John Bowes

John Bowes was convicted of the murder of his wife Isabella Bowes 50 and sentenced to death.

He battered her to death with a railway sleeper at Seaham Harbour, near Sunderland on 8 September 1900.

Isabella Bowes worked at the New Seaham Colliery where her father worked and had lived at Gunn's Yard, Seaham Harbour although at the time of her death she had been living with her uncle at 3 South Terrace, having separated from John Bowes on 21 August 1900 on account of their quarrelling. Later she took out a separation order but her husband didn't turn up at court.

Isabella Bowes's daughter said that John Bowes had not done any regular work for three years and that he had been kept by both her and Isabella Bowes.

She said that John Bowes was often drunk and would often drink in the house and that Isabella Bowes did not drink. She added that John Bowes used to accuse Isabella Bowes of having been out with other men, but she said that she had no reason to believe that she had.

She spent a lot of time at The Blast at Noses Point, near Dawdon Colliery on the South side of Seaham Harbour where she collected coal.

Refuse from the New Seaham Colliery was tipped over the cliff onto the beach below and people would then go down and collect any coals that had been included with it. They would climb the steep cliffs up a circuitous path often carrying 4-6 stones of coal and it was said that Isabella Bowes must have carried tons of coals during her time.

Isabella Bowes's daughter said that she last saw Isabella Bowes on the morning of 8 September 1900, at which time she was perfectly well. However, she said that when she went to see her at Seaham Harbour Infirmary at 12 midday that she was very ill and said that she died later the same day at 2.50pm.

John Bowes  had met Isabella Bowes on the Saturday at The Blast and was seen to be asking her to return to him again but she was heard to tell him, 'No, I want nothing more to do with you'.

He then picked up a railway sleeper about 4ft long, 6in broad and nearly 3in thick and hit her with it on her forehead. She staggered back and he hit her again a few more times and she then reeled to the ground. Her features were described as being literally beaten to a pulp. She was taken to the infirmary but never recovered consciousness and died three hours later.

When a policeman arrived he denied having hit her and said that she had fallen.

The post mortem showed that Isabella Bowes died from shock and loss of blood resulting from her injuries

She had a compound communented fracture of the left upper jaw, extending from the region of the second upper incisor tooth, to the orbital plates, which was also fractured. Her cheek bone was fracted on the outer side of the orbit and the temporal arch in front of the ear was fractured in two places.

The doctor that carried out the post mortem said that in his opinion the injuries could not have been done with the fist and thought that the piece of wood that he was shown might have caused the injuries.

John Bowes was executed at Durham by James Billington on 12 December 1900.