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The Suicide of John Burgar (1780-1836)
The Coroner's Inquest on John Burgar is recorded as a hand written document.
The clerk who took down the evidence had to write at the speed that the witnesses
were speaking. Consequently, his writing was somewhat “slurred”,
many words are abbreviations, others have some of the vowels missing. The details
below are the best interpretation that we could make of the document. the
........ means there are words that can not be read.
Several witnesses were called. These included the inn-keeper, police constable,
surgeons, locksmith etc. who gave details of John's death. A friend of John and John's nephew also gave
evidence as follows:
James Pearson of No 75 East Street, Manchester Square, says I knew the
deceased John Burgar, he was a publican at nos. 34-35 East Street. I saw him
last on Monday Morning but did not then speak to him. He was depressed for a
considerable time and very much dejected. And increasingly low spirited. Last
Saturday week he told me he was very much disappointed in his affairs. I told
him he had looked dejected. I then asked him if he had let his house. He said
he had and he thought to an honest man. But he had turned round from him. I
said I was sorry to hear it. I said in what way. He said that he had asked
the person for a sum of money, but the person had written him that it was off,
and his dispirits returned. He said he had run him up expenses and was besides
himself with that he could not get ? and he opined that they were determined
to deprive him of his house. He said he believed the person to be a respectable
man, but he thought he was badly advised. That there were others connected
with him. I opined that ……. but he had not cared. He had appeared
very dejected for some time since. He told me then that he had gone too far
and he should have seen it. He was a lost man. He doubted … and all I know
….. I am sure that he was not in a sane state of mind for a considerable
time past. He has a Wife and one child living. The letter produced was in his
handwriting. His wife's name is Mary. His age was about 60. He has had a deal
of trouble and …. from his home. He has been away from home once or twice
for a week.
Charles Blake of No 28 Edgware Road, I was a nephew to the deceased. For the
last 8 months he had been very much depressed and fancied that a person was designing
against him. He had a great deal of trouble. He used to sit up all night and
then throw things about. I have considered him insane for a long time past.
He would sometimes have a fit of insanity for 5, 6 or seven weeks and then he
would be calm again. He left his home this time on Monday last. The letter
was produced in his own hand.
After hearing the evidence the verdict was :
An Inquisition indented taken for our Sovereign Lord the King at the Parish
of ???? on the Wall in the Ward of Bread Street in the City of London on the
seventh day of April in the sixth year of the Reign …… on View the
Body of John Burgar now here lying dead upon the oath of Hugh Evans, { + names
of 13 other jurors}…. Say that “the said John Burgar on the sixth
day of April 1836 not being of sound mind memory and understanding but in a state
of temporary insanity one end of a certain piece of cord of no value to a bed
post in a certain house in Wormwood Street there situate and and the other end
of the said piece of cord round and about his own neck did then and there fix
tie and fasten whereof the said John Burgar did then and there hang
strangle and suffocate himself after which such hanging strangling and suffocation
the said John Burgar then and there did die.
And so the jury aforesaid upon their oath aforesaid do say that the said John
Burgar, not being of sound mind memory and understanding but in a state of temporary
insanity in manner aforesaid did kill himself.
The final outcome was that John Burgar took his life in a state of temporary
insanity. Effectively this means that he did not commit suicide and therefore
could be buried in a churchyard. Obviously, John was a very unhappy man.
He was buried in St Lukes Chelsea, near his brother Benjamin who died a little
earlier.
The Morning Post
London Friday April 8th 1836
Coroner's Inquests;
Last evening an inquest was held at the Commercial Coffee House, Wormwood Street,
City, before Mr Payne and a respectable jury, on view the body of Mr John Burgar,
aged 53. Mr Edward Faunch, proprietor of the Commercial Coffee House, deposed
that the deceased was a stranger to him previous to Tuesday night, when he came
to the house, and enquired if he could be accommodated with a bed. He was told
he could, and after taking a pint of ale, with a cigar, in the coffee room, he
retired to his bed chamber. On the following morning , at nine o'clock, the
chambermaid knocked at his door for the purpose of enquiring at what hour he
wished his breakfast, but received no answer; she went again at eleven and twelve
o'clock, but still she could not obtain a reply. On witness being apprised,
he sent for a smith in the neighbourhood, who opened the door, when the unfortunate
man was found suspended to one of the rails of the bedstead by a piece of cord.
The witness here produced a letter which he found in one of the deceased's
pockets. It was identified as his ( deceased's) handwriting, and was addressed
to Mr Pearson, Cheesemonger, of No 75 East Street, Manchester Square. The tenor
of the letter was apprising his family of his intention to commit suicide on
account of his bad success in business and the imposition of certain parties
towards him. Mr Pearson stated that he had known the deceased for the last ten
years. He was a Publican. For several months past he had been in a low desponding
state of mind. The unhappy man laboured under a delusion, imagining that everyone
was concerting his ruin. His circumstances were not bad. The Jury returned
a verdict of “Insanity”.
The Morning Chronicle
Friday 8th April 1836
An Inquest was held last night at Commercial Coffee House, Wormwood Street, City,
before Mr Payne and a respectable jury, on view the body of Mr John Burgar, aged
53, who destroyed himself under cicumstances of a very distressing nature.
Mr Edward Faunch, proprietor of the Commercial Coffee House, deposed that the
deceased was a stranger to him previous to Tuesday night, when he came to the
house, and inquired if he could be accommodated with a bed. He was told he could,
and after taking a pint of ale with a cigar, in the coffee room, he retired to
his bed chamber. On the following morning , at nine o'clock, the chambermaid
knocked at his door for the purpose of enquiring at what hour he wished his breakfast,
but received no answer; she went again at eleven and twelve o'clock, but still
she could not obtain a reply. On witness being apprised, his suspicion became
excited, and he sent for a smith in the neighbourhood, who opened the door, when
the unfortunate man was found suspended to one of the rails of the bedstead by
a piece of cord. Witness had not the presence of mind to cut him down, but
sent for one of the City Police, who arrived in a few minutes and severed the
cord. Mr Thompson, a surgeon, subsequently arrived and endeavoured to restore
animation, but ineffectually. Several relatives of the deceased spoke of his
low dejected state of mind for several months past, after which the jury returned
a verdict of Insanity.