1912: Death of Richard Moody of the Bridge Inn, Wootton Bassett

These two items appeared in newspapers published quite far away from Wootton Bassett, perhaps to illustrate the ferocity of the storms on 7th August 1912. The 'Bridge Inn' was a beer-house with its own wharf to the west of Marlborough Road on the northern bank of the canal.

From the Gloucester Citizen, 9th August 1912:

TRAP FATALITY.

The stormy weather on Thursday was responsible for the death of Mr. Richard Moody, inn-keeper of Wootton Bassett. Mr. Moody was driving into Wootton Bassett on Thursday afternoon when his horse became frightened at the thunderstorm which was raging, and bolted, with the result that the driver was thrown beneath the wheels and sustained fatal injuries.

From the Lincolnshire Echo, 9th August 1912:

During a heavy thunderstorm on Thursday, Mr. Richard Moody, landlord of the Bridge Inn, Wooton Basset, aged 60, was killed. He was driving a horse and waggon, when the horse frightened by the lightning bolted, and Mr. Moody fell under the wheels.

NOTE:

In the 1861 Census, Richard's family lived at Hookers Gate Cottage, Callowhill Lane, Brinkworth, where his father William was an agricultural labourer.

Richard was a servant in the 1871 Census, at Whitehill, Wootton Bassett.

By 1881, he was married with a baby son and was a publican at the beerhouse known as Copped Hall (a.k.a. Fox & Hounds).

His wife Annie had to deal with the consequences of a failed suicide in 1896 as described here.

He continued as a beer-house keeper and also as a 'Cover Dealer's Labourer', based on the Marlborough Road, Lyneham (really Wootton Bassett), as shown in 1891 and 1901.

The 1911 Census listed him as Inn keeper of the Bridge Inn, Wootton Bassett.
 
As noted above, he died in 1912 and was buried on 8th August at Wootton Bassett Cemetery. His wife Annie outlived him by many years, dying in 1940 and buried at the same cemetery on 21st February, aged 84.