From the Dover Express and East Kent Intelligencer, 11 October, 1882. Price 1d.

SUICIDE AT RINGWOULD

An inquest was held on Monday at the “Five Bells,” Ringwould, before W. H. Payn, Esq., touching the death of James Gardner, an agricultural labourer, who committed suicide by cutting his throat. The deceased was a man of very intemperate habits, and of late seemed to be at time quite insane. On several occasions he had threatened to destroy himself, and one day last week whilst in his home alone he cut his throat in a shocking manner. A medical man was called in, but in a short time after his having committed the rash deed he expired. The following evidence was taken:-

John Gardner said: I am a cab driver living at 11, Loudown mews, St. John’s Wood, London, N.W. The deceased James Gardner, was my father. He was an agricultural labourer living at Ringwould. His age was fifty three years, and his health was generally good. I saw my father about four hours before his death. He was then in bed. He was not conscious, and he seemed to be wandering. I saw that he had a wound in his throat. He told me on the following day after the wound that he cut his throat, and that when he found that he had cut his throat he drank some cold water and found it running out of his throat. He was very intemperate in his habits. He could not give any reason for it only that it might be delirium tremens.

Rhoda Rogers said: I am a widow living at Ringwould. I have known the deceased for some years. His health was good. He was very intemperate in his habits. On Wednesday morning I looked in his window. He stood in the room with his shirt all bloody. There was a paper put under his sitting room door all over blood. It was a notice to quit his house on that day. I had to give him the notice to quit from my mother. I think he took the notice coolly. I had seen him in the evening before, but saw nothing particular in his manner. I heard him walking about the room talking to himself. On the next day I saw him sitting in his chair. He was then all over blood. Dr. Davey was sent for; deceased lingered about three days.

Richard Stains Davey, said: I am a surgeon practising at Walmer. I was sent for on Wednesday last to attend the deceased. I saw Gardner about eleven o’clock. I found him lying on his bed with a deep cut in his throat, dividing completely the windpipe and oesophagus and several large vessels. He was insensible but scarcely able to speak. He lost a great quantity of blood. He lingered about three days and six hours. He was unable to swallow naturally anything. He said he had cut his own throat. He assigned no reason. He was very intemperate in his habits. He died from the injuries received.

The Jury returned a verdict that the deceased committed suicide in a state of temporary insanity.

From the Dover Express and East Kent News, Friday 14 September, 1883. 1d.

AN APPLICATION

The landlord of the “Five Bells,” Ringwould, applied for permission to open his premises at 5 o’clock in the morning.

In reply to the Bench the applicant said that there were a number of men now employed on the farms near, hoppers and harvesters.

The Bench, after a short consultation, decided to refuse the application.

From the Dover Express and East Kent News, Friday 15 March, 1901. 1d.

MYSTERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT

DOVER YOUTH KILLED.

An inquest was held yesterday at the “Five Bells,” Ringwould, by the Coroner of the Borough and Liberties of Dover (Mr. Sydenham Payn) and a Jury of which Mr. C. Lawrence was foreman, to enquire into the death of a Dover lad, Ernest Henry Ovended, aged 15, who was run over by a train near a level crossing at Ringwould early on the morning of Wednesday, after having been missing since the previous afternoon, when he left the office where he was employed and did not go home.

The evidence was as follows:-

John Simmons Ovenden, builder, living at 30, Alfred Road, Dover, identified the body as that of his son, Ernest Henry Ovenden, aged 15 years and 4 months. He was a builder’s junior clerk in the employ of Mr. W£. J. Adcock. Witness last saw his son on Tuesday at dinner, just before one o’clock. He was then all right, and as happy and well as could be. His time for coming home was indefinite, as he sometimes went out to Kearsney. He had, however, got a ticket for the Co-operative entertainment at the Town Hall, which he had arranged to go to with his sisters, who went there expecting to see him. Witness waited for about twenty minutes after his daughters returned, and made enquiries of Mr. Lovegrove, who, however, had not seen deceased since 3.30 p.m. Witness also made enquiries of the Police, and on their suggestion he enquired at Canterbury to see if had joined the yeomanry. Witness heard deceased had been found killed on the line at Ringwould about 11 o’clock on Wednesday, and he went over to identify the body. Deceased was a bright lad and sensitive, though not likely to take anything to heart. The boy was fond on the country. Witness did not know of anything having happened which he would take to heart.

William Edward Lovegrove, chief clerk to Mr. Adcock, contractor, Dover, said deceased had been there as a junior clerk about six weeks. Witness saw him last about 3.30 p.m., when he was about his usual work. Then deceased left the office.

The Coroner: Did you have any occasion to say anything to him before that?

Witness: Not more than I should have said.

The Coroner: Did he leave in a tiff?

Witness: No. I had accession to speak to him about a little thing, but not at all in a harsh manner.

The Coroner: Did he turn on his heel and walk out?

Witness: No, he went into the outer office. I happened to look out and I saw he had gone.

The Coroner: Did he answer you?

Witness: No. He was always a civil lad and very good about his work. I was very shocked to hear the news.

The Coroner: He did not return that afternoon?

Witness: No.

The Coroner: Were there any threats used? I knew what had happened.

Witness: No.

The Foreman: had you any idea that he was going off and not going home?

Witness: It never entered my mind. If I had had half a thought of such a thing I should have taken him home. He usually told me when he left the office.

Thomas Moat, plate layer of the Dover and Deal line, between Walmer and Martin Mill, said that on Wednesday, at 6 a.m., near the crossing on the road from Ringwould to Ripple, he found the body of deceased on the line. It was on the up-line from Walmer to Dover. He was close to the outer rail, his breast on the ballast, and his feet on the path. There was a public crossing there (it was formerly a road). One had to get over the fence, there being no style there. Just beyond the crossing there is a cutting on the Deal side, and it is possibly that deceased could not have seen the train in the cutting until it was on the line. The up trains, however, made a great deal of noise usually. Deceased was lying nearly parallel with the line, his head towards Dover, his face knocked right into the ballast, and his arms under his breast. Witness left his mate to guard the body and went to Police-corporal Love. The last train to Dover on Tuesday left Walmer punctually at 10.50. There were no marks on this train. It was quite possible, from the position of the body, for an earlier train to have knocked him down, and the others passed by. Witness added that he thought from the position of the body that deceased was walking up the path at the side of the line. The current of air caused by the train would draw anybody towards the train, and the fact that his cap was found a yard off shows that that was blown off. The body was stiff and cold when found.

Police Corporal Isaac Love, stationed at Ringwould, said he was called by the last witness at 6.15 a.m., and on going to the crossing found the body lying in the position stated by Moat. Witness searched the body, and found among other things a pocket book containing deceased’s name and address. None of the drivers to whom the Superintendent had telephoned had seen deceased. There were no marks found on any of the trains. Witness telephoned to the Dover Police. From the way the body lay it was witness’s opinion that the deceased was walking up the line towards Dover. Witness could not ascertain that deceased had been noticed at Walmer or in the neighbourhood.

By the Jury: There were no signs of a struggle having taken place.

Dr. Llewelyn Davey, of Walmer, described the injuries to the body. The whole of the back of the head seemed to be driven in, and there was bruising on the head and forehead, which looked as if he had been knocked down on his face violently on to the ballast, a stone being driven into the skull over the nose. Death would have been instantaneous. None of the limbs were broken, and there was no other mark of violence. He noticed that the right coat sleeve was cut, though the arm was not damaged. This looked as if the train which knocked deceased down must have been followed by a later one, which had cut the sleeve. Witness considered the injury was caused by a train, and not that he was injured and then put on the line.

The Coroner, in summing up, said that there was no doubt that there was some little matter in relation to the deceased’s studies which he had unduly taken to heart, and he seemed to have gone out of the office, from which moment he was not seen till found on the line. It was a matter of conjecture whether the boy wandered out into the country as far as Ringwould not liking to go home, and then as evening came changed his mind, and started to walk to Dover along the path of the railway. He (the Coroner) had lived near there, and had used that path, and thought that when the wind was blowing from all directions, as it seemed to do there, that it would be possible not to have heard the train till it was too late.

The Jury agreed to return a verdict of “Death by Misadventure.”

From the Dover Express and East Kent News. 29 January, 1971.

MR. AND MrS. EDDIE EMPTAGE

After ten years working among the holidaymakers at the now called St. Margaret's Chalet hotel 31-year-old Mr. Eddie Emptage and his wife Margaret have gone into business themselves.

They have taken over the "Five Bells" public house on the Dover-Deal Road at Ringwould.

When they moved in on Thursday last week one of their customers was retiring licensee Mr. Peter Bardell, 67, who had held the license for 13 years.

It's nice to be on this side of the counter for a change he joked as Mrs. Emptage pulled him a pint.

Mr. Emptage lived in Dover and worked for a Folkestone Road butcher until he married. Then he moved to Kingsdown Road, St. Margaret's. As Maddison's were about to open their holiday camp he decided to switch to that business. For six years he worked as a bar steward and for the past four years has been bar manager.

Although the move to Ringwould was not far, it was quite an occasion for Mrs. Emptage. It was the first time she had lived outside St. Margaret's.

Mr. Emptage said; "We hope to make some changes here but we are going to wait until we have settled first."

Former licensee Mr. Bardell is retiring to Queen's rise at Ringwould but says he hopes to find employment as a relief manager for the brewery after he and his wife have had a long holiday.