Southeastern Gazette, 5 July 1853.

Mary Welch, 43, for stealing a table-cloth, the property of Stephen Burbary, at Westerham.

The prosecutor is landlord of the "Grassshopper" public-house and the cloth was used in his tap-room on the 5th May, on which day the prisoner was at his house. On the 6th the prisoner offered the cloth for sale at the "White Horse," Edenbridge, for 4d., and it was purchased by the ostler, who, suspecting it to be stolen property, gave information to Superintendent Handley, gave the cloth up to him, and the prisoner was taken into custody. Prisoner said she bought the cloth of a man named Smith, who had formerly lodged at prosecutor’s house. Previous convictions of felony were proved against her, and she was sentenced to fifteen years’ transportation.

South Eastern Gazette, 28 February, 1860.

Petty sessions, Friday. (Before Earl Amherst, chairman, J. P. Atkins, C. R. C. Petley, and J. Rogers, Esqrs.)

Transfers of Licenses.

The "Grasshopper," Westerham, from Stephen Burberry to Henry Johnson.

South Eastern Gazette, 19 April 1864.

The murder of a woman at Westerham.

Inquest, and verdict of wilful murder.

In our last we briefly mentioned that Bridget Goodsall, a widow about 40 years of age, residing in the above town, had been found dead in a bye lane, within a few yards of the High Street, at an early hour on Sunday morning, 10th instant, and from the appearance the body presented it was evident that death was caused by violence; and that superintendent Coleman, of Sevenoaks, after a searching investigation, had apprehended James Batchelor and Richard Miles, young men about 20 years of age, who resided about 2 miles from Westerham, on suspicion of there being the parties implicated in the foul deed.

The inquest on the body of the murdered woman was held at the "Grasshopper" on Tuesday, before J. N. Dudlow, Esq., Coroner; Mr. C. Thompson, surgeon, being foreman of the jury.

The coroner having made a few remarks to the jury on what constituted murder, they retired to view the body, after which the following evidence was taken:-

Aaron language, a labourer at Westerham, said that about 25 minutes before 6 on Sunday morning he found the deceased up Water Lane in Westerham, she was lying on her back, quite dead, and a portion of her dress was up over her knees. She looked queer on one side of her face, as if there was a little blood upon it. He told a man name West, and then went for the police, and afterwards helped to remove the body to the "Grasshopper." Her bonnet was off, and lay under her head, it looked as if it had slipped on one side.

Charles Humphrey, landlord of the "General Wolfe" public house, Westerham, said that deceased was at his house on Saturday night, in company with George Hersey, who lodges in the house, and they were drinking together. He saw James Batchelor and Richard Miles in the house, but he did not see them drinking with the woman. There was no quarrelling. He cleared the house at 12 o'clock and they all left, but as the deceased did not seem to like to go up the road, as they were several men standing about, he went with her as far as the brewhouse, where they met a policeman, and as the woman spoke to him he left her and returned to his house, and he saw no more of her. He did not know whether Batchelor and Miles were with the men who were standing about. He believed the men were sober when he left the house, but the deceased was not perfectly sober. She paid for a glass of gin before leaving, and he took a pint of ale into the room. It was getting on for 11 o'clock when she first came into the house, and she had a blanket with her, which she took with her when she left, and she could walk very well. They believed that Hersey came into the house about a quarter or twenty minutes past twelve, and he then went to bed.

George Hersey, bricklayer at Westerham, said that he knew the deceased. On Saturday evening last he had been drinking, and as far as he knew he was first with the deceased at the "George" about 10 o'clock, and I had some ale and gin together. They left there and went to the "General Wolfe," where they had some more to drink, but he did not recollect what they had, and they remained there until the landlord clear the house about 12 o'clock. He believe the landlord saw her up as far as the brewhouse, and he follow to overtake them, but he lost her all together, and he then went back to the house directly and went to bed. He should think that she could not be sober. He knew that he lost her between the Blacksmiths Forge and the "Warde Arms." Miles followed him up when they left the "General Wolfe," but he could not tell whether or not Liles passed him. There were two or three others with Miles, but he did not know them.

George Fennel, a labourer in the employ of Mr. Doubell, farmer, at Crockham Hill, said that he was at "General Wolfe" on Saturday night, and he saw the deceased their, she was in liquor. He left about 11:30, before the house was cleared, and as he was going home about 12:15 again saw her going up the town with three men. He passed them just by the "Warde Arms." Batchelor and Hersey for two of the men, but he did not know the other man. They returned and passed him, going in the same direction as he was going, there was then one man with her, one behind them, and Hersey was still further away behind them. They were all the same men that had passed up with her, because they did not go out of his sight, but there was not very much light. As they passed in the deceased said "Come on, come, let us run," and they then both ran down the road, and turned out of the road as if they were going towards the Mill. Hersey was then a good way behind, and he saw no more of them. Just as they (a man and two boys being with him) turned the corner by the Forge, which was their way home, he saw a man standing close by the hedge of Langidge's garden, and he went up to the man and spoke to him; it was Jim Batchelor. He saw something white behind Batchelor, and on looking closely he saw the deceased squatting down behind him; she had a paper bag in her hands, the same as he had seen her in the "General Wolfe." There was another man standing close by the hedge, about a rod from them, but he could not see who that man was. He then bade Batchelor and the deceased "good night," and went away.

James Davies, 53 K.C.C., stationed at Westerham, said that he was on duty in the town on Saturday night, and met the deceased about 12:05 opposite the brewhouse. There were a good many people about, and George Hersey was close behind her. She said "Goodnight, policeman," and walked on up the road, and he went in the contrary direction. He returned towards town again in about 10 minutes or a quarter of an hour, and when he got two Till's, the coach builder, he heard someone coming by the "Warde Arms," and he got round the corner by the fence. He heard the woman's voice, and there were two men with her, one close at the side of her and the other just behind. He did not know the men, not being able to see them, as the lights were very bad, but they appeared to be dressed in white slops, and one of them seem to have a jacket over his slop. They were talking very orderly. He knew Batchelor and Miles, and they corresponded in dress, height, and general appearance to the men he saw pass with the deceased. The place where they passed him was some little distance from the place where the deceased was found. He was called up in the morning by Aaron Langridge, and went and saw the deceased in Water Lane. Then was blood upon her shawl, and he found a piece of ribbon torn from her bonnet, and a piece that had been torn from her garter. Her bonnet was smashed, and there was a little blood on the border of the cap front. Her arms were partly extended, and between the fingers of her right hand is clenched a quantity of short hair.

Ann Clout, servant to Mr. Whitmore, said that her master's house was close to Water Lane. On Sunday morning, about 1 o'clock, she was awakened by hearing dreadful screaming in the Lanes. A woman spoke, and she repeated three times "I have done nothing." She got up and struck a light, and as soon as a light shone into the lane, she heard a man running down towards the river. The woman kept groaning for some time, and once or twice she tried to give a sort of scream, but she could not. All was quiet for some time, and she then heard a man talking, but could not tell to whom he was talking, nor could she hear what he said. She could not tell whether it was the same man who run away, as she had not heard anyone come back.

By the foreman:- The screaming appeared stifled, as if she wanted to scream and could not, and it struck her at the time as if someone was endeavouring to prevent her screaming. When she first awoke there was a rattling against the gates, as if there was scuffling.

Superintendent Coleman said that he received information of the death of a woman about 9:30 on Sunday morning, and he directly proceeded to Westerham to make enquiries. He afterwards went to the Surrey-beeches, where he found Batchelor and his father's house. In reply to questions that he put the Batchelor, he admitted that he had been with a deceased on the previous night, and that Dick Miles and Brickey George (Hersey) were also with them, and he admitted the purpose for which they were with her, but said himself and Miles are left her close to the Blacksmiths Forge, and went home together. At his (Coleman's) request, bachelor accompanied him to Miles's residence on Limpsfield-common, where he found miles. He admitted having been with Batchelor at Westerham, and said that they had taken the deceased down the London Road which was not far from where the body was found. As their statements were contradictory, he apprehended them, on the charge of having caused the woman's death. Batchelor said that there were others about beside them, and Miles said that he got home at 2 o'clock. On the same day he took the hair produced on the deceased's right hand, and it corresponded in colour with that of Miles. He took the two men to the Sevenoaks lock up, and on Monday he examined their clothing. On Batchelor's waistcoat pocket he found blood, and the front of his white slop was also besmeared with blood, and he accounted for it by saying that it was from a scratch on his face. On being told that there was no scratch on his face, he then said that he might have wiped his nose on it, but he made no reply to the suggestion that it was a curious thing to wipe his nose on his waistcoat when it was buttoned. On Miles's left hand there was a streak of blood which he also said might have come from the nose.

By Mr. Thompson:- They did not admit having completed their purpose.

Mr. R. M. Rathill, surgeon at Westerham, and district medical officer, said that on Sunday morning, about 6 o'clock, he was called to see the deceased, and he found her lying on her back in Water Lane. One leg was straight down and the other drawn up. Her clothes appeared to be very dirty, and they just covered her knees. She was lying on the right side of her face, and her bonnet was under her head, with the strings tied tightly around her throat in a knot. He examined her head, chest, and throat, and found no external marks of violence with the exception of a few scratches on the right lip and nostril. She might have been dead 5 or 6 hours, and she was cold but not stiff. The arms appeared as if they had been drawn up in self defence and in the right hand there was a small quantity of hair, some of which was lost when the body was removed. He made a further examination at the "Grasshopper," and he found bruises on each side of the vulva, which had the appearance of having been caused by fingers. That morning (Tuesday) he made a post mortem examination of the head and chest, and he found very extensive congestion of the brain. The lungs and heart appear to be perfectly healthy, but the lungs were in a collapsed state, which might have been produced by strangulation or suffocation. It was not from any natural causes. The only injury he found on the head was very extensive congestion of the brain, which was in his opinion the cause of death. There were various causes to account for congestion of the brain, apoplexy, &c.

The Foreman:- There is a story abroad that the deceased was subject to fits.

Mr. Rathill:- I have been called to her once or twice, seven or eight years ago, but they were always drunken fits, or hysterical fits.

Mr. Thompson:- Have you ever in your experience known hysterical fits prove fatal?

Mr. Rathill:- No, never.

Mr. Thompson:- Is there any condition between hysteria and apoplexy?

Mr. Rathill:- None whatsoever.

Mr. Thompson:- Would a hysterical constitution be less liable to apoplexy or congestion of the brain, if you like better, than any other constitution?

Mr. Rathill:- I should say so.

Mr. Thompson said that he had merely asked the questions to prove that a hysterical seizure, supposing the woman to have had one in the lane, would not have caused death.

Mr. Rathill, in reply to further questions, said that he had carefully examined the substance of of the brain, and he found simple congestion. There was no ruptures of a vessel nor any clot, he did not therefore imagine that death could have arisen from apoplexy. He had never examined the lungs of a person who had died from strangulation, but he had from drowning, and the lungs were always in a state of collapse. In Death from suffocation, as far as his experience went, the lungs were generally in a state of collapse.

Mr. Thompson:- Supposing the pressure to have been made for a certain time upon this woman's nostrils and mouth, so as to exclude air, would not all the symptoms of congestion of the brain, and also of collapse of the lungs, which you noted, be accounted for?

Mr. Rathill:- Certainly they would, there is no doubt of it.

Mr. Rathill said that superintendent Coleman showed him the previous day Batchelors slop and waistcoat, and that the blood marks were recent. They might have been caused by the coloured saliva which ran from the deceased's mouth and nostrils. When he first saw the deceased his opinion was that she had been held down by one person while the other had ill-treated her.

Mr. Thompson said that his impression when he looked at the body was, that pressure has been applied to the mouth and nostrils of the deceased, as it might be done without leaving many symptoms of it. He also differed from Mr. Rathill as to the bruises, he believed they were wounds, which were the result of violence.

There being no further evidence, the jury after a lengthen consultation returned the following verdict. "That they were satisfied that Bridget Goodsell's death was caused by violence from some parties while in the commission of an unlawful offence. But they were not quite satisfied that the evidence brings a charge home to the two persons who have been apprehended, and they therefore returned a verdict of Wilful Murder against some person or persons unknown."