Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In a remote area of Kirshope Forest, near the border
between England and Scotland,lies a weathered monument that
is only seen by the occasionalpassing hiker.
It is an engraved stone pillarerected in 1852 by the family of
a man called Thomas Davidson,paid for by public subscription.
The faded inscription reads Inmemory of Thomas Davidson, game
(00:20):
Watcher, who was murdered onthis spot on the eighth day of
November 1849.
Genesis 1b, 10.
And the Lord said unto Cainwhat hast thou done?
The voice of thy brother'sblood crieth unto me from the
ground.
Romans X, 11.
, 19.
It is written Vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord.
In a quiet field, off a road fewpeople travel anymore, stands a
(00:44):
solitary stone pillar,weathered by time, moss creeping
along its base, but stillstanding tall.
The inscription is simple,elegant and fading.
Erected by the family of ThomasDavidson, 1852.
It doesn't look like much atfirst glance Just a stone, just
a name, just a name.
But as with so many forgottenmonuments scattered across the
(01:04):
countryside, the pillar tells adeeper story, one of grief,
memory and the way families inthe 19th century honored those
they loved and lost.
Who was Thomas Davidson?
Why was this pillar placed herealone and why has it endured
when so many similar memorialshave been lost to time.
In this episode of HumanWreckage, we travel back over
(01:24):
170 years to uncover the storybehind the stone.
We'll look at the Davidsonfamily, where they lived, how
they lived and what might haveled them to mark this particular
spot in such a lasting way.
Historians, archivists andlocal voices help us piece
together the fragments of alifelong past and the symbolic
weight a single carved stone cancarry through generations.
(01:45):
Because, in the end, monumentslike this one aren't just about
remembering a person.
They're about preserving apresence, a statement.
He was here, we loved him andwe will not forget.
Let's get into it.
Thomas Davidson lived at KettleHall in the parish of the castle
on the Cumberland Moors andworked as a game watcher for Sir
James Graham.
He had been an honest andfaithful servant in his employ
(02:08):
for over 20 years.
Thomas was a 52-year-oldmarried man and was the father
of eight children.
On Thursday November 8, 1849,thomas set off to do his morning
rounds after telling his wifehis route In case his boss, the
gamekeeper, called by and wantedto meet him on the moor.
Thomas was gone all day and asevening fell there was still no
(02:29):
sign of him, and he failed toreturn home that night.
The following morning, a searchparty went out to look for him,
but it wasn't until two dayslater that his body was found by
his brother, john, in a remotelocation on Buchastle Fells some
two miles from his home.
Thomas had been strangled withhis own neckerchief and he was
discovered lying face down in apool of blood, having sustained
(02:50):
facial injuries.
All of his money was found tobe missing from his pocket.
Three local suspects were soonrounded up by the police.
Joseph Hogg, a well-known andconvicted poacher, was the main
suspect.
Three weeks prior to the murder, he had been fined 40 shillings
for shooting without a gamecertificate just the latest in a
long line of crimes of thatnature.
(03:11):
Thomas Davidson had providedthe evidence that led to him
being brought to court on thisoccasion, and Hogg had been
heard to make threats againstDavidson's life.
At that time, Joseph Hogg'scousin, nickel Hogg, was also
arrested, along with anotherlocal man named Andrew Turnbull.
The three accused men were keptin jail whilst a lengthy
investigation and inquest tookplace, determining if a trial
(03:33):
would be necessary.
Their friends were proven tohave given false alibis and it
was soon established that allthree men had been seen poaching
in the area on the day inquestion.
The Hoggs and Turnbull all mademany contradictory and
ever-changing statements in aneffort to exonerate themselves
from the crime.
Turnbull eventually confessedthat the Hog cousins had called
on him on the 8th of Novemberand invited him to go out
(03:56):
poaching.
They had said that if they cameacross Thomas Davidson during
their outing that theirintention was to murder him.
Turnbull had replied that hedid not object to this plan as
long as he himself was kept safe.
They all went out for a day'sshooting and it was on their way
home that Davidson saw them andgave chase.
According to Turnbull, he gaveevidence at the inquest that he
(04:17):
ran away and the last he saw wasthe two other men tussling with
Thomas Davidson.
The three prisoners werecommitted by the coroner to
Carlisle Jail to await theresult of the inquest.
At the time, joseph Hogg had adeep scratch on his mouth which
extended through both his upperand lower lips.
When questioned, he said thathe got the injury while shooting
in the woods.
The inquest took place overseveral days and many members of
(04:40):
the Hogg family were proven toperjure themselves while lying
about the whereabouts of bothJoseph and Nickel.
However, andrew Turnbull's wifeof just 18 months told the
truth and gave very concise anddamning evidence.
She stated that her husband hadindeed gone out shooting with
the Hoggs on the day in questionand when he returned that
evening he seemed very disturbed.
When she asked him what wastroubling him, he stated that
(05:03):
Joseph Hogg had killed ThomasDavidson out near Skelton Pike.
The three prisoners remained inCarlisle Jail for many days
while all the evidence waspresented.
Andrew Turnbull was veryannoyed that he had not been
released on bail and keptinsisting that he was innocent
and had told the truth.
As the days passed, he becamemore and more agitated and
anxious.
Eventually, the inquest wasover and the decision was handed
(05:27):
down.
The Hogs and Turnbull were allto be put on trial for the
willful murder of ThomasDavidson.
The day after he heard the newsof his impending trial, andrew
Turnbull was found dead in hisprison cell.
He had hanged himself with atowel from the iron bars of the
window.
On the walls of his cell weremessages he had scratched out
with a burnt stick.
Below the window he had writtenthe Hogs are guilty.
(05:49):
I am innocent.
I will not come in the hands ofman Above the fireplace was the
message I commit my soul to Godthat gave it.
Take my body to my father'sburying place.
There was also a long messageto his wife telling her that she
was not to blame for his deathand that he loved her very much.
Joseph and Nickel Hog were bothcharged with the willful murder
(06:10):
of Thomas Davidson at the parishof Bull Castle.
They were sent for trial atCumberland Spring, assizes on
March 2, 1850.
Despite many witnesses statingthat they had heard Joseph Hogg
verbally threaten the life ofThomas Davidson and evidence to
support the fact that thecousins were known to have been
poaching in the area and thatthey had appeared to have plenty
of money to spend in the localhostelries after the murder, the
(06:33):
jury returned a verdict of notguilty.
The judge, mr Baron Anderson,asked if the jury were
absolutely sure of their verdictand the foreman replied we
think we are satisfied thatthere is no evidence for a
guilty verdict against theprisoners.
The Hogg cousins were latertaken to court by the lawyer who
defended them for non-paymentof his fees.
Gemma Turnbull, the widow ofAndrew Turnbull, never remarried
(06:56):
and remained in the area untilher death.
No doubt at times she had toencounter the men who invited
her husband out shooting on thatfateful day and who were
ultimately responsible for thedeaths of two men of the parish
of Book Castle.
Thomas Davidson is buried in thecemetery of stapleton church,
nine miles from the site of hismemorial.
In a world where time moves fastand memories can fade even
(07:18):
faster, the pillar erected forthomas davidson in 1852 stands
as a quiet act of resistanceagainst forgetting, against
disappearance, against theerosion of personal history.
We may never know every detailof thomas's life, what he
dreamed of, how he died or whatkind of man he truly was.
But what we do know is this hemattered deeply to someone
(07:40):
Enough for his family to carvehis name into stone, to plant
that stone firmly in the earthand to say here, remember him.
And that act of rememberingripples forward Across
generations, across centuries.
A single monument left standing, not just for one man but for
everyone who's ever loved andlost and feared that time might
(08:00):
erase it all.
As we walk away from the pillartoday, it remains behind us,
still watching over the field,still weathering the seasons, a
reminder that sometimes historydoesn't survive in textbooks or
archives, but in simple personalgestures left behind for
strangers to find.
Thank you for joining us onthis journey, not just through
Thomas Davidson's story, butthrough the quiet power of
(08:22):
remembrance itself.
Thanks for joining me.
Till next time, take care ofyourselves.
In a remote area of Kirshope Forest, near the border
between England and Scotland,lies a weathered monument that
is only seen by the occasionalpassing hiker.
It is an engraved stone pillarerected in 1852 by the family of
a man called Thomas Davidson,paid for by public subscription.
The faded inscription reads Inmemory of Thomas Davidson, game
(00:20):
Watcher, who was murdered onthis spot on the eighth day of
November 1849.
Genesis 1b, 10.
And the Lord said unto Cainwhat hast thou done?
The voice of thy brother'sblood crieth unto me from the
ground.
Romans X, 11.
, 19.
It is written Vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord.
In a quiet field, off a road fewpeople travel anymore, stands a
(00:44):
solitary stone pillar,weathered by time, moss creeping
along its base, but stillstanding tall.
The inscription is simple,elegant and fading.
Erected by the family of ThomasDavidson, 1852.
It doesn't look like much atfirst glance Just a stone, just
a name, just a name.
But as with so many forgottenmonuments scattered across the
(01:04):
countryside, the pillar tells adeeper story, one of grief,
memory and the way families inthe 19th century honored those
they loved and lost.
Who was Thomas Davidson?
Why was this pillar placed herealone and why has it endured
when so many similar memorialshave been lost to time.
In this episode of HumanWreckage, we travel back over
(01:24):
170 years to uncover the storybehind the stone.
We'll look at the Davidsonfamily, where they lived, how
they lived and what might haveled them to mark this particular
spot in such a lasting way.
Historians, archivists andlocal voices help us piece
together the fragments of alifelong past and the symbolic
weight a single carved stone cancarry through generations.
(01:45):
Because, in the end, monumentslike this one aren't just about
remembering a person.
They're about preserving apresence, a statement.
He was here, we loved him andwe will not forget.
Let's get into it.
Thomas Davidson lived at KettleHall in the parish of the castle
on the Cumberland Moors andworked as a game watcher for Sir
James Graham.
He had been an honest andfaithful servant in his employ
(02:08):
for over 20 years.
Thomas was a 52-year-oldmarried man and was the father
of eight children.
On Thursday November 8, 1849,thomas set off to do his morning
rounds after telling his wifehis route In case his boss, the
gamekeeper, called by and wantedto meet him on the moor.
Thomas was gone all day and asevening fell there was still no
(02:29):
sign of him, and he failed toreturn home that night.
The following morning, a searchparty went out to look for him,
but it wasn't until two dayslater that his body was found by
his brother, john, in a remotelocation on Buchastle Fells some
two miles from his home.
Thomas had been strangled withhis own neckerchief and he was
discovered lying face down in apool of blood, having sustained
(02:50):
facial injuries.
All of his money was found tobe missing from his pocket.
Three local suspects were soonrounded up by the police.
Joseph Hogg, a well-known andconvicted poacher, was the main
suspect.
Three weeks prior to the murder, he had been fined 40 shillings
for shooting without a gamecertificate just the latest in a
long line of crimes of thatnature.
(03:11):
Thomas Davidson had providedthe evidence that led to him
being brought to court on thisoccasion, and Hogg had been
heard to make threats againstDavidson's life.
At that time, Joseph Hogg'scousin, nickel Hogg, was also
arrested, along with anotherlocal man named Andrew Turnbull.
The three accused men were keptin jail whilst a lengthy
investigation and inquest tookplace, determining if a trial
(03:33):
would be necessary.
Their friends were proven tohave given false alibis and it
was soon established that allthree men had been seen poaching
in the area on the day inquestion.
The Hoggs and Turnbull all mademany contradictory and
ever-changing statements in aneffort to exonerate themselves
from the crime.
Turnbull eventually confessedthat the Hog cousins had called
on him on the 8th of Novemberand invited him to go out
(03:56):
poaching.
They had said that if they cameacross Thomas Davidson during
their outing that theirintention was to murder him.
Turnbull had replied that hedid not object to this plan as
long as he himself was kept safe.
They all went out for a day'sshooting and it was on their way
home that Davidson saw them andgave chase.
According to Turnbull, he gaveevidence at the inquest that he
(04:17):
ran away and the last he saw wasthe two other men tussling with
Thomas Davidson.
The three prisoners werecommitted by the coroner to
Carlisle Jail to await theresult of the inquest.
At the time, joseph Hogg had adeep scratch on his mouth which
extended through both his upperand lower lips.
When questioned, he said thathe got the injury while shooting
in the woods.
The inquest took place overseveral days and many members of
(04:40):
the Hogg family were proven toperjure themselves while lying
about the whereabouts of bothJoseph and Nickel.
However, andrew Turnbull's wifeof just 18 months told the
truth and gave very concise anddamning evidence.
She stated that her husband hadindeed gone out shooting with
the Hoggs on the day in questionand when he returned that
evening he seemed very disturbed.
When she asked him what wastroubling him, he stated that
(05:03):
Joseph Hogg had killed ThomasDavidson out near Skelton Pike.
The three prisoners remained inCarlisle Jail for many days
while all the evidence waspresented.
Andrew Turnbull was veryannoyed that he had not been
released on bail and keptinsisting that he was innocent
and had told the truth.
As the days passed, he becamemore and more agitated and
anxious.
Eventually, the inquest wasover and the decision was handed
(05:27):
down.
The Hogs and Turnbull were allto be put on trial for the
willful murder of ThomasDavidson.
The day after he heard the newsof his impending trial, andrew
Turnbull was found dead in hisprison cell.
He had hanged himself with atowel from the iron bars of the
window.
On the walls of his cell weremessages he had scratched out
with a burnt stick.
Below the window he had writtenthe Hogs are guilty.
(05:49):
I am innocent.
I will not come in the hands ofman Above the fireplace was the
message I commit my soul to Godthat gave it.
Take my body to my father'sburying place.
There was also a long messageto his wife telling her that she
was not to blame for his deathand that he loved her very much.
Joseph and Nickel Hog were bothcharged with the willful murder
(06:10):
of Thomas Davidson at the parishof Bull Castle.
They were sent for trial atCumberland Spring, assizes on
March 2, 1850.
Despite many witnesses statingthat they had heard Joseph Hogg
verbally threaten the life ofThomas Davidson and evidence to
support the fact that thecousins were known to have been
poaching in the area and thatthey had appeared to have plenty
of money to spend in the localhostelries after the murder, the
(06:33):
jury returned a verdict of notguilty.
The judge, mr Baron Anderson,asked if the jury were
absolutely sure of their verdictand the foreman replied we
think we are satisfied thatthere is no evidence for a
guilty verdict against theprisoners.
The Hogg cousins were latertaken to court by the lawyer who
defended them for non-paymentof his fees.
Gemma Turnbull, the widow ofAndrew Turnbull, never remarried
(06:56):
and remained in the area untilher death.
No doubt at times she had toencounter the men who invited
her husband out shooting on thatfateful day and who were
ultimately responsible for thedeaths of two men of the parish
of Book Castle.
Thomas Davidson is buried in thecemetery of stapleton church,
nine miles from the site of hismemorial.
In a world where time moves fastand memories can fade even
(07:18):
faster, the pillar erected forthomas davidson in 1852 stands
as a quiet act of resistanceagainst forgetting, against
disappearance, against theerosion of personal history.
We may never know every detailof thomas's life, what he
dreamed of, how he died or whatkind of man he truly was.
But what we do know is this hemattered deeply to someone
(07:40):
Enough for his family to carvehis name into stone, to plant
that stone firmly in the earthand to say here, remember him.
And that act of rememberingripples forward Across
generations, across centuries.
A single monument left standing, not just for one man but for
everyone who's ever loved andlost and feared that time might
(08:00):
erase it all.
As we walk away from the pillartoday, it remains behind us,
still watching over the field,still weathering the seasons, a
reminder that sometimes historydoesn't survive in textbooks or
archives, but in simple personalgestures left behind for
strangers to find.
Thank you for joining us onthis journey, not just through
Thomas Davidson's story, butthrough the quiet power of
(08:22):
remembrance itself.
Thanks for joining me.
Till next time, take care ofyourselves.
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