Kentish Mercury, Saturday 14 May 1881.

Inquest. Body of a child found at Mottingham.

On Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Carttar held an inquest at the "Lord Northbrook," Burnt Ash Road, Lee, on the body of a female infant unknown.

It appeared that at 2:15 on the afternoon of Friday last, the attention of Police Constable Duck, 196R, was called by John Cann, landlord of the "Porcupine" public house, Mottingham, to the dead body of a female child, which had been found in a ditch by the side of the road, by Thomas Hammond, of No. 1, Mottingham Lane Cottages, whilst engaged in cutting nettles. The body was taken by the Constable to Dr. Chittenden, and from thence removed to the mortuary at Leigh Cemetery, Hither Green, Lewisham.

The jury, having been sworn, proceeded to view the body, involving a walk of about 2 1/2 miles.

Hammond said the body was wrapped in linsey, a portion of a woman's dress. He just made a hole in the rapper after taking it from the ditch, and on seeing it was a child placed it on the top of the bank, and gave information to Mr. Cann.

Police Constable 196R deposed to being called by Mr. Cann, and taking the body to Dr. Chittenden.

Dr. Chittenden, said the body was brought to him, and he found the child had been dead 1 or 2 months, and much decomposed. He
thought the child had been born in one of the fields, as the cord had not been cut, and he believe the child had died from suffocation, the features being much contorted, as if the neck had been tightly grasped. Should think it was the child of a tramp from the dirty state of the wrapper.

The jury returned a verdict of "Found dead in a ditch."