9th May 2024 • The HERALD • Page 31 v SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES v Next Level Scaffolding Ash 07702 082961 Next Level Scaffolding Josh 07896 883508 nextlevelscaffolding3@gmail.com PolarPlastics PVC-U SPECIALIST IN: l WINDOWS l DOORS l CONSERVATORIES l FASCIAS l CLADDING l GUTTERING l GLASS UNITS l WINDOW REPAIRS l FENCING & GATES www.polarplastics.co.uk Email: sales@polarplastics.co.uk l Open 6 Days a Week l No Hard Sale Family Business l 10 Year Insurance Backed Guarantee Registered Company 10 HOLBURY PRECINCT, HOLBURY DROVE, HOLBURY TEL: (023) 8089 9611 ALL ASPECTS OF ELECTRICAL WORK UNDERTAKEN • Full Rewires • New Circuits • Consumer Unit Replacements • Electric Vehicle Charging Points • Landlord Certification • Smart Homes • Central Heating Controls 023 8089 0932 or 07534 343631 www.alnelectrical.co.uk info@alnelectrical.co.uk The Unmarked Grave of John Bitten, Where Grass Never Grows by Marc Heighway Marc hosts monthly local history talks, visit: nfhwa.org/events for details On the 5th of March 1781, a gruesome scene awaited those entering a house in Hythe. Catherine Bitten was discovered lying in her bed, dead, her throat cut. Further exploration of the home revealed her husband John on the kitchen oor, also dead, with a bloodied knife clenched tightly in his hand. ose who had been summoned to investigate this tragic scene immediately suspected John Bitten of killing Catherine. It appeared that he slit her throat and then killed himself with the same knife. e local coroner concurred with this suspicion, as the inquest found a verdict against Bitten of murder and ‘felo de se’. is is Latin for ‘felon of himself’, an archaic legal term meaning suicide. With Bitten dead and unable to clarify what had happened, or indeed defend himself against the accusation, the ‘murder suicide’ case would have been the talk of Hythe. I have no doubt that the names of John and Catherine Bitten were being whispered in the dark corners of the local inns, including the Lord Rodney, which had opened just a year previously in 1780. As tragic as this story is, sadly, it is not uncommon. John Bitten was not the rst man to kill his wife, and the centuries since have witnessed similar incidents. However, there is something that sets this case apart from others you may have heard of. According to English common law of the time, a person who died by suicide was declared a felon. Any property the person had would be forfeited to the King, who in this case was George III. As a tenant of Cadland Manor, Bitten the mariner had no property to forfeit. In addition to the legal rami cations to his albeit rarely used. It’s a dirt and gravel track named Hardley Lane on the le -hand side when facing the direction of the Hardley roundabout, marked with a metal gate across it. Pedestrians can walk down it, but it’s closed to cars. On death, there were also religious consequences. Suicide was deemed a sinful act, and those who died by their own hand were to be denied a Christian burial. People who died from suicide would sometimes be buried at a crossroads between the hours of nine and midnight, occasionally with a stake through the heart. e reason crossroads were chosen for burials such as this was likely due to a connection to the cross itself. ere was also the belief that regular foot and horse tra c over the grave might keep the ghost of the wandering soul down, leaving them trapped in the indecision that a crossroads o ers. I am sure there was also an element that such a public burial site could act as a deterrent to others considering suicide. Whilst there is no record of Bitten being buried with a stake through his heart, he was to be buried on a crossroads in Hythe. You might ask yourself, which crossroads in Hythe? A er all, not many readily come to mind. However, the roads and tracks were very di erent in the 18th century. ere was a busy crossroads that intersected what we now call Fawley Road, located about two hundred meters south of the Netley View One Stop and post o ce. e crossroads remain to this day, the opposite side, Hardley Lane continues as a narrow tarmac road, eventually turning into dirt. Over two hundred years ago, this crossroads was a thoroughfare between Hythe and Fawley, running north to south, and from Southampton Water to Hilltop down to Beaulieu, running east to west. ese crossroads serve as Bitten’s nal resting place. If you walk past this spot, keep an eye out for a patch of earth, devoid of grass. One hundred years a er the incident, a local rector named Hoare discussed Bitten’s death and the Hardley Lane crossroads, writing how ‘no grass would grow on the murderer and suicide’s grave.’ I have never ascertained the exact spot where Bitten rests. It’s very possible that his grave has been covered by tarmac and concrete as the road has been widened and modernised over time. But perhaps somewhere on the old crossroads of Hardley Lane and Fawley Road lies the silent testament to a tragedy that is centuries old: John Bitten, murderer, resting in an unmarked grave upon which grass refuses to grow. And if you do nd the barren patch, it will o er a timely reminder that some wounds, like a scar on the earth, can never truly heal. BROCKENHURST MUSIC SOCIETY - 2024 SEASON ey are excited to launch their 2024 season, their 77th season of bringing great music to the New Forest. Details of their concerts are below, all given by young highly talented professional musicians and held at St Saviour’s Church, Brockenhurst at 7pm. Tickets are £18 from www.ticketsource. co.uk (booking fee applies), or from Pot Pourri in Brockenhurst or Sway Deli, or £20 at the door. Season tickets are also available at £75. For more information please see their website: www. brockenhurstmusicsociety.co.uk Saturday 18th May - Fibonacci Quartet, one of the leading young string quartets in Europe, and winners of the rst prize and audience prize at the International Beethoven Competition, playing works by Mozart, Janacek and Schubert. Monday 17th June - Maxim Calver (cello) and Kumi Matsuo (piano), acclaimed international cellist Maxim was a nalist in the 2018 BBC Young Musician of the Year; Kumi studied in Tokyo and then at the Royal College of Music, and has performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician; playing works by Debussy, Brahms and Mendelssohn. Monday 15th July - Sofia Sacco (piano), born in Italy, a prize winning graduate of the Royal Academy of Music London, and an extensive performer across Europe and the UK, playing works by Shostakovich, Couperin, Respighi, Cro and Beethoven.
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