The Attempted Murder of Hannah Hall

In the town of Royton there stood a large house on the road between Oldham and Heyside. It was a large house adjacent to another dwelling. The two properties had, some time ago, been made into cottages from a disused machine shop.
In one dwelling lived Hannah Hall a widow of 72yrs old. From her property she ran a small dairy shop and milk farm. It was popular with the local colliery workers who would go there to purchase their lunch supplies of bread, cheese and butter. Mrs Hall employed no help as she was fit and able to run the shop by herself. Next door lived John Collinge and his family.
Mrs Hall usually retired to rest around 9pm and it was around this time that Mr Collinge heard a disturbance from the shop. He alerted his wife and while they were discussing what it could be they heard a second sound louder that the previous one and similar to a blow or the falling of a heavy object.
Mr. Collinge rushed round to Mrs Hall's shop and entered by the back door. It was all in darkness so he shouted, "Hallo, what's to do here?" but got no reply. He entered the shop and shouted again but there was silence. Feeling his way back to the lobby – as it was very dark- he heard something like a groan, so he turned back and felt his way towards the floor, where he thought the noise had come from.
He felt a head and noted that it was wet. Carrying the body into the kitchen he saw, by the glimmer of the fire, that he had hold of the old woman, His wife came in and several neighbours having been alerted also hastened to the shop. Mrs Hall was then placed on a sofa. A light was procured and the old lady was found to be covered in blood and full of wounds.
The constable was sent for and also the surgeon Mr. Earnshaw. On his examination he ascertained that she had suffered no fewer than ten wounds on her head. The scalp was not fractured but had a wound the length of two inches. Although some of the wounds were severe the surgeon judged none of them to be mortal.
After Mrs. Hall had recovered a little from her ordeal she was fit enough to answer a few questions. In answer to these questions she stated that ‘Hutty’, a young man whose real name was John Griffiths, and worked at the colliery, had entered the shop to purchase two pennyworth of bread and butter. She spoke to him while preparing the supplies about the possibility of a job she would like him to do for her in the future. As she was stooped over the tub getting the butter she received a blow to the left side of her head, which knocked her senseless and she remembered nothing more.
Other surmises were made at the scene that as she fell a candle she was holding must have gone out, the villain aiming a second blow, which would almost certainly have killed her, missed and struck the lid of the tub breaking it. This caused the louder noise that Mr. Collinge had heard and left the mark of a blunt instrument. Asked again who did it she said it was Hutty, everybody knows him.
The shop and house was searched but no person, mark or trace was found nor were any items found to be missing.
Hutty was soon apprehended at the colliery where he worked and was taken into custody. Being charged with the crime he was confused and stated he had done nothing. At the time of the assault it was discovered that Hutty was absent from the colliery and had told one of the workmen that he was going to Turf Lane – which is in the direction of the shop. But now he changed his story and stated that he had gone to the lower vote to warm by the fire. However his workmates stated there was no fire in the lower cut.
He was kept in custody until the Monday afternoon when magistrates Messrs. Holes and Holden took the deposition from Mrs. Hall in her home.
She was feeling much better and her statement was very clear and positive. She again stated it was Hutty and was asked if she could see him in the room. She pointed at Hutty and said, "Ay that’s him."
He was committed to Kirkdale on the charge of having feloniously cut and wounded Hannah Hall with intent to murder her, or do her some grievous bodily harm.
On Tuesday morning he was taken to Kirkdale. He was estimated to be about 20 or 22 years of age, and he stated he came to Royton from The Duke of York’s School, Chelsea. At first he was bound to a fustian weaver at Heyside named Percival but he and several others had been liberated due to bad usage.
He was found guilty and the court record reads :

Liverpool assizes 24 March 1840
John Griffiths, protestant, Labourer
Sentenced to 15yrs transportation
5’ 3 ¼” Sallow, Freckled, Pockmarked Skin
Brown eyes, Dark Brown hair
Small mole on back of left wrist, has an impediment in his speech.

On the 7 May 1840 he was onboard the prison ship Fortitude.
He was then transferred and set sail on the Eden on the 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales around the 18th Nov. 1840

I have been unable to find any record of him returning to the UK ... maybe he made a life for himself in Australia.

Hannah Hall survived for a few more years and died 25 May 1843 she is buried in grave number 8 in the Oldham Preparative Meeting Place (Society of Friends).

Contributor Pat Etchells
Sources :
Times Digital Archive
Burial details from Ancestry

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