A farmer comes across the dead body of a tramp on the south downs, a woman with a colourful past
Emily Maria Sanders was born in 1848 at Black Stone Mill Saltash Plymouth. The middle child of 5 children to John Sanders, a market gardener, and Grace Sargent.
She married around 1866 to John Strongman Bishop, an accountant from Helston Cornwall but by 1871, she was widowed and living back with her parents. I found a record for John S Bishop who had been admitted on 20 September 1867 to St Lawrence's Hospital Bodmin Cornwall (county Lunatic Asylum) and died there on 18th February 1868 and was buried in Bodmin on 21st February.
She met and lived with Arthur Twiggs, a Soldier and Master Tailor at 48 George Street Devonport Plymouth and they married at the Registry office in Stoke Damerel, Plymouth on 26 Dec 1877, Emily was age 29 Arthur, age 24. Arthur was born in London but his father had a Tailor business in Plymouth, as well as London.
He was also a Military man and had joined in 1874 and rose through the ranks to Corporal. they had moved to Kent after they married but their marriage didn't last long and by 1881, she was lodging, under the surname bishop recorded as unmarried, and was in the Fancy Goods Business
In September 1882 her mother died in St Germans, Cornwall
Then on 6 Nov 1883 in Exeter, Devon Her husband filed for divorce, citing adultery, and naming 3 Co-Respondents
1. James Mooney, age 55 a veteran with 61st (The South Gloucestershire) Regiment Of Foot who resided in Plymouth Date of affair 28th August 1882, which was around the time of her mother's death, when she would have gone home.
2. John Neden age 48 Regiment: 9th Lancers (Queens Royal) based in Aldershot, which was where her husband was based at times, and his name was added later. Date of affair March 1883
3. Albert Cornelius age 33 a Cabinet Maker from Dawlish Devon, living in London. Date of affair cited September 1883
This was finalized with the Decree Nisi on 14th January 1885 and the Absolute on 21st July 1885.
Arthur Twiggs died at Cambridge Military Hospital in Aldershot on 19th February 1888 from Acute Pneumonia.
In 1891, Emily was still using the surname Bishop and was working as a cook for Mrs Fabian in Marylebone London.
On Wednesday 5th April 1893, Shortly after mid-day, Harry Webber, a farmer, of South Heighten, a small village lying on the left bank of the river Ouse, between Lewes and Newhaven, was walking about his farm, which includes part of the Downs, when he discovered in a field on a hill the dead body of a woman. The body, which was nearly covered with pieces of sacking, had been most diabolically maltreated, the face battered in, the nose broken, and a gaping wound on the back of the head, while the abdomen was braised, the wounds being caused by kicks or some blunt instrument. The ground around bore signs of a violent struggle having taken place.
The woman, who was evidently of the tramp class, had been seen Heighten and Denton on Tuesday in company with a man apparently about her age, and the last that was seen of the couple was the same evening when they were supposed to be going across the Downs in the direction of the West Firle Workhouse, which route would pass the spot where the body was found.
A shepherd states that late on Tuesday night he heard sounds of people quarrelling on the hills and his dog barked loudly but did not observe anyone about.
The site of the murder is a very quiet place, being something like two miles from the nearest house.
The Coroner Mr Hillman opened the inquest on Thursday 6th April and after hearing a little formal evidence, then adjourned till the following Wednesday 12th April.
A clue had been obtained to the man who was last seen in the company of the unfortunate woman. This was given by another tramp and his wife, who was in the company of the deceased and the supposed murderer, whom they say went by the name of Job Taylor and belonged to Wivelsfield Sussex
Taylor is well known in the little Mid-Sussex village but has not been seen there since September 1891 and would be easily identified by anyone there.
For two or three days the identity of the body of the murdered woman was not established, but on Saturday 8th April, Mr. Burns, Hotel Proprietor, of Saltash, Cornwall, called in at the Newhaven mortuary, and after seeing the remains and was able to say the body was that of Emily Maria Twigg and he said she had left her husband for several years before they divorced and that Twigg was a man of a respectable family.
Then came the Important arrest at Bolney, West Sussex, some 12 miles from the crime. The arrest of Job Taylor was made at Wooderford Barn, Hurstpierpoint, near Bolney, on the evening of Sunday 9th April, about seven o’clock, by P.C. Turner, the village constable and he was immediately conveyed to Hayward Heath and lodged in the cells of the Police station there.
On Monday 10th April, Taylor was conveyed to Lewes Court in the morning by train
He was presented before Justice F. B. Whitfield and formally charged with the murder of the woman Twigg.
P.G. Turner gave evidence of his arrest of the prisoner on suspicion of being the man wanted for the murder. He denied having killed the woman, saying It might have been the men who took her up on the Downs.
Arthur Waterman, a labourer, of Denton, East Sussex identified the prisoner as a man he had seen in the company of the murdered woman in Denton on Tuesday night, where he stated they were walking arm in arm
The Prisoner was then remanded till Thursday the 13th and was removed protesting his innocence of the charge of murder.
The news of the murder and apprehension created much interest throughout the district, particularly at Wivelfield.
Job Taylor was born in Steyning Sussex. The son of Thomas and Esther Taylor, who came to reside in Sayers cottages, 26 years ago, when Job was only five years age.
As soon as Job was old enough he went to work as a Carter boy. Later on, he worked in the neighbourhood for different parties, but always in the autumn went with his parents to Kent ''hopping.”
In the year 1881, he enlisted into the Royal Artillery, He sprained his right ankle and was eventually brought before the invaliding board at Herbert Hospital Woolwich on 29 December 1893, and was discharged as medically unfit due to having Talipes Valgus (Club Foot) He had served 3 yrs 2 mths
He went back to labour work on various farms till the beginning of September 1891, when he was employed by Mr. John Baldock of Burwash East Sussex, so Job had been away from the parish of Wivelsfield, except for two brief visits home.
On Monday 17th April, The inquest resumed.
Evidence was given by Mr Frank Farwall, M.B., to the effect that Taylor's clothing was stained with blood. An attempt had been made to remove the stains by rubbing.
Harry Webber who found the body, gave his evidence, explaining that when the body was discovered, it had been carefully covered with sacking.
PC Alfred Nutley said he found that some of the clothing had been torn off the body, and lying spread over it. The deceased was wearing a jacket, and there was the bond of one of the skirts still around her, but except for the clothes laid on her, the body was naked from the waist.
Her face was very bruised and disfigured with blood. The ground in the vicinity bore marks of struggle.
Twenty and twenty-one yards away from the body were two pools of blood, and there were pieces of hair in each pool.
There was a piece of tape with blood on it, under the body. There was no blood near the body.
The marks of a struggle were about a couple of yards from the body.
Amos Marriott. a groom, of Denton, Albert Hood, and Alec Teague gave evidence as to seeing Taylor and Emily together. Both were the worst for liquor, and the accused used considerable violence towards the woman.
Henry Weaver, a laborer living at Denton, said he saw Taylor and the woman together on April 4th at Denton Crossroads. The woman was helplessly drunk and the man was trying to get her away. The woman fell. He heard her scream. A man helped Taylor up Canter Hill with the woman. He saw the Golbeys go up the hill before.
James Collingham lived at Toy Farm, Bellingham Hove and said on April 4th he was going, home from Denton up Canter Hill at about eight o'clock. 'He saw two men and a woman in the road. The woman was on the ground. It was very dark. One of the men tried to lift her. Witness bade them "good night" and one of the men said "good night" to him. One of the men said, "I can't get this woman up this road or that road."
Charles Grevett lived in Denton. He had seen the deceased and the man Taylor. He saw them opposite his house at about six o'clock on April 4th. The woman was lying on her back in the road. The witness told Taylor he had better move her or else the police would if they happened to come along. He replied that he would give the witness a shilling to throw her over the wall or into the pond. The witness declined to interfere. Taylor put the woman against the wall and told her to "hang on" till he got his basket. He saw the woman fall twice at different places.
William Ammer, a shepherd, said that on the evening of April 4th about half past eight o'clock, he heard a man's voice call out, " If I come back I'll cut your throat." The next morning he saw Taylor mending his clothes. Taylor went away quickly when he saw the witness.
In further evidence, it was stated that Taylor had said to his father in the presence of the police " I am not guilty, father, of murdering the woman."
The Coroner (Mr Hillman) then summed up and the jury deliberated privately for nearly half an hour, finally returning a verdict of wilful murder against Job Taylor.
The Commission of the Summer Sussex Assizes was opened at the County Hall, Lewes, on Saturday 5th August before J.P Sir James Mathew
His lordship arrived in the town on Friday evening shortly after six o'clock. He was greeted on the platform at the station by the High Sheriff (Mr. J. Innes, of Roffey, Park, Horsham), the Sheriff's Chaplain (the Rev J. F. Cole, of Roffey), and the Under-Sheriff (Sir Walter Bartlett).
The trumpeters, as usual, were present, but in place of the usual footmen, the High Sheriff brought his men-servants with him instead.
His lordship arrived at the County hall on Saturday morning at eleven o'clock. He was met at the entrance of the Hall by the Mayor (Alderman E. Hillman), wearing his robes of office, and accompanied by the mace-bearer, bearing the mace. Alderman White, Councillors Carpenter, G E. Hillman, Gates, Roberts, Hammond, and Mr. M. S. Blither (town clerk) were present on the Bench while his lordship delivered his charge to the grand jury. Others present on the Bench with his lordship were the High Sheriff (Mr J. Innes), Sheriff's Chaplain (the Rev J. F. Cole), and Mr Bartlett (under-sheriff).
The Grand Jurymen were Sir A. Ashburnham, Bart. (Foreman), Mr H. Wyatt Esq. Mr. F. S. Shenstone, Esq., Mr J. G. Blencowe, Esq., Mr F. Barchard Esq., Lieut.-Col. Ingram, Mr J. Nix, Esq. Mr K. Murchinson, Esq. Mr W. R. Arbuthnot, Esq., Mr W. L. Wallis, Esq., Major.General Fitz-Hugh, Lieut.- Col. Lane, Mr E. Broadwood, Esq., Mr W. Cattley, Mr A. Weeks, Esq., Captain Noble. Mr H. Curteis, Esq., Mr R. L. Thornton. Esq., Major-General Leigh Pemberton, Mr F. E. Ravenshaw, Esq., Mr Hugh Wyatt. Esq., and Mr. A. Henty Esq
They had 36 Prisoners to get through and Job Taylor was the only capital charge prisoner on the list.
On Tuesday 8th August Job Taylor stood before J.P Mathew and the Jury and was indicted for the murder of Emily Maria Twiggs
Mr Dickens, Q C., and Mr Mathew appeared for the prosecution and Mr Murphy. with the assistance of Mr. Mavrogani, defended.
The examination of the witnesses occupied a considerable amount of time, and the case was not concluded until after six-thirty that evening.
The Jury returned a verdict of manslaughter and J.P Mathew then passed a sentence of 14 years of penal service.
Life After
Job Taylor was sent to HMP Borstal Kent to start his sentence
By 1901 he had been transferred to HMP Portland in Dorset to complete his penal service.
His release date was 3 Aug 1907 but he was released early on 1 Feb 1904 to the Church Army Society in London
This is an evangelistic organization and mission community, that still exists today.
The objective was to give a "fresh start in life" to the outcast and destitute. The inmates earned their board and lodging by piece work, for which they were paid at the current trade rates, and were encouraged to seek other jobs. The Church Army had lodging homes, employment bureaus, cheap food depots, an old clothes department, a dispensary, and several other social works.
They also had an extensive emigration system, under which many hundreds (3,000 in 1906) of men and families were placed in permanent employment in Canada through the agency of the local clergy.
Unfortunately, the records on immigration only show initials, so I cannot confirm, whether he left England or what happened to him after his exit from prison, due to fewer records in the 1900s and several records in the name of Job Taylor, with little information to connect to him but we know he survived the brutal regime of HMS Portland, which many over the century didn't.
Sources
Mid Sussex Times (1893) 'Murder on the Sussex Downs' 11 April pg 5-5
West Sussex County Times (1893) ''THE SUSSEX MURDER'' 22 April pg 6-6
Croydon Observer (1893) ''SUSSEX SUMMER. ASSIZES'' 11 August pg 2-2
Worthing Gazette (1893) ''THE NEWHAVEN TRAGEDY'' 09 August pg 6-6
Archive, T.B.N. (no date) History’s colourful stories in black and white, Home | Search the archive | British Newspaper Archive. Available at: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
Bring your backstory to lifeTM (no date) Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records. Available at: http://www.ancestry.co.uk(2023, November 7). Church Army. Wikipedia. Retrieved May 26, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Army
(2024.). Service records. Forces War Records by Ancestry. Retrieved May 26, 2024, from https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/
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