19th February 2025

A bridge too far

John Stevens writes about a deadly topic encountered in his researches for our book, Made in Clementhorpe.

When researching our book on the industrial history of Clementhorpe, we came across a number of incidents and accidents in which the names of the people involved were known. Local newspapers have traditionally focused on such stories, and the one that we describe below is no exception.

It is, perhaps, not widely known that York once had a thriving boat-building industry. It was not unusual in former times for boats to be launched from riverbank slipways and yards. After all, the vessels were on a much smaller scale than their modern equivalents – mainly barges and pleasure craft.

1851 OS map of the slipway at Clementhorpe, showing the boat building yard and slip bridge, where the accident happened (National Library of Scotland)

In the mid-19th century a slipway was developed at Clementhorpe, to enable the more efficient construction of vessels, which could then be launched straight into the river. Where the slipway crossed the towpath along the Ouse (now Terry Avenue), there was a small pedestrian bridge. Press reports in the late 19th century suggest that the Corporation had allowed the towpath to fall into a state of disrepair, such that pedestrians needed to take some care.

The Slip Inn, named after the slipway. This image shows the former Co-op Bacon and Pie factory in 1984 (Rob Stay)

In our book we related how the footbridge was also a possible hazard, and we told how a number of accidents had resulted. It could have been a particular risk for those wending their way home after a heavy session in the local hostelries. We cited the case of Henry Burnett, a Clementhorpe man who fell off the slip bridge into the Ouse and drowned.

A contemporary view of the towpath looking north from the Slip Bridge, towards Skeldergate

We were recently contacted by Francis Davies of Willerby near Hull, who had been researching his family history. He was thankfully able to add some fascinating detail to our story and to correct a few errors.

The drowned man was, in fact, Henry Barnett. Born in York in 1845, Henry was the youngest of nine children, son of William Barnett, shoemaker, and Margaret Cleghorn. By the age of 15 he was employed as a coachmaker, probably at the railway workshops. He remained a coachmaker until his untimely death at the age of 36 on 20 August 1881.

The inquest into Henry’s death was reported in the local press, as it was held at the White Horse in Skeldergate. A report in the Yorkshire Gazette of 10 September 1881 was titled 'The Clementhorpe Bridge Fatality'.  The White Horse was first recorded in 1688 and closed in 1931. In its latter years it was operated by Tadcaster Tower Brewery, having been bought from Hotham & Co. The pub lay close to the river, where the Sea Scouts currently have their base. It had a close association with the river trade and, at one time was known locally as The Steam Packet Inn, where passengers waiting for the steam packet boats to Selby and Hull might get some refreshment.

The drowning occurred on the night of Saturday 20 August between 11 and 12 o’clock. At the time of the accident the bridge was not at its normal condition. Because the Ebor Express tug, belonging to the York Corporation, was too long for the slip way the bridge could not be completely closed. Instead, a temporary bridge of wooden planks was laid. This meant that the on- and off- ramps of the bridge sloped at a greater angle than usual and the handles of the windlass were overhanging the pathway of the bridge. This arrangement had worked perfectly well in the week leading up to Henry’s accident.

Thomas Pickersgill’s towpath bridge. Drawing taken from the contract document

A key witness was the night watchman at Terry’s Confectionery Works, a certain John Lupton. He saw the deceased proceeding to the bridge from the direction of Skeldergate and reported that he was 'much intoxicated and reeled from one side of the road to the other.'

Worried for his safety, the night watchman followed Henry towards the bridge. He managed to navigate the broken guard rails on the towpath, and crossed the middle of the bridge. However, on the down-slope he gather speed, and the witness heard a splash as Henry went into the water. Lupton ran to the spot, and together with two other men on the tug Ebor Express, found Henry in a stooping position in the water. He then went for medical assistance, while the two men from the tug, with a companion who arrived, got Henry out of the water. It would appear that he was in the water for about ten minutes.

The inquest tried to clarify the responsibilities for the accident. Mr. Harrop, representing Henry’s family, tried to argue that the deceased was sober on the night in question. It was shown that the tenant of the boatyard, Mr. Verity, had made considerable efforts to have the bridge lowered, and when that proved impossible, took care to have it boarded so that people could safely pass over. It was stated that ‘any man using ordinary caution and care could do so, and this the deceased did not seem to have used’. A broken chain was thought to have aggravated the accident, but Mr. Verity did not appear to be bound by his lease to repair the bridge or the chain. The Ouse Navigation trustees, who owned the slip, admitted responsibility for repairing the chains, but claimed that they were not aware of any problem.

The coroner concluded that it was very desirable and most important for the safety of the public, that the repair of the bridge should be in the hands of the Corporation or of the Navigation Trustees. It appeared to be a public bridge used by a great mass of people, and there ought not to be any dispute between landlord and tenant as to repairing it. What repairs were needed should be at once done by the Navigation Trustees, and if they thought the tenant of the shipyard responsible in law, they might make him refund the cost of the work.

The inquest found “That the deceased was accidentally drowned by falling from the bridge into the Ouse owing to the fences of the bridge not being in a proper state of repair.” It recommended that “The jury would urge upon the Ouse Navigation Committee the necessity of immediately putting, and for the future keeping, the fences of the bridge and approaches in an efficient state of repair so as to prevent the reoccurrence of further accidents, and that iron gates be substituted for iron chains, in the same manner as those at Blue Bridge.”

Henry was buried on 25 August in the York Public Cemetery.

Our book, Made in Clementhorpe, is still for sale, see here for details.