• Born: 1834, Marlborough St. Peter, Wiltshire, England
• Christened: 25 May 1834, St. Peter & St. Paul, Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ¹
• Married: 2 Nov 1861, Mildenhall, Wiltshire, England ²
• Buried: 2 Dec 1897, Mildenhall, Wiltshire, England ³

  Research Notes:

Charles Looker of the Knap in this parish died aged 63 years (burial record). ³

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FATAL ACCIDENT at MILDENHALL.

On Saturday afternoon a shocking accident happened at Mildenhall, by which two old inhabitants of that village, Mr. W. Philpott, of The Home Farm, and Charles Looker, a man in his employ, were thrown out of a low four-wheel conveyance, and the latter received injuries which resulted fatally in two hours. Mr. Philpott, who is in his 80th year, has been accustomed to take a drive daily, principally with a donkey and vehicle. On Saturday morning, however, a pony was put in a four-wheel carriage which he had recently purchased, and a short journey was safely taken. Mr. Philpott and his man again went out during the afternoon, and were returning down the long incline from Mildenhall Woodlands in the direction of the village, when the horse bolted. It is supposed that the fore-part of the carriage touched the pony's hocks, the shafts being too small for it, and that that caused the animal to start. Looker, who was driving, succeeded in keeping the pony on the highway until the village was reached, but just beyond the cross roads, at the entrance to the road leading to the church, the carriage appears to have collided violently with a stone wall. Both occupants of the vehicle were thrown out. The carriage was not overturned, and the horse galloped on into the yard at the farm. Assistance was at once rendered, and it was found that Mr. Philpott, though much the less active of the two men, had escaped with some cuts and a shaking. In Looker's case, however, the injuries were very severe. His shoulder and collar bones were crushed, and he also sustained a fracture of the base of the skull. He was removed to his home, and medical assistance procured, but the case was hopeless from the first, and he died about five o'clock the same evening.

Mr. W. E. N. Browne, coroner for the district, held an inquest on Monday morning, at Mildenhall Post Office. Mrs. Looker, wife of the deceased, said her husband was sixty-three years of age. He went driving on Saturday with Mr. Philpott, as he usually did every day. He had, she thought, been out before in the carriage in which they went on Saturday.—Mrs. Humphries stated that about 3 o'clock on Saturday afternoon, as she was sitting in her cottage, she saw the horse and carriage go past very rapidly. She ran out and saw that both Mr. Philpott and the deceased had been thrown out and were lying upon the ground. Mr. Philpott got up on his knees, but the deceased was lying flat on the ground, unable to move.—Mr. Wm. Barnett stated that as he was at the back of his premises he saw the horse running away down the road from Mildenhall Woodlands. The pony was going at a gallop, and kicking ; Looker was driving. Witness heard a noise and at once went to the spot, finding that both had been thrown out. Mr. Philpott was just getting up, and asked him to assist the deceased, believing that he had been hurt. Witness did so, and Looker was taken into a cottage, and the Rector gave him some brandy. Looker spoke only once, complaining of his shoulder. He was afterwards taken to his home. Witness had never seen them driving in that carriage before. In answer to the Coroner, he said it was quite possible that the fore-part of the carriage touched the pony's hocks whilst descending the hill from the Woodlands, and that this led to the accident.—Dr. O. C. Maurice spoke to being called to the deceased soon after the accident. On arrival, he was in a chair and appeared to be dying. They got him to bed, and he appeared to rally a little. His injuries were very severe, comprising the fracture of the shoulder blade, the collar bone, some of the ribs, and also of the base of the skull. The injuries were such as would probably be caused by an accident of this nature. It was a hopeless case, and death ensued in a short time, the immediate cause being the fracture of the base of the skull.

The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental Death."

The Marlborough Times and Wilts and Berks County Paper, Saturday, 4 Dec 1897, p. 8