From the Kentish Gazette, 27 February 1838.

On Tuesday week, Mr. Coveney, of the Isle of Sheppey, was leaving the "Queen’s Head Inn," Maidstone, to return home, and had only proceeded a few yards from the door when his horse slipped, and falling, threw Mr. Coveney on the ground with extreme violence. His injuries, we regret to say, are of a most serious nature, one arm being dreadfully fractured and his head severely cut.

He was immediately taken to the "Queen’s Head," and every possible alleviation that medical aid and anxious attention could effect, was of course attempted.

South Eastern Gazette, Tuesday 10 June 1851.

Serious Accident.

On Thursday afternoon Mr, Hughes, a London fruit salesman, who had been stopping on a visit with his family at a friend's at Farleigh, was riding along Mill Street, and when passing a van, his horse slipped up, falling on its side, and the rider fell heavily on the pavement. Mr. Fry, surgeon, was sent for, and found that Mr. Hughes had fractured the small bone of his left wrist. He was taken to the "Queen's Head," and on the same afternoon left for London by train. We are told that the pavement where this happened is in a very bad state, not having been properly restored after the sewer had been put down.

Kentish Gazette, 5 October 1852.

Thunder Storm — Four Persons Killed.

Our town and neighbourhood was visited, on Tuesday evening, by a very severe storm of thunder and lightning, accompanied with heavy rains and high winds. The only damage done in the town, was the blowing off a low chimney pots and tiles, but at Sutton (some few miles distance) four persons were killed. The unfortunate people, three men and a woman, had been engaged in hap picking, and when the storm came on they sought shelter in a hop oast, on the premises of Mr. Stunt. The electric fluid entered by the cowl, and went right down through the oast, killing the poor people on the spot. The poor woman, who was in an advanced state of pregnancy, has left nine children. The hop oast was not much injured. The inquest was held on the 30th inst., at the "Queen's Head Inn," before Wm. T. Neve, Esq., deputy coroner, and a respectable jury, on the bodies of George Birchet, John Hogbin, Stephen Kennett, and Mary Ann Ashman, who were killed by lightning.

Richard Henre, of Staplehurst, labourer, deposed:— I am drying hops for Mr. Stunt, on his farm in this parish. The four deceased persons were all picking hops for Mr. Stunt. On Tuesday last, in the afternoon, there was a heavy storm of rain, thunder, and lightning. A number of the hop pickers, and among them the four deceased persons, came into the oasthouse for shelter. Between four and five o'clock, I was passing from the little kiln into the great one, when the oasthouse was struck with lightning, and I saw Mrs. Ashman fall and take fire. I went up to her and put out the fire. She was quite dead. When struck, she was standing in the doorway coming out of the great kiln. I then found Hogbin and Birchet close to the door on the inside of the great kiln; they were quite dead. On going up stairs I found Stephen Kennett lying on his face, not far from the door leading to the drying—room; he was quite dead. From the appearance of the building afterwards, I believe the lightning first struck one of the cowls and passed down by the doorways where the deceased were. There wore more than 20 persons in the oasthouse at the time; the other persona were not much effected by the lightning. I believe all the four deceased persons came from Brabourne. Mary Ann Ashmon was about 54, Birchet about 50, Kennett 22, and Hogbin was 50d. The bodies have remained in the oasthouse ever since, in the care of Edward Wright. The building was for some minutes afterwards filled with vapour. I believe neither of the deceased spoke after they were struck.

James Philpot, of Sutton Valence, deposed:— I am foreman to Mr. Stunt, on his farm; at about half past four on Tuesday afternoon, I was just outside the outhouse when I felt that the building was struck. I looked up instantly, and saw portions of one of the cowls blown into the air, and a portion of the tiling was blown off; on going—into the oasthouse, I saw persons taking Mrs. Ashman out into the barn. She was quite dead. I saw Hogbin lying on his back in the doorway, leading into the kiln. Birchet was lying close to Hogbin on his face; they had been sitting on the step at the doorway leading into the kiln; they were quite dead; they did not move at all. Birchet's steel, watch chain was decomposed, it crumpled between my fingers, half the watch glass was gone, and the working of the watch were quite destroyed; one of his leather leggins was torn down; about half-an-hour afterwards I went up stairs, and there found Kennett lying quite dead. A medical man was sent for, who arrived in about a quarter of an hour after the building was struck. The medical man thought the woman was not dead, and attempted to bleed her, but could get but very little blood from her. The jury returned a verdict, "that the deceased were accidentally killed by lightning.