1801: Welshman killed by a bread loaf to the private parts

Welsh coronial records from the spring of 1801 contain a brief but thought-provoking summary of the death of William Hopkin. According to an inquest held in Cardiff, Hopkin succumbed after being hit in the groin by a flying loaf of bread:

“At the Coroner’s inquest taken at Cardiff before the Bailiffs, William Prichard and Henry Hollier, on a view of the body of William Hopkin, found that he met his death through injuries received at the hands of Morgan Hopkin of Cardiff, labourer, who threw a twopenny wheaten loaf at the deceased and thereby inflicted a mortal blow upon his private parts, resulting in death a few days after such assault.”

Sadly, further research was not able to uncover the nature of William Hopkin’s injuries, why or how the loaf was thrown and whether the perpetrator was brought to justice. The fate of the deadly bread is also unknown.

Source: Glamorgan Calendar Rolls (Cardiff), Spring 1801. Content on this page is © Alpha History 2019-23. Content may not be republished without our express permission. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use or contact Alpha History.