Below are various inquests/newspaper reports in which the cause of death was murder. 

ANN PREEST, ALIAS CRUTCHLEY (OXFORD, OXFORDSHIRE, 1827):

On the morning of 12th December 1827, a night-watchman made a grim discovery in a street behind Christ Church, Oxford.

A 23 year old woman known as Ann Crutchley was found 'in a state of insensibility', lying in the street. She was covered in devastating injuries. The poor woman recovered her senses just enough to disclose that she had spent the previous evening in the company of two men, and that they'd been drinking until the early hours of that morning. The men had then led the by then extremely drunk Ann down the street in which she was found, and set about inflicting 'such wounds as left no chance of her life being saved'.

Ann was then left for dead, and although she lingered on for a few hours afterwards, she eventually succumbed to her horrific injuries.

An inquest was quickly held, during which it transpired that although the victim was known in the locality as Ann Crutchley, her real surname was actually Preest. She had come from a respectable and well-off family in Herefordshire, when a young man had seduced her to leave her parents' house, and run away with him to Oxford. Ann's beau had subsequently abandoned her.

Depressed, alone and vulnerable in a strange city, Ann had begun drinking and socialising with some decidedly dodgy characters, although many who knew of her remarked upon her 'mildness of manners'. She was described as being 'of great personal beauty', and thus many of the gentlemen residing in the city's various colleges would regularly pass liquor to her through the bars of their windows.

On the night of her tragic demise, students from Brasenose College admitted passing Ann a teapot full of strong brandy, rendering her 'intoxicated to insensibility'.

The post-mortem revealed that there were two cuts, both around two inches long, inside Ann's womb; these were probably inflicted with some sort of double-edged instrument. The lacerations were enough to cause haemorrhage, and ultimately, death. There were also multiple external injuries, and on her left breast was a discoloured mark in the shape of a man's four fingers and thumb. She was described as being 'much disfigured'.

Some witnesses came forward and told police that another watchman called Mr Field had apparently refused to help Ann prior to her death, when passers-by had told him that she was too drunk to stand; Field's alleged response was: "No, I'll see her dead first!".

Another person by the name of Williams was noted as being in Ann's company at some point on the night in question, but there was insufficient evidence with which to charge him. Due to a lack of any concrete evidence, the jury returned a verdict of 'willful murder by person or persons unknown'.

A reward of 200 guineas was offered to anyone who would come forward with information leading to the apprehension of the culprit(s), but it was never claimed.

Poor Ann Preest, alias Crutchley, was buried in the cemetery of St Thomas' Church, Oxford, 3 days later; her mother travelled from Herefordshire to lay her to rest.

The Oxford Journal reported the following:

"We learn from the medical gentleman who saw the body that the murder must have been committed with the utmost deliberation. It could not have been a stab; indeed, it appears that the light of the moon was necessary for what we may call 'the operation'. Had she not been so much intoxicated, it could not have been effected. The girl was seduced from her friends and brought to Oxford by a young gentleman. Crutchley, who brought her to Oxford, is a notorious pickpocket, and has been once transported. The deceased had lived for some time at Hereford as a prostitute, and was discharged from the Magdalen about 9 months since. Many examinations have taken place, but most certainly nothing has been proved, either from circumstantial or positive evidence, which could authorise the magistrates to affix the guilt upon any individual whatsoever."

Around a week after Ann's burial, the magistrates issued a warrant to have her coffin exhumed in order to confirm her cause of death; the findings corroborated the results of the initial post-mortem, although it did raise the possibility of a different weapon being involved, and some extra injuries were also noticed.

A few days after the exhumation, a man named John Williams was apprehended, and sent to Oxford Gaol. He had apparently been seen with blood stains upon his clothing on the morning that Ann was found, and could not satisfactorily account for this. He was described as 'about 30 years of age, working as a picture-frame maker, and with the exception of the indiscretions of youth, generally a good character'.

Williams' washerwoman attested to the fact that she had washed similarly stained garments of his before, and that she did not find it unusual. He himself vehemently denied all involvement.

Another account of that fateful night mentions that Ann was a prostitute, and had been in the company of another called Harriet Mitchell when she had accepted brandy from the students of Brasenose College. One of these students was Houstonne John Radcliffe, who left the college at around the same time that Ann was killed, returning to his room shortly afterwards. Radcliffe was expelled from Brasenose College in their fear of a scandal, and died in 1829.

Ultimately, John Williams was released, and no one was ever convicted for this abhorrent crime; but I have to say, I am curious as to why the police seemingly disregarded Crutchley - Ann's former boyfriend - as a possible suspect! Radcliffe also appears to have been a very strong contender, as was Field if his incriminating speech was indeed factual!

The story was followed nationwide, and a report published by The Times said the following:

"Within the passage called the vagina, leading to the mouth of the womb, there were most evident marks of two wounds - one on the left, the other on the right side; which wounds appear to have been made either by a blunt and powerful instrument or by a sharp instrument, which had been forcibly moved in different directions after the wounds had been inflicted."

The Times also implied that Radcliffe had been expelled due to leaving Oxford 2 days after the murder of his own volition...

It also transpired that the exact street in which Ann met her fate was Blue Boar Street, pictured below. The two men Ann told the night-watchman about were never found.

Who do you think was responsible for Ann's murder?

WILLIAM BECKLEY (BLENHEIM, OXFORDSHIRE, 1885):

In August 1885, "a brutal murder was committed in Blenheim Park, near Oxford".

The victim was identified as William Beckley - the keeper of nearby Water Meadow Lodge. During the inquest, it transpired that the deceased had been "tasked with tarring some rails at Spring Lock", along with another man called George Boddington.

Boddington left at around 1pm that afternoon in order to have his dinner, leaving Beckley enjoying a smoke break close to the spot where they were working. According to Boddington, he returned at around 2pm in order to resume his duties, only to find William Beckley lying dead on the ground.

He raised the alarm, saying only that he'd discovered Beckley lying dead beneath a tree in Blenheim Park. Because William Beckley had recently been under the care of a local physician due to diarrhoea and heart disease, the doctor was happy enough to issue the death certificate there and then, without viewing the body, which was subsequently removed from the park in a cart, and transported to the deceased man's residence at Water Lodge.

Later that day, a local policeman happened to be passing by the Lodge, when he was greeted by Beckley's daughter; she told the policeman - named as Inspector Oakley - that she wished for him to come and take a look at her father's corpse. Oakley obliged, and as soon as he did so, he knew immediately that this was no natural death!

Oakley recognised at once that "the man had met with a violent death, his skull having been battered in, apparently with a spade." Oakley then sealed the room in which Beckley's body was being kept, and sent for reenforcements.

Much to his dismay, George Boddington was straightaway arrested on suspicion of the murder of William Beckley, on account of it being well known that the two men "frequently quarrelled".

Whilst awaiting his trial at Oxford Castle, boddington confessed to killing Beckley with a pickaxe. The trial was held at nearby Woodstock, with Boddington initially receiving a death sentence for his crime; however, the judge was clearly feeling merciful, as this "was soon commuted to one of penal servitude for life."

Upon hearing the news that he'd narrowly escaped the hangman's noose, George Boddington fell to his knees, overwhelmed with relief. Boddington then signed a document in which he "formally admitted having committed the crime in consequence of a quarrel which had arisen between himself and the deceased." The judge's change of heart was more than likely due to the prisoner's history of mental illness being made known; Boddington had spent several stints in the Littlemore Asylum, Oxford, due to "hereditary insanity". Boddington's daughter also confirmed that her father suffered from "delusions, memory loss, and violent behaviour". 

It would appear that the amended sentence of transportation was also not carried out - George Boddington died in custody, presumably in Oxford, two years later. 

I can only imagine that the doctor who very nearly allowed Boddington to get away with murder was a LOT more vigilant after that!

UNNAMED VICTIM, KNOWN AS 'MATCHEY' (OXFORD, 1871):

In November 1871, "considerable excitement was caused at Oxford, owing to the discovery of a woman with her throat cut in a field off of the Botley Road".

The unfortunate victim was found "with her throat cut from ear to ear". Whilst she wasn't named, the newspapers at the time reported that "she was in the habit of selling matches near the railway station, and was last seen alive at about 9 o'clock on Saturday night."

The corpse was discovered by a passer-by in the early hours of the following morning, and when police arrived on the scene, it was initially assumed that the poor woman's injuries had been self-inflicted; however," the absence of any weapon immediately rendered the case full of suspicion."

It appeared that the deceased had moved approximately 15 yards whilst bleeding profusely, "as there were two distinct pools of blood." It was also noted that there were no blood stains in the gateway to the field, nor any signs of a struggle. It clearly wasn't the result of a robbery, as the victim still had 3s 6d of silver in her pocket. She was between 30 to 40 years of age, and was known locally as 'Matchey'. 

GIOVANNI KALABERGHI (WILLIAMSCOT, NEAR BANBURY, OXFORDSHIRE, 1852):

In January 1852, an Italian man named Giovanni Brayelli Gullielmo Kalaberghi was executed by hanging in front of a crowd of upwards of 8,000 spectators.

Kalaberghi had been found guilty of the murder of his own uncle - also called Giovanni Kalaberghi - at Williamscott Hill (roughly 4 miles from Banbury).

Upon his arrest, he was initially "confined to a public house in Wroxton, with two constables with him at all times; however, Kalaberghi escaped, managing to run just over a quarter of a mile before the constable caught up with him! From then on, "he remained heavily ironed".

His trial was initially postponed, as the court sought to hire an interpreter; whilst awaiting the interpreter's arrival, the prisoner made a daring escape attempt. He threw himself from one of the prison windows, falling approximately twenty-five feet to the hard ground below, and sustaining some painful injuries (including breaking the fibula of his right leg) as a result.

The coroner's inquest into Kalaberghi Senior's death took place at The Crown Inn, Williamscott, the day after the murder; although it was obvious that the victim had been shot, the pistol in question was nowhere to be found, so the jury decided to reserve their judgement until more evidence could be gathered.

During the trial, with the aid of the interpreter, the defendant claimed that his uncle had been set upon by "three men, who had beaten him with great violence, and then shot him". He claimed that the assailants had then pursued him, but he had managed to outrun them.

It was very quickly revealed that Giovanni Junior had been seen purchasing the exact same style of pistol in Banbury a few days prior to the murder, and yet more incriminating evidence was discovered, too: the bullets used to kill his uncle had been hand-fashioned from a particular type of metal, making them very distinctive... Several bullets of that exact same type were found upon his person!

Upon examination of the body, it was confirmed that the deceased had died instantaneously, due to two bullet wounds: one to the back of the head, and another to the forehead.

Ms. Sophia Hobbs - housekeeper to the deceased - deposed that her employers' nephew had arrived from Italy roughly two or three months previously, and that he had resided with the deceased ever since. According to Ms. Hobbs, the prisoner had ran into the house on the evening in question at around 6 or 7pm, exclaiming:

"Uncle dead, uncle dead! Go, the priest! Priest, Italian!"

Ms. Hobbs had duly fetched the priest, who returned with her at once to the house. He and the defendant had conversed entirely in their native tongue for some time. She told the court that, whilst she had not witnessed any arguments between the two men, she knew that her master had suspected that his nephew was behind the disappearance of two expensive gold watches.

The deceased was apparently "much respected in the town, and was interred at the Catholic Church of St John, Banbury. A great number of sympathetic neighbours attended the funeral rites."

Eventually, Kalaberghi confessed to the priest whilst languishing in prison that he had indeed killed his uncle. His motive was pure greed - he had already stolen several valuable items from the deceased, depositing them in a freshly-dug grave in the Catholic cemetery in Banbury. He had hoped to inherit his uncle's property in the event of his death.

Giovanni Kalaberghi Junior was executed at Oxford Castle, appearing "very penitent and resigned to his fate. A few minutes after 8 o'clock that morning, the drop fell, and the culprit ceased to exist".

ELIZA HEMMINGS (OXFORD, OXFORDSHIRE, 1894):

Early one Sunday morning in 1894, residents of Gas Street in Oxford awoke to the sound of shrill screams eminating from a particular dwelling.

A woman called Mrs Eliza Hemmings had been renting a room in a lodging house; upon hearing the screams, the landlord rushed to see what was going on, only to see a man whom he recognised as being her husband, Mr Hemmings, fleeing the building. Upon entering their room, he was understandably shocked to discover Mrs Hemmings lying on the floor, bleeding profusely. The poor woman had several serious head wounds, to which she finally succumbed later that day (although some sources claim that she survived for four days before passing away). 

It quickly transpired that the victim's husband was James Hemming, a bricklayer. He was soon captured, and taken into custody to await trial.

At the trial, it was revealed that he and his wife had been living apart for some time. Early on that fateful Sunday morning, he had snuck into the lodging house, and brutally slain his estranged spouse.

It became apparent that James had been trying to reconcile with Eliza for some time, and that she had been known to deliberately antagonize him in the past; due to this, the crime was deemed to have been manslaughter rather than wilful murder. James Hemmings was thereby sentenced to five years' penal servitude, although this was soon commuted to simple incarceration.

Presumably, his prison sentence was a short one, as upon James' release from prison, he moved to London, and subsequently remarried; he and his new wife went on to have at least three more children.

Sadly, a baby daughter called Mabel Hemmings, whom Eliza had custody of prior to the murder, was abandoned at St Ebbe's Workhouse in Oxford; James didn't believe that he was the father, as there were rumours regarding his dead wife being a prostitute!