# Ellen Spencer — 1925

Canonical: https://hessleroad.com/historical-case-ellen-spencer.html

A Subway Street case where the inquest wording and the eventual criminal verdict must be distinguished.

Place: 7 Leslie Avenue, Subway Street

Date: Found 3 November 1925

Status: Manslaughter verdict

## The home off Subway Street

The Yorkshire Post report of 7 November 1925 places Ellen Spencer at 7 Leslie Avenue, Subway Street, Hull. It reports that she had been found dead at home and that the inquest returned a verdict of wilful murder. A report on 12 November records a murder charge against William Burkitt, a fisherman associated with Gillett Street. [Source](https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1925-11-01/1925-11-30?basicsearch=murder&newspapertitle=yorkshire%2Bpost%2Band%2Bleeds%2Bintelligencer&retrievecountrycounts=false&somesearch=murder&sortorder=score)

## Discovery and prosecution

A later narrative dates the discovery to 3 November and describes Ellen's daughter visiting the house, receiving no answer and obtaining a neighbour's help to enter. The subsequent investigation led to Burkitt's prosecution at York Castle. [Source](https://everything2.com/node/e2node/William%20Burkitt)

## An inquest verdict is not the trial verdict

The secondary accounts record the criminal trial in November 1925 ending in a manslaughter conviction and a ten-year sentence. That differs from the inquest's earlier murder wording. We label this entry by the eventual criminal verdict rather than treating the two proceedings as interchangeable. [Source](https://www.murderuk.com/serial_william_burkitt.html)

## Names and street spellings to check

The indexed November reports vary: Ellen also appears as Helen, and Leslie Avenue appears elsewhere as Leslie's Grove. This may reflect reporting or indexing differences. The original pages and a contemporary street directory should be compared before those variants are resolved; the case is retained under Ellen Spencer and the address in the 7 November report. [Source](https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1925-11-01/1925-11-30?basicsearch=murder&newspapertitle=yorkshire%2Bpost%2Band%2Bleeds%2Bintelligencer&retrievecountrycounts=false&somesearch=murder&sortorder=score)

## Timeline

- 3 November 1925: Discovery date given in the later narrative.
- 7 November 1925: Yorkshire Post report of the inquest murder verdict.
- 12 November 1925: Yorkshire Post report of the murder charge.
- November 1925: Later accounts record a manslaughter conviction and ten-year sentence.

## Research still needed

- Read the original inquest and criminal trial reports side by side.
- Check Ellen / Helen and Leslie Avenue / Leslie's Grove against original pages and directories.
- Research Ellen's family and burial, keeping her life distinct from the offender's biography.

## Sources

- [Yorkshire Post, 7 and 12 November 1925: inquest and charge reports, via British Newspaper Archive](https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1925-11-01/1925-11-30?basicsearch=murder&newspapertitle=yorkshire%2Bpost%2Band%2Bleeds%2Bintelligencer&retrievecountrycounts=false&somesearch=murder&sortorder=score)
- [Everything2: William Burkitt; secondary narrative, to be checked against original court reports](https://everything2.com/node/e2node/William%20Burkitt)
- [Murder UK: William Burkitt; secondary account of the three manslaughter convictions](https://www.murderuk.com/serial_william_burkitt.html)

Decorative illustrations are not verified portraits or reconstructions. Collection cutoff: 1960.