South Yorkshire Times, February 3rd, 1951
Thurnscoe Husband’s Discovery
Wife Fell Downstairs
After hearing evidence at a Mexborough inquest on Monday, a colliery fitter, Ernest Hickling, Street, Thurnscoe, told the Doncaster District Coroner (Mr W H Carlile) that a “bump” he heard on January 20th could have been his next-door neighbour falling downstairs —an accident from which she subsequently died.
The Coroner recorded a verdict of “Accidental death” on Florence May Moorhouse (63), of 3, Orchard Street, Thurnscoe, who died in Mexborough Montagu Hospital on Wednesday, January 24th.
Fred Moorhouse, colliery ripper, said his wife had recently complained of dizziness and headaches. He described how he had visited the Station Hotel on January 20th ‘ and, seeing his wife in the off-sales, had brought her a drink. Later she left. At closing time he left the hotel and after visiting his sister in Houghton Road went home. He attempted to get in by the back door but found something was stopping the door at the other side. He pushed harder and there found his wife lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. He immediately went to fetch help.
In reply to a question by the Coroner about the house being in darkness, witness said that this was not unusual as his wife had generally gone to bed when he arrived home.
Ernest Pickling, colliery fitter, said that on the night in question he was sitting in his house when, about 10 p.m. he heard a “bump.”
“I jumped up for a minute wondering what it was, but remembering Mrs Moorhouse had had the repairers in I thought she may have been cleaning, so I didn’t think anything else about it.”
Dr. D. E. Price, Barnsley pathologist, said the cause of death was broncho pneumonia, due to a compound fracture of the skull. He agreed with the Coroner that the injuries to Mrs Moorhouse were consistent with her having fallen downstairs and hitting her head on some hard flat surface.
Summing up, the Coroner said he was quite satisfied that it had been an accident and that Mrs Moor house had probably slipped downstairs in the darkness.