From the Kentish Gazette, 3 November 1840.

Fatal accident in Woolwich Dockyard.

At a late hour on Wednesday evening and inquest was held by Mr. Carttar, the coroner for Kent, at the "Lord Howick" public house, Woolwich, on view of the body of Thomas Cheywood, aged 46, there was killed in the Royal Dockyard under the following painful circumstances.

From the evidence adduced by the jury, it appeared that the unfortunate deceased was a labourer in the service of Messrs Grissed and Peto, the builders in the York Road, Lambeth, the contraction for building the new basin in the dockyard. On Tuesday last he was employed at one of the movable cranes on the scaffolding, and while engaged lowering a block of stone into the basin, he neglected to put on the full pressure of the crane, until the block had been swung off the quay, and perceiving that it descended too rapidly, he attempted to stop it, and in so doing he was hurled by the handles over the crane, and fell into the basin, a depth of 40 feet. On being picked up he was found to be dead; and from dreadful injuries he sustained by the fall, it appears that death must have been instantaneous.

He was a married man and had five children whom he has left destitute.

Verdict, Accidental Death.

South Eastern Gazette, 4 December, 1860. (Woolwich)

Shocking Death of an Aged Female.

On Monday afternoon, an inquest was held by Mr. C. J. Carttar, coroner, at the "Lord Howick," on the body of Ann Brice, aged 82, wife of Henry Brice, of 7, Trinity-street, Woolwich, who came by her death under the following melancholy circumstances. The deceased, it appears, had been confined to her room about three or four years, owing to infirmity. On Friday afternoon she was sitting by the fire, and was in the act of reaching a basin containing food from the fireplace, using a handkerchief from that purpose, when the lower end of the handkerchief became ignited. In her fright the poor old lady dropped the handkerchief close to her dress, which it set in flames. Her screams brought her husband and a female named Alice Turner to her assistance, and they succeeded in extinguishing the flames by wrapping a carpet around her. Mr. Hughes, surgeon, of Albion-road, was then sent for, and rendered every assistance in his power, but although the unfortunate deceased had not suffered very extensive injuries from the fire itself, the shook to the system was so great that she shortly afterwards expired.

The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death."