Baby

The body of an unknown female child was found on the Common in the Penn Hill estate, Parkstone.

It was found near Penn Hill Avenue wrapped up in a parcel by a labourer that had been working at Penn Hill cutting heath.

He said that it was near the carriage drive leading to the lodge hidden in the heath about six feet away. He said that when he found it that he at once went to inform the foreman of the works who then acquainted the police of the discovery.

He noted that he had been working the common upwards of three weeks but had seen nothing during that time of anyone behaving in a suspicious manner.

A policeman that came out said that he found that the child was wrapped up in calico which was later washed by the policeman's wife but no distinguishing marks could be found. However, it was noted that the calico appeared to have been part of a lady's undergarment.

A doctor that examined the child said that it had been in an advanced state of decomposition but bore no marks of violence that he could see. He noted that he was not prepared to say that the child had had a separate existence and surmised that he thought that the child had been born at least a fortnight earlier and that there had evidently been no preparation for the birth of the child.

An open verdict was returned.