By Jill Stocks
A new book telling the story of the infamous Horsforth murder of little Barbara Waterhouse has been launched at a special event at Horsforth Museum, on the anniversary of the tragic events.
The book, written by Barbara’s great nephew, also looks at a possible connection to an earlier child killing in Bradford, suggesting that one man may have been responsible for both tragic murders.
Author David Tasker told us about the family connection and how the book came about.
“My great aunt I found out in the mid 80’s was actually murdered when she was five and a half,” he said. “I discovered that by chance really on a visit to see my parents and we found this picture of her in a coffin and she was murdered locally on the 6th June 1891.
“So that sparked my imagination and just helped to sort of spur me along and find out more about it.”
The book launch event took place on the 135th anniversary of the murder, which is assumed to have taken place on 6 June, though the body was not found until several days later. The date of the launch is something David says was one of the aims when planning the event at the museum.
“We kind of worked towards it because we knew it was a Saturday as well, and it was a Saturday when she went missing. The 6th of June is more famous these days for the D-Day Landings but this is still a family remembrance as well in that sense.”
The author was born in Horsforth but left as a teenager.
“I was born in Horsforth but I left Horsforth when I was 17 and joined the navy, left the navy and joined the police, left the police and taught at University, so I’ve only just slowed down now which has allowed me to work on the research.
“Of course the good thing about it is that a lot of public documents are now online which is great which has made it easier.”
Barbara Waterhouse was five at the time of her disappearance which was reported on 6 June 1891. She went missing from Alma Yard, just yards away from The Black Bull and the Horsforth Museum, which houses a display about the murder, as well as the photo of Barbara in her coffin, in a style quite common in Victorian times, which was donated to the museum by David’s father.
On that same day she had been part of a photo of Horsforth locals taken outside The Black Bull, which marked a gathering for the solar eclipse taking place that day. That final photo of Barbara is featured in the book having been enlarged and digitally improved by the author, bringing Barbara’s image to life.
Her body was found on Alexandra Street in the centre of Leeds four days later on June 10. Walter Lewis Turner, who was 32 and lived locally, was charged and found guilty and hanged in Armley Gaol in August that same year.
Residents of Horsforth were shocked and saddened by the murder and collected funds which paid for Barbara to have a burial and a headstone, which still stands now in Horsforth Cemetery.
The possible connection between Barbara’s murder and that of another child a few years earlier is examined in The Horsforth Horror. There are similarities between her murder and the unsolved murder of seven year old Johnny Gill in Manningham, Bradford in 1888. Police at the time were reluctant to link the cases despite several factors indicating the possibility that both children were murdered by the same man.
The Horsforth Horror is available from local retailers.
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