CRIME IN OLD ROTHERHAM: Shocking Neglect at Oil Mill Fold

MARGARET Drinkall left school with no qualifications whatsoever, but a passion to write. Having always loved local history, she decided to write about life in the Rotherham workhouse and that started her new career. She has now published 14 books.

The woman was renowned for her drunken behaviour and would often beg in the streets for clothing for her five-and-a-half month-old children. Charitable persons who gave her donations of clothes did not realise that it would go straight into pawn shops, and the profit would be spent on alcohol. On December 27, the police surgeon Mr Cobban visited the house following reports on the condition of the two children, a boy John and a girl, Catherine. He found the house empty and Sergeant Hepworth was dispatched to the nearest public houses to try to find the mother. He found Hazel at the nearby Wellington Inn and he returned her to the house, where she appeared to be very drunk. When she was searched a total of 29 pawn tickets were found on her for children's clothing.

In the house, Mr Cobban found the two children in a dirty and neglected condition. One was downstairs on the kitchen table, wrapped in a portion of an old blanket and placed on a dirty pillow. From what he could see, Dr Cobban thought the child had been lying in the same place for a week without having been moved. The second twin was upstairs, and wrapped in some other equally filthy material. When Dr Cobban asked the mother to bring the baby downstairs, she could not find the baby until it cried, she was so befuddled with drink. Two bottles were found with the children that were pint beer bottles fitted up with a teat. One of them had been placed  on the kitchen table at the side of the child.

He called Hazel’s attention to the state of the bottles and she told him that the children regularly got plenty of milk. The woman admitted that she had neglected washing the children recently, as she claimed she had not been very well for a few days. Dr Cobban reported the incident to Captain Burnett, the Chief Constable and both children were removed in a cab that same night to the workhouse.

The workhouse medical officer examined the children, and found them both to be in a very emaciated and neglected condition. He saw that they were suffering from chest infections, which he thought was bronchitis. Both had abrasions and rashes on the skin, particularly around the legs and the bottom. He weighed them and noted that they were about 9 lbs each, when the usual weight for children of that age should have been around 14 lbs. Catherine Hazel was brought into court on Thursday January 3 1889 where a solicitor called Mr Neal attended, representing the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Dr Cobban gave evidence and he commented that the only food provided for the children was milk, which was given to them out of the dirty bottles, which he produced in court. The prisoner claimed that the children had thrush and that was what had caused the rashes but Dr Cobban denied this, and stated again that the rashes were caused by dirt and neglect. Police sergeant Hepworth also described the state of the house and the wretchedness of the children, before he stated the real reason for the negligence.

In his search of the house he had found documentation from the London, Edinburgh and Glasgow Insurance Company which had insured both the children’s lives for 30s (he equivalent of £164 today). Sergeant Hepworth told the court that he had known Hazel for some years and that she had consistently neglected the children. Charles Edwin Parker, the Nuisance Inspector, told the court that she had lived in the  cottage for 30 years and that she shared it with a man called McHugh, although they were not married. He gave his opinion that the house was unfit for human habitation, and since the woman had been in custody, he had it thoroughly cleaned, the bedding burned and every room scoured and whitewashed.

At this point the prisoner cried out that she wanted to see her children. She told the court that she had tried to keep them clean, but she had no friends thanks to the violence of her partner McHugh.

The mayor showed little sympathy as he ordered her to be imprisoned for four months with hard labour, and ordered the children to remain at the workhouse. He commented that the bench could do nothing to stop the system of infant insurance ‘which was becoming a perfect pest’.