Richard Budden was our 4xGreat Uncle. In 1825 aged 32 and unmarried he was working as a post chaise driver at Yelf's Hotel in Ryde. (Which still exists today.)
On Christmas Eve 1825, a woman called Jane Lavers, described as a woman of loose character, swore an oath at Newport magistrates court that Richard Budden was the father of her recently born illegitimate child. The swearing of the oath was enough for Richard to be sent for by the magistrates to answer the allegation. He denied the allegation. Nevertheless he was ordered to make a payment to support the child, and he was locked up in the bridewell jail until he paid.
Later that same day a friend of Richard's called Gore made the payment on Richard's behalf, and Richard was released. The pair of them and another friend called Meades then went to the White Lion pub in Newport. Jane Lavers was already drinking there with two friends James Williams and Benjamin Salter.
Richard and his two friends were quite intoxicated when they left the White Lion about 7 in the evening. They took the Ryde road and when they got to Wootton Common Gore assisted Meades to his house. When Gore returned to the road to join Richard he heard shouting ahead of him.
On reaching the spot, he found Richard in a fight with Jane Lavers and her two companions. Richard was twice struck on the head and he fell to the ground. He remained unconscious until the evening of Christmas Day when he died in Newport hospital.
Mr. Favell, the surgeon who carried out a post mortem on Richard, found a ruptured blood vessel in his head, which he had no doubt was the cause of his death. But under cross examination he agreed that this rupture could have been caused by excessive drinking. Subsequently the jury acquitted all three assailants. They obviously felt that there was insufficient proof that the two blows to the side of the head had caused Richard's death.