Where Did Sarah Live

In order to properly assess the evidence of the trial, it is important to locate the home of Sarah Watts.

West Woodlands is situated south of Frome in Somerset. It consisted of two roads; the turnpike road running approximately North-South, and the smaller road running from the turnpike house (shown as ‘Weighbridge Cottage’ in modern maps) in a North Westerly direction over Bull’s Bridge, past Bull’s Bridge Farm towards Tytherington.

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service.
Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland  

Most of the clues concerning the location of the farm come from the trial of Hurd, Maggs and Sparrow in 1852, and it is important to locate the farm if the evidence given in the trial is to be interpreted correctly. John Watts, in his evidence, said :

‘I live at Battle Farm in Frome; There are several houses near mine but none within 200 yards; the Turnpike house is near; there are others around - three in all, separate from each other, and on the three sides of mine; a person named White lives in one of them; he is a labourer; in the other a farmer, named Pickford, lives; he has some sons; these people ordinarily dine about one o’clock; Farmer Pickford lives about a stone’s throw from mine.’

The Pickford’s lived at Bull’s Bridge Farm in 1851, so John Watts is describing the location of his farm as being ‘a stone’s throw’ from Bull’s Bridge Farm. Esrly maps show a building on the left hand side of the road to Tytherington. This is the only building that appears to be consistant with John Watts’s description.

Although Alfred Hallard’s evidence is confusing, it seems to support this theory as to the location of the farm. He appears to be saying that the farm is not on the busy road (ie the turnpike road).

Alfred Hallard: I remember the 24th of September; I was working for Mr Chedzey; I was going down the road towards the Woodlands at about one o’clock; past Watts’s house, and saw Sarah Watts there; she was just outside, and had no bonnet on; I came back that way, but did not see anyone. Cross-examined: A great many people are always about the road leading to Woodlands; I have not met a great many on that same road, but there are generally a good many on further; I don’t remember that I met anyone I knew on that road; I only met a wagon by the gate, and farther up I met people; I had frequently seen the girl as I passed; I knew her, but did not speak to her.

Re-examined: I was going along the road when I saw her; the road on which many people go is not near Watts’s house; only few people pass along the one near his house.

Robert Walter’s evidence also supports this theory, since  the entrance to the farm is on the Turnpike side of Bull’s Bridge. It would almost certainly have been visible from the turnpike road before the railway was built. 

Robert Walter: on the 24th of September I was going from Frome to Bradley; I knew a house occupied by John Watts; I could see it from the turnpike road; I saw someone running from the house up towards Bull’s Bridge; he had a dirty smock frock on; I did not see what hat; he was going at a sort of run; he had something under his arm; this was from half past two to three o’clock, as nearly as I can say; I only had a sight of him about two minutes.

I believe that the farm occupies the shaded area on the following map.

Reproduced from 1882 Ordnance Survey map