Barnsley Chronicle, etc. – Saturday 31 January 1885

Nine Year Old Wanderer Spends Night in Wombwell Wood

This week, a little girl of about nine years old, named Gertrude Robinson, whose mother, a widow, lives at Derby, has had a most singular adventure in the neighbourhood of Wombwell Wood, which fortunately, however, has not been attended with any serious results.

It appears that the child at present is living with her aunt, a Mrs. Hoyle, in Jump, has been attending the day school at Hemingfield. She left her aunt’s on Monday morning about ten minutes past nine o’clock, ostensibly for school, and subsequently was perceived crying outside that building. She asked passer-bye the time of day, and on being informed, stated that she was afraid of going in then, on account of the lateness of the hour. The girl did not enter the school, but was not missed until after four o’clock, when school hours were over for the day.

As evening advanced and she did not turn up, the relatives became exceedingly alarmed for her safety, and a search was instituted throughout the neighbourhood; hut nothing could ascertained about her. The following day (Tuesday) passed by, and yet no tidings of the girl, and it was feared some grave accident had befallen her.

On Tuesday night P.C. Grayson came across the wanderer near Wombwell Wood, and to interrogations he put to her, the girl informed him that finding herself too late for school she went into Wombwell Wood, and there rambled about the whole of the day, and when night approached she sought a sleeping place in one of the fields there, beneath the hedge. Her school books formed a pillow, and an umbrella she carried with her she used for the purpose of sheltering herself from the wind and rain. In this most uncomfortable, dangerous, and exposed position, she lingered the whole of the night, and when daylight appeared was then afraid to go home, and so rambled about until found by the police officer.

Grayson at once took her to the constabulary office at Hoyland, and her aunt was communicated with, the lost one being thus restored to the joy of the relatives of the girl. Robinson is described as being rather a stupid kind of girl, but when questioned stated that both her aunt and the schoolmaster had not been unkind to her, still she was afraid of going to school late