Lytham St.Annes Coat of Arms

 
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Lytham St.Annes, Lancashire, England
 

 

 Skating Deaths, Lytham, 1855.

The Preston Guardian, Saturday, January 27, 1855 (illustration added)

FATAL ACCIDENT AT LYTHAM.

On Wednesday last, an accident occurred at Lytham by which two persons met their death, and a third had a very narrow escape.

Lytham Church & Parsonage in the 1830sIt appears that two young men and a boy, named respectively John Hull, William Greaves, and John Greaves, the two former about 20, and the latter 11 years of age, were amusing themselves on the day above-named by skating on a large marl-pit near the parsonage house, when the ice suddenly gave way, and all three were immersed in the water.

William Greaves, who was luckily near the edge of the pit at the time, was, after a hard struggle, saved by means of branches of trees, which were thrown to him by persons who had come to their assistance, and he is now enjoying his usual health, but his two ill-fated companions were drowned.

Several other youtbs were preparing to go on to the ice just before the melancholy catastrophe occurred. An inquest was held on the bodies of the deceased on Thursday last, before Mr. M. Myres, coroner, when the jury returned a verdict of " Accidentally drowned."