The following are 1898 newspaper articles about an Inquest into the death of my Great Grandfather, Luke Crabtree of 5 Ashworth St. Haslingden, Burnley. Luke was survived by wife (My Great Grandmother) Margaret Alice [Rigg] Crabtree and two sons, Raymond Crabtree age 3, and James Crabtree age 6. Luke Crabtree was buried at Christ church, Todmorden, on May 2nd 1898 age 32.

After reading the Inquest, you’ll note there are conflicting reports about Luke’s height,

Luke’s Son, Raymond Crabtree,

one guesses at 5 ft 6’’ the other at 5 ft 10 in. I think the later is closer to the correct height as his son, Raymond Crabtree, was 6 ft 2 in. and a Coldstream Guard (Queen’s guard). There is also a discrepancy in the articles about his age, the correct age was 32.

My best guess is that Luke was leaving his lodging home, after a 2 to 3-day weekend stay. Presumably he had other clothing in a bag or case, and would have some money as he was probably heading for the Walsden train station only 10-minutes walk away and via the pathway alongside the Canal. He was a well-dressed man with decent shoes as they had never been mended. He wore a 3-piece, scotch-tweed wool suit, red and white silk shirt, with red a blue silk handkerchief, & gray woolen socks. Luke was medium build, blue eyes and dark brown hair with ginger mustache. If his facial features were anything like his sons, then he was a pleasant-looking man.

He had been out of work for 10 weeks (according to Margaret, his wife), yet staying regularly at a lodging house for 2-3 days a time. He was making money somehow, most likely through singing at the pubs, as Mr. Sparks (the lodging-house keeper) said “he rather fancied the man would go out singing in the evening” Luke would most likely sing in different towns during different weekends. Luke would have needed money for the train journey home to his wife, Margaret, and two young sons, yet he was found penniless, which could mean the money and his belongings/case fell into the canal and was never found, or he was mugged. 

Luke probably intended to be away from home for 2-3 days, but instead his wife said “he had been gone two weeks”. Luke’s body was found on a Thursday & Mr. Spark’s said he last saw him about 10 days ago. So time wise, it fits that Luke was in Walsden for the weekend. Other weekends he may have been singing in Burnley where he lived. Singing and Piano Playing continued to run in the family. Luke’s son, Raymond that grew to 6ft 2in, played the piano in the pubs, and Raymond’s Nephew, Ernie Kirk, also sang at pubs; something not unusual in those days. Luke was listed as an insurance agent on the 1891 Census, hopefully his wife and children were not left penniless.     Below is a transcribed copy of the Inquest.    OR see the original in PDF form.

The Todmorden Advertiser and Hebden Bridge Newsletter.

Friday, April 29th , 1898

DROWNING CASE AT WALSDEN

UNKNOWN MAN DROWNED IN THE CANAL YESTERDAY.

FULL DESCRIPTION OF DECEASED

   Shortly after ten o’clock yesterday morning the body of an unknown man was discovered in the canal at Walsden, by Mr. Matthew Wadsworth, local foreman over the workpeople in the employ of the Rochdale Canal Co. Information was at once conveyed to P.C. Holbrook who proceeded to the pool nearest Thistle-hall Walsden, where the body had been found. Wadsworth and Holbrook got the body out of the water, and took it to the Railway Hotel, Walsden. To all appearances, deceased had been in the water for about a week, the body being in a decomposed state. Unsuccessful efforts have been made to identify the body, and it is most likely the man was a stranger to this part of the country -- probably he was a tramping weaver. 

  Upon being searched, a penknife with bone scales and small blade (broken), a common clay pipe, with makers name and “Burnley” stamped on, a Vi-Cocoa sample tin, containing twist tobacco, and a piece of lead pencil, were found in his possession.

  Deceased’s age was about 40 years. The hair is dark brown , with ‘ginger’ mustache, Height, about 5ft. 10in. Blue eyes, Build, medium. Tattoo marks; Bracelets on each wrists, anchor on index of left thumb and heart pierced through with an arrow on the left thumb index. He was dressed in a dark gray mixture Scotch tweed suit, with short jacket. He wore a blue and red striped cotton shirt, red flannel singlet, gray woolen socks, red and blue silk handkerchief, and light laced boots, which had never been mended.

  A report has been forwarded to the Coroner, and an inquest will be held.

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 The Halifax Guardian

Saturday, April 30th , 1898

DROWNED AT WALSDEN

UNKNOWN MAN FOUND IN THE CANAL

  Yesterday afternoon Mr. Barstow, J.P., the coroner held an inquest at the Railway Hotel, Walsden, on the body of an unknown man found in the canal near Thistle Hall, Walsden, on Thursday morning, Matthew Wadsworth, of Hollins-road, got the body out of the water, -- Mr. Sparks, lodging house keeper, recognized the body by a number of tattoo marks as that of a soldier who had been in India, and who stayed at his house nine or ten days ago. P.C. Holbrook described the tattoo marks, and the jury returned a verdict of “Found drowned.”

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The Todmorden Advertiser and Hebden Bridge Newsletter.

Friday, May 6, 1898

THE WALSDEN MYSTERY INQUEST

IDENTIFICATION IN THE NICK OF TIME

FANTASTICALLY TATTOOED.

 We mentioned in our last how the dead body of a stranger had been discovered in the canal near Thistle Hall, Walsden.

  The Necessary inquest was on Friday conducted at the Railway Hotel in that district by Mr. Barstow, J.P., the district coroner. Mr. Young Sutcliffe being foreman of the jury. The first witness examined was Mathew Wadsworth, of 150 Hollins-road Walsden. 

With much thanks to Dorothy Hargreaves and Linda Briggs for the Railway Hotel Picture. Owner of the Railway at that time, was Charles William Lord.

He deposed that he was foreman of the canal for repairs, and that on the previous day, he was going along the bank about his work as usual, and when he got below Pinnel Lock he saw something in the water which drew his attention.       

At first he thought it was a dog or something of that sort, but on looking more closely at the object, he began to suspect it was a human being. He threw a bit of stone with the idea of getting a better view and clearing up doubt, but there was no movement except a bubbling of the water. He next borrowed a clothes prop from some people at the back and attaching a piece of string to this, used it in the form of a fishing rod. This caught the body and in that way he was able to drag it to the side. The moment he stirred it he was satisfied that it was a body of some poor fellow.  On getting it to the side, he sent a man for a drag and a short ladder, and communicated with the police.

Pinnel Lock No 26, Walsden, Yorkshire Looking south

   By the Coroner:   Then, how long do you think he had been in the water? -- Well, to the best of my judgment, I think he had been in about nine days.

  Then it was the body of a man. What would be his age? -- I took him to be a man of about 30, though his face was dirty through being in the sludge.

  He appeared to have been in the water how long do you, say? -- Well, I should judge eight or nine days.

  Then what time was it when you found it? -- About 9:25.

  Yesterday? -- Yes.

  In the morning? -- Yes.

  Then you, at once sent for the police? -- Yes.

  The Coroner asked if jurors wished to ask witness anything.

  Mr. Sparks (a juror) said he recognized the deceased and as one who had been at his lodging house several times, the last occasion of the kind being 10 or 14 days before. He was very respectable. He had been several times, and had stopped two or three days at a time, and he (Mr. Sparks) never saw him get any drink. He would be 5ft. 5in. or 5 ft. 6in. in height, and apparently 28 or 30 years of age.

  The Coroner: Did he give any account of himself?

  Mr. Sparks said he did not, adding that he rather fancied the man would go out singing in the evening.

  The Coroner: Are you sure it’s the same?

  Mr. Sparks: Oh, certain; I made a remark about the tattoo marks.

  The Coroner: Then he didn’t even say he had been a soldier or a sailor:

  Mr. Sparks: He had been a soldier. That’s the way he got the tattoo marks; they were put on in India.

  Mr. Stansfield Jackson asked if the man had any friends.

  Mr. Sparks could not say as to that. He was by himself, and wore a sort of pepper and salt cloth suit, and a cap. I saw him several times; he was here about a fortnight ago.

NOTE: a fortnight is two weeks.

  P.C. Holbrook deposed that at a quarter to ten in the forenoon of the previous day he received information to the effect that the body of a man had been found in the canal and on going to the lock near Thistle Hall he saw the previous witness, and the latter drew his attention to the body in the water. With assistance, they got the body out and took it to the Railway Hotel. 

Witness had since made inquiries, but up to that time -- or at least until the moment when Mr. Sparks told what he knew -- he had not been able to find anyone who could give the least clue as to his identity

  Mr. Sparks said he asked the man whether there was any way of getting the tattoo marks out. 

Railway Hotel Across from Station  See Google Map with owners of Railway Hotel history.

Witness said he had always understood they could not be got out.

  Mr. Sparks: He said if there was any such way, he would not get them out, because he had them done in India.

  Witness said that on the left, inside forearm were tattooed representations of two ladies in theatrical costume -- in tights; and both wrists had bracelets tattooed upon them.

  The Coroner: Were his hands tattooed too?

  Witness: No, but between the forefinger and thumb of each hand were: on the left he had an anchor, and between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand he had a heart pierced by an arrow. On the left forearm, inside, were the two ladies in theatrical costume.

  Mr. Sparks: You will find that they’re impressed very much with red, are these figures.

  Witness: On the left side of the forearm he has an anchor rudely done, as if by a novice; on the right forearm he has a shamrock very badly done; but the others were evidently done by an expert.

  Mr. Sparks: Yes; they were very nicely done.

  The Coroner: You think he has been a soldier?

  Mr. Sparks: He has; he told me so himself.

  The Coroner: Are there any injuries?

  Holbrook said there were no marks of violence or injury. The face and hands were covered with mud, as if the body had been stuck fast at the bottom of the canal. A steamer had gone by a short time before the discovery, and that was supposed to have stirred the body up.

  Mr. Stansfield Jackson: Had he nothing in his pocket whatever?

  Witness said that all he had was a Vi-Cocoa sample tin, with a little bit of twiso    [twist tobacco] in; a bit of lead pencil, and a pipe. He could not distinctly see it all, but there were the maker’s name and “Burnley” on it. There had been no identification beyond what Mr. Sparks had just said, and that, or course, gave no clue to the man’s name; it only showed that he had lodged in the district. He (witness), remained about during the dinner hour on the previous day; thinking that some of the weavers who lived at the lodging-house might know the man. He had pressed the lodging-house keepers and neighboring license holders on the jury with the like object; he had thought that these would be most likely to know something about the deceased if he had lived in the district at all.

  Mr. Sparks: I rather fancy he would go to the public-houses singing. He was not in want of anything: he was dressed very respectably.

  The Coroner: He gave no account of himself: no name or where he had come from nor anything of that sort?

  Mr. Sparks: No, nothing of that.

  The Coroner observed that the police report had in that he was apparently about 40 years of age.

  Witness explained that the doctor put his age at that.

  The Coroner said all the jury could do was to return an open verdict --- a verdict that the man was found drowned in the canal near Thistle Hall, that there were no marks of violence or injury on the body, and that there was no evidence to show by what means he became drowned. That was the only verdict they could return.

  Mr. Sparks: It looks to me he must have been somewhere up this way. He might have got a drop of drink that night; but the two or three days I saw him he had none. He might have thought of going home that way, and so got into the water.

  Mr. S. Jackson: You have not made inquiries on Summit Way? There’s a lodging house there.

  P.C. Holbrook: No.

  Mr. Jackson: He might possibly have been up there.

  Witness: I have not an opportunity.

  The Coroner asked who laid out the body.

  Witness said it was done by Susannah Robert’s, assisted by Mary Law.

 Mr. S. Jackson observed that there was a little bit of soreness about this matter, and Mrs. Robert’s wanted him to mention it. The last time there was a serious accident there, a lady being killed, those who acted in this way got very little for their services  The Coroner said that, strictly speaking, he had no power to allow anything for washing bodies: he could only allow for the attendance of the persons concerned as witnesses, and they tried to edge it in in that way if they could.

  The Jury then formally agreed to the verdict suggested by the Coroner, and the proceedings ended.

---

  On Saturday, May 7th, the body was identified, but not before arrangements had been made for its interment by the relieving officer. It turned out that the deceased was named Luke Crabtree, of Burnley, where he had been employed as a gas stoker at the Burnley Gasworks. He leaves a widow and two children, the elder of whom is about seven years old. Deceased’s wife said her husband had been absent from home about, a fortnight. He was better known by the name of “Ludlow.” [or Lodlow]. The orders given by the relieving officer for interment were canceled, and on Saturday night the body was removed by his relatives for interment elsewhere. P.S. Nicholson made a report, in which it was stated that deceased had been out of work about ten weeks, and that his brother-in-law worked for Mr. Ben Lumb and resided in Occupants of Wood Street, Harley-bank. 1901. Current picture of Wood street, currently slated for renovation.

The above is the complete Inquest article. The Inquest article was published on May 6th 1898. Luke Crabtree was buried at Christ Church, Todmorden, May 2nd. 1898, Row 17 Space 36. He was living with his wife Margaret and two sons Raymond 3, and James at 6, at 5 Ashworth St. Burnley.  Church entry Recent (2008) Pictures of Christ Church. 

OBSERVATIONS & interesting thoughts by other readers:

 1)   Spark's lodging house was on Knowlwood Road in Walsden, very close to where it all happened. He had been away from home for 2 weeks, and that ties in with him being at Spark's lodging house 10 to 14 days previous to him being found. He could have been in the water all that time. The comment by Sparks about him "going home that way" may refer to him going home to the lodging house from whichever public house he had been to. He may have decided to walk along the canal tow path rather than the main road.

Many, many hundreds of people have drowned in that canal. Most of them were intoxicated at the time. However, the tow path is only grass and soil, so it doesn't take much to make it muddy and therefore slippery. You also need to remember that if it was dark, the tow path was unlit. I have slipped several times. The water is shallow in between the locks, but is still 4 or 5 feet deep, with a soft muddy bottom - no-one would try to walk across.

He clearly wasn't short of money, so being out of work for 10 weeks wasn't a problem for him. Sparks said "He was not in want of anything", meaning he had sufficient money. If he wanted to earn money from singing in the pubs, he could have done this in Burnley. Have you thought he may have been leading a double life, and could have had another woman in Walsden? Otherwise, if he wanted to visit Todmorden he could have stayed with relatives. Walsden is 4 or 5 miles from Harley Wood. Sparks also said he had been several times before, each visit being about 3 days

Sparks lodging house on Knowlwood Road is long gone. All the old houses on that road are long gone. Sparks was a significant person in Walsden, and his lodging house was well enough known at the time. There is a story about him on the website at

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~todmordenandwalsden/sparks.htm

I would imagine it was Thomas Sparks who was at the inquest. There were a few of them, but he is the most likely. Butcher Hill was the lower part of Knowlwood Road. The name went when the houses went. It is now all Knowlwood Road. When I say lower part, I mean the part nearest Todmorden (furthest north). The Spinners Rest still stands, but is no longer a pub. Hollins Road is a continuation of Knowlwood Road.

2)   Just a couple of comments about your questions on the inquest; "got into" in this context probably means "found himself in" or "happened to be in". The phraseology was a bit different back then. I don't think the suggestion is that he chose to get into the canal. Nor do I think he would try to wade across the canal as there would be several places to cross including lock gates.

I also believe he could have been "going home that way". I would have expected him to turn off Rochdale Road and go up Bacup Road towards Haslingden. Perhaps he fell in the canal before the junction with Bacup Road and his body was dragged by a passing boat(s) further along the canal to where it was found. There is a suggestion a passing boat brought the body to the surface.

http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/040707/health2/index.asp   You probably have heard that the Coca-Cola that has half as much caffeine as Red Bull originally had cocaine in it, and back in Victorian times was advertised as a health tonic. It is quite interesting today to read Victorian magazine ads for food products. One could not, for instance, sell cocoa simply because it tasted good. The ad for Dr. Tibbles’ Vi-Cocoa stressed its refreshing, nourishing properties and quoted a testimonial from a young man who was apparently raised from the dead by means of this beverage. Not to be outdone, Suchard’s Cocoa carried an endorsement from a chemical analyst, “It is superior to other Cocoas because it is so easily digested and assimilated.

Map and comments provided by P.C.Watson

Map of the Canal, the area between the red squares is likely where Luke fell in, or was pushed in.

Below, Google earth showing Pinnel lock and location of Canal foreman, Mathew Wadsworth, of 150 Hollins-road Walsden, whom found Luke’s body and deposed (in the inquest) that he was foreman of the canal for repairs,

Charles William Lord would be the Railroad Hotel owner at the time Luke’s body was taken there. To read the whole ‘ownership’ story, see: . . . The Railway continued in the hands of the same family, being taken over by Charles William Lord, cousin of James and Charles, the two previous owners, and son of Moses Lord, the brother of the original owner, James Lord. Charles William was one of six children born to Moses and Jane. He married Elizabeth Ann Hollinrake in 1890, and they set up home in Beech Street, but she died a year later and he then went to live with is father in Alma Street. In 1897, he married again, to a lady from Shropshire, Eliza Gittins. Together they took over the Railway Hotel until Charles died in 1902 aged only 37.

Distance from Pinnel Lock, where Luke’s body was found, and the Railway Hotel to where they carried the body.

Directions and distance between where Luke Drowned at the Pinnel lock, Walsden, and where he lived at 5 Ashworth St. Halslingden Burnley

We now know Mr. Sparks Guesthouse was on Knowlwood Road. Picture below, shows the beginning of Knowl road and Pinnel Lock.

1901 Occupants of Wood Street, generously Provided by Keith. The list does not include a Crabtree or a Rigg, so at this point it looks like Luke’s ‘brother-in-law living on wood street in 1898 was only living there for a few years inbetween the 1891 and 1901 Census. CLICK HERE TO VIEW HANDWRITTEN VERSION.  This 1891 Census just has a partial list of houses on Wood Street; the Blacka’s and Ogden’s..

Picture of Wood Street May, 2008]        another picture - across the street: