Cylchgronau Cymru

Coroners of Radnor on view of the body of a newborn female child upon the oath of Thomas Beavan, Esq. and with twelve other lawful men duly sworn and charged to inquire for our sovereign, and by what means the child came to her death, do upon their oath say that Mary Morgan late of the parish of Glazebury, a single woman on the 23rd day of September being big with child, afterward alone and secretly from her body did bring forth alive a female child, which by the laws and customs of this Kingdom was a bastard. Mary Morgan, not having the fear of God before her eyes, but moved and seduced by the instigation of the Devil afterwards on the same day, with force and arms on the child born alive, feloniously, wilfully and of her malice aforethought did make an assault with a certain penknife made of iron and steel of the value of sixpence which she, Mary Morgan, there had, and held in her right hand, the throat or neck of the child did strike and cut, andgave the child one mortal wound of the length of three inches and the depth of one inch. The child instantly died and so the Foreman of the Jury himself and fellows do say the child came to her death and not otherwise. In witness thereof the Coroner as the Foreman of the Jurors on behalf of himself and the rest of his fellows in their presence have to this inquisition set their hands and seals this day, year and place mentioned. Hector A. Cooksey, Coroner [signed]. On the back of this document is written "Sworn in Council Bold." Hugh Bold was bailiff for Brecon. There is also a document called an "examination" at the NLW, Reference No. WALES/533/3, headed Po se (Postea etc. i.e. verdict). It covers the same ground but gives different measurements for the wound, namely length six inches, breadth four inches, and depth two inches. This document is faded and the signature is indecipherable, but for the initial capital "S". The depositions and finding of the Coroner's jury were taken to Presteigne. Mary Morgan remained in bed, and being too ill to travel stayed there until she was able to journey to Presteigne to await her trial.* By the 6th October she was deemed fit, the next document being a bill presented and duly paid, for bread delivered by John Stanton the baker to Mary Morgan for the first quarter, 6th October 1804-15th January 1805, being 102 days and amounting to £ 1. 5s. 6d. The charge to the parish was therefore 3d. per day. Since prisoners waited in gaol for the next assize if charged with a criminal offence, Mary Morgan was in gaol for nearly six months. She was lodged in the female cell along with Margaret Bird, imprisoned for larceny. The two Judges, Mr. Justice Hardinge (Senior) and Mr. Justice Moysey (Junior) set out for the Welsh circuit on 26th March 1805. They went to Cardiff first, then Brecon, and began the ceremony of the Assize at Presteigne on Monday 8th April 1805. Mary Morgan had no defence counsel, and seeing her desolate condition, the High Sheriff, Charles Rogers, paid for one. He was Richard Bevan or Beavan. His name Hereford Journal, 3rd October 1804.