1844 – Death from Choking at Thruxton

Sarah Preece was enjoying dinner with her friends, and seemed to be having difficulty in swallowing;  suddenly she started to choke on a piece of pork, and although medical help was sent for she died before it arrived.

At the inquest, it was said that her friends did not put anything down her throat to dislodge the meat.    Poor woman, it took her nearly two hours to die.

1855 – New Born Child found Buried at Thruxton

The Clerk of Thruxton Church noticed that part of the churchyard had been disturbed, and when he investigated he found that a baby had been buried there without a coffin.

A woman named Ann Wood had given birth some four weeks earlier, and tragically the female baby was still-born – the fourth time this had happened to her.  At the inquest, she admitted that she had buried the body, saying that she had done this before.

The surgeon, Mr. Morris, gave evidence that he was absolutely sure that the child had never breathed.