INFORMATION about a newspaper cutting which featured a fatal accident at Lydford Gorge more than 100 years ago is being sought. The article was found in a scrap book which belonged to Beattie Neil, a young girl from North Dartmoor, who kept newspaper cuttings from 'Western' newspapers ranging from 1886 to 1904. The article is an in-depth account of when Miss Sheppard, from Buckland Terrace in Plymouth, came to Lydford with other members from the Charles Church Lay Help Association. It said the group broke into different parties and Miss Sheppard, with five other women, headed for the gorge. On a spot between the gorge and the mill, Mrs Sheppard fell backwards into the river, a depth of some 16ft. She fell head first into the bed of the river, striking her head against a huge boulder. Adrian Hepworth, from Lydford, came across the article on the Beacon Village's website last year and Pete Kilgannon, then looking after the website, gave permission for the Lydford website to use it. Now, Mr Hepworth would to like to appeal to Times readers to help him with the search of finding out both the year and newspaper this cutting is from. The main piece of information already known is that the Lay Help Association went to the gorge for the group's anniversary and the paper, featuring the accident, came out the next day. He said: 'Unfortunately Charles Church is now the ruined monument on a roundabout in Plymouth and we haven't found anyone that knows about their Lay Help Association.' To view the article visit http://www.lydfordparishcouncil.co.uk">www.lydfordparishcouncil.co.uk
