www.johnhearfield.com/Family/JohnH1882.htm

John Hearfield was a successful solicitor in Hull. When he died in 1882 at the age of 49, the newspaper account of his funeral was suitably respectful.

DEATH OF MR JOHN HEARFIELD

We regret to announce the death of Mr John Hearfield, the senior partner in the firm of Messrs T. & T.W. Hearfield, solicitors, of Hull. Mr Hearfield, who died at his residence, in Hessle, on Saturday, had been suffering for a considerable time, but great doubt has existed as to the precise nature of his illness. After being unwell for several weeks, the deceased, accompanied by Dr Lamb, his medical attendant, consulted some eminent physicians in London and elsewhere, but opinions differed as to the nature of the disorder, which, by Sir William Jenner, was, however, attributed to a clot of blood having lodged in the region of the heart.

So serious did the disorder become before death that the deceased lay for some days insensible, and, of course, incapable of nourishment. His death will be a source of great grief to a numerous circle of friends, and will cause a large gap in the profession to which Mr Hearfield belonged, and in which he devoted himself to shipping and commercial matters almost as a speciality.

As regards general public affairs he was not habitually active, but it has been truly said that there was rarely a movement of real public importance in which he did not ultimately appear in a leading part. He acted on two or three occasions as election agent for Mr Norwood, and has also acted on behalf of Mr Wilson.

He was a member of the Humber Conservancy Board, a position which he largely owed to the universal recognition of his ability in matters of legal and commercial law. He was solicitor to the Hull Steamship Owners' Association till the close of its existence, and up to the time of his death was solicitor to the Hull Mutual and Protective Association, and was also Under-Sheriff of Hull.

The funeral took place last Wednesday in the Springbank Cemetery. The cortege arrived from Hessle at the cemetery about half-past twelve. It consisted of hearse, seven mourning coaches, and numerous private carriages and cabs. The coffin, which was profusely covered with wreaths, was of polished oak, with massive brass mountings. A brass plate bore the inscription:- "John Hearfield, born Dec.30th, 1832, died Sept. 9th, 1882.

The first coach was occupied by Mr. T.W. Hearfield and Mrs Walker;
(Thomas Ward Hearfield was his brother, and Ann Elizabeth Walker was his sister)

2nd, Mr J. Walker, Mrs Beet, Mr C. Walker, and Mrs Bee;
(John Hearfield Walker [b.1843] and Charles Edmund Walker [b.1857] were nephews; Elizabeth Beet and Eleanor Bee were his sisters)

3rd, Mr J. Bee, Miss Hearfield, Mr Beet, and Miss Julia Hearfield;
(Joseph Hearfield Bee [b.1860] was a nephew; 'Miss Hearfield' was presumably his sister Charlotte; Julia was his sister; 'Mr Beet' was presumably his brother-in-law Matthew Beet)

4th, Mr Walter Beet, Mrs Pridgen, Mr J. Beet, and Miss Walker; (Walter Beet [b.1878] and John Hearfield Beet [b.1866] were nephews; 'Miss Walker' was probably his niece Edith Hearfield Walker [b.1852]; I have no idea who the Pridgens were)

5th, Mr Garniss Hearfield, Miss Beet, Mr. D. Hearfield, and Mrs Walker;
('Mr Garniss' must have been John Garniss Hearfield, and 'Mr D', David, his cousins; 'Miss Beet' could have been any of the daughters of Matthew and Elizabeth; 'Mrs Walker' could have been Alice, Charles Edmund's wife)

6th, Mr Wriglesworth, Mr Shaw, and Mr McKinna;

7th, Mr Lambert, Mr Alfred Beet, and Mr Pridgen.

Mr C.M. Norwood, M.P., travelled from London to be present, and amongst those occupying private carriages there were the Mayor (Alderman Leak), the Sheriff (Mr H. Briggs), Mr Briggs, jun., Ald. Witty, Mr Jus. Reckitt, Dr Lamb, Mr J.R. Ringrose (Deputy-Chairman Hull Dock Company), Mr Grotrian, J.P., Mr M. Samuelson, Dr Macmillan, Dr J. Gibson, &c. Amongst the gentlemen present there were several who were more or less intimately connected with shipping. Messrs Thomas Wilson, Sons, and Co. were represented by Mr C.J. Newbald, general manager, and Captain Rutter, marine superintendent; Messrs. Jackson and Beaumont, Captain Hill, Captain Cator, Captain King, Captain Maycock, and Mr W.R. Johnson. There was a large attendance of members of the legal profession, amongst whom we noticed Mr T. Holden (solicitor Hull Dock Company), Mr W.J. Reed (clerk Hull Board of Guardians), Alderman Summers, Mr F. Lowe, Mr J.T. Woodhouse, Mr H. Birks, Mr G. Eaton, Mr A.M. Jackson, Mr Priestman, Mr Laverack, Mr Till (Leak, Till, and Stephenson), Mr Middlemiss, Mr A. Rollit, Mr Cooper, Mr Barker, Mr A. Salmon, Mr Boden, Mr Johnson, and others. Dr Rollit, whose carriage was in the procession, was unable to be present owing to absence from Hull. The burial service was read by the Rev. G. Lamb, Primitive Methodist. The undertaker was Mr Nicholson, Cogan-street, and the hearse and coaches were supplied by Mr T.D. Wing, St. Stephen-street.

[The Hull Packet and East Riding Times, Friday, September 15, 1882]