In spring 1901, Thomas Barnsley Nock and his family were living on Mill Street in Cradley.
There were 15 households on the street, two thirds of which were occupied by workers in iron chain making.
Thomas’ wife Hagar was pregnant with her sixth child and working as an iron chain maker together with her children, William (20) and Florence (15). They worked from their home, presumably from an outbuilding in the back yard, and probably relied for work on a “fogger” or middleman who sub-contracted work from larger manufacturers.
Thomas’s widowed mother, Emma (Perks), was living with the family and also worked from the home on Mill Street as a shirt washer.
Hagar’s daughter, also named Hagar Barnsley Nock, was born just over eight months later on 13 November. She lived for barely three days.
The midwife was a Mrs Gretton. When the baby Hagar began to cry and became restless and irritable, the midwife decided to administer castor oil to her. Mrs Gretton was reported as being an experienced midwife but giving castor oil to a newborn baby is not advised today and even held to be highly dangerous. Indeed, Doctor de Denne later testified at the inquest into Hagar’s death that it had not been necessary to give castor oil so soon.
Hagar’s sister, Esther, then five years old, was sent downstairs to ask her grandmother, Emma, for a bottle of castor oil. Two similar bottles stood on the mantelpiece in the kitchen. Emma was illiterate and had poor eyesight and she took down one of the bottles.
This bottle was clearly marked with a label that stated the contents were oil of tar and “poison”. Oil of tar was used for waterproofing or as a disinfectant. Its use today is restricted.
Emma didn’t notice she had taken down the wrong bottle. She gave it to her granddaughter who then carried it upstairs to her mother who unwittingly gave the new baby a dose from the bottle.
The baby did not get better. On the contrary, she became worse and her father was called upstairs. On examining the bottle he realised a terrible mistake had been made.
Dr Thomas Vincent de Denne was called. He gave medical attention for three days in but baby Hagar died on Saturday 16 November.
An inquest was held on the following Tuesday at the Black Horse public house at Overend in Cradley.
The two bottles of different oils were produced and shown to be of a similar shape and size but distinctly labelled with their contents. The bottle of oil of tar was marked with a label that clearly stated the contents were “poison”.
The Coroner remarked that Emma, Hagar’s grandmother, should have used more caution than she did. As she couldn’t read or see clearly, she should have asked her son to check the labels. However, he recommended a verdict of “Accidental Death” which the jury returned saying that the Coroner should censure Emma for her carelessness. The Coroner did so and instructed Emma that she had been neglectful and should be more cautious in future.
Emma continued to live with her son’s family and died at the age of 80 in 1914. Her son, Thomas, died the following year. His widowed wife, Hagar, went on to live in the household of her daughter Esther (Mole) and her family until her death in 1931.
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