Joseph Rose

Joseph Rose was convicted of the murder of his cousin 19-year-old Sarah Rose and his 5-month-old daughter Isabella Rose and sentenced to death.

He cut their throats in Love Lane, Shaw-cum-Donnington, near Newbury on 28 October, 1918.

Joseph Rose had been a gipsy clothes peg maker.

For the previous 18 months he had lived with his cousin, Sarah Rose, and had a five month old daughter with her, Isabella Rose.

They had travelled about with Sarah Rose's mother and father, living in a tent.

On 28 October 1918 they had been encamped at Emborne, four miles from Newbury.

Joseph Rose and Sarah Rose with the child in a pram, went into Newbury to do some shopping. They were seen there at about 11am by a woman squabbling in the street. The woman said that Joseph Rose had wanted Sarah Rose to go on to Donnington, but she hadn't wanted to go. The woman added that she saw Joseph Rose hit Sarah Rose two heavy blows in the face.

They were later seen at about 1pm in Love Lane on the way to Donnington, at which time they were said to be laughing and talking.

At about 1.30pm, some school children noticed them sitting inside a hedge. They were eating and Joseph Rose appeared to be pushing Sarah Rose.

The children called the attention of a man to the group, but he said that when he passed that they appeared to be behind the hedge, and quite still.

About ten minutes later a woman passed by on her bicycle and found Joseph Rose in the road, his coat smothered in blood and with his throat cut.

She said that he then took her to a gap in the hedge and pointed to someone on the far side.

The woman then called a man over who then found Sarah Rose and her child with their throats cut on the inside of the hedge.

Joseph Rose then made signs to the man as if to explain that a man had come from Donnington, cut all their throats, and then made off towards Shaw Woods, to the north of Love Lane.

Sarah Rose was found lying on her back with her throat cut to the spine from left to right as though it had been done from the back.

Her child was found about two feet away, also with her throat cut, but not so deeply.

When they were found, both their bodies were still warn.

There were no signs of a struggle, and no cuts on the fingers of Sarah Rose or Joseph Rose, as though they had defended themselves.

A small pocket knife was found on Joseph Rose, but there was no blood on it.

A careful search was made for the knife or razor that had been used for the murder, but none could be found. It was noted that there had been a muddy pond not far from the spot where the crime took place, but that it was not emptied or dragged.

It was suggested that Joseph Rose might have used one of the formidable clothes peg knives hat he had possessed for his trade.

When he was charged with murder Joseph Rose said, 'I did not do it. I am quite innocent. A man named Harry done it. My wife said, 'don’t do that Harry''.

Additionally, in answer to the charge of attempted suicide, Joseph Rose said, 'This man Harry did it'.

It was noted that that was his sole defence at his trial.

However, it was noted that no strange man had been seen by any of the witnesses and that Joseph Rose didn't give evidence at his trial . His defence relied upon the apparent absence of motive, as well as the fact that when the doctor examined Sarah Rose, he found no trace of bruises upon her face, and the judge invited the jury to disregard the evidence of the woman who said that she had seen Joseph Rose hit Sarah Rose twice earlier on at 11am in Newbury.

However, it was further noted that no post mortem was carried out and that it could have been that the bruises were there, but that they had escaped the eye of the doctor.

Joseph Rose was convicted at the Berkshire Assizes at Reading on 16 January 1919.

It was noted that when the judge summed up that he commented on Joseph Rose's absence from the witness box, which later became a chief ground to his appeal.

The police report stated that the only ground upon which it was thought that it might be necessary to interfere with the sentence was the condition of Joseph Rose's neck, it being noted that his injury had cut right through his windpipe and that  tracheotomy had been at once performed at hospital after the crime which had left him breathing through a tube in his chest.  The police report noted that if the wound in his chest was opened that the effect might have been to lessen the shock of the drop such that his spine might not be broken, and that Joseph Rose would continue to breathe through the tube.

A medical officer’s report on the matter stated that if a full drop were given, that there was no risk of decapitation, but said that the wound might gape and bleed, but that if the drop was shortened that it diminished the risk of that accident occurring, but that it involved a remote risk that his neck would not be broken, and that Joseph Rose would have to die from suffocation, which could be prolonged if his wound were to re-open into the windpipe.

It was further noted that there had been a recommendation to mercy by the jury, with there being considerable local sympathy with Joseph Rose, and the police report stated that the Home Secretary, under those circumstances, respited Joseph Rose.

At his appeal the counsel noted that it was incredible that no murder weapon was found and noted that Joseph Rose had no marks on his hands to indicate a struggle and said that he must have been taken unaware, if his story was correct.

However, the appeal judges said that there was sufficient evidence on which to justify the jury finding Joseph Rose guilty, and stated that they had no right to interfere with the verdict unless there was something unfair or unreasonable in the judges summing up, but stated that not only was it the judges duty to sum up, but that his summing up had been from beginning to end perfectly fair.

However, Joseph Rose was executed at Oxford on 19 February 1919. It was noted that a large crowd assembled to hear the tolling of the bell, the last execution in Oxford having taken place in 1892 when two poachers were hanged for the murder of two gamekeepers.

The course of Love Lane has changed since the murder, being moved slightly north, but would have been just to the east of the sports hall football pitches, in the carpark, about 30 feet south of Love Lane's current course.