Sam Jenner a-writing for me all day and he and my sister dined with me on the remains of yesterday’s dinner with the addition of some boiled tripe and onion sauce.
In the afternoon walked down to the house of Francis Turner, where the coroner for the Eastern part of this county took an inquisition on the body of Matthew Lewer, a poor man and a lath-cleaver, who was last night found dead in a wood in this parish where he had been at work the whole day a-lath cleaving in company with Matthew Lewer his nephew, John the son of his nephew, John Hook and John Lavender.
The jury was myself as foreman, George Bannister, Robert Hook, Thomas Durrant, John Piper, Thomas Bristow, Edward and Richard Hope, Henry Godley, Stephen Weaver, Francis Gibbs, Will Henly and Sam Washer. The verdict we gave was that the person died a natural death by the visitation of God, for upon the examination of Matthew Lewer, John Hook and John Lavender it appeared the deceased had been ill with a cold for some days, and then even complained more particularly and left his work half an hour before any of the rest of them, on account of his being so ill. He was found dead in about hour by the people at whose house he lodged, who went in search of him, he not coming home so soon as usual, and being a pretty old man.
Upon the examination of Francis and Isaac Turner, the persons who found him, they declared that there did not seem any appearance upon the ground where he lay of more people’s footing or that there had been a scuffle with him and any other person. Nor upon the jury’s examining the dead body could we find any cut, bruise, stab or any other appearance of hurt, so that I should presume and hope to all probable appearances he died a natural death, agreeable to the jury’s verdict. We came home at about 5:40.
As soon as I came home I was sent for down to Mr Porter’s, where I immediately went and sold Mr Porter a colt, the property of the assigns of Mr Vine. Myself and Joseph Fuller, who came in soon after me, spent the evening there and supped with Mr and Mrs Porter on a roasted partridge, some boiled red herrings and bread and cheese. Betsy Fuller drank tea and spent one the afternoon with my sister. In my absence my brother William came to see me in the evening and supped at my house and stayed all night. We came home from Mr Porter’s about 11:30.