The Poisoning of a Sheffield Chemist - Sheffield January 1927
When I first saw this headline in the newspaper it seemed as though it was straight out of an Agatha Christie novel - " The Mysterious Affair of the Sheffield Chemist." But it turned out to be something wholly unexpected. I should point out that the father and son shared the same name and profession - John Douglas Dale and Druggist/Chemist/Optician. Both had shops, the father at 21 Commonside and the son at 101 Ecclesall Road South. The shop at Commonside is now an off-licence The Dram Shop and the shop at Eccesall Road South is still a chemist. It is situated just a few doors up from the Prince of Wales public house that features in the events leading up to the poisoning of the chemist.
1891 Census
1901 Census
1911 Census
The 1921 Census has this entry for John and his wife Marie
Name John Douglas Dale
Gender Male Marital Status Married
Age 28 Years 7 Months
Relation to Head Head Estimated Birth Year 1892 Birth Place Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Residence Date 1921 Residence Street Address 87 A Sydney Road Residence Place Ecclesall, Yorkshire (West Riding), England
Occupation Pharmacist Occupation Code 770/5 Employer Pharmacist Employer Code 627
Place of Work John Dale Steel Bank Pharmacist
Ward Crookesmoor Parliamentary Division Sheffield Pb, Hallam Div.Registration district Ecclesall Bierlow
Registration District Number 509 Sub registration district Ecclesall West Central Sub Registration District Number 2
Respondent Mr J D Dale Enumeration District Name Sheffield Cb Enumeration District 12 Schedule 96
Schedule Type Code E
Household Members (Name) Age Relationship
John Douglas Dale 28 Years 7 Months Head
Marie Florence Dale 24 Years 5 Months Wife
The following is the first report I saw in the Gloucester Journal dated 15th January 1927 and refers to the poisoning that occurred two days earlier on Thursday 13th January 1927. It was a "mysterious affair."
Gloucester Journal dated 15th January 1927
The local press - the Sheffield Daily Telegraph carried a far more detailed account of the events and referred to incident as an "inexplicable tragedy." It also gave a summary of the family and its circumstances at the time of the death which showed no areas of concern. John Douglas Dale had a "happy and successful life."
Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 14th January 1927
Sadly this "happy and successful life" was an illusion. The inquest that was held on the 17th January 1927 was dominated by evidence of excessive drinking and domestic unhappiness,
Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 18th January 1927
The inquest refutes totally the picture painted in the first reports of John's death. John was a chronic alcoholic and had been for a few years. His wife had been unhappy with his excessive drinking and this had lead to frequent rows. And from the narrative it seems as though this had worsened since the birth of their daughter. The actual poisoning was suicidal and not an accident - John may have took it on impulse but it was a deliberate action. It was also a very painful way to die but to do it in front of his wife was cruel and heartless.
John Dale's Probate Record
The family are buried in Sheffield's Crookes Cemetery
DALE, Clarice (Spinster, age 30). Died at 91 Sydney Road; Buried on February 24, 1921 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 458, Section AA of Crookes Cemetery, Sheffield. Plot Owner: ~ ~ of ~. Page No 104
DALE, Florence (Wife of John, age 63). Died at 91 Sydney Road; Buried on March 24, 1928 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 458, Section AA of Crookes Cemetery, Sheffield. Plot Owner: ~ of ~. Page No 182
DALE, John (Cremated Remains, age 88). Died at 9 Slayleigh Avenue; Buried on May 21, 1949 in Consecrated ground; cremated. Grave Number 458, Section AA of Crookes Cemetery, Sheffield.
DALE, John Douglas (Chemist, age 34). Died at 101 Ecclesall Road South; Buried on January 18, 1927 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 458, Section AA of Crookes Cemetery, Sheffield.
Sources
Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 14th January 1927
Gloucester Journal dated 15th January 1927
Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 18th January 1927
Sheffield Indexers
Ancestry - UK Census
This page was last updated on 18/11/24 14:57