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 Saint Anne
within the Liberty of the Dean and Chapter of the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Westminster ,
in the County of Middlesex , the Fifth day of December in the Fifteenth 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
Richard Hays< no role > then and there lying dead, upon the Oath of Hugh
Thomas< no role > , Lawrence Dunn< no role > , Thomas Perrey< no role > , Thomas Botton< no role > , John Tugg< no role >
William Hilberg< no role > , Thomas Tuttle< no role > , Ralph Gauld< no role > , John Simmons< no role > , Thomas
Allen< no role > , Andrew Mc. Dugell< no role > & Thomas Howard< no role > , good and lawful Men of the said Liberty, duly
chosen, who being then and there duly sworn and charged to enquire for our said Lord the
King, when, how, and by what Means the said, Richard Hays< no role > came to
h is Death, do upon their Oath say, That the said Richard Hays< no role > , not being of
sound Mind Memory and Understanding, but lunatic and distracted,
on the Fourth day of December in the Year aforesaid at the Parish
aforesaid within the Liberty and County aforesaid one End of a
certain Silk Handkerchief unto and Iron Hook fastened into a piece
of Timber in the Lodging Room of him the said Richard Hays< no role > , in the
Dwelling House of Bridgett Sherriff< no role > situate and lying in Meard's
Passage, in the said Parish Liberty and County, and the other End
thereof about his own [..]
did then and there hang suffocate and strangle himself, of which
said Hanging Suffocation and Strangling he the said Richard Hays< no role >
then and there died. And so the Jurors aforesaid upon their Oath
aforesaid do say, That the said Richard Hays< no role > , not being of sound
Mind Memory and Understanding, but lunatic and distracted in
Manner and by the means aforesaid, did kill himself. In Witness
whereof as well the said Coroner, as the said Hugh Thomas Foreman
of the said Jurors, on the behalf of himself and the rest of his
Fellows in their presence, have to this Inquisition set their
Hands and Seals, the Day Year and Place first above written

Tho Prickard< no role > [mark] Coroner

Hugh Thomas< no role > [mark] Foreman