On 29th June 1891, Mary Lee, alias Roughton fought in a yard at Raunds with Martha Kent. Mrs. Lee died of Erysipelas on 10th July. The inquest was held by J. T. Parker, Coroner, with a Jury of eighteen (Foreman, Samuel Brown) at the Robin Hood Inn, Raunds, on Saturday afternoon, llth July 1891.

Coroner: If Martha Kent had been lying in wait for the deceased, and inflicted the fatal blow in premeditation, it was murder. If they had an altercation, and exchanged blows, it was manslaughter. If Martha Kent believed herself to be in danger, and inflicted blows in self-defence, it was justifiable homicide.

Charles Roughton, shoemaker, of Finding Terrace, Raunds: The body out there is that of Mary Lee. She was 58 years of age. She has lived with me as my wife for seventeen years. During the occurrence on 29th June, I was in bed. I heard them quarrelling. She was screaming at Mary Lee and calling her names, using language which I should not like to repeat. Just after that, I heard a thud, as if a blow had been struck, and I heard Mary Lee say "Oh, oh". She came into the house with a wound on her head. The injury was dressed. I have had no conversation with Mrs. Kent about the matter. Mary Lee and Mrs. Kent had worked together for several weeks.

Foreman Samuel Brown: Did they quarrel often?

Roughton: I don't know if they were in the habit of quarrelling. Mary was attended by Mr. Mackenzie and his assistant, Mr. Ramsey. I carried out their instructions to the best of my ability, but she died a little after eight on Friday morning.

Louisa Lee: I am Louisa Roughton...

Coroner: If you are the daughter of the deceased, you are Louisa Lee. How old are you?

Louisa: fifteen, sir. I live with my father. On Monday week, the 29th of June, Mother came in from  the street at about ten o'clock. Mrs. Kent was calling her names from the opposite side of the yard. Mother went across the yard. She said, "What do you mean, woman? Do you mean me?" Mrs, Kent swore at her, and said, "Yes, you". They were a few yards from the Kent's door. Mrs. Kent went towards her in a threatening sort of way. Mother drew back, and Mrs. Kent spat in her face and struck her across the face with her hand. Then she hit Mother on the head once or twice with a jug, and knocked her down. She got up and came towards our house. Mrs. Kent followed her, and took hold of her hair. She hit her on the head with jug again, and the jug broke. Then she threw the handle at her, and it caught her on the forehead. Mr. Kent then came out, and took his wife home. Mother never struck Mrs. Kent, nor did I see her make to strike at her. I saw all that happened from the bedroom window. It was a fine night, but I only knew who they were by their voices. I saw the wound on Mother's head when she came in. I had seen her an hour and a half earlier, and she was well then.

Emma Bugby: I am the wife of Joseph Bugby, labourer, of Finding's Terrace, Raunds. [corroborated Louisa's evidence] After the occurrence, Mrs. Lee was a fearful sight. There was a wound on her head, and a great deal of blood on her face. Mrs. Kent was the worse for drink, but Mrs. Lee was sober. I have never heard them quarrel previously.    

Frank Spicer: I am a carpenter, Rotten Row, Raunds. I was going by Finding's Terrace that night. My attention was called to screaming and shouting. I went into the Terrace and saw Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Kent. I couldn't catch what was said. Mrs. Kent was waving a jug, but I didn't see her pull Mrs. Lee's hair, nor throw anything at her. Mrs. Lee had a lot of blood on her hands and face. She was sober.

William Mackenzie, Surgeon, Raunds: On 29th June, a little after ten at night, the deceased woman came to my house. Her head and hair were covered with blood. She was suffering from an incised wound, about two inches in length, in the upper and posterior part of the parital bone, on the right side. It was a gaping wound, bleeding profusely. On examination, I found that it extended to the bone. She had another wound, right over the forehead bone, just above the right eye, a little more than half an inch long, very deep, but not touching the bone. She also had bruises. I dressed, stitched and bandaged her. Whilst we were attending her, Mrs. Kent came into the surgery, in a violent manner, as if she wanted to get at her again. She had to be forced out into the waiting room, and the door had to be locked. The deceased was very quiet. She was sober. She was taken home before Mrs. Kent was allowed to come for attention. She was suffering from a compound fracture of the right forefinger. She said it was broken by the deceased biting it, but I saw no marks of biting on the underside of the finger, and the injury on the top was a clear cut. It is almost impossible that the finger was broken by having been bitten. The wounds on the deceased might have been caused by being struck with a jug as reported. I attended her regularly until the 5th of July, and she continued to suffer from these wounds, but the one on her forehead healed up. In the case of the other wound, erysipelas set in about the 5th of this month, and she died from the effects of that. The erysipelas was directly traceable to the wound and the bruises which she also sustained. Today, I have made an internal post mortem examination, and found all the organs to be healthy, with the exception of slight old disease in the right kidney. The blood vessels on the right side of the brain were much congested, and there was a great deal of very dark blood in the veins just inside the scalp. The whole of the right side of the head, right down to the shoulder, was very much inflamed. Those effects are the result of erysipelas, and they caused her death.

Samuel Brown, Foreman: At your surgery, what was the manner of Mrs. Kent towards the deceased?

Mackenzie: She appeared very spiteful in her attitude to her. Coroner to the jury: The only discrepancy is in Spicer's sworn evidence. He did not see Mrs. Kent pull the deceased by her hair. If the case goes further, Mrs. Kent will have the opportunity of making the most of that discrepancy.

Verdict: Manslaughter by Martha Kent.

At Thrapston Police Court, on the following Tuesday, 14th July 1891, before the Rev. Sir Frederick Robinson, J Kidner, and P. Mitchell, Martha Jane Kent, of Raunds, was charged with common assault on Mary Ann Lee.

Superintendent Noble: A summons was taken out against the prisoner, on a charge of assault, but as the prosecutrix, Mrs. Lee, has since died, I ask for an acquittal on that charge.

That case was dismissed. Martha Kent was then formally charged "that she did feloniously, wilfully, and of malice aforethought, kill and murder Mary Lee".

Charles Roughton gave the same evidence as at the inquest, adding that he had heard the breaking of crockery after hearing the blow struck. "After my wife's wounds were dressed, she did not seem to suffer very much. Nor did she until the day she took out the summons for assault."

Martha Kent: Did you beat her about the head with a poker, earlier in the evening, and turn her out of doors, and throw a can after her?

Roughton: No. We did have words that same evening, about six o'clock, but I did not hit her.

Martha Kent to the Bench: Yes, sir, he did.

Clerk of the Court to Roughton: Did you strike the deceased that evening?

Roughton: No.

Clerk: Did she have any injuries upon her when she was at home before the occurrence in question?

Roughton: No. When she came from the doctor's her dress was covered with blood, [clothing produced: apron, dress, handkerchief, all bloody] They are hers.

Louisa Lee repeated her inquest evidence.

Martha Kent: She didn't hear her mother abuse me. Nor did she see her father strike her mother earlier on that evening.

Emma Bugby repeated her inquest evidence.

Martha Kent: Did you see her strike me?

Emma Bugby: I did not.

Frank Spicer, the carpenter repeated his inquest evidence, adding: Mrs. Lee spoke to me after the incident. She asked me where the policeman was.

The Surgeon, Mackenzie gave the same evidence, but omitted the post mortem.

Inspector Tarry: On Friday last, I visited Raunds. Having seen the body of the deceased, I went to the prisoner's house, which I found locked and empty. I went in search of the woman, and caught her going to Ecton, in company with her husband... I charged her with causing the death of Mary Lee by striking her on the head with a jug. The prisoner said, "Yes. Look what she done to my finger". I arrested her, and she said that she and her husband were only going out for a walk and would have come back again. The following day, I received the bloodstained clothing.

The Bench retired to deliberate. On their return, the Clerk read the charge.

Chairman: Have you anything to say?

Martha Kent: If I had been allowed to see my husband last Sunday when he came here, I could have got some witnesses.

Superintendent Noble: When the man called, the Inspector was absent, and he was told to come again in half an hour, but he did not return.

Martha Kent: I won't say any more now.

Chairman: You are committed to stand trial at the Northampton Assizes on a charge of wilful murder,

On the second day of the Assizes at Northampton, Thursday, 25th November 1891, before Justice Sir William Grantham, Martha Jane Kent, field hand, was found guilty of the reduced charge of manslaughter. She was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment with hard labour.