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at the time. The jury deliberated for 55 minutes before finding
Woodgate guilty of wilful murder. Woodgate was well regarded in the community and despite the nature of the crime there was a public outcry over his sentence. A petition was sent to the Governor but it was summarily dismissed. After the
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for 13 years (since about 1863). After the death of
William's brother Robert, William lived in a common law marriage with Robert's widow, who also subsequently died. Robert's daughter Susan continued to live with William at his dwelling, which was about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the nearest house.
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for the murder of the newborn baby of his niece Susan
Woodgate, the daughter of his brother Robert. He was thought to be the father of her child. Susan Woodgate's grandfather, James Heberley, testified at the trial in December 1876 that the accused had been living at Point Resolution, Marlborough,
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Defence counsel submitted that there was no evidence of murder having been committed. Two witnesses testified that they had seen Susan heavily pregnant. Susan testified that
Woodgate had threatened to smother the newborn at birth and that he later told her he had done so, but she did not see the
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child at any time. Her sister
Elizabeth testified that she had heard the cry of an infant. The case turned on whether the jury believed the sisters and whether the alleged infant had been fully delivered and whether it had been separated from its mother, according to the definition of
164:, UK, in 1827 and baptised on 1 January 1828. In the 1841 Census, he was living at Signal House, Beer, with his parents Robert and Elizabeth Woodgate and his younger siblings. William married Margaret (Mary Ann) Heberley in 1863.
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Sheriff found no one willing to execute
Woodgate, his execution was postponed until a suitable person was found.
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188:. Following his execution, his body was buried in the gaolyard next to Taherei, a previously executed criminal.
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At 6.30am on
Thursday, 25 January 1877, eight days after the original date, he was hanged at
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343:. Vol. XX, no. 3287. 5 February 1877. p. 2
315:. Vol. XII, no. 888. 27 January 1877. p. 6
287:. Vol. XII, no. 887. 24 January 1877. p. 5
259:. Vol. XI, no. 874. 9 December 1876. p. 6
226:. Vol. XI, no. 873. 6 December 1876. p. 5
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Picton
Gaolyard (Originally located at 5 Waitohi Place.)
279:"Extraordinary Failure of Justice in the Woodgate Case"
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148:in New Zealand and the last to be hanged in the
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394:People executed by New Zealand by hanging
198:List of murder convictions without a body
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167:He was accused and put on trial at the
399:19th-century executions by New Zealand
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160:William Henry Woodgate was born at
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144:(1827 – 25 January 1877) was the
389:People from East Devon District
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169:Supreme Court of New Zealand
404:1876 murders in New Zealand
379:Executed New Zealand people
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384:Executed people from Devon
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251:"Supreme Court Sittings"
146:37th person to be hanged
335:"Execution of Woodgate"
312:The Marlborough Express
307:"Execution of Woodgate"
284:The Marlborough Express
256:The Marlborough Express
223:The Marlborough Express
142:William Henry Woodgate
20:William Henry Woodgate
218:"The Woodgate Murder"
81:Cause of death
340:Wanganui Chronicle
150:Marlborough Sounds
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121:Wilful Murder
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369:1820s births
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228:. Retrieved
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60:(1877-01-25)
374:1877 deaths
178:infanticide
162:Beer, Devon
74:New Zealand
70:Marlborough
363:Categories
204:References
32:1828-03-31
347:25 August
319:25 August
291:25 August
230:25 August
192:See also
104:Executed
263:4 March
86:Hanging
48:England
186:Picton
66:Picton
130:Death
44:Devon
349:2015
321:2015
293:2015
265:2019
232:2015
55:Died
40:Beer
26:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.