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Buttermere Road Abortionist


Paul Worrall

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Buttermere Road Abortionist - When we lived on Buttermere Road, part of the Abbeydale Road ‘Lake District’ in the 1970’s, several of the older residents told us of the famous case of the ‘Buttermere Road Abortionist’, who was imprisoned for the illegal services she performed. However, I have no idea of the person’s name or when these crimes took place. Can anybody help please?

Wazzie Worrall

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Helen (or Ellen) Bonnington, also known by her maiden name of Powell, of 57 Buttermere Road was sentenced in December 1920 to 16 months imprisonment for performing an illegal operation on a married woman from Phillimore Road, also another woman from Dunlop Street. She was prosecuted again in February 1935 with co-conspirators Walter (a Post Office telegraphist and father of the unborn) and Gladys Carnell of Fitzwilliam Street. Walter Carnell threatened the pregnant woman, a Miss Patchett with violence unless she had the abortion, which was arranged to take place at the Carnells premises.  Miss Patchett complained to the police who hid in her house and overheard a conversation between Bonnington, Mrs Carnell and Miss Patchett, and subsequently found equipment including a syringe in the room. Miss Patchett later suffered a miscarriage in January. The two women were acquitted as it was found that they had been incited to conspiracy by the actions of the police in laying a trap, but Walter Carnell was found guilty of inviting and was sentenced to 6 months.

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Hi Edmund.

Thanks for the very comprehensive description. We lived on Buttermere Rd for nearly 10 years and often heard mention of what had gone on, however details were often vague.

Cheers, Wazzie Worrall.

 

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17 hours ago, Paul Worrall said:

Buttermere Road Abortionist - When we lived on Buttermere Road, part of the Abbeydale Road ‘Lake District’ in the 1970’s, several of the older residents told us of the famous case of the ‘Buttermere Road Abortionist’, who was imprisoned for the illegal services she performed. However, I have no idea of the person’s name or when these crimes took place. Can anybody help please?

Wazzie Worrall

Here are some of the News articles covering the story.

30 August 1920 - Sheffield Independent 

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03 September 1920 - Sheffield Daily Telegraph

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07 February 1935 - Sheffield Independent 

 

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15 February 1935 - Sheffield Independent 

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Hi Syrup,

Thanks for those wonderful press clippings. Is it a trade secret how you managed to access them?

Cheers,

Wazzie Worrall

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14 hours ago, Paul Worrall said:

Hi Syrup,

Thanks for those wonderful press clippings. Is it a trade secret how you managed to access them?

Cheers,

Wazzie Worrall

No problem Paul,

I use Find my Past that gives access to News archives. 

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