An inquest has ruled that a baby boy found wrapped in newspapers dated June 1910 under the floorboards of a flat above a takeaway in Bishop Auckland was 'garrotted with twine' shortly after his birth, in a homicide.
The body was discovered in the summer of 2024 by a builder renovating flats above a takeaway on Fore Bondgate. The infant, known locally as 'Baby Auckland', was carefully wrapped in sheets from The Umpire newspaper, with a piece of brown twine knotted around his throat.
Inquest verdict
At an inquest, area coroner for County Durham and Darlington Crispin Oliver delivered a verdict that the child, aged between 38 and 40 weeks old, was 'garrotted with twine' shortly after his birth.
'The conclusion that I am driven to, on the balance of probabilities, is that the twine was applied to Baby Auckland's neck after he was born and while he was still alive,' Oliver stated, ruling the death was a homicide. 'The most likely explanation for this is that a person in a position to care for him... took the decision to end his life by means of strangulation using the twine as a garrote. As such, this was a homicide.'
'I find that Baby Auckland died in or around 1910, having been garrotted by an unknown third party shortly after the baby was born', he concluded.
Discovery and investigation
Builder Peter Moody told the inquest he had found the 'small skeleton of a baby under the floorboards', and the child had been 'about 50 to 60 inches long'. A statement read aloud by Mr Oliver said: 'I took up the floorboards and found the skeleton with some newspapers. The newspapers were very old under the floorboards. I picked up what appeared to be a ball and thought, 'This is a baby'. I called the council, and they recommended that I call the police.'
Fore Bondgate was a bustling hub of working-class life in 1910, with pubs, shops and some homes. Historian Tom Hutchinson noted that 'everybody knew everybody'. The street dates back to Medieval times, close to where the Bishop of Auckland built a bridge across the River Weir in the 14th Century.
Historical context and possible mother
According to the 1911 census, three people lived in the eight-room dwelling upstairs: 53-year-old café owner Elizabeth Adamson, her 14-year-old son Earnest Adamson, and a 22-year-old domestic servant named Mary Walker. Mary, who hailed from around four miles north of Bishop Auckland, was single at the time.
Tom Hutchinson noted that Mary was the eldest of 14 children from a coal miner's family, and that mining life was a 'very precarious existence'. He reflected: 'Presumably, it would be very shameful, putting it mildly. There aren't any statistics, so you don't really know whether other occasions, similar to this, did occur at times.'
Census records showed Mary remained at Number 27 for decades, working as a servant and cook until after World War Two. She never married, spent her entire life in Bishop Auckland, and passed away in 1975 at the age of 87.
'You could argue that if Mary Jane was the mother, that she hid them, and maybe, for whatever reasons, she stayed there to make sure it wasn't discovered,' said Tom. Though two women claiming to be related to a servant at the address came forward during the investigation, DNA testing didn't provide a match with the baby.
Funeral and police response
Durham Constabulary ensured the child was not forgotten, giving him a funeral in April. Celebrant Gemma Dobson said: 'Though we do not know the details of their days, we stand here knowing something simple— this child was here, and this child is worthy of love, dignity, and rest.'
Detective Chief Inspector Mel Sutherland of Durham Police, who led the investigation, stated: 'There were no modern checks available, such as CCTV. We had to think laterally and explore all available techniques, such as forensic evidence and carbon dating. Baby Auckland was killed shortly after he was born. He never got the chance to experience anything in life. But there was a heart-warming end to his life at the funeral and the compassion he received.'
