Yiewsley murder case documents

The alarm was quickly raised and an inquest held at the nearby Trout pub. The coroner claimed that 'he never knew of a more shocking occurrence'. A reward was raised by the parish, and lurid accounts appeared in the press. 

The case, however, did not come to trial until 1839 when a local felon, George Haynes, claimed to have seen the murder at first hand.

He named the deceased's grandsons, John and Thomas Bond, as the perpetrators.

Their case was heard by the magistrates at Uxbridge. The case collapsed due to the unreliability of Haynes' evidence.

In Local Studies, we have a file on the Howard murder case. It includes the original reward poster, as well as the witness statements from the 1839 trial.

These contain the testimonies of all those who were present at the time of the murder, and hold some tantalising clues on the possible culprits. 

So if you fancy yourself an armchair detective and are up to the challenge of solving this 200-year-old cold case, come and take a look!