Hastings Forum

I am looking for information about a Dr John Inglis. In searching about my great grandfather Owen Spice I found a website that states that he was Driver to Dr John Inglis St Leonards for ten years. This site was dedicated to those who served in WW1 and lived in St Leonards, Hastings and surrounding areas. ww1rollofhonour.co.uk . Any info would be appreciated.

I'm afraid that I can't help you with Dr. Inglis, but thank you for the link to http://www.ww1rollofhonour.co.uk/ I was not aware of this site previously. A quick search has found some of my wife's relatives and possibly some of mine.

It looks like 'Skinners' of St leonards, who supplied horse-taxi cab services was damaged by the rise of the tram, and was wound up well before before WWI additionally on account of bad management and insurance claims on cars out on loan from Skinners that eventually destroyed the company.
This followed the suicide of its manager Henry Holcombe Brown on Saturday 29 September 1909. He was found dead in a pool of blood by some children playing in Warrior Square Mews. They entered an upstairs stable and found him lying on the floor, having shot himself through the head with a revolver.
A later bankruptcy sale to local farmer Frank Hickman for £5,000, at an auction in the Castle Hotel, settled the affair.
The Hickman family owned the business till c1976. They had supplied 7,000 local horses to the Army in the First World War.

Interesting info Richard, thanks.

It also looks like many coachmen, in those days, would have been employed as live-in servants by the local gentry, especially a Doctor such as John Inglis, who probably earned good money making home visits.

The following registers pull up many 'Spice' names:
https://familysearch.org/search/collect ... id=1465706

The form Inglis is a Scottish form of the word referring to a Scottish border dweller of English as distinct from Celtic stock.

The grave in Ladywell, mentions that, at the time of his death on 10/07/1919, A.G. Spice's father, Owen Spice, resided at 7, Castle Lane, Bedford:
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casua ... E,%20A%20G

Presumably Owen Spice survived WWI and settled in Bedford.

Hello
I have found a couple of things about Owen from his days at Holy Trinity School which I have attached. The article from the local newspaper is in separate pieces which is the only way I can copy it. The third extract in a large sizeis the one that shows his name and then I have attached the rest afterwards.

Whilst he was a coachman he lived above or by the stables, not actually in the house of John Inglis. I have attached a copy of the Census for 1901 which is the only one for Hastings in that period.

John Inglis became a widower at a young age. In 1901 he lived in Cornwallis Gdns with his sister and his daughter and three live in servants, one of whom was a nurse. By 1911 his household had expanded; he still had his sister living with him and also her daughter. However in addition he was also providing a home for two other nieces, who had been born in China. The needs of the household were such that they had four live in domestic servants, but none were described as a nurse.

John Inglis was regularly reported in the local press in connection with his various medical duties and also his society engagements including local big-wigs the MP , wedding attendances and the like. I am attaching a report of a legacy paid to him, on the condition that he cut the artery of the deceased to make sure she was dead!

His household was auctioned after he died and the list of items shows considerable wealth

Additional pieces it is only possible to attach 3 at a time

Interesting and dramatic stuff!
To think that John Inglis had promise of a legacy to be paid to him, on the condition that he cut the artery of the deceased to make sure she was dead!
I don't suppose anyone wants to be buried, with any remote possibility that they might come back to life and then suffocate to death, but for a doctor to pronounce death and then to stick the knife in and deliberately sever an artery, would surely be both illegal and immoral, as well as totally abhorrent to public opinion.
Otherwise an unscrupulous doctor could get away with murder for financial gain - sounds more and more in the realm of an Agatha Christie play.

I forgot the census abstract

Thank you for the information supplied. Owen did move to Bedford (where I live) where he remarried to my Great grandmother after becoming a widow, he is buried here. In the newspaper articles the Owen and Alec mentioned are my Great grandfather Owen's 2 eldest sons I believe as the date is 1905 and they were born in 1891 and 1894. The 1901 census shows they are living in priory mews I think, i believe this to be where the multi storey car park is, can anyone clarify this?