Great-gt-gt grannie Mary Baron made the papers. The landlady found her at half past four on a Saturday afternoon, expiring at the bottom of the stairs leading to her first floor lodgings at 151 Wellington St. She apparently fell down the stairs bringing up coal for the fire and the concussion and shock killed her shortly after. Neighbours, the doctor and Mary's youngest son John (lodged in nearby Hastings St) were all summoned. She was carried up to her bed, where she briefly regained consciousness. John recounted to the Coroner that he asked his mother how she fell, to which she replied that she did not fall. She then promptly snuffed it. It's kinda odd, but the Coroner's Jury accepted the testimony of the doctor that Mary had died of concussion and shock to the system, and their only recommendation was that a handrail should be installed on the rickety stairs. And where did the Coroner's Jury meet? In the pub next door at number 152.

I had anticipated a more dramatic tale when I collected a copy of Mary Baron's death certificate last Wednesday and saw that the informant for the death wasn't a family member but Mark Whyley, Coroner for the County of Bedford. It stated there was an inquest, which led me to the report in the local newspaper, The Luton Reporter. Mary's son John was known to subsequent generations of the family as "Wicked Uncle John", so you can imagine the thoughts that initially went through my head. Alas, it seems his notoriety has some other origin. There's also tales within the family that Mary was psychic and foresaw her husband's death. I don't want to sound flippant, but, err, she didn't see this coming.