Murderous Outrage on a Farm Labourer at Castle Bromwich – 1872

Farm Labourer Attacked After Visit to Castle Inn

25 year old farm labourer Thomas Danlary took up employment with Mr. Ward on a farm in Hodge Hill during September 1872. He hailed from Walsall and had come to Castle Bromwich seeking employment.

On a Tuesday evening, having worked all day gathering the harvest, he returned home to his lodging son the farm, collected his brother who also worked for Mr. Ward and then walked to the Castle Inn.

He there drank a quantity of ale, became intoxicated and left about 9.30 pm and walked back towards the farm. His brother remained behind at the inn.

When he was almost at the farm two strange men came from a hedge close by and stopped him. They asked him where he was going and without any provocation struck him on the head, knocking him down. Three or four other men came out of the hedge, some held him down, despite his struggles and cries, while the others turned his pockets out. On finding nothing of value in his pockets, they brutally kicked him. He got up with difficulty and tried to defend himself against the attacks. He was soon overpowered, kicked, knocked down and beat unmercifully.

The attackers were obviously afraid that somebody would be attracted by Danlary’s cries and some of them retreated. Danlary tried to run towards the farm but he was intercepted and stabbed in the left side with a knife before the whole gang ran away.

Danlary fell to the ground, groaning loudly and calling for help. Failing to attract anyone’s attention he managed to get to the farm, where he was met by Mr. Ward. On hearing his statement and seeing his condition, Mr. Ward ordered that Danlary be immediately conveyed on a cart to the General Hospital in Birmingham. It was determined that Danlary had received a severe internal wound between the 8th and 9th ribs penetrating to his lungs.

All attempts to get a clear statement from the victim proved fruitless due to his intoxicated state. At the time of the newspaper reports he remained in a critical condition and none of the assailants had been apprehended.