(From The Yorkshire Gazette, 28 Dec 1833).

Unfortunately, no inquest reports for 19thC York area are extant. A 20thC coroner took it on himself to burn the lot! We do have a detailed report of the inquest and the words that follow are verbatim, in every extant newspaper account, local and national. The inquest was held at The White Swan, Stillingfleet, home of Elizabeth Buckle, one of the victims.

THE INQUEST:

As reported in

The Yorkshire Gazette.

ABOUT six o'clock in the evening, John Wood, Esq., Coroner, arrived at Stillingfleet, - and immediately the constable summoned the following jury who were sworn :-

Mr William Triffitt, Foreman.
Mr William Cooke, Mr. Thomas Jubb, Mr William Camidge, Mr Thomas Hornshaw, Mr Francis Robinson, Mr Thomas Brown, Mr George Lazenby, Mr Robert Creaser, Mr John Thompson, Mr Thomas Simpson, Mr Thomas Lazenby, Mr Robert Nottingham.

The CORONER then stated, that it would be necessary to view the bodies, - and he and the jury proceeded to the homes of the deceased, for that purpose. - This occupied upwards of an hour and the Jury were evidently much affected, at having thus to view the bodies of no less than nine of their respected neighbours, snatched away in all the vigour of health. The lamentations of the bereaved relatives broke through the ears with horror; and the dark stillness of the night, added, if possible, a greater gloom and seriousness on those engaged in the investigation. The bodies of the men presented a fine robust appearance - and those of the young women betoken that, death spares neither youth nor beauty. - The following is a list of the persons who have been found, and upon whom inquests were held; with their ages, as collected, carefully from the statements of their relatives:

Clarissa Sturdy, aged 16; Henry Spencer, aged 44; Elizabeth Spencer, aged 14; Christopher Spencer, aged 46; John Turner, aged 55; Jane Turner, aged 16; Thomas Webster, aged 44; William Bristow, aged 55; and Elizabeth Buckle, aged 15.

On the return of the Coroner and Jury to the White Swan Inn, the examination of the witnesses was proceeded with.

John Fisher was the first witness examined, - having been sworn he stated as follows: -

I am a labourer, and reside at Stillingfleet. I am one of the singers at the parish church, and went along with the deceased persons whose bodies are found, also George Eccles, Richard Toes, Sarah Spencer and Sarah Eccles, to sing the Christmas hymn. We set out yesterday, about half-past one o'clock in the afternoon, as we had done for the last two years at Christmas. We were the singers at Stillingfleet church. We first went to a house at Moreby, near the river, and afterwards crossed the river at Low Acaster, in a boat belonging to John Turner, the deceased. About four o'clock or a little after, we all returned, and got into the boat, to re-cross the river at Stillingfleet-landing, which required us to sail down the river about half a mile, to reach it. George Eccles and I were rowing the boat; we met a vessel soon after we got into the boat, coming up the river. It was drawn by a horse and a line. Eccles and I wanted to keep on the off-side of the vessel, - that is towards the Stillingfleet side, - the horse being on the Acaster side. John Turner said, we were to row to the other side. I told Eccles to ease his oar, and I would pull. We did so, and came to the inside of the vessel. Turner said, we could clear them easy enough, and called to the man with the horse to slacken his line, fancying, as I believe, that we could get over the line. The ebb ran sharp, and the vessel was going up. I saw danger, and caught hold of the line, and lifted it up, in order to clear it from the boat, and throw it over our heads. In consequence of the boat running down so very fast, the line caught hold of the side of the boat, and threw her over, and we were all instantly pitched into the water. I still kept hold of the line, and I thought I heard one of the sailors call out "Hold thy hold lad" and I did so; they then drew me and Richard Toes out by the line on to the vessel, and we were both, in consequence, saved. After I had got on the vessel, I thought I saw three men's heads as though they were on the bottom of the boat. They were some distance down the river, and I saw no more of them, it was getting very dark. We had drunk a little ale during the day, but we were all perfectly sober, and every one was as capable of helping himself or herself, as though we had not had any.

William Rogerson deposed, - I reside at South Hindley, near Barnsley. I am captain of the Perseverance, belonging to John Jewitt, of York.

I was coming up the river Ouse yesterday. with my vessel, about four o'clock in the afternoon. When near Low Acaster, we met a boat with several persons in it; it was nearly dusk at the time. My vessel was drawn by one horse and a line; and the wind blowing very strong in our favour at the time, we had our sails up. The boat was coming down, and the two men were rowing, and we endeavoured to keep clear of them. In consequence of the men in the boat calling out to slack the line, we immediately ran to loosen the line on the vessel, and the man on shore did the same. The rope was considerably slackened, and astern the vessel some way, before the boat reached it, but in consequence of the strength of the current, it did not sink. When the boat came in contact with the line it upset her, and all the people were thrown into the water, My man and myself pulled out Fisher and Toes, with the line, which they had laid hold of. We ran the vessel ashore for the purpose of getting into our boat to render assistance, when just as we had loosed our boat, we saw the two men holding by the line, and we had to draw them out, without having sufficiently secured the boat. as afterwards appeared. When we had got the two men out, we ran to get into our own boat, when we discovered she had washed loose, and was gone adrift to the other side of the river; and by running the vessel on shore she had stuck fast; so that we could not get her off. We were thus prevented from rendering further assistance. We could see two or three men hanging to the boat bottom, and going down the river until they reached a corner of the bank, called "the Ness End", and then we lost sight of them. The man with the horse stopped immediately; he was told to do so; and I do not think that there was any blame attributable to him. In endeavouring to pass the vessel with the boat they should not have come on the inside; they ought to have been on the off-side. In that case it is probable no accident could have happened, as the rope could not have touched them; and there was plenty of room for them to have passed.

George Eccles, of Stillingfleet, labourer, deposed, - I was one of the party that was in the boat yesterday when the accident happened. We set out from Stillingfleet, and went to a house in Moreby. We then crossed the river in Turner's boat, for Low Acaster, and about four o'clock again got into the boat to return, intending to go to Stillingfleet landing: it was about dusk. A little after we got into the boat, we met a vessel, and John Fisher and I were rowing the boat towards the off-side of the vessel, when John Turner called out for us to keep at the inside. Turner was accustomed to the river, being a fisherman, and it being his boat, we complied with his directions; because we thought that he understood it better than we did, as we were quite unacquainted with managing the boat. We went on the inside. Some one called out for the hauling-man to lower the line of the vessel. The line was lowered, and John Fisher and, I think, John Turner also, got hold of the line to throw it over our heads, but the current was too strong, and the boat went so fast, that they could not clear it, - and the boat was upset. I continued to keep hold of the oar with which I was rowing. I also got onto the boat, which was upsidedown, and I then got hold of her with my other hand; and I held there as long as I could. Wm Bristow had likewise hold of her, and the boat turned over several times, and he and I at length got into her, she then being full of water. In that state, we went down the river about two hundred yards. She then turned over again, and we both lost our hold of the boat, but I still continued to hold by the oar. I never saw any more of Bristow after the boat turned over. After holding by the oar for some time, the other oar came near me, and I caught hold of it with my other hand. I never saw Wm. Bristow after the boat turned over. I was supported by the two oars until I saw another vessel coming up, and I then called out for help. The captain got into his boat, and got me out of the water. After I had got into the boat, I saw something floating before us, and I desired the captain to assist me in reaching it. We first overtook two hats, - the next was the body of Clarissa Sturdy, who was floating on the surface of the water, and we took her into the boat. She was quite dead. I afterwards got into the cabin of his vessel, and sat by the fire, until we got to Acaster ferry, and I then went on shore, and two neighbours led me home. My own daughter was drowned, and her body has not yet been found.

-BY A JUROR - I cannot say, that there was any blame to be attributed either to the people on the vessel, or to the hauling-man.

John Fisher was recalled by a juror, and also interrogated as to the conduct of the watermen, and the man who had the charge of the hauling horse. He said, he did not think there was any blame to be attributed to them. Stephen Green said, I live at Cawood, and am a hauler and labourer. I was driving the horse which drew the vessel. When the boat came up to the vessel, some of them called out to lighten the rope; I thought they said "Tighten it". I replied, it was impossible to lighten it, without throwing them over, but I would slacken it, and they might go over iy. I did slacken it immediately, I ran to my horse's head, and held him. I cannot say whether the boat would have gone over the line or not, if the men had not lifted it up. The reason the rope was so slack when the boat came up was, that they had been letting me some line out from the vessel. The current would not let the line sink.

John Fisher stated, that Turner called out for the rope to be slackened, and he called for it to be tightened.

Mr. Coroner WOOD, said, this appeared to be the case. If necessary, he would read the evidence; but he thought it hardly was [ sic], as the jury had paid great attention to it. In his opinion, it was clearly an accident, - if they were satisfied that it was so, it would not be necessary to make any further comment. They would return a verdict of accidental death, and find a deodand on the boat, which was the moving cause of the accident, as a forfeiture to the crown. It was the province of the jury to fix the amount of the deodand.

The jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict in each case, of ACCIDENTALLY DROWNED, - with a deodand of 1s. on the boat.

The indentures of inquisition were then filled up, and signed by the Jurors, - in which their verdict was recorded in the following manner: -

"We find that on the 26th day of December, being in a certain boat then belonging to John Turner, of Stillingfleet, and now the property of his legal representatives, and sailing therin on the river Ouse there, it so happened that the said boat was accidentally upset, and by reason thereof the said deceased were accidentally drowned in the waters of the said river; and do find that the said boat was moving to the death of the said deceased, and is of the value of one shilling."

The inquiry terminated about eleven o'clock at night.

THE FUNERAL

The Coroner granted his warrants for the interment of the unfortunate sufferers, - which is expected to take place at Stillingfleet on Sunday afternoon (to-morrow) at two o'clock.

As you may have noticed, only two of the three survivors gave evidence at the inquest - George Eccles and John Fisher.

Unlike today, when a disaster inquest may be held months after an accident, in the 19thC, inquests were held within a day or so. The third survivor, Richard Toes, is described as being 'overhead in the water' (ie: underwater!) and was pulled out of the river unconscious. Richard must have been too ill to appear at the White Swan. Yet he did manage to get his version of what happened out there, in just one of the many newspaper accounts, where he exonerated John Fisher from any blame in the case:

[Also from The Gazette]:

".... It appears from what we could learn from the survivors, that the party did not intend to go to Kelfield by water, but to land at the Stillingfleet ferry, and go from thence to Mr McVicar's and Mr Parker's two respectable farmers, who live a little beyond Stillingfleet, and so would cross the fields to Kelfield. It is very highly satisfactory that we can state, that al the party were perfectly sober; and Toes, who appears to have but an imperfect recollection of what took place after he was in the water, gives a very similar account to that of the watermen. He gave it as his opinion, if Fisher had not seized the rope, the accident would still have happened - It appears that Fisher and Eccles were pulling the oars at the time of the accident. When the boat was struck, Toes says, he had a small violin in his hand, and after being some time over head in the water, he found, the rope in his hand, which he grasped firmly, and was in that way pulled on board the vessel..."