Sudden Deaths and Inquests
Harriett, the wife of William Michael Bayley, of Harold Mews, died suddenly on the 31st of January, at the age of 54 years. She was a woman of industrious habits, and her husband, generally known as “Judge Bayley” was driver of a donkey chaise. She had not been in good health for some time but under medical treatment had improved, and on the day preceding her death, was more than usually cheerful. On the following morning while in the act of lighting the fire, she exclaimed “Oh, dear, I have got those dreadful pains again!” Without further utterance she fell to the ground, a corpse. Her death was ascribed to suffusion of blood on the brain.
Sudden Death of Mr. Chapman. The melancholy tidings of her husband’s death were received by Mrs. Chapman, of Gensing road, who, with her child, and her brother’s family, residing close by, were naturally much grieved at the event. The deceased had been many years an able seaman and diver in her Majesty’s ships, and the account of his death is given in the following sadly interesting letter:- “Beyrout, Jan 17th, 1861. The late James Chapman died at Rhodes on the morning of Dec. 11th, of apoplexy. When the crew were first called up at 4 in the morning, for the usual avocations, he was up among the rest, but he must have felt unwell and gone down again; for, at half-past six, when the time came for each seaman to lash up, and take away his hammock, poor Chapman was found dead in his. He was buried, the next day, on shore, in a burial-ground long promised by the Porte to Protestants, but never until then delivered over; and as the plot of ground lies just under the Consul’s window, I have little doubt of its respected by the Mussulman population. It will be a consolation to his poor widow to know that her husband was a pattern among England’s incomparable seamen, and that I and all his shipmates here will certainly always feel the gap that his absence makes, at least, as long as the Racoon remains in commission. Every man came forward with his shilling, and every boy with sixpence to erect a plain but very respectable marble tablet at his grave; and as the money collected was more than sufficient for the purpose, the remainder was to be expended in walling in the ground.”
The Duchess of Kent, having been a resident at St. Leonards during the winter of 1834-5, her death, in 1865, was much regretted, and her interment at Windsor on the 1st of April was observed with every mark of respect. Most of the tradesmen exhibited the usual token of mourning by keeping their shops partially closed. The Royal Standard belonging to the Queen’s Royal -
