Noteworthy deaths

Residents of the Charterhouse (or "inmates" as they were called) are very seldom mentioned by name in the records.  Only the trouble-makers tend to be given that honour.  Even in the 19th century register we get only basic data, including date of death, with no further information (with one exception, as we shall see).  Of course, most people died of old age or illness; but it appears that they were of no interest as individuals to those in charge, even when their lives or deaths were remarkable.
It takes a trawl of local newspapers to discover the stories that the records omit.  There is no mention, for instance of John Cowen, despite his well-publicised legal battle to get back the right to vote when, in 1896, Charterhouse brethren were judged to be paupers and were deprived of it.  He was successful. at least temporarily, and when he died, in February 1897, at the age of 82, the funeral (the first part of which was held at the Charterhouse) was given a long write-up by the local paper.
Another resident who warranted an obituary was James Henry Wright, who died on 21 March 1904.  He had been a master shipwright and a leading light in the "Good Intention Society", a trade union for the profession to protect their prices from undercutting.  He had been involved in a famous strike by shipwrights in 1857.
The Hull Daily Mail devoted quite a few column inches to the life and death of Thomas Stainton Cartwright on 11 February 1939.  He was just 5 months short of his 100th birthday.  The minutes of the Charterhouse trustees don't mention him
We know of 5 residents who died in tragic circumstances in the 19th century.  The earliest was in February 1836.  An inquest was held into the death of Elizabeth Brown, an 81-year-old lady who apparently had dementia.  She had "escaped" from the Charterhouse and wandered as far as Anlaby Road, where she was found drowned in a drain.
In 1850 the death of John Jackson was certainly noteworthy for the press.  He was an interesting character - "notorious" according to the inquest report. For many years he was a "radical" bookseller, living and working in Bowlalley Lane. There are newspaper references to John "Radical" Jackson as early as the 1830s - his "stern republicanism" was referred to in a letter to the Hull Advertiser published on August 5, 1836. In 1833 he was jailed for non-payment of taxes, and he was in prison again in 1841.  His death was horrific.  The door to his room was forced when a fire was discovered; Jackson was found dead, sitting in his chair with his clothes burnt off, and the bed and curtains alight.
In 1875 there was another fire-related death.  Retired tailor John Odlin was found in his room with his head "under the grate" and badly burned.  The local paper thought it worth a mention; Charterhouse records did not.
Twenty years later Alice Booth also died of burns.  In February 1895 she brushed against the copper in the washroom.  The door in base of the copper which gave access to the fire which heated the water had been left ajar and Alice's clothes caught fire.  A window-cleaner put out the fire and Alice was treated for her burns at home before being admitted to hospital.  She lingered for two weeks before dying of her injuries.
There was another tragic death in the same year.  Our register records that Robert Brock, aged 81, died on 7 January 1895. But a note adds: "Presumably; body having been found in the Queen's Dock". Robert's death certificate and a letter tell us more of the sad story. 7 January was the date he went missing from the Charterhouse. Presumably there was a search; if there was, it was unsuccessful. On 26 January, and again on 30 January, it seems that the Master assumed he was dead and was writing to the the council's Charterhouse Applicants Committee asking them to fill Brock's vacant room. A letter survives from the Town Clerk in reply on 31 January saying that they were deferring a decision "in the hope that some news may be heard of Brock". His body was not found for more than two months; it was recovered from the dock on 15 March. There was an inquest, and the verdict was that he had drowned.