Drowned in Huntsman's Dock - Emma Nettleton Attercliffe Sheffield November 1878
I came across this report purely by chance in The London Times of all papers. Dated Monday 2nd December 1878 it refers to the inquest that took place in Sheffield into the death of Emma Nettleton who was found drowned in the canal
But a far fuller report appeared in the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent dated Saturday 30th November 1878
If it was a stark fact that the deceased was starved and severely ill-treated then why return a verdict of suicide. From the evidence of witnesses and the admissions of her father Emma was severely beaten quite regularly. She was also starved of food and sustenance to a marked degree. For the jury to state that there was not sufficient evidence to show what Emma's state of mind was at the time of her death is preposterous. She had been driven to this act purely and simply by the callous actions of her father William and stepmother Martha but the verdict makes no mention of this.
From reading the report in the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent I believe that the reason why Emma was so severely treated is due to the fact that she was on piece-work at the cigar factory and she did not earn the money her parents thought she should earn. The information states that Emma was an idle girl and not suited to the work she was employed to undertake. She was just not a competent cigar-maker and as such her earnings would suffer greatly. As Emma was contributing very little to the household it is entirely possible that her parents only gave her the bare minimum as sustenance - just enough to get to work and look after the younger children. In fact the indications that Emma was having fits points to malnutrition developing. The fact that "she was in good health before going into business" tends to reinforce my assertion that it was her lack of earnings that was the cause of her despair and her wish to take her own life.
And for Emma this was obviously an on-going problem that was not going to resolve itself and so she undertook an action that she had been threatening to do for sometime - drown herself
There is a burial record for Emma
NETTLETON, Emma (Dr of Wm Nettleton, age 16). Died at Found drowned; Buried on November 28, 1878 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 4064, Section C of Attercliffe Cemetery Cemetery, Sheffield. Plot Owner: of . Page No Philip J
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Notes
Emma's baptism record 1862
1871 UK Census
Sources
Sheffield and Rotherham Independent 7th and 10th March 1855
Sheffield Indexers
UK Census
This page was last updated on 27/09/23 07:31