Child left home alone dies of burns (1881)

Post date: Dec 06, 2011 3:6:59 PM

Reynolds’s Newspaper Sunday 17^th April 1881 reported

CHILD BURNT TO DEATH-On Tuesday a child named Emma Driver, three years old, the daughter of a labourer living at Wateringbury, near Maidstone, was burnt to death. The child was left sitting in front of a fire, while her mother went to her sister's house, a short distance off. On the mother's return in a few minutes, she heard the girl scream, and on going to see what was the matter, found the child's clothes almost burnt off her. The poor little sufferer only lived for about a couple of hours.

The 1881 census shows there were two Driver households in Wateringbury both living near the North Pole. Emma was the daughter of George Driver, a farm labourer, aged 27, and Emma Driver his wife also aged 27. As well as the Emma that died, they had 3 other children: a George Driver Simmons aged 7; a Richard Driver aged 4 and Minnie aged 9 months.

For other nineteenth century accidents in Wateringbury see also Fatal accident at Wateringbury Station, Drunk hopper drowns in Medway, and Speeding Boy Racer Losses control on Red Hill.