People buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery, Oxford whose deaths were followed by inquests
Left: This quotation at the top of Richard Breathwitt’s gravestone, “There is but a step between me and death” (1 Samuel 20:3) refers to the fact that Breathwitt, who was overseeing the construction of Keble College, stepped out of the barrow hauling him to the top, missed the platform, and fell seventy feet to his death.
Accidents: Drowning (14)
- Frederick BARRETT (1868–1878), who drowned in the River Cherwell at Tackley at the age of ten
- Henry Thomas Stamp CASTELL (1846–1896), Archdeacon of Demerara, British Guiana, who was found drowned in the Serpentine in London (an open verdict of “found drowned” was given, but suicide was suspected)
- Daniel EASTON (1825/6–1854), Henry CORY (1831/2–1854), Elizabeth Ann CHAMBERLAIN (1829–1854), Mary Susan CHAMBERLAIN (1833–1854), and Caroline CHAMBERLAIN (1835–1854), five young people who drowned on the Thames near the Isis Tavern
- James Josiah FAULKNER (1798–1857), found near Sheepwash Bridge
- William Hender GILLBEE (1830/1–1851), undergraduate of Exeter College who drowned on the Thames near the Isis Tavern
- Charles JOHNSON (1861/2–1870), who was drowned in the canal near Heyford’s Hut at the age of eight
- Reginald Arthur Clayton HESLOP (1874–1890), the 15-year-old son of a fraudulent clergyman, who drowned in Black Jack’s Hole on the Thames near Gostow when caught up in weed while swimming
- Henry SADLER (1830–1871), a Brasenose College servant, who was suffering from depression and was found drowned in the canal near Polstead Road
- Edward SCHÖNBERG (1863–1886), undergraduate of Exeter College who died in a boating accident at Black Jack’s Hole on the Thames near Gostow
- Arthur Joseph Ferguson WALDEN (1864–1881), a 16-year-old Londoner articled to a civil engineer, who spent Easter with his brother-in-law Sidney Grace of Kingston Road and drowned in the Thames when his boat collided with his companion's
Accidents: Railway (9)
(1) Passengers
- Mrs Jane BROWN (1820/1–1878), who was killed in the Sittingbourne railway accident returning from the seaside
- Thomas William NOON (1830–1851), who died in a train accident at Bicester station
- Miss Florence Anne NUTTING (1855–1886), who fell mysteriously out of the door of a moving train near Culham on her way home to Leamington
- John SIDES junior (1844–1889), who also fell mysteriously out of the door of a moving train, this time at Sonning, on the way to see his mother at Jericho House
- Edward SYLVESTER (1826–1874), accountant who died in the Shipton-on-Cherwell railway disaster
(2) Railway employees
- Thomas COLE (1849–1889), railway guard killed by a train at Wheatley station
- Alfred John SAVAGE (1865–1890), railway clerk killed by a train when crossing the line near Birmingham
- Thomas Brown WHEELER (1868–1889), W. H. Smith platform bookseller killed when crossing the line at Bristol
(3) Found dead on line
- Frederick NICKOLS (c.1816–1890), found dead on the line near Kennington
Accidents: Falls from high buildings (2)
- Richard BREATHWITT (1831–1874), Clerk of Works at Keble College
(fell to his death during its construction) - John Caldecott CAVELL (1813–1887), joint founder of Oxford’s leading department store
(fell from his bedroom on the top floor of the former Elliston & Cavell shop down to Friar’s Entry)
Accidents: Fire (1)
- Sarah Lottie HISTED (1885–1890) who fell into the kitchen fire and then developed scarlet fever
Manslaughter (3)
- Mrs Eliza HEMMINGS, née Freeman (1858–1894), who worked as a prostitute and was killed by her husband
- Mrs Charlotte NOON, née White (c.1819–1852), a Jericho mother killed by her husband
- Francis Leonard Cyril TAYLER (1905–1934), who died in a racing-car crash on the Isle of Man
Suicide (5 or possibly 6)
Although suicide was a criminal act until 1961, an Act passed in 1823 allowed suicides private burial in a churchyard such as St Sepulchre's, but only at night and without a Christian service. A review of the law resulted in a new Act that came into force on 3 July 1882 allowing burial in daylight hours.
- Miss Mary Elizabeth GIBSON, known as Bessie (1845–1882)
(strangled herself at her Park Town home) - Hugh Francis O’HANLON (1842–1867), young Fellow of Lincoln College
(shot himself in the head with a pistol at his lodgings in George Street) - Henry Reynolds Knatchbull ROGERS (1858–1876), son of the political economist James Thorold Rogers
(hanged himself in his bedroom at home in Beaumont Street) - Francis John Chesshyre WALKER (1850–1871), undergraduate of Balliol College (shot himself in the heart in his college rooms)
- Mrs Harriet WELLS née Cox (c.1820–1895), wife of a cabinet maker
(hanged herself in her son's bedroom in Broad Street)
An open verdict was returned on another possible suicide:
- Benjamin Joseph GLAZEBROOK (1858–1879), unattached student
(open verdict, swallowed prussic acid at his lodgings in Walton Crescent)
Natural causes (16)
- Sébastian BÉCHAUX (1834–1870), heart disease
- John BUSBY (1828–1891), sudden difficulty of breathing
- Miss Mary Ann DAWES (c.1799–1856), apoplexy
- Henry Moses GAMMON (1826–1871), apoplexy
- Thomas Snell GRIERSON (1831–1875), rupture of a blood vessel
- Alfred Ogle HANSARD (1817–1851), heart disease
- Philip HURCOMB (1810–1873), unspecified natural causes
- Ellen Rose JESSOP (1880–1881), unspecified natural causes
- Miss Mary Haddon PACEY (1840–1875), died by the visitation of God
- Daniel PARSONS (1822/3–1874), heart disease
- Joseph PATTISON (c.1802–1869), heart disease
- John SMITH (c.1804–1872), heart disease
- Richard Henry SPRAWSON (1857–1872), tetanus
- Mrs Elizabeth Phené SPIERS née Joy (1818–1858), heart disease
- Richard WEST (1817–1868), died by the visitation of God
- William WILLIAMS (1815–1895), heart failure
