QSR1883/2/5/3a

Depositions of Minnie Hillyard, Elizabeth Short, wife of George and Henry Frederick Holland, doctor.. In the case of William Hillyard accused of assaulting with intent to violently ravish and carnally know Minnie Hillyard.

22 February 1883

From: 1883 To: 1883

Minnie Hillyard: a 13 year old, born in the month of April. She lived with the prisoner, her father a labourer, in Westoning. Her mother was living separately in London and had not lived with her father for 10 years. About 6 or 7 weeks before Christmas she was going to church and her father told her not to go. He said he was going to George King’s public house and would want her when he got back. She remained at home and when he got home he told he would go upstairs and rest. Soon after her called her up to the bedroom. They were in the habit of sharing a room and a bed as there was only 1 bedroom in the house. Her father told her he wanted her and he told her to come to him on the bed. He pulled her onto the bed [description of the assault….] He told her if she told anyone he would cut off her head and boil it. She had bled a good deal upon the sheet. He told her to wash the sheet but she refused. She took off the sheet after her father left and put on a clean one. Next day she took the sheet to Betsy Short to be washed. Her father had tried to do the same thing to her before when she used to be with Mrs Billington looking after the children. She told nobody until after Christmas when she told Mrs Somerfield and Mrs Jackson. She told them because her father had beat her. He had beat her because she had not washed up properly. She left home and had been living at the Ampthill Workhouse. When she had been questioned about the stains by Mrs Short she had told her she had her aunts baby to sleep and that her father had a nose bleed. This was not the truth, but she told it because she was afraid of her father. Elizabeth Short: wife of George a labourer and she had washed for the Hillyard’s for more than 2 years. About 6 months ago Minnie Hillyard brought her things to wash which included a sheet. She noticed it was stained in the middle. Minnie told her she had her aunt’s baby to sleep who had dirtied the sheet and her father had a nose bleed. She had not suggested to Minnie that it was blood. Henry Frederick Holland: doctor in practice at Ampthill and medical officer at the Union Workhouse there. He examined Minnie Hillyard and found private parts in a state not natural of a child. Statement of the accused: he had nothing to say except the child was telling stories.

8 pages

item

Hillyard, William,
Hillyard, Minnie,
Short, Elizabeth,
Holland, Henry,
King, George,
Billington

WESTONING, assault, child abuse, Ampthill Poor Law Union