Kin if Available: . Remarks: Officiating Minister, F M
Halstead: Removed from Sheffield Parish.
WOODHAM, Henry Ernest (~, age 54). Died at 1/1 Hollis Croft; Buried on August 6,
1927 in General ground;
Grave Number 4, Section Q of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.
Parent or Next of Kin if Available: . Remarks: Officiating Minister, F M
Halstead: Removed from Sheffield Parish
This was the same day as another murder victim but that is another story altogether!
Notes
WOODHAM, Ellen (dau of Henry, age 23 months). Died at Union Hospital; Buried
on September 10, 1917 in General ground;
Grave Number 31, Section A of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.
Parent or Next of Kin if Available: . Remarks: Attending Minister, C G Holt:
Removed from Sheffield Parish.
WOODHAM, Emily (dau of H.E. Woodham, age 7). Died at 40ct Solly Street; Buried
on May 16, 1908 in General ground;
Grave Number 31, Section A of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.
Parent or Next of Kin if Available: . Remarks: Officiating Minister, E.
Barraclough.
WOODHAM, Ernest (Son of Henry Ernest Woodham, age 4). Died at 1 Ct 1 Hse Hollis
Croft; Buried on September 18, 1918 in General ground;
Grave Number 31, Section A of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.
Parent or Next of Kin if Available: . Remarks: Attending Minister, R Brotherton:
Removed from Sheffield Parish.
WOODHAM, Joseph (son of H E Woodham, age 4).
Died at 1/1 Hollis Croft; Buried on July 14, 1916 in General ground;Grave Number
31, Section A of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.
Parent or Next of Kin if Available: . Remarks: Officiating Minister F E Watts,
Removed from Sheffield Parish.
WOODHAM, Minnie (Daughter of H E Woodham, age 8).
Died at 1-1 Hollis Croft; Buried on August 23, 1913 in General ground; Grave
Number 31, Section A of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.
Parent or Next of Kin if Available: . Remarks: Officiating Minister, C G Holt :
Removed from Sheffield.
WOODHAMS, Amy (dau of H E Woodhams, age 11 months). Died at 40/2 Solly St;
Buried on March 14, 1908 in General ground;
Grave Number 31, Section A of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.
Parent or Next of Kin if Available: . Remarks: Officiating Minister, C G Holt.
WOODHAM, Annie (daur of H.E. Woodham, age 15 months).
Died at 78 Birley Street; Buried on April 26, 1900 in General ground; Grave
Number 44, Section A of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.
Parent or Next of Kin if Available: . Remarks: 7358 Officiating Minister, C.G.
Holt.
1901 Census Record
Personal Information
Name Henry Ernest Woodham
Relation to Head of Family Head
Age Last Birthday 27 Sex Male
Profession or Occupation Steel Peraps Cutler
Condition as to Marriage Married
Where Born Yorkshire Sheffield
Address 2 Ct 11 Gilpin St
Civil Parish Nether Hallam
Rural District Town or Village or Hamlet Sheffield
Ecclesiastical Parish St Philip Parliamentary Borough or Division Hallam
County Borough, Municipal Borough or Urban District Sheffield Administrative
County Sheffield Ward of Municipal Borough or Urban District Nether Hallam
Reference Information Folio 93 Page 19 Piece 4341
Death Record
Name Trevitt E Darwent
Year of Registration 1927
Quarter of Registration Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration District Sheffield Registration County Yorkshire
Age at Death: 5
Volume Number 9C Volume Page 374
Sources
The Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 1st August 1927
The Manchester Guardian dated 3rd August 1927
UK Census
Free BMD
Sheffield Indexers
This page was last updated on 29/11/12 11:23