A little murder mystery... - a photo on Flickriver

            St. James Church, Oddingley, Worcestershire.  The Reverend George Parker was appointed to this church in 1793 and local landowners paid a tithe (an archaic form of tax paid in money and/or produce) to him to cover his living expenses and the upkeep of the church.  Prior to 1799, Rev. Parker was happy to accept a total of £135 in tithes. However, in 1799, following his marriage & the birth of a daughter, he asked for this sum to be increased to £150.  Local farmers initially refused to pay the increased figure and this caused a considerable amount of bitterness between them and the Rector.  After two years of animosity, the local farmers agreed to the £150 tithe, only to be told by the Rev. Parker that he required an extra £150 to pay for a new barn he was building.  This time, the local landowners flatly refused.  
  The relationship between the local farmers and Rev. Parker never improved from this point and people would openly voice their dislike towards him. The most vociferous were Thomas Clewes, John Barnett, George Bankes, John Perkins and a retired Army Captain called Samuel Evans.
  Shortly after 5pm on the 24th June 1806, Rev. Parker was shot and clubbed to death. His battered body was found in a clover field near to the church.  The murderer was seen to flee towards a nearby wood but was never caught.  Unlike today, the county lacked an established police force and investigation of crimes such as this was the responsibility of the local magistrate.  Following a considerable amount of work, it was established that the murderer was most likely a carpenter from Droitwich called Richard Hemming, and that he had been hired by Captain Evans to commit the crime. Despite a fortnight of searching, Hemming could not be found, and a rumour began to spread that he had escaped abroad to avoid capture.  It looked like he had got clean away.  The law at the time also stated that if the principal (i.e. the murderer) could not be charged, then the accessories to the crime could not be charged either.  This meant that Captain Evans could not even be tried for his involvement in the crime.
  In January 1830, an old barn at nearby Netherwood Farm was being demolished when workers discovered a skeleton in a shallow grave. Netherwood Farm had been the home of Thomas Clewes and the discovery brought back memories of the Rector's murder.  Scraps of clothing, along with a couple of carpentry tools in a pocket, enabled the skeleton to be identified as Richard Hemming.  It was now clear that the murderer had himself been murdered soon after the terrible deed.
  By this time, Captain Evans had died of old age and had, therefore, escaped criminal prosecution.  However, three of the original local farmers (Clewes, Bankes & Barnett) were still alive and all were sent to Worcester assizes on charges of aiding & abetting Hemming's murder. 
  The trial date was set for March 11th 1830 at Worcester's Guildhall. Clewes was tried first and, after a long hearing, the jury returned a verdict that he was guilty as an accessory after the fact.  The judge had to point out to the jury that Clewes had not been charged with that particular offence and therefore had to refuse to accept their verdict.  The jury then retired, only to return with the surprising verdict that Clewes was not guilty of the lesser offence of aiding & abetting. Hearing this, and probably not wanting to waste their time, the Crown declined to call any evidence on the charges against Bankes and Barnett. All three men left the court free. 
 It is said that, on hearing this news, someone broke into the church and rang the bells (without the permission of the then Rector) to celebrate.
  Since the murders, there has been several incidents of the church organ being heard to play despite no-one being inside the church. In some cases, the church door has been locked and yet music was heard.  The church has therefore gained a reputation for being haunted - possibly by Rev. Parker.
  
   

Taken on: March 14, 2013

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