Hazards of the Road

I always assumed that road safety was a modern problem, but reading old newspaper reports on the British Newspaper Archive suggests that it is a problem that has been around for many years. I have found historic reports of accidents and misdemeanors involving family members and all forms of transport including horse, horse and cart, bicycle, omnibus, motorbike, lorry and motor car. Here are a few of the reports I have found (quotes from the newspaper are written in italics).

Hampshire Advertiser 21 August 1869

“On Sunday, Henry Titheridge, a lad of 10 years of age, was knocked down by a horse on Bevois Hill and sustained several severe bruises about the head which rendered him insensible for some time.”

London Daily News 13 June 1877

The paper reported the case of John Teatheredge who was a driver of an omnibus and who was charged with manslaughter after hitting a pedestrian. He was later found innocent of the charge. His story has been told at this link. 

The Hampshire Independent 28 April 1883

“William Titheridge, a well-known dealer, at Swanmore, made his appearance before the Bench to answer to a summons charging him with being drunk whilst in charge of a horse and cart at Waltham on 21st inst. Defendant denied the charge, but as there were several witnesses called to prove the offence, the bench fined William £1 and costs. The same defendant was also summoned by the police for furiously driving his horse and cart on the same day and place. William drove furiously and ran into a cart, and it was well proven that he was not in a condition to hold the reins: fined £1 and costs.”

Hampshire 23 September 1885 

“Street Accident – At ten minutes to six o’clock on Monday evening Alfred Tidridge, Amplefield Cottage, Foundry Lane, Millbrook, was driving a horse and cart, the property of Mr Lowman, up East Street, when a boy named Frederick Leavey , of 6 St George’s Place ran across the street, and before the man could pull up the boy was knocked down, the wheels passing over his back, but the boy did not appear to be much hurt”

Portsmouth Evening News 16 November 1903

“Noah Titheridge, of Waltham Chase, summoned for driving a cart to which no lighted lamp was attached on the 7th inst. He explained that his candle had burned out and he was waiting for the lamp to cool before inserting another. The explanation was accepted and the summons dismissed.”

Hampshire Chronicle 3 September 1904

“Sleepy Driver – Noah Titheridge, a carter, was summoned for being asleep whilst in charge of a horse and cart on the Portchester Road. Police Constable Ballard said he found the man asleep and had previously cautioned him. Defendant admitted being “dosey” as he has not had any sleep for three nights. He was ordered to pay the costs.”

The Salisbury Times 17 August 1906

The paper reported the case of a “motor smash”, at Shedfield and the subsequent claim for damages. The plaintiff was Noah Titheridge, a market gardener, of The Chase, Bishop’s Waltham and the defendant, Dr Marsh, of Amesbury. The plaintiff’s claim was for £29 1s 11d for damage sustained by reason of the negligent driving of a motor car by the defendant, while the defendant entered a counter claim of £28 19s for damage sustained by the negligence of plaintiff’s servant or agent, when in charge of a horse and cart.

“At 10.15pm on 22 June plaintiff’s son, Noah John Titheridge was driving a horse and empty cart. The road was straight for about 500 yards and at the time Titheridge was driving in the centre of the road, which was from 16ft to 20ft in width. He saw a motor car coming along the centre of the road towards him, and he pulled to the near side of the road, close to the grass patch. When the car was 20 yards off Titheridge shouted “Hi Sir” to the motorist, “look where you are going”. The car, which was going at 12 to 15 miles an hour, was being driven by the defendant, and it swerved to the wrong side of the road and went straight into the plaintiff’s horse. The car was three inches from the wrong side of the road when the collision occurred. It lifted the horse on to the motor car, its feet hanging over the steering wheel. The force of the impact threw Titheridge out of the cart and the horse was struck on the foreleg and had to be destroyed.”

Evidence was given for the defendant, but the judge considered the plaintiff’s version as the correct one and found in favour of Noah. The paper reported the judge said

“Motor car drivers assumed that they had a right to the road as against everyone else. They thought that all they had to do was to sound their hooters, and then they were justified in mangling a person out of the way if he did not move and with reckless disregard of the property of poor people they rushed through villages.”

Hampshire Chronicle 22 August 1908

"Asleep in Charge – Noah Titheridge, a market gardener, of Bishop’s Waltham, was fined 5s for being asleep in his wagon on Porchester Road, Cosham." 

Newcastle Journal 2 May 1914

"The inquest into the death of a boy: “Arthur Charles Titheridge, a chauffeur in the employ of Mr Peter Norman Haggie, The Chase, Whickham stated that on Thursday he was driving home from Newcastle. When he heard children playing on the village green he slowed down to about five miles per hour. When about ten yards from the village green he saw a boy dash out on to the road after a ball. The boy was running fast and seemed to have his attention concentrated on the ball. As witness was blowing the exhaust whistle, he thought the boy would notice it, but he did not, and witness shouted. Witness saw than an accident was inevitable and pulled the car on to the pavement. The boy was caught by the left mudguard. Witness picked the boy up and took him to Dr Smith’s surgery, where he died about five minutes later. A verdict of accidental death was returned."

The Thanet Advertiser 24 May 1919 

The paper report the fatal accident of Ainslie Burton Tytheridge killed while riding a motorcycle. This story has been told previously on the blog at this link. 

East Kent Gazette 2 October 1926

The paper reported a claim for damages in a case of a collision between a car and a motorcycle which occurred on May 4th on Graveney Bridge, on the Whitstable Road. Alfred Henry Jackson who was the rider of the motorcycle, claimed £20 damages against the car drive, Edward H Titheradge of Walthamstow. The latter counter-claimed for over £14. 

“The Plaintiff said he slowed down to 12-15 miles an hour to cross the bridge and was only 3ft from the parapet on his correct side when the car came from the opposite direction and caught him on the offside. The defendant’s story was that the plaintiff came round at forty miles an hour with his head down and swerve to his left. Other evidence showed that the motorcycle was on the cyclist’s near side of the road about 4ft from the parapet. His honour found for the plaintiff for the amount claimed and dismissed the counter claim”

Portsmouth Evening News 25 October 1938

“There was a sequel to the accident on the Winchester Road Wickham on October 5, in which a car driven by Henry E Preece, a public works foreman, of the Bold Forester Inn, Sorberton, was alleged to have swerved across the road and overturned a car driven by Rupert V Titheridge, garage proprietor of Templeogue, Southbourne. Preece was fined £5 and had to pay £1 5s costs and his licence was suspended for one month for driving without due care and attention and later Titheridge was summoned for driving an uninsured car, and Coron S Biddlescombe, a Prinstead school teacher, owner of the car, was summoned for permitting the offence. The case against Titheridge, who said he understood the car was insured was dismissed under the Probation of Offenders Act, and that against Biddlescombe was proved and dismissed on payment of costs.”

Hampshire Telegraph 15 September 1939

The paper reported the accident on 12 September 1939 when Dayrell Titheridge was killed when his motorbike collided with a car at Selbourne. This story has been told in an earlier blog at this link.

Hampshire Telegraph 29 December 1939

The paper reported cyclists who were fined for failing to halt at a traffic sign when riding their auto-cycle, the list included Grace Titheridge of Highfield Road, Gosport.

Portsmouth Evening News 19 September 1949

“Killed in Alton Collision: Irene May Daniel (28) of East End, East Finchley was killed and her husband and parents Percy Daniels and Mr and Mrs H W Fisher of Crowborough Road were seriously injured, on Saturday evening, when the car in which Mrs Daniels was in collision with a lorry on the Winchester Road, Alton. Mr Daniels and Mr and Mrs Fisher were taken to Alton General Hospital and were detained. The lorry was laden with potatoes. Its driver, James Walter Titheridge, of 9 Council Houses, North Boarhunt, near Fareham was uninjured. The inquest opens at Alton this afternoon.”

Uxbridge and W Drayton Gazette 18 December 1953

The paper reports an Ambulance driver, Stanley Edwards, who was £3 with £8 10s costs at Uxbridge Court on Monday and had his licence endorsed for careless driving. A summons of dangerous driving was dismissed.

"The driver of the lorry involved, Edward Titheridge, of Wealdstone said that he was driving his lorry loaded with oxygen cylinders, down Station Road, Hayes on August 20 when, at the junction with North Hyde Road an ambulance which was crossing the road put on speed and there was a collision. “he hit me and my lorry turned over and I was trapped in the cab but unhurt”, he said. PC Miles said that he went to the scene of the accident and Edwards told him “I was crossing Station Road from North Hyde Road going from West to East. I had stopped behind some stationary lorries. After they had gone, I followed them, looking both ways. There was ample time for me to follow on. The lorry came on and hit my nearside rear”. In court Edwards said that he had helped extricate the driver after the vehicle had overturned. He could not account for how the accident had occurred."