A Stable Fire, 1898

The Black Horse, Somercotes, Alfreton, Derbyshire, 2009, Google Street.

I’ve long known the story that my grandad’s brother Charles Bell died in a stable fire but now, thanks to a newspaper report from the Derby Mercury Wednesday 11 May 1898 I know a lot more about the circumstances and about his daily life.

The full story, from a yellowed folded newspaper clipping, posted by a family tree researcher on Ancestry is attached below.

The Inquest

Dr Green, the Deputy Coroner conducted the inquiry at the Black Horse Inn, Somercotes.

James Rogers, Grocer and Provision Dealer

Charles, then aged 32, worked as a porter for James Rogers at his shop in Lower Somercotes. On Tuesday 13 May Charles and James Rogers were tending to a mare and foal in a wooden shed behind the premises. Charles had been giving the foal a little oil.

When Rogers went home at 10.50 p.m., he suggested to Charles that he should too as he’d been sitting up with the mare and foal on previous nights: ‘he would be able to get six hours rest’.

Charles lived about 200 yards from the shed. He took what Rogers assumed was a last look at the mare and foal and followed Rogers outside, but he must have decided to return.

Police Constable Limb

11.15 p.m., Sergeant Wagstaffe and P.C. Charles Limb went past the place, which was all right at that time.

11.30 p.m.: P.C. Limb knocked loudly on Rogers’ door, raising the alarm that the shed was on fire. Limb soon fetched a hose from a neighbour’s house but ‘the flames had got a tremendous hold’, and the shed and its contents – 20 bundles of pressed straw – were demolished. A passing miner was sent to fetch Charles from his house and it was only then that they discovered he hadn’t returned home.

Charles Greaves Bell

Bell was not eccentric and always enjoyed very good health. He [Rogers] never employed a more straightforward servant, and he was not addicted to drink. That night he did not detect anything unusual in his manner.”

By a JUROR: As a rule he carried tobacco and matches in his pocket. He never saw the deceased smoke in the shed. He was always particularly careful in it, seeing that it was constructed of wood

A pipe and a seven or eight matches and an old knife were found in a portion of the victim’s vest pocket ‘which clearly showed that he had not been smoking’ but he would have had the candle in his hand when he fell asleep. ‘The deceased was found sitting on one of the loose bundles as though he had made himself comfortable.’

Rogers had passed on items of clothing to Charles and Rogers was able to identify these. He had noticed that during the evening Charles had taken the candle out of the lamp because the lamp glasses were black. The lamp was not found after the fire.

Charles’ charred remains were wrapped in a sheet and taken to the Black Horse Inn.

The jury returned a verdict of ‘Accidental death’ and added a rider that they commended P.C. Limb for his prompt action. They also expressed their sympathy with the widow and relatives of the deceased man, and they returned their fees to the former.”