City and Liberty of Westminster
in the County of Middlesex }
to wit

An Inquisition Indented taken for Our Sovereign Lord
the King at the Parish of St. Margaret in the City of Westmr. within the Liberty of the Dean and Chapter
of the Collegiate Church of St. Peter Westminster in the County of Middlesex the Eight
Day of Augustin the Sixth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third by
the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith and
so forth before Thomas Prickard< no role > Gentleman Coroner of our said Lord the King for the said
City and Liberty, on View of the Body of Samuel Whitten< no role > then and there lying Dead, upon
the Oath of Thomas Hester< no role > , Joseph Cuttell< no role > , William Lambert< no role > , Richard Herring< no role > ,
Reynold Toms< no role > , Samuel Highley< no role > , Thomas Atkinson< no role > , Samuel Williams< no role > , Robert Anderson< no role >
William Ellis< no role > , George Mercer< no role > and John Dyer< no role > , good and lawfull Men of the said Liberty duly
chosen, who being then and there duly Sworn and Charged to inquire for our said Lord the King, when
how, and by what Means the said Samuel Whittencame to his Death, do upon their
Oath say, That the said Samuel Whitten on the Fourth day of August in the Year aforesaid,
being employed to exhibit and shew a certain Black Bear and other Wild Beafts in the Hay Market
in the Parish of St. James within the Liberty and County aforesaid, and being then and there feeding
and cleaning the said Bear and other Wild Weafts, It so happened that the said Black Bear (then and
there Chained to the Floor) took hold of the right Leg of the said Samuel Whitten, and with his Teeth and
Paws did then and there bile and lear the said right Leg of him the said Samuel Whitten, by Means
whereof the said Samuel Whitten did then and there receive one mortal Wound and one mortal
Fracture in and upon his said right Leg of which said mortal Wound and mortal Fracture he the said
Samuel Whitten from the said Fourth day of August in the Year aforesaid until the Eight day of the same Month
in the same Year at a certain Hospital called the Westminster Hospital , in the said Parish of St. Margaret
within the City Liberty and County aforesaid, did languish and languishing did live, on which
said Eighth day of August in the Year aforesaid, he the said Samuel Whitten, at the Hospital aforesaid
within the Parish City LIberty and County aforesaid, of the mortal Wound and mortal Bruise aforesaid
did die. And so the Jurors aforesaid upon their Oath aforesaid, do say that the said Samuel Whitten
in manner and by the Means aforesaid, came to his Death and not otherwise. And that the
said Black Bear moved to the Death of the said Samuel Whitten and is of the Value of Five Shillings,
and the Property and in the Possession of Timothy Mills< no role > of the said Parish of St. James Yeoman,
or of his Assigns. In Witness whereof as well the said Coroner, as the said Thomas Hester< no role >
Foreman of the said Jurors, on the behalf of himself and the rest of his said Fellows, in their
presence, have to this Inquisition set their Hands and Seals, the Day Year and Place first
abovewritten

Tho. Prickard< no role > Coroner

Tho Hester Foreman