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| Folios 306-317. Letter from Edward Senior, Assistant Poor Law Commissioner, to the Poor Law Commission enclosing additional evidence concerning the death of John Parkes. He says that he has been unable to question Mr Smith [Henry Smith, late Chairman of the Basford Poor Law Union], because he is in London, staying at Berners Hotel in Oxford Street. He suggests that the Poor Law Commission contact him there. Senior collected the additional evidence from the following: William Ashton, Clerk to the Guardians of the Basford Poor Law Union; Thomas Potter, Guardian for Ilkeston [Derbyshire]; George Benjamin Moseley, Deputy Constable of Basford; George Chamberlain, Constable of Bulwell and John Mitchell Davidson, Honorary Physician for the Basford Workhouse. Ashton, who was a member of the jury at the inquest into the death of John Parkes, swears that Morley [William Morley, Medical Officer], said, at the inquest, that he saw the deceased at 5pm. He was exhausted and suffering from erysipelas of the left foot. Morley asked the nurse to give him something warm and went to Mr Johnston [James Johnston, Governor of the Workhouse] to complain about Parkes being sent to the workhouse without a medical certificate to say he was fit to be moved. He forgot to order anything else for Parkes and did not see him again. Ashton confirms that he did not hear Morley say to the jury that he had no authority to order stimulants for sick paupers without previous sanction from the guardians. Potter denies hearing, at the meeting of the guardians on 8 December 1840, or at any other meeting, any direction given to Morley precluding him from ordering stimulants and, had he done so, he would have remonstrated against it. Mosley, who was also a member of the jury at Parkes' inquest, remembers Morley saying that he was so angry at the removal of Parkes to the workhouse in such a bad condition that he forgot to order anything specific for him apart from 'something warm'. Chamberlain, also a member of the jury, confirmed Mosley's evidence but did hear Morley say that he was not allowed to either order or give wine until the guardians met on a board day. Davidson accompanied Morley to the workhouse to see several aged inmates who, in his opinion required stimulants. Morley complained that he could not order wine without the previous sanction of the guardians, and that this was the result of an order from Mr Riley [John Riley, Auditor]. Johnston, who was present, confirmed this statement and added that Riley had told him that if the medical officer considered wine to be necessary he should supply it himself as medicine. Senior also encloses the following: Return showing the medical orders given between 8 December 1840 and 2 February 1841 which Ashton affirms the guardians were not requested to confirm [not included]. Extract from the minutes of the board of guardians of the Basford Poor Law Union of 16 March 1841, which states that the undersigned, being the guardians present at the enquiry conducted by Senior into the statements made by Morley and Johnston, deny giving any directions to Morley restricting him from giving wine, ale or stimulants to any sick pauper. Signed by George Farrand, Chairman; Thomas Bailey, Henry Kirkland, Samuel Butler, Richard Jennison, John Wood, George Daws, Joshua Potts, Thomas Cheetham and John Riley. A list of those Guardians, and the districts they represent, present at the Board Meeting of 8 December 1840: Milford-Henry Smith, Chairman; Codnor, James Woolley; Nuthall, Thomas Gascoigne; Gamson, George Farrand; Greasley, John Wood; Heanor, William Gregory; Cossall, Joseph White; Bulwell, Richard Jennison; Basford, Thomas Bailey and John Brown; Ilkeston, Thomas Potter and Thomas Cheetham; Kirkby, William Thompson; Strelley, T H Salthouse; Bilborough, Edward Bower. Paper Number: 3194/B/1841. Poor Law Union Number 334. Counties: Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. |
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