There was an early custom brought from England and kept in practice from the settlement of the county until about 1730 in regards to suicides. When the coroner found that the subject was a suicide the coroner and jury sworn the case adjudged that the subject be buried at the nearest cross roads wuth a stake driven through the body. Such a case ocurred while John Washington was coroner, as shown by the following court order: (Court Orders 1661-1662)
Coroners inquest on Frekes man.
"Wee whose names are hereunder written being summons and sworn upon a Jury Concerning ye death of a man servent of Mr. William Frekes whoe was drowned in ye Creek near his masters plantation doe finde that hee hath willfully Cast himself away having viewed dilligently. Accordingly to our Oathes and Conscience and hath Caused him to bee buried at ye next Cross Path as ye Law Requires with a stake driven through ye middle of him in his grave hee having willfully Cast himself away."
(Signed) John Washington, Coroner.
July 1, 1726 Thomas Maverly, who, for many years prior to this date, was a well known and highly esteemed citizen of the County of Westmoreland, being dead and his estate forfeit, being a "felo de se", which in law is one who commits felony by suicide, or deliberately destroys his own life. The old English custom or law that is so vividly illustrated in Charles Dicken's "Ole Curiosity Shop" where his character, a supposed suicide, was left to be buried with a stake though his heart in the center of four lonely roads, were tranplanted here by Colonel John Washington and other early settlers, and so Thomas Moverly was buried in the fork of a lonely cross-roads bere in Westmoreland with a sign post: "Thou hath cast thyself away willfully"----a warning to the traveler to take heed and listen to the voice from the past. (For) Many, many years the road orders read: "the crossroads by Moberly's grave", and today is known as "Moberly's Bottom" and (is) "said to be haunted". Tradition tells that he hung himself to a limb of a tree. The cross-roads is known today as "Oldhams".
