Henry Tomlinson

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From a contemporary Newspaper Report

Mr Tomlinson lived at Woodlands, New Dore Road – it was obvious that something was amiss with him as he was terribly agitated on the Thursday night June 19 and into the early hours of Friday morning the 20, so much so, one of his daughters sent for the family solicitor, a certain Mr Porrett.

He arrived some time later but he didn’t solve the crisis as it was obvious Mr Tomlinson was having some kind of breakdown.


Mr Tomlinson left home at 6am later that morning and made his way to work, around 7.15 he called into the Highfield Police Station (still standing).

He was perspiring profusely and he complained to the desk officer that children were shouting after him that he had murdered his wife and children with his walking stick.

He also told the officer that Mr Porrett was coming to take him to the asylum and he asked the officer to send them to Woodhead Road so he could walk from the brewery and straight into the Hansom Cab then on to the asylum.

After staying in the brewery till 9am when he made his way to the house of Mr Podgson, his clerk and cashier who lived at No 327 Shoreham Street, when he was taken into Mr Podgson’s house he was given a cup of tea but he was doing things totally out of character.

Mr Podgson left to talk to George Tomlinson, the troubled man’s brother. Shortly after, Mr Tomlinson took a turn for the worse – he grabbed a pair of sugar tongs and tried to push them in his throat.

These were wrested from his grasp by his groom Mr Charles Atkinson. He then asked for a knife and was told there wasn’t one in the house.

He then wanted to enter the kitchen and he eventually got into the kitchen where he saw a knife on the table which he grabbed.

Mr Atkinson was on him in a flash and managed to grab the blade of the knife but so hard was the struggle with Mr Tomlinson that Atkinson’s hand was cut from his thumb across the palm of his hand and down to his little finger.

The wound was down to the bone, blood was everywhere, even though badly cut, Mr Atkinson continued the struggle but loss of blood made him give up and he was taken to a nearby chemist for treatment.

With Mr Atkinson out of the way, Mr Tomlinson ran into the scullery and closed the door.

Just a few moments later Mrs Podgson looked into the scullery and saw a huge pool of blood and she could hear Mr Tomlinson making a gurgling sound. She went for help to the brewery, she returned with two brewery workers where they saw that their employer Mr Tomlinson had cut his own throat.

Dr Hardwicke and Dr Hunt were quickly on the scene but it was obvious that life was extinct, he had cut his jugular vein and his windpipe.

The deceased was just 46 years of age and was the son of the late Mr Tomlinson of the Angel Inn Moorhead.

Mr George Tomlinson left a widow, three daughters and a thirteen-year-old son – such a desperately unhappy event for all involved.