Mary Anne Tilour was a young woman, a servant, who 'made a hole in the water' in June 1834. Hers was one of many such suicides. She was found floating in the Exe near the Head weir. An inquest was held at the Barnstaple Inn in North Street, Exeter.
Mary Anne could not write. She had gone to the trouble of visiting an old shoemaker of her acquaintance, Charles Baker. in Brookgreen, St. Sidwell's, to ask him to write a note for her. He was not too great a writer either. The newspaper report claimed 'he appeared to be one of the stupidest of men.' No doubt he was offended. He gave evidence at the inquest:
"She was a friendless girl, but had two uncles living at Heavitree. I was writing when she came in; she asked me to write a note for her. It did not excite my suspicion, she said she was going to send it seven miles away, There had been stories that she was in the family way, and I thought this was to contradict it."
This was the bizarre note that was unpinned from Mary Anne's stays when she was taken from the river.:
"Mary an Tillor - this is Don be cose I stated she is not in the famley waie when this you see you will now [know] what is bee come of me. I have nothing Extr.y for the Present so this is the last fare well to you Aall."
An examination of Mary Anne's body confirmed she had not been pregnant. The reasons for her suicide were largely unexplained but the jury needed no explanation. Who cared? They returned a verdict of found drowned.
Whenever I read these pathetic stories of drowned women, and there are many of them, I find myself asking myself the question, warped no doubt: was this tragic young woman pretty and charming? Did she float on the waters like Ophelia in the Millais painting?
OK, Probably not!"
Source: The Western Times, 7th June 1834.
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