Jane Frearson

Jane Frearson had lived at the Bell Inn in Derby for some five months, employed as a kitchen maid by Mrs Wightman. She had returned to the area after spending time in Sheffield, again as a domestic servant, having previously lived with her parents at Normanton.

Tuesday 19th January 1830, and at the Bell Inn a most gruesome discovery was made. A newborn female infant had been discovered among the detritus in the privy at the public house. At the inquest, also held at the Bell Inn, medical opinion suggested the child had been alive at birth, there was no outward appearance of any injuries and nothing to suspect internal injuries. The child had probably died shortly after birth. The inquest decided Frearson should face charges and was given bail awaiting her appearance in court.

The case came to court on Wednesday 28th April 1830, where she faced a charge of concealing the birth of her infant bastard child. The court decided to acquit her, and Frearson walked free. It later transpired that Frearson had been seduced by a member of the family while working in Sheffield at the home of what was considered a respectable family. Finding herself with child, she returned to Derby, securing the job at the Bell Inn. Here she attempted to hide her pregnancy, but in the later stages it was clear to all and when the infant was discovered in the privy there was no doubting who the mother was. Frearson claimed the child had been alive at birth but died shortly after, medics could not determine whether the child would have lived had she sought medical help.

Whether Jane Frearson would have faced more serious charges today is uncertain. Contemporary reports do not touch on her mental state, nor go into any details as to how she became pregnant, the reaction of her employers in Sheffield, or why she left their employ.

French Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘Chinese’ and now look at ‘French’ – albeit many of these will have little association with our neighbours across the English Channel.

French dressing is first seen in 1860 and, as with most of these, the meaning is really ‘foreign’ (try replacing ‘French’ with ‘foreign’ for some of the following, mildly amusing).

French toast has been known since the 1630s.But just what is French toast? As a youngster we always referred to French toast as bread only toasted one side (grill or using a toasting fork) with the untoasted side then buttered. Latterly it is bread dipped in a egg and milk mixture and fried (also known as eggy bread, Bombay toast, gypsy toast, or best of all Poor Knights of Windsor), which I would argue isn't even toast.

French letter has been used since 1856 – and when I say ‘used’, I am referring to the phrase, of course.

French kiss is first seen in 1749 when it appears in the phrase ‘French novel’. Note in the late 19th and early 20th centuries a ‘French kiss’ was a kiss on each cheek.

French doors (or French windows) were first described as such in 1847.

French leave, that is to depart without informing the host, is first seen in 1771 – while the French use filer a ‘l’anglaise meaning ‘to take English leave’.

French fries appears for the first time in 1903, these originally referred to as ‘French fried potatoes’ in 1856. Furthermore, in 1944 the term ‘French frieds’ was used, although it did not catch on, unlike simply ‘fries’ which dates from 1973.

French stick might be a little dated today, we tend to use ‘baguette’, although the French use ‘unsandwich’ to describe the same thing - correctly it isn't a sandwich but a roll of bread stuffed with a filling, while a sandwich is 'sandwiched' between two slices of bread.

French maids are stereotypically wearing that black and white uniform from the 19th century, although the term did not become popular in Britain until the advent of the bedroom farce.

French beans are first described as such in the middle of the 19th century, although these were introduced to Europe and Africa by the Spanish and Portuguese.

French poodles were first bred in Germany in the 15th century for duck hunting. They are known as ‘French’ because the poodle was first identified as a distinct breed in France.

French braid is first used in the 1871 issue of Arthur’s Home Magazine, although the hairstyle was certainly known 3,500 years ago in Greece and Egypt.

French cleaner was an early term for dry cleaning, an error around 1850 by Jean Baptiste Jolly.

French knickers were first worn and known as such in the 1920s.

Injustice?

On Wednesday 20th January inquest before J T Bagley, coroner, on the body of a female infant found in the privy of the Bell Inn, Derby. Both medical men interviewed, Mr Harwood and Mr Jones, were of the opinion the child had been alive when deposited there, certainly they thought it had been born alive. But witnesses said the infant had been stillborn and the jury were in agreement that the infant had been put there to conceal the birth. Jane Frearson, the mother, had lived at the Bell Inn for five months working as a kitchen maid; previously with a highly respectable family in Sheffield, and before going to Mrs Wightman’s was living with parents at Normanton. She was held awaiting trial at the next borough sessions – where she was acquitted through a lack of evidence to show the child had been born alive.