Saturday 28 Jun 1845 (p. 3, col. 3) INQUESTS. ----- (Before Mr. LEE, Deputy Coroner.) On the 18th instant, at Alston, on the body of John COULSON, aged 60 years, who was found dead in bed on the previous morning. He had for some time laboured under asthma, and had been a casual pauper of Alston parish, and had several times been urged by the Board of Guardians to go to the workhouse, where he would have been much more comfortable than in the miserable hovel where he resided alone. On Saturday last, he was again urged to go to the workhouse; he however, as he had always done before, obstinately refused. The Relieving Officer then, in pursuance of the decision of the Union, gave him an order for one shilling a week in kind, which he accepted, but which he had not used. On examining the house it was ascertained that at the time of deceased's death he had a loaf of wheaten bread, five cakes of yeasted bread, a quantity of sugar and coffee, and four-pence-halfpenny in copper. The friends of deceased wished to impute blame to the parochial authorities. The jury, however, unanimously agreed in acquitting them of all blame, and returned a verdict of "natural death."