Mexborough and Swinton Times July 13, 1898

Singular Death of a Child At Wombwell

Mr D Wightman held an inquest at the Milton Arms on Saturday afternoon touching the death of William Holdsworth, 12 months old.

Mary Holdsworth, mother of the child, stated that on Friday morning she left the child tied to a chair with a scarf while she went to feed the pigs. There was another child, aged three, left in the house.

After being away for 10 minutes she was called by the child whom she had left in the house, and on going to see what the matter was she found the younger child hanging by the waist from the chair, apparently dead.

She immediately called a neighbour and sent for Doctor Ritchie, in the meantime removing the child from its hanging position and untying the scarf.

Mrs Robinson, the neighbour mentioned, corroborated evidence of the mother, and stated that Doctor Ritchie thought the child has had a fit to which it had fallen from the chair, thus accounting for a mark which was found on its elbow.

The jury returned a verdict: “That the child met its death by falling from a chair, probably whilst in a fit.”