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  • She walked to death with a secret

    Yesterday, I visited my uncle who gave me a newspaper cutting (Oct-Dec 1938)

    Can anyone advise me as to where I might find more info, please?

    Quote:

    "SHE WALKED TO DEATH WITH A SECRET

    Miss Spink, frugal. kindly, was one of that army of elderly women who live on a little allowance and a dwindling bank account. She was sixty-one years old. Her tastes were simple, her needs few.
    She lived quietly in the village of Kesgrave, near Ipswich; paid only 10s. a week to the friend with whom she lodged; regularly visited her small circle of aquaintances.

    But Miss Emma Spink had a secret.

    When she travelled to Ipswich she never went the whole way by bus. Instead she took only a penny fare and walked the rest of the way.

    On Friday Miss Spink spent the day alone on a secret mission, then went to Ipswich.

    There she walked towards the River Gipping; carefully piled her hat, bag and coat into a neat pile and walked to her death in the river.
    At the inquest here today, Miss Spink's bank account was examined.

    For two years, it was found she had drawn nothing. But since March this year she had withdrawn £146-and nobody knows how she spent it.
    What did Miss Spink do with her money? ...
    a secret act of mercy?
    A sacrifice for a lost lover .. ?

    She was not penniless. There was £3.10s. in her purse and £4. 10s. in her room.

    She left no message. only her discarded clothes and the mystery of her bank account.

    Verdict: Suicide, and the jury could not decide why."

    From our own correspondent. Ipswich, Monday
    Last edited by BridgetM; 14-03-09, 12:30. Reason: Typo!
    Bridget

  • #2
    Oh how sad Bridget. I wonder if she was being blackmailed, maybe had an illigitimate child and either the 'child' or someone who knew of it found her and tried to get money from her.
    Daphne

    Looking for Northey, Goodfellow, Jobes, Heal, Lilburn, Curry, Gay, Carpenter, Johns, Harris, Vigus from Cornwall, Somerset, Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland, USA, Australia.

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    • #3
      This looks like her in 1901 census age 23 with parents Emma and Peter and brother Joseph - sister Mabel is missing

      Class: RG13; Piece: 1774; Folio: 137; Page: 1.

      Doesn't look like anything untoward in 1881, 1891 and 1901 census's



      Researching Irish families: FARMER, McBRIDE McQUADE, McQUAID, KIRK, SANDS/SANAHAN (Cork), BARR,

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      • #4
        I can't really see how you could get more information, Bridget, if you mean more information about why she killed herself? It sounds as though nobody knew why. Or is it something else that you want information about?

        If the cutting is from a national newspaper then there is probably a longer article in the local paper for the area (East Anglian Daily Times or Ipswich Evening Star, perhaps?)
        KiteRunner

        Every five years or so I look back on my life and I have a good... laugh"
        (Indigo Girls, "Watershed")

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        • #5
          She had a secret income then, if she didn't need to draw any money for two years. Maybe she was a secret gambler?!

          She withdrew the lump sum to pay for a burial for someone or other, who was very important to her and then committed suicide in despair.

          I don't know why this should spark off a memory in my mind - probably way off beam - but when I was a child, we had a neighbour who, every Wednesday, donned her hat and coat, took two bus journeys taking hours, to visit her severely handicapped adult son who had been in an institution all his life.

          Her family (other children and husband) didn't know of these secret visits - her husband had forbidden her to visit the son many years before.

          OC

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          • #6
            How awful, what state of mind must she have been in. Perhaps her future just wasn't were sticking around for :(

            I looked for her family and although both she and her brother Joseph Henry b: 1879 were born in Suffolk, her parents Peter b;1851 & Emma (nee Andrews) b:1848 were both from Norfolk and they married in 1877 in Aylsham. Looks like Joseph (leather cutter) died in 1904 and her mother in 1917.

            The mum and dad are living in Ipswich in 1911 and she is in a place called Erpingham Norfolk in 1911 but I don't have any credit to look at who she is living with. I also couldn't find anything by googling. Interesting though and terribly sad, I couldn't find a death for her father and wonder if he was still alive.

            Not sure how we could find out more - newspapers are probably the best bet but I have no access. Somebody else on here might though.
            Buttercup

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            • #7
              Thank you all for your thoughts .... yes, you have found her family:
              Father Peter Spink b. 1850 (found on 1911 census, no death found)
              Mother Emma 1847 - 1917
              Brother Joseph 1879 - 1904 :(
              Sister Mabel 1884 - 1892 :(

              Father Peter was a ringleader in strike of tannery workers, for better working conditions, strikers returned to work, conditions unaltered. Peter was blacklisted & never worked in tanning again.

              A very sad family .... Peter was my Gguncle
              Bridget

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              • #8
                She's living with her uncle George Spinks and his wife Mary Ann in Erpingham in 1911.

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                • #9
                  Goodness, what a sad story, Bridget.

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                  • #10
                    Thanks Mary, I had not found her in 1911

                    hmm .... Uncle George had no children at home, but Emma was a Mothers Help ??


                    Brother Joseph was working in leather like his pa, in 1901, I hope he did not die because of the strike! Eeeeek this story is deteriorating!
                    Bridget

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by BridgetM View Post
                      Thank you all for your thoughts .... yes, you have found her family:
                      Father Peter Spink b. 1850 (found on 1911 census, no death found)
                      Mother Emma 1847 - 1917
                      Brother Joseph 1879 - 1904 :(
                      Sister Mabel 1884 - 1892 :(

                      Father Peter was a ringleader in strike of tannery workers, for better working conditions, strikers returned to work, conditions unaltered. Peter was blacklisted & never worked in tanning again.

                      A very sad family .... Peter was my Gguncle
                      Bridget did you know that there is a Peter Spink in the Erpingham area now, well in 2006, he's a farmer. Might be worth a letter! Aldborough, Norfolk
                      Buttercup

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                      • #12
                        How about this, then:

                        Father was in the workhouse, Emma visited him regularly and collected his pension for him - which he didn't need. She lived off it.

                        He died, she wanted him decently buried but that took up her savings. Pointless existence, nothing to live for and no money left.

                        Were there any interesting places/hospitals/institutions at the end of the penny busride?

                        OC

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                        • #13
                          Bridget I hadn't realised that the address would come up that way. It's November 2006, go to the TROSH heading, you can see his name there, hope this makes sense :o
                          Buttercup

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
                            How about this, then:

                            Father was in the workhouse, Emma visited him regularly and collected his pension for him - which he didn't need. She lived off it.

                            He died, she wanted him decently buried but that took up her savings. Pointless existence, nothing to live for and no money left.

                            Were there any interesting places/hospitals/institutions at the end of the penny busride?

                            OC
                            Oh crickey! I was also thinking it might be something connected to her father, finding his death might really help.
                            Buttercup

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                            • #15
                              Why can't I find Emma's death reg?

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                              • #16
                                sorry Merry ... typo 1938
                                Bridget

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                                • #17
                                  Like your train of thought OC but ...
                                  I believe I may have found Peter's death Q4 1933 Stow S, so if the money was for his funeral there was a long delay ;)
                                  Bridget

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                                  • #18
                                    There's an Albert H Spink who died in 1938Q2 Ipswich. I wanted him to be a hidden close relative, but I've traced him back (Son of Benjamin from Bungay, from memory) and if they are connected, I should think it's pretty distant, so probably a red herring!

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                                    • #19
                                      Thanks Merry, I think your red herring suggestion is the case, I looked up his birth & from memory it was Lincolnshire, not Norfolk or Suffolk.

                                      I have ordered death certs for Peter, Emma & Joseph to see if they throw any light.
                                      Bridget

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                                      • #20
                                        Bridget

                                        Begging your family's pardon but:

                                        Pension fraud? She didn't tell the Pension people he was dead, kept drawing his pension, got caught, paid it back and couldn't live with the shame?

                                        Nah...it would have been in the papers and would have been offered up as a reason.

                                        OC

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