DEATH – Skeleton found on East Banks, Redcar.

Accreditation the Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-Sea Gazette 06/10/1871.

THE SKELETON FOUND ON THE EAST BANKS

            On Saturday last (30/09), as two young men were walking along the beach to the east of Redcar, they observed in the face of the hills some bones protruding, and ascertaining that they were human remains, they apprised the local “limb of the law” of the fact, and he thereupon took means to have them disinterred. This being completed, only the school, arm bones, ribs and spine could be made out, the legs being wholly absent, and from the position in which it was found—the scull resting on the ribs—it was afterwards, attended that some foul play had been the cause of death. The remains were on top of the bed of clay, which forms the basis of the sandhills towards Marske, and the earth and sand immediately above it appeared to be mixed as though it had been disturbed, whilst on each side. There is a layer of black loam contiguous to the clay and above that the sand, both quite distinct. The heavy seas of last week, have considerably encroached upon the hills along the coast, as may be seen from the large patches of clay and small amounts of sod lying immediately under them on the shore, and this cause has brought the bones to the light of day again. It was, conjectured that there were those of a full grown person, and a young one, because all the teeth were sound with the exception of two, which were hollowed out in semicircles as if the person had been an inveterate smoker, and had their health is pipe. From the circumstance it was judged that the remains were those of a male. An inquest was held on Tuesday (03/10), when it was stated that the remains had probably been buried about 20 years, and in the absence of evidence and open verdict was returned. We have since learned that long before the erections of Redcar Church, bodies cast up by the sea were buried in the hills near the place where they were found, and this skeleton was probably such a one. It is asserted by the “ancients” in Redcar that numbers of such might be met within the hills if they were thoroughly examined, as also could treasure and other valuables which are said to have been varying buried, and were never found again when the inhabitants were in fear of the French landing and sacking the place. In a contemporary, it is suggested that these are the remains of a gamekeeper named Fishwick, who was lost sight of 24 years ago (and not 26 as asserted). It states that nothing has ever been heard of him since, but we may remark that some years ago a skeleton was unearthed near the new battery, which had been laid in line, and which was identified by his friends as being that of the person in question from certain teeth that world wanting in the scull.