Monmouthshire Central Advertiser 7th February

Awful Warning – On Saturday night last (31st January) Mr James Gwatkin of Goytrey, lost his life under the following circumstances.

He left Pontypool during the evening and went in company with a person called William Jeremiah to a public house at Llanvair Cross.

The deceased remained there until two o’clock in the morning when he departed for his home which is close to Goytrey Church and was not heard of until the following day, when his body was picked up in a ditch containing a little water, quite dead and frozen.

The ditch at the spot was crossed by some stones and it is supposed he fell and became stunned.

A coroner’s inquest was held on the body of the deceased at the house of his brother before C M Ashwin Esq., deputy coroner and a respectable jury when a verdict of “found dead” was returned.