Sad tale of pub deaths in Lancaster in 1908

It involves a sad tale regarding the Landlord of the Golden Lion and his wife.

Henry Postlethwaite and his wife had run the Golden Lion since 1890 and by all accounts were a deeply loving and happy couple and had never ever known to argue.

It was said that Henry who was a highly regarded landlord was tee-total.

Both Henry and his wife had been suffering from influenza for a couple of weeks. Whilst Henry battled on running the pub, his wife had taken to her bed.

On the morning of March 5, Henry finally succumbed to the flu and took to his bedroom, his wife being in another bedroom.

At around 6pm a commotion was heard upstairs followed by Mrs Postlethwaite stumbling downstairs with her throat cut. Medical help was called for and despite attempts to save her she died from her injuries.

Henry was found dead on his bed with deep cuts to his throat.

At the inquest it was concluded that the effects of the influenza had caused him to become delirious and that was when he first took his wife’s life and then his own.

The loving couple both thought to be 41 had a joint funeral and there was a very large turnout of mourners who lined the street for the funeral cortège comprising of over 20 carriages.

The couple were interred in a joint grave in Overton.

A sad tale indeed.

More fascinating Lancaster pub facts can be found on the Facebook group called Old Lancaster Pubs.