	.		.		Selina Cawsey - Her Brief Marriage and Suicide When Ellen Cawsey died in early 1875 John was left with about seven young children living at home at Queen Street. There was also Ellen's profitable business to keep going. The solution was remarriage. After only about 3 months, he married Selina Webster, a 42 year-old spinster. This meant that the children were cared for. And it appears that John and Selina continued to operate the Queen Street business until August 1876, when the last advertisement appeared. Selina would have been known to John and Ellen Cawsey through her two brothers. Henry Webster was a lace-twister, a colleague of John’s at the factory. Charles Webster was a hairdresser and lived with his family in Queen Street, close to John and Ellen Cawsey . In August 1871 there was a dispute between Ellen Cawsey and the Charles Webster family. Ellen was summoned for using obscene language towards Ann Webster, Charles’ daughter. And at the same time Ann’s mother was summoned for using obscene language towards Ellen Cawsey. Both defendants were fined five shillings. During the hearing it was stated that Charles Webster “unfortunately happened to be in prison”. In fact Charles was quite often in prison! He was violent when drunk and he was brought before the magistrates at least five times in as many years, including charges of drunk and riotous behaviour, assaulting the police and threatening to murder his wife. One case was in early 1875 when Selina was a witness and Charles was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment and hard labour. Not long after the marriage, John and Selina and the children moved to 15 Reform Street. The 1879 Rate Book shows that John actually owned the house - quite unusual. No doubt he used the money from Ellen's business dealings. In August 1879, the North Devon Journal published a long report which began : BARNSTAPLE. SUICIDE OF A WOMAN AT DERBY. On Friday afternoon there was a rumour that a woman living Derby, in this borough, had hanged herself. At first it was treated with incredulity, being regarded as perversion of the report of the attempted suicide of the day before ; but enquiry proved it to be perfectly true. The unfortunate woman was Selina Cawsey, the wife of John Cawsey, a lace-twister, employed at the Derby Lace Factory, and living in Reform-street. She had made two or three previous attempts on her life, and on Friday afternoon, being in drink, and having had a complaint from her husband that he could not eat what she had provided for his dinner, she went to her bedroom and hanged herself from the bedstead. She and her husband had not lived happily for some time, and the probability is that domestic troubles produced a temporary aberration of mind, during which the predisposition to suicide which she undoubtedly had, caused her to commit the rash act. This was followed by a long account of the inquest and of the evidence given by John Cawsey, his son Isaac, and others. John described the incident which led up to the suicide - When I went home to dinner it was about twenty-five minutes past two. There were some cow-heel on the table and some potatoes, and about cupful of peas was boiling on the fire. She told me Mr. Abbott, of Gaydon-street, had called to see me, and I then asked her what she had got for dinner, and she replied cow-heel. I went to the table and tasted the cow-heel, and finding it was tainted I spat out what was in my mouth, and said, " I can't eat this : it is not fit for anyone to eat: it is passed." She turned round and sat down for about two minutes. I said, " Get me something else." She said, "You can't have anything more until by-and-bye." She then went upstairs. I supposed she had gone up because there should be no bother, and I never thought about going up after her. angry words passed between us. I remained about 10 minutes after she had gone upstairs, and finding she did not get me anything else I went out. After a good deal more evidence, the coroner concluded that - although the Cawsey household was not a happy one, there was no reflection upon John for having ill-treated his wife, and the only verdict that the jury could return was an open one that the deceased hanged herself while in state of temporary insanity DAVID CAWSEY

Selina Cawsey - Her Brief Marriage and Suicide

When Ellen Cawsey died in early 1875 John was left with about seven young children living at home at Queen Street. There was also Ellen's profitable business to keep going. The solution was remarriage. After only about 3 months, he married Selina Webster, a 42 year-old spinster. This meant that the children were cared for. And it appears that John and Selina continued to operate the Queen Street business until August 1876, when the last advertisement appeared.

Selina would have been known to John and Ellen Cawsey through her two brothers. Henry Webster was a lace-twister, a colleague of John’s at the factory. Charles Webster was a hairdresser and lived with his family in Queen Street, close to John and Ellen Cawsey .

In August 1871 there was a dispute between Ellen Cawsey and the Charles Webster family. Ellen was summoned for using obscene language towards Ann Webster, Charles’ daughter. And at the same time Ann’s mother was summoned for using obscene language towards Ellen Cawsey. Both defendants were fined five shillings. During the hearing it was stated that Charles Webster “unfortunately happened to be in prison”.

In fact Charles was quite often in prison! He was violent when drunk and he was brought before the magistrates at least five times in as many years, including charges of drunk and riotous behaviour, assaulting the police and threatening to murder his wife. One case was in early 1875 when Selina was a witness and Charles was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment and hard labour.

Not long after the marriage, John and Selina and the children moved to 15 Reform Street. The 1879 Rate Book shows that John actually owned the house - quite unusual. No doubt he used the money from Ellen's business dealings.

In August 1879, the North Devon Journal published a long report which began :

BARNSTAPLE. SUICIDE OF A WOMAN AT DERBY. On Friday afternoon there was a rumour that a woman living Derby, in this borough, had hanged herself. At first it was treated with incredulity, being regarded as perversion of the report of the attempted suicide of the day before ; but enquiry proved it to be perfectly true. The unfortunate woman was Selina Cawsey, the wife of John Cawsey, a lace-twister, employed at the Derby Lace Factory, and living in Reform-street. She had made two or three previous attempts on her life, and on Friday afternoon, being in drink, and having had a complaint from her husband that he could not eat what she had provided for his dinner, she went to her bedroom and hanged herself from the bedstead. She and her husband had not lived happily for some time, and the probability is that domestic troubles produced a temporary aberration of mind, during which the predisposition to suicide which she undoubtedly had, caused her to commit the rash act.

This was followed by a long account of the inquest and of the evidence given by John Cawsey, his son Isaac, and others. John described the incident which led up to the suicide -

When I went home to dinner it was about twenty-five minutes past two. There were some cow-heel on the table and some potatoes, and about cupful of peas was boiling on the fire. She told me Mr. Abbott, of Gaydon-street, had called to see me, and I then asked her what she had got for dinner, and she replied cow-heel. I went to the table and tasted the cow-heel, and finding it was tainted I spat out what was in my mouth, and said, " I can't eat this : it is not fit for anyone to eat: it is passed." She turned round and sat down for about two minutes. I said, " Get me something else." She said, "You can't have anything more until by-and-bye." She then went upstairs. I supposed she had gone up because there should be no bother, and I never thought about going up after her. angry words passed between us. I remained about 10 minutes after she had gone upstairs, and finding she did not get me anything else I went out.

After a good deal more evidence, the coroner concluded that

- although the Cawsey household was not a happy one, there was no reflection upon John for having ill-treated his wife, and the only verdict that the jury could return was an open one that the deceased hanged herself while in state of temporary insanity

DAVID CAWSEY