James Doss

This is the rather harrowing tale of a local suicide that took place in 1889 at Norris Lane. Until relatively recently Chaddleworth had a resident policeman first living in Upper End and latterly at number 15 Nodmore. In the late 19th century James Doss came to live in Chaddleworth. Before this move the census of June 1841 showed him living in Shadwell (east London) and in August of that year he married Amelia Sanders their ‘witnesses were Named as Shadrach and Charlotte Moore.

James joined the Metropolitan police as a constable in October of that year and in 1847 was promoted to sergeant. An amazing adjunct was that in October 1849 the Home Secretary believed to be Sir George Grey of Dublin granted James Doss a gratuity of £24 in lieu of a pension ‘as he had become worn out and unfit for further duty’. He was just 29 years of age.

He was then appointed to be Chief Constable of Saffron Walden on the 23rd of November 1849 (so not so ‘worn out’) at a salary of 25 shillings per week with an additional 3 shillings and sixpence for lodgings.

Unfortunately for James his behaviour let him down somewhat and after an assault charge being put to him he resigned. He ‘bounced back’ once again in 1856 in the newly formed Berkshire Constabulary as a First Class Constable. Prudently he did not mention his service in Saffron Walden.

In March 1856 he was posted to Hampstead Norris and in 1857 he was promoted to sergeant and transferred to Faringdon. Once again his behaviour lapsed and he was demoted to First Class Constable because of ‘irregularity’ and was moved to Marcham, Abingdon Division.

In June that year yet again he was in trouble, this time he was reduced to a 3rd Class Constable for drunkenness and fighting when on duty, but two years later 1863 he was promoted to 2nd Class Constable and again on the 5th of August 1867 he was promoted to 1st Class Constable, so quite a turbulent career!

In October 1870 he was granted one penny ‘per diem’ (per day) as good conduct pay! In May 1871 he was posted to Abingdon and August 1874 he was granted an additional ‘penny per diem’ (per day) good conduct pay. He was then in April 1875 promoted to Merit Class Constable (the highest grade) and in May was posted to Chaddleworth.

He lived in the Upper End ‘Police House’ (see photo) that is now lived in by Mick and Maggie Hedges. Mick found Jame’s old Berkshire Police Badge in the garden (see photo). The photo of the Police House Upper End was taken in 1888 when Marion Holders (currently living in Normanstan Leckhampstead Thicket) Great Grand parents named Jehu and Agnes Thomas and their son Percy lived there. Jehu’s profession was a Master Tailer and Prudential Insurance Agent.

Sadly in 1885 James Doss was found to be medically unfit for duty and he was recommended for a pension after serving for 29 years and 4 months in the Berkshire force and 8 years in the Metropolitan Police. His pension therefore was 18 shillings and 3 pence per week equating to two thirds of his pay.

On the 28th of May (4 years later) he committed suicide by throwing himself down the well in Norris Farm (verdict death by drowning). On the 29th of May (the day after- so very speedy) an inquest was held at The Ibex Inn. The coroner was Llewellyn Jotcham (from Wantage) and the jurymen Rev George Herbert Rust, Newton Dance, James Bradley, John Thomas, Alfred Tarrant, Simon Sayer, Henry John Beale, Charles Spanswick, John Uzzell, Joseph Sproules, Henry Pearce, and James Fisher. The last three in this list were illiterate and so made their mark on the verdict document. There were 4 witnesses including Amelia Doss the widow of James. Some of the statements were harrowing as in order to retrieve the body a set of grapplers were sent to the Blacksmiths shop in Main Street to be sharpened so they might better grip the body. (This is where Martyn Lisby now lives).

Many attempts were made to haul the body up but it kept slipping off and eventually his coat was brought up without the body. At 2 o’clock in the afternoon 5 and half hours later the body was finally brought to the top of the well and there had been much mutilation to his thighs and legs. The local surgeon William James Wood of Brightwalton (spelt Brightwaltham in the Newbury Weekly News of those days) gave evidence saying that he had known the deceased for many years and could not say he had noticed anything unusual in his behaviour of late as he was a regular attendee at the surgery due to his wife’s ‘affliction’ which was incurable. He went onto say that James Doss seemed very anxious about his wife and wondered what would happen to him if she died first. It was clear that he relied on her for his mental health. After his burial in St Andrews Church, Amelia Doss went to live with her daughter in Deptford and died of apoplexy (similar to a stroke). This was the affliction referred to by Dr Wood which was almost certain to be an inoperable brain tumour. She was returned to Chaddleworth and is buried in the churchyard with James Doss.

The grave is to the left of the giant beech tree heading from the gate and is clearly marked. It is thought by some that a suicide victim cannot be buried in consecrated ground but in this case it is obviously not true.

Grahame Murphy