 Murder in the Town |
DRIFFIELD AND WOLDS GENEALOGY |
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THE CASTLE CHILDREN If you take a stroll through the Driffield Cemetery, you are walking past the resting places of over 7,000 people who lived in the town and surrounding villages. They were known and loved among friends and relatives, but unless they founded a hospital or became an MP, they remain practically forgotten among those of us who live here today. One small grave bears the simple inscription "In loving memory of Donald Oxley Castle aged 7 years. Charles Hubert Castle aged 5 years. Kenneth Gordon Castle aged 3 years, died February 13th 1923." Nothing much to indicate the tragic circumstances that led to that fatal date for these little angels. What happened - a house fire, an accident? The fate of these small children was far worse and caused a sensation around the country when the full facts were revealed. With hindsight, it could have possibly been prevented. The following story is in memory of those 3 children and the despair of their mother who suffered unimaginable torment just a short time ago, before her illness was recognised or acknowledged. February 17, 1923 SAD TRAGEDY AT
DRIFFIELD One of the saddest
tragedies that has ever occurred in Driffield or district took place late
on Tuesday night. About eleven o’clock, a phone message was received at
the Police station to the effect that something serious had happened at
the home of Mr Fred Castle, manager for John Smith’s, Tadcaster, Market
Place, Driffield (a well-known Association football-player for Driffield
and Cranswick). On Deputy Chief Constable Waind and Sgt Hinds proceeding
to the scene, they were shown into the bath room, where they found three
children dead in the bath. They also found that Mrs Castle was suffering
from the effects of poison. Later on Mrs Castle was removed to the
Cottage Hospital, where she was attended by Dr Keith. The affair has cast a
gloom over the town and much sympathy is expressed with Mr Castle in his
sad trouble. THE INQUE The inquest was opened
at the Court House, Wansford Road, Driffield, on Thursday night at 6pm
before Mr Thos Holtby, County Coroner. Before the inquiry was
commenced the Coroner remarked that the event, through which they had been
called together, was the saddest tragedy that had come upon our little
town within his experience and he was sure the jury would wish to express
on behalf of them and himself their sincere sympathy to Mr Castle. The
event had cast a great shadow over the town and district, the like of
which he had not known before. Mrs Castle was not, he
understood, at present in a state to appreciate the position, and he
merely proposed to call evidence of identification and medical evidence as
to her state of health that night and then adjourn the inquiry. Mr Norman Durrans, in
identifying the bodies, said he had been friendly with the family for 10
years. Mr Castle and himself soldiered together during the war and had
been intimate since. He gave the children’s names as Donald Oxley, born 1st
November, 1915; Chas Hubert, born July 13th 1917; and Kenneth
Gordon, born January 22nd 1921. They were all children
belonging to Fred Castle, brewer’s manager, 62 Market Place, Driffield. Dr Keith stated that
Mrs Castle was in a position to give instructions to her solicitor. February 24, 1923 SAD TRAGEDY AT
DRIFFIELD Another phase in the
sad tragedy took place this Saturday morning, when Mrs Castle was brought
before the magistrates at the Court House, Driffield. The magistrates on
the Bench were Messrs. Chas Smith, S.H. Gibson and C.A. Goodlass. At the outset Mr
Blakeston asked that the prisoner (who was accompanied by Mrs Waind and
Mrs Padley), might be seated. The charges were that
Grace Castle did with malice aforethought murder the three children, and
also attempt suicide on February 13th. Mr Hodge opened the
case and then called Deputy Chief Constable Waind who said that whilst at
the Police Station at 11.45 on Tuesday night, he received a message over
the ‘phone upon which he sent Sgt Hinds and PC Hardwick to 62, Market
Place and later from what was communicated to him he went himself, and
there saw the bodies of the three children lying in the bathroom. He next
went in the kitchen, where he saw Mrs Castle sitting, Dr Keith was with
her. She said, “Oh! Mr Waind, you don’t know why I have done it.” The
police remained in charge and Mrs Castle was removed to the Cottage
Hospital. On Saturday morning he
removed her to the Police Station, where he cautioned and charged her
separately with the three murders, and she made no reply. When he charged
her with the suicide she said “Had I to reply? Because it is right, but it
was not malice; it was a kindness.” Mr Blakeston: Do you
think it was a reply to the whole of the charges or only to the last. Supt Waind: I took it
for a general statement. Mr Hodge said that was
the whole of the evidence he proposed to call that day, and asked for an
adjournment which was granted until 10.30 on Friday morning, February 23rd. Mrs Castle was remanded
in custody. THE FUNERAL of the
three children took place on Friday afternoon in the Cemetery, at
Driffield. There was a large crowd of people present, but they were kept
away from the precincts of the grave by the aid of police. The three
coffins (which were covered with white embossed wood, with electro
mountings) had been taken to the chapel on the Church portion of the
cemetery at the close of the formal opening of the inquiry on Tuesday, and
thus much of the curiosity of the sightseers was done away with. The Rev
Geo Storer took the service in the chapel, where he gave a brief address,
in which he stated the husband and friends had the sympathy of the town
with them in their great trouble, the knowledge of which would be a great
help to them while passing through their sad and painful ordeal. The
procession to the graveside was headed by the Rev Geo Storer, following
which came the coffins, carried shoulder high, and then came the
mourners. The coffins of the two younger children were placed at the
bottom of the grave, that of the elder boy resting on them. The committal service
was brief and simple, but beautiful, it being the alternate service used
for the burial of children. The mourners were; Mr F.O. Castle (father);
Mr and Mrs E.D. Castle, Hull (grandparents); Mrs Rendall Castleford
(auntie); Miss Ethel Castle (auntie); Mr and Mrs Castle (aunt and uncle);
the Misses Gladys, Enid and Hilda Castle, Hull (aunties); Mr and Mrs A.S
Bacon, Hull (uncle and aunt); Mrs Woodmansey, Hull (aunt); Mrs D Blenheim,
Hull; Mr A Moody, Hemsworth (uncle); Mr H.W. Jubb, Hull (uncle); Mr and
Mrs H Castle, Hull; Mr E Stickney, Hull; Mr E Raw, Hull; Mr H Painter,
North Frodingham; Miss Alice Harper, Bainton; Mrs Garbutt, North
Frodingham; Mr Gowling, Bridlington; Mr N Durrans. The firm of John
Smiths’ Tadcaster were represented by Mr Holmes (Beverley), deputy
manager; Mr S Barr and Mr C Naylor, both of Driffield; and Mr Newall,
Bridlington. The wreaths were very
beautiful and were from – Father; Grandma and Grandpa Castle; Grandma and
Grandpa Moody; Gladys, Enid and Hilda; Alice, Ethel and Uncle Syd; Annie
and Harry; Herbert and Cissie; Auntie Mable and Uncle Tom; Phyllip,
Neville and Peggy; Auntie Maud and Walter; Auntie Rhoda and Family; Ethel
Castle and Dollie; Aunt Dora; The Babies of the Council School; The
Teachers and friends of the Council School; Mr and Mrs Phyllips and
Mollie; Elsie, Castleford; Alice; Mr and Mrs Cowling and Leonard; Mr and
Mrs George Askwith; Mr and Mrs E Clark, Railway Hotel; Mr and Mrs Newall,
Stirling Castle; Mr and Mrs G Ashman; The Brewery Staff; Cock and Lion and
Albion; Mrs Barry and Stella; Mr G Holt, Ethel, Mary and Jack; The Ship
Inn, Beeford; Mr and Mrs H.J. Taylor; Mr and Mrs H Maw; Mr and Mrs T.N.
Durrans The funeral
arrangements were carried out by Messrs Thornton and Son. THE ADJOURNED
INQUIRY On Tuesday evening, Mr
Thos Holtby, County Coroner, resumed the inquiry into the cause of death
of Donald Oxley Castle, aged 7 years; Chas Hubert Castle, aged 5 years and
Kenneth Gordon Castle, aged 2 ½ years, son of Mr Fred Castle, brewer’s
manager, of 62 Market Place, Driffield. Mr Hodge, of Beverley,
represented the police and Mr W.H. Blakeston Mrs Castle, who is at Hull
Gaol on the charge of murdering the children and also with attempting
suicide. Alice Harper, of
Bainton, said she was a domestic servant, and had been living with Mr and
Mrs Castle, at 62 Market Place, Driffield. She had been there since
January 1922. On Tuesday, Feb 13th, Mrs Castle and herself put
the children to bed about 7.45. Donald slept in her bed, and the other
two in Mrs Castle’s bed. Up to recently Donald and Hubert had slept in
her (witness’) bed, but as Hubert had been restless Mrs Castle said she
would have him; the 13th was the first time he had slept with
her. Mr Castle left home about seven o’clock, and she did not see him
again that night. After the children were put to bed Mrs Castle and
herself went into the kitchen where they sat knitting and reading. About
nine o’clock they had supper and went to bed at a quarter to ten, Mrs
Castle going first. They said “Good night” as usual, Donald was asleep in
her bed when she went and she soon fell asleep. The two rooms were on the
same floor. At tea-time she had asked Mrs Castle if she had neuralgia, as
she was holding her head in her hands; she often suffered from it. She
replied, “No, but my head feels very funny.” About 11.30 she was awakened
by a scream and got up; she went to the landing as saw there was a light
in the bathroom. Mrs Castle was just getting out of the bath. She was
crying and screaming out “Oh, my poor bairns!” She had a cardigan jacket
over her night dress and her clothing was wet. The children were in the
bath, which was half full of water; they were dead. Witness asked her
what she had done, and she replied, “I have done it for the best because
my sins were on the children; I’ve done it for the best.” Witness went to
the telephone and rang up the police. As she was returning to Mrs Castle,
and she asked her to go with her into the office. Witness told her she
had tried to ring up Mr Castle, but the Masonic Hall was not on the
‘phone. Mrs Castle went to the ‘phone, but got no reply; and she put the
instrument down. She said to witness, “You look white put your clothes on
and fetch Mr Castle.” After witness had ‘phoned to the police Mrs Castle
said “There is a book in the middle drawer in my bedroom; you fetch it.”
She did so and on returning Mrs Castle said “This is what I have written;
you read it.” Witness saw the first two lines but did not read any more.
The book was one she used to write her orders in. Witness went to the
front door as she heard someone coming and soon after Sgt Hinds and PC
Hardwick arrived. In reply to questions
by Mr Blakeston, witness said Mrs Castle had been away owing to ill health
during the time she had been there. She had suffered from a nervous
breakdown. She was away five weeks and had been back about six months.
They also had a nurse with her about five weeks. She got very low and
depressed. At Christmas she went away again to some friends and they
hoped she was somewhat better when she came back. By Mr Hodge; Witness
had no reason to suspect anything that night; she appeared in her usual
health. The Coroner expressed
his appreciation on the coolness and common-sense way she had acted under
the circumstances and thanked her for her service. Sgt E Hinds said about
11.45 on the night of February 13th, PC Hardwick, who was on
duty at the Police Station went running to his house, and in consequence
of what he said, both went to 62 Market Place. They got there about
11.50. They went in at the front door and went upstairs. The bedroom and
living room are on the same floor. When they got on the landing they met
witness (Harper). She was standing between the kitchen and the bathroom.
Mrs Castle came out of the kitchen on to the landing. She was in a
dressing gown. She was crying and appeared distressed. She said “Oh my
poor bairns,” and walked into the bathroom. He and Hardwick followed, and
saw the bodies laid in the bath dead. The two elder boys were in pyjamas,
and the other in a night shirt. There was no water in the bath, it having
been recently let off. There was steam, as though there had been warm
water in the bath. Witness asked how it had happened, and Mrs Castle
said, “I did it for the best; nobody knows why I did it.” Mrs Castle went
into the kitchen and produced a writing pad, which she handed to him,
saying “You will see by that why I did it.” He now produced it, and it
was read out by the Coroner The writing was as
follows: -
Whatever happens to me
don’t spend a penny on me. I am cursed and so are my children. The only
way I could have saved their souls was to have killed them three months
ago. God showed me by signs and warning that it was the only way, and I
could not do it. Why I did not I ask myself hundreds of times a day. I
shall have to do something, but I don’t know what. I have tried to make
my husband understand. Some men would have killed me long ago, but
somehow he seems so innocent of it all, and I have just had to go on until
I am about exhausted. All my thoughts are of what I can do for the best
to save my husband from suffering. He worships his children and what a
disappointment for him to see them growing up in desperation and crime,
through no fault of their own. I was ignorant of all this when I had my
children, and oh! the care and fears I had when they were babies that
nothing would happen to them, and now, if only they had died and were in
God’s keeping. I should be happy. I could have saved them if only by
murder, not in the eyes of the world, but in God’s eyes. Now I cannot see
a way out at all. My husband is the best man breathing, a good living and
straightforward man, as everyone knows. Days wore on and I am as far off
as ever. It is not a case of what I have done, but what I have left
undone. I used to be terrified at the thought of crime, and now I am
cursed with it ever in my thoughts. I ought to have been the happiest
woman living, and I am now the most wretched being that ever breathed on
earth. When the end is going to come God only knows. I know they will go
mad, for I have seen it in their brows. I cannot let them be punished for
what they could not help. Under the date of
February 13th, 1923, there was the following entry in the book:
-
I feel something will
happen to-night. I feel the blood surging in my head. Deputy Chief Constable
Waind gave evidence as to going to the premises on the night of the
occurrence, and also of charging Mrs Castle after she had been removed
from the Cottage Hospital on Friday. Dr J.R. Keith said he
was called about midnight to 62 Market Place and on his arrival he was
taken by Sgt Hinds and PC Hardwick into the bathroom, where he saw the
three children dead; death was due to drowning. Mrs Castle was sitting in
the kitchen and he attended to her. She had swallowed some tincture of
iodine. Sgt Hinds produced a bottle. She was sitting in a chair quite
calm. On his instructions she was removed to the Cottage Hospital, where
he attended her until she was removed on Saturday. He saw her there last
on Friday night. He had a conversation with her on Wednesday, when she
told him she had been in a poor state of health since the birth of her
last child, suffering from irritability and insomnia. During that time
she had a dread of knives and sharp instruments. She told she had been a
wicked woman and detected it in them (children); that for her husband’s
sake the best thing to do was to get them out of the way because if they
grew up they would do something desperate, and she would be blamed for
it. She told him also that she took the boys and put them in the bath,
one by one, and held their heads until breathing stopped, and then got in
herself. She seemed satisfied with what she had done. She gave him the
idea of being insane. By the Coroner: He
meant the other night that she could give Mr Blakeston the statement she
gave him. By Mr Blakeston: All
the time she had been in the Hospital and the last time he saw her there,
she was equally insane. On being re-called,
Alice Harper said when she came back from the front door, Mrs Caslte said,
“I can’t take any more of that stuff.” Witness said, “What stuff?” and
she pointed to a bottle which contained tincture of iodine. The bottle
was nearly empty; when she had previously seen it, it was nearly full. This was the whole of
the evidence, and the jury retired to consider their verdict. On their
return the Foreman said it was one of “Wilful murder” in each case. A JUROR AND THE
PRESS The foreman of the jury
told the Coroner that a member of the jury wished to make a statement. The Coroner: If you
wish to express disapproval of the conduct of the press in chasing
unfortunate people about with flash-lights and cameras, I heartily endorse
what you have to say. The juror said he
thought every member of the jury agreed with what he was going to say. He
realised he was up against a very strong body, but that did not matter a
“tinker’s curse.” He felt this kind of thing was affecting people of weak
intellect, and he thought the press should not publish the details of
these cases. When they took up their papers and read of a terrible
tragedy at the other end of England, they did not take much notice of it,
but when it was next door to their own it touched them a bit. The press
could publish what it liked about politics, or do what it liked in making
and unmaking Governments, but they could not make and unmake the lives of
these dear children. The Coroner expressed
the hope that the statement would have some effect. Mrs Castle was again
brought before the Magistrates on Friday morning, in charge of two
wardresses. Mr Hodge opened the proceedings and Dr Keith (in answer to Mr
Blakeston) stated that prisoner was suffering from long standing
abberation. After hearing further evidence she was committed to the York
Assizes on a charge of murder. March 3, 1923 THE DRIFFIELD
TRAGEDY YORK ASSIZES At the York Assizes, on
Wednesday, Grace Castle (32) was charged with the murder of her three
children at Driffield, on February 13th, and with attempting to
commit suicide. Mr Hedley, addressing
the jury, said the question they had to try was whether the prisoner was
fit to plead to the indictment. For the purposes of determining that they
would have to decide whether she could intelligently comprehend the
proceedings and whether she could instruct her legal advisers as to any
proper defence she had to set up, and whether she could challenge any
member of the jury. Dr Howlett, the prison doctor at Hull Gaol, who had
had the prisoner under observation would tell the jury that, in his
opinion, she was insane and not fit to plead. If they were satisfied with
that evidence they would, of course, find that she was not fit to plead. Dr E.H. Howlett was
called into the witness box and aid the woman was insane and could not
comprehend the proceedings. She understood roughly the details of the
tragedy, but they made no impression upon her. His Lordship: I
understand she was fond of the children, but she was under some delusion
that she would save them from some terrible wickedness and in order to
save their souls it had been revealed to her that she must kill them. His Lordship, addressing the jury, said: “Your duty is a simple though a sad one. You have to deal with this case on the basis that the poor woman who killed the children whom she loved under this mistaken delusion is so insane as quite unfit to be tried. The evidence for the Crown is all that way, and I have no doubt, therefore, you will find she is insane and unfit to stand upon her trial. The jury found the
woman unfit to plead, and she was ordered to be detained during his
Majesty’s pleasure. FURTHER to the above - From the mail I have received, I think this story has created a stir among you and probably tugged at the heart strings. Sadly, I don't think this will have a happy ending for any of them. FRED CASTLE - I spoke to a gentleman who knew the family and was a school friend and playmate of the children. He even attended their funeral. From memory, this is what he told me about Fred Castle - he remained in the town and I was told that he became ill in later life, paying frequent visits to Castle Hill Hospital. He remained a devoted member of the Freemasons. I do not have his date of death and my source could not remember. Fred never spoke of the tragedy to anyone and he did not remarry. GRACE CASTLE - Helen Stewart has continued the research into the destiny of Mrs Castle. A visit to the PRO has revealed that Grace was admitted to Broadmoor on the 9th of March, 1923. So far, her fate is not yet known, but the research goes on. If you can add anything, we would be delighted to hear from you. Any new information would be added to this page and full credit given.
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