Esther Dyson

The question of mental capacity comes into question in the case of Esther Dyson. Murder of a child in Victorian times was not regarded as any less despicable than today, but this 24-year-old woman may have been treated rather differently today.

In 1830 Esther was accused of murdering her illegitimate daughter. Bad enough? Maybe worse when you hear she attempted to sever her newborn child’s head with a knife before attempting to hide the body by throwing it in a dam. Appalled? Read on.

Esther was acquitted on the grounds of insanity – although the ‘insanity’ was probably due to her being deaf and dumb since birth. Feeling more lenient? There’s more.

Contemporary newspaper reports claimed her disabilities were rather exaggerated, describing her as ‘shrewd’ and ‘an intelligent woman’ who well ‘knew right from wrong’. In a crowded court at Leeds in March 1831 was asked how she pleaded but failed to respond – so the members of the jury were asked to determine whether the prisoner stood mute ‘by malice or by thr visitation of God’. The jury blamed the Almighty.

One called to give evidence, Mrs Ann Briggs, had known the prisoner of almost ten years and stated she doubted whether Esther had any idea of what was happening in the courts. But Mrs Briggs admitted Esther certainly knew the difference between right and wrong.

The judge, reluctant to try Esther, instructed the jury to decide whether she was insane, in which case she would be detained at His Majesty’s pleasure. This is what happened and the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum in Wakefield became her home from 24 November 1831 until her death on 2 March 1869 at the age of 62.

It is recorded that she was regularly employed as a housemaid, and showed no symptoms of insanity during her more than three decades at Wakefield.

Was she insane? Should she hang? What do you think?

Stone Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘wood’ and now look at ‘stone’.

Stone fruit is first seen in the 1520s.

Stone’s throw is first seen in writing in 1580, although at the same time stone’s cast was as common, with the same meaning.

Nobody lived in the Stone Age when it was the Stone Age (ie when stone tools were employed), indeed they had to wait until 1864; and the phrase had not been used to describe something outdated until 1927.

Killing two birds with one stone is recorded by 1540.

Describing someone has having a heart of stone is seen in print by the late 14th century.

Stone deaf is recorded in the 1590s

Also in the 1590s is stone cold, and stone cold sober is from 1937.

Stone blind is recorded in the late 14th century, although it has fallen out of use today.

Stone dead, as in ‘lifeless’ rather than actually dead, is first seen around 1300.

Rosetta stone, as used to describe the key to unlock something, is first seen in 1902. The stone itself, now controversially in the British Museum, is a misnomer. This is a European rendition of Rashid, a place named because it was founded by Caliph Harun ar-Rashid around 800AD.

Soapstone has been known as such since 1680.

Stonemasons will have been among the earliest of truly skilled and highly valued workers. But the term did not exist until as recently as 1760. Prior to that they were stone-cutters from 1530, hard-hewers from the 15th century, and in Saxon times stone-wrights or stanwyrhta.

Stonehenge is first recorded as such in the early 12th century, prior to that it was known by many names including Giant’s Dance.

Nobody had a tombstone until 1560, and headstone and gravestone are first used in 1771.

Nobody worked hard by putting their nose to the grindstone until 1828, prior to that the phrase was used to treat another harshly (especially when making them toil) and seen from around 1530.

Milestones were first described as such in 1746.

Cobblestones have been used for paving since the late 14th century; prior to that the same term described the stone in a cherry.

Criminal?

Esther Dyson was in court in York on 31st March 1831 for cutting off her child's head and throwing the body behind a dam to conceal the evidence. She had been deaf and dumb since birth and it was claimed she was insane. At the trial the judge asked the jury to consider one point, was her apparent inability to comprehend what was happening real or not? Was this a good act, or was this God's will? They decided it was the latter and she was acquitted, Yet later a Mrs Ann Briggs came forward and claimed she was more than capable of understanding, she had known her for eight or nine years, and should not have been acquitted. Esther was sent to West Riding Lunatic Asylum in Wakefield where she is reported to have performed tasks associated with a housemaid without trouble until her death on 2nd March 1869 at the age of 62.

Train Accident

On Saturday 3rd January 1885, 62 year-old blacksmith Francis Clay left home at 6:30am as he did most days. As a blacksmith he would tour the local farms to perform required tasks on site. He travelled on foot, always using a stick, and carried his tools with him to earn the money to support his wife, Emma, and their seven children - aged 17 right down to the youngest babe in arms. The next they heard was an hour later when a knock at the door told them Francis Clay was dead.

Hademore Crossing has only been provided with a bridge to cross the tracks in the 21st century, prior to that a level crossing sufficed for more than a century. At about 7am that morning the two signalmen, having manually set the gates to allow the train to pass, were conversing as the 6:20 from Stafford to Rugby passed them at about 45mph. As it did so they heard a thump and went to investigate and soon after a policeman was summoned.

At the inquest the three men revealed the gruesome evidence they uncovered that morning. The bloodied post at one side of the gate led them to the discovery of a body. The flesh had been removed from one hand, clothing thrown up and over the head. When they removed the blood-soaked clothing to identify the individual the discovered part of the face and head missing, with blood and brains smothered all over the top of the post. The remainder of the head was found on the other side of the gate lying on the road. Suspecting the identity of the man they continued to search along the line and, 60 yards away, they found the toolbox which confirmed his identity.

By the time of the inquest his wife had removed much of the evidence from the post at the side of the track. It seems Francis had attempted to cross after the gates were closed. This was not unusual, the signalman would often allow foot passengers across when the train was not in sight. On this morning they had not seen him, although there was plenty of light despite the early hour.

A verdict of death by misadventure was recorded.