General

I can still remember my first day working at the Melton Park Record Office in Gosforth. It was exciting to think that I would be working in a building that was once an Anti-Aircraft Plotting Station – I guess that not everybody can say that! I was given a plan of the building and was told that it would probably take some time before I got used to the layout underground & became familiar with where different classes of records were stored. All I could think was “I am working in a bunker!”

[Click on images to enlarge]

It felt like a bit of a rabbit warren the first time I was left alone underground, but I enjoyed the peace & quiet of it as it was a sharp contrast to the busy room of researchers above. It felt like another world down there and I loved the smell of the archive boxes & old ledgers. Out of all the storage rooms, number six was my favourite as the words Wireless Room were still clearly visible on the door. 

Some people found it creepy being underground and didn’t like being alone as there were lots of small rooms & dark corners. I was told that books had flown off shelves and that an airman had been spotted walking around both inside and outside the building. There was also a haunted helmet! I am certainly not a fan of ‘spooky’ things, but I never once felt afraid being on my own. 

Within minutes of being in the building I was told to be careful on the stairs. I was in for a bit of a surprise as they were very steep and not very welcoming. I sensed that it was going to be quite difficult carrying heavy boxes and large maps up and down. My mind flashed back to the part of the Job Description that said ‘ability to work with large & unwieldy records…’ 

It was always a challenge carrying heavy items up the stairs, but I quickly got used to it and my fitness certainly improved. I only worked with the public at Melton Park for a short time before it closed but I was there for the whole of the closure period when we prepared all the records ready for relocation to the new site. By the time we opened at Woodhorn in 2006, I was probably the fittest I had ever been in my life. 

The Melton Park building may have been run down and falling apart in places but that added to its charm. I feel very lucky that I got the chance to work there. What was also nice was that we had a lovely little garden area at the back of the office which backed onto the Gosforth racecourse. The tv cameras were often there & we would watch the racing during our breaks. Who knows, maybe each time the horses flew by, a lone airman may have been quietly enjoying the race. 

Warning – this blog focuses upon historic murder and suicide.

On 9 October 1907, Sarah Short drowned all five of her children in a water butt/poss-tub at her home in Red Row, Sleekburn. Afterwards, she walked to Cramlington station and committed suicide on the railway line.

George Potts 

Police Constable Potts was based at Bedlington Station. On 10 October about 1.30pm, George Short informed him that his wife and five children had been missing since the previous day. At around 9.30pm he arrived at the Short household and there in an upstairs room, saw five children lying dead in bed. Two at the top, two at the foot and one across the centre. They were fully clothed save their hats, and their clothes were all wet. PC Potts then searched a poss-tub which was three parts filled with water and was standing at the bottom of the stairs. He found two small mirrors (the type found in Lucky Packets), two penny pieces, two collar studs, a brick and a boot lace. He also stated that he saw female clothes that were all wet down the front. 

Charles William Menelaws Hope 

Dr Hope was a Medical Practitioner in Bedlington. By order of the Coroner, he made a post mortem examination on the bodies of the five children on 11 October 1907. On turning the bodies over a good deal of frothy watery mucus ran out of the mouth and nose which was evidently from the air passages. There was no evidence of poisoning. All the clothes were saturated with water. After stripping the bodies no marks of violence of any kind were to be found upon them. In no case were any marks found around the neck to suggest that death had been due to strangulation. In Doctor Hope’s opinion, the death of all five children was due to drowning. 

The inquest into the tragedy was held on 11 October 1907 by Coroner Henry Taylor Rutherford. It was later adjourned until 23 October. At the inquest, Dr Hope gave evidence and was asked about the mental state of Mrs Short. He said that he had been attending her since July and she suffered with her nerves and had pains in her head. Dr Hope had advised her to go away for a break and she had gone to Cumberland and seemed very much improved when she returned. When asked if childbearing had anything to do with her condition, Dr Hope said that he didn’t think so. 

The coroner considered the evidence and stated that Mrs Short appeared to have been suffering for some time and had developed a form of homicidal mania and from some sudden impulse, she had acted. Some strange feeling had come over her and she then deliberately planned the destruction of the children. After deliberation the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder. The inquest on Mrs Short’s death was then preceded with. The foreman of the jury asked the coroner to ask Mr Short if his wife had ever shown any signs of insanity. Mr Short claimed he had witnessed no signs. He was then asked if she had ever threatened to take her life and he replied “no.” The jury agreed to a verdict of suicide whilst in an unsound state of mind.  

Not surprisingly, the newspapers took a great interest in the case. The Morpeth Herald reported that Mrs Short was seen by several people on the night of the 9 October going towards Cramlington. She was walking through fields and appeared to be wearing her carpet slippers. It was noted that she had asked a young man how far the station was, and they walked along together for a while. She was quite excitable and said that she wished to catch a train. A Signalman at Cramlington named George Little was proceeding along the line on his way to work about 10.40pm that same night when he found a body [later indentified as Sarah Short] by the side of the line. The body was dreadfully mutilated and found around a hundred yards north of the station.

It was also reported that there were extraordinary scenes at the funerals of the mother and her children. Mr T. Dodds, Undertaker and friend of Mr Short, carried out the funeral arrangements. When the six coffins were brought out of the house there was the biggest crowd of people ever to be seen in Red Row. The coffin containing the remains of Sarah Short was placed in one hearse while the coffins of all five children were placed in another. All were covered in white flowers. The service and burials were at Choppington St. Paul and thousands of people flocked to the area. Trains were overcrowded as people were packed into carriages. The chief mourner was Mr Short along with his brother and the four brothers of Sarah. Blinds were shut in houses along the funeral route and the roadside was packed with people wanting to catch a glimpse of the coffins. The police had to control the crowds outside the church in order to make way for the funeral party. The service, which was choral, was conducted by the Rev. G.A. Brown. The choir chanted the 39th Psalm and sung the hymn Rock of Ages. During the service, Mr Short broke down in a violent fit of weeping. His whole family, Sarah, Eleanor, George, Thomas, Elizabeth Annie and Robert were all buried together in one grave.  

References 

COS/3/30/11 

Morpeth Herald, 19 October 1907 

Morpeth Herald, 26 October 1907 

Warning – this blog focuses upon historic murder and suicide.

While looking through a newspaper for information about a shipwreck in 1907, I saw a large headline about an inquest into ‘The Bedlington Tragedy’. On 9 October 1907, Sarah Short drowned all five of her children in a water butt/poss-tub at her home in Red Row, Sleekburn. Afterwards, she walked to Cramlington station and committed suicide on the railway line. George Short, husband and father to all five children, lost his entire family in one day. I had never head of this horrific tragedy so checked our Coroners records and discovered a file for the children & their mother. The report contained witness statements and notes from the Coroner, Mr Henry Taylor Rutherford. 

NAME	RELATIONSHIP	AGE
Sarah Short	Mother	31
Eleanor Short	Daughter	7
George Short	Son	4
Thomas Short	Son	3
Elizabeth Annie Short	Daughter	2
Robert Short	Son	8 months

Witness Statements 

John Herron 

Mr Herron stated that he was a retired miner and the house occupied by the Short family was his property, and he was their landlord. On the afternoon of the 9 October, he went to the house at 5 Red Row and was engaged in painting the woodwork on the back door. He saw Mrs Short carry some water from a barrel into the house and she asked him if he was going to do any repairs inside of the property and he replied “no.” Thomas, one of the young boys was with her but he didn’t see any of the other children. It was about 3pm and Mrs Short took hold of Thomas’s hand and led him into the house and said, “we are going away now.” She then locked the door behind her. Mr Herron was outside for about 20 minutes longer and he heard no noise and never saw her appear again. 

Eleanor Elliott 

Eleanor, a 13 year old servant resided with the Short family and slept in the upstairs front room. Eleanor recalled that on 9 October, Mr Short left the house to go to work at 9.45am. About 11am, after the children were dressed, Mrs Short went out then returned with some Lucky Packets which she gave to the four youngest children. Eleanor, the eldest child was at school. About 12.30pm, Mrs Short sent the young servant on an errand to the grocers and then told her that she could have the afternoon off as she was going to take the children to Stakeford. She told Eleanor to meet her at 4pm. At 4pm, Eleanor returned to the Short household but the door was locked. She had a parcel so took it to Mrs Short’s mother-in-law’s house then continued to Stakeford to meet Mrs Short. She could not see her there so returned to Red Row and saw Mr Short on his way home from work and informed him that he had to go to his mother’s house for his dinner. She told him that she had been to Stakeford to meet Mrs Short but could not find her. 

Anne Short 

Anne Short stated that she was the mother-in-law of Sarah Short. On 9 October about 12.30pm, her granddaughter Eleanor Short came from school to have lunch with her then left about 1pm to go back to school. About 2pm, Sarah visited and asked her if she could cook George’s tea as she was going to Stakeford with the children. George came home from work about 5.15pm and had dinner then went to his own house to get washed and dressed. Anne accompanied him and said that there was nothing unusual about the house. The same evening George became very concerned and went away to look for his wife and children but could not find them. On the following night, (10 October) Anne, George and a friend named William Dodds [Undertaker] went to George’s house and on Mr Dodd’s suggestion a more detailed search of the house was conducted. They went upstairs and saw the bed was made. Anne took hold of the quilt and turned it up and saw all five of her grandchildren lying dead. Eleanor and Thomas were lying at the head of the bed, George and Robert at the foot and Elizabeth Annie lying cross over. In the front room downstairs and at the end of the bed were Sarah’s clothes which were very wet about the front part. The back of them was dry. The skirt and bodice were the same that Sarah was wearing when Anne saw her the previous day. 

George Short 

Mr Short stated that he left home at 9.45am on Wednesday 9 October to go to work at the pit. His wife did not say anything to him about intending to take the children to Stakeford. He didn’t think it was strange that his family were absent when he returned from work around 5.15pm that night. However, later he became uneasy & made a fruitless search for them at Stakeford and Sleekburn. On the evening of Thursday 10 October, he heard about a woman being killed on the railway at Cramlington so proceeded there and identified the body as that of his wife. When he returned from Cramlington about 9pm, he searched the house thoroughly with a man named William Dodd & found all the children dead in bed fully dressed and covered with a blanket and rug. Their clothing was still wet. He could give no reason why his wife would commit such a crime unless it was in consequence of her suffering from rheumatism nervous debility. She had been under medical treatment for this for the past six months.   

Part two to follow………