Notes for: William Shildrick
Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette 29 Nov 1849:
FATAL ACCIDENT TO AN UNDERGRADUATE OF CHRIST’S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, WHILE BOATING. - We last week reported the occurrences of this accident, and we now give a statement of the evidence taken at the inquest. The Vice-Chancellor, (Master of Christ’s College) and some other members of that Society, were present during the enquiry. The first witness called was
Sarah Hawes, who said - I knew the deceased, and was in the habit of letting him boats: I let him one this afternoon about half-past two: he went up the stream, and then returned. He asked the time, and when I told him half-past three, he turned to go up again, saying he had time to go up again and back before Hall time, at four o’clock. I saw him again about half-an-hour afterwards, when he was taken out of the water. He was then in a boat belonging to Mr. Pemberton: Sheldrick was in the boat, and had the body in charge. The boat was then in the middle of the river. There was another boat, with two gentlemen in, some distance off. The boat deceased had was a common one, not a light funny, or an outrigger. Many gentlemen have hired it before. It was last used on the Friday previous to Mr. Gunning having it: it was quite sound, and did not leak.
Robert Carroll, a youth, about fourteen years of age, said - I was in a field near the chain across the water, and on Mr. Pemberton’s side of the river. I saw a boat with a gentleman in it upset by running against the chain. I had noticed a boat before: it turned up when it reached the chain, but I did not see it touch it. I ran up to it directly. My attention was called to the boat by a lad who was with me, saying, - that boat cannot get any further.- I saw the gentleman in the water after the boat had turned up. We called out, and Mr. Sheldrick came. There was no one in the boat with the gentleman, and no other boat near him. He had been in the water about three minutes when Sheldrick arrived; but he had to fetch a boat, and it was about ten minutes before the deceased was got out. There was another boat on the river with a gentleman in it, but it was about 200 yards from the deceased at the time of the accident.
William Sheldrick said - I live in Trumpington parish, and am gamekeeper on the late Colonel Pemberton’s parish: about twenty minutes to four this afternoon, I heard some boys call ‘There’s a man in the river, - and I took some creepers and ran to the river side as quickly as I could. When I got to the river side I saw the deceased under the water sinking. I flung the creepers in six or seven times to get hold of him. Finding my efforts were in vain, I ran and got a boat from a house (Paradise) belonging to Mr. Christopher Pemberton, standing in Grantchester parish. I was about ten minutes going to the boat and returning to the spot where I saw the body sinking. I put the hilt end of the spread down, and pulled the deceased up the second or third time I put it down. Witness then drew the body into the boat, and tried to restore animation. He proceeded - I then shoved on the Grantchester side, and took in a gentleman who said he was a doctor (Mr. Adams). The water was from eight to ten feet deep where I found him. I cannot swim. The chain was about fifteen or sixteen inches above the water at the time. The water was very low. I was in my garden, about four chains from the spot where the body lay. The river is very weedy at that place. I had to go about twelve or thirteen chains for a boat.