The Sheffield Churchyard Murder - January 1961

"like Jack the Ripper killings in the east end of London in the 1880's"

St George's Church, Brook Hill, Sheffield - photograph taken March 2010

The Times dated Tuesday 10th January 1961 carried this brief report referring to a murder that took place three days earlier on Saturday 7th January 1961  

This report appeared in The Times on Wednesday 1st February 1961 and refers to the committal proceedings that took place the previous day at Sheffield Magistrates Court  

The final report that appeared in The Times was on Tuesday 28th February 1961. The trial had concluded at the Sheffield Assizes the previous day and George Henry David Sutton was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. This was the mandatory sentence for murder at the time and from the report it seems as though Mr. Justice Thesiger had no qualms about either the verdict or the sentence . 

In January 2021 a distant relative of George Sutton contacted me to ask if I knew anything about George Sutton and his time in Armley Gaol. I referred them to this article and I also di a check on Ancestry

I found this information - the first is George's entry in the 1939 National Register. He is living in Chapel-en-le Frith in Derbyshire as a nine year old schoolboy 

 

The second is a British Army tracer index card. It shows that George joined up on 5th February 1948. He would have been 18 at the time

 

The relative confirmed that the 1939 entry was correct but the 1948 index card was a surprise

Notes

National Archives - Catalogue description Sutton, George Henry David Reference: ASSI 45/488 Description: Sutton, George Henry David
Note: The naming of a defendant within this catalogue does not imply guilt
Date: 1961 Held by: The National Archives, Kew Legal status: Public Record(s) Closure status: Open Document, Open Description

Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Volume Page 
Marriages Sep 1957 
COUSINS Elsie SUTTON Sheffield 2d 422 
SUTTON George H D COUSINS Sheffield 2d 422

Deaths Mar 1961 MELLOR Jean 26 Sheffield 2d 245 

Burial Record - City Road Cemetery, Sheffield.

Brookes, Ellen (Housewife, age 64).
Died at 214 Brunswick Rd; Buried on September 28, 1970 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 4766, Section C4 of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield. Plot Owner: ~ ~ of ~. Page No 346 

Mellor, Jean (Housewife, age 26).Died at St Georges churchyard; Buried on January 14, 1961 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 4766, Section C4 of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield. Plot Owner: ~ ~ of ~. Page No 273 

Thompson, John (Hawker, age 45).Died at 42 Trinity St; Buried on March 5, 1908 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 4766, Section C4 of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield. Plot Owner: ~ ~ of ~. Page No 1949 

Sources

The Times dated 10th January 1961

The Times dated 1st February 1961

The Times dated 28th February 1961 

Free BMD

Sheffield Indexers

U K Census - Ancestry

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This page was last updated on 02/02/21 16:24