Frank CROMPTON, the second child of Whyrill, was born 15 June 1908.

On 27 August 1932 Frank, then living at Silverhill, 46 Stockport Road with his father Whyrill (Wyril), married Ada ENTWISTLE a cotton cloth weaver of 3 Milk Street, Hyde.

Above: Frank CROMPTON and Ada ENTWISTLE in the Hoviley Brow Primitive Methodist Chapel's wedding register. Source: Manchester City Archives: Hoviley Brow Primitive Methodist marriage registers 1909-1953 Ref: C275/522

The GRO entry records ......
Ada was born in the third quarter of 1908.

Together they had three children who, judging by their birth years of 1933, 1944 and 1946, were separated by Frank's possible war service.

Mary, Frank and Ada's first child

In 1933 Frank, a joiner, and Ada lived at 27 King George Road, Hyde. This was just round the corner from John Harper's first Auburn Avenue development.

Above: Mary's baptism in the Hoviley Brow Primitive Methodist Chapel register. Source: Manchester City Archives: Hoviley Brow Primitive Methodist Baptism Record 1845-1934 C22/5

1852info6a, sheet 2

Mary CROMPTON left home in 1957, aged 24, (Source: Shipman Inquiry) possibly to the Winchester area, where in the second quarter of 1967 she married Leslie A CROMPTON in the Winchester Registration District, Quite why Winchester is unknown.

Note: The Crompton refers to the grooms surname.

In her witness statement to the Shipman Inquiry, Mary mentions her son Dean. A second son may be Darren Leigh CROMPTON, ...

..., born the third quarter of 1971, whose mother was a Crompton,

Whyril, Frank and Ada's second child, ...

was born during the first quarter of 1944, and who
married Yvonne Burroughs in the fourth quarter of 1966.

Both of Whyril and Yvonne's children were born in the Wakefield Registration District.

Frank, Frank and Ada's third child,  ...

was born during the second quarter of 1946, and who
married Helen HALL in the third quarter of 1965,
who was born in the third quarter of 1946.

Both of Frank and Helen's children were born in Hyde.

Frank CROMPTON died, age of 86, at his home, 'Franada' 115 Knott Lane, Hyde, where he had lived since 1964. This was next door to the home of his Aunts Cissy and Agnes, who had died in 1953. His death certificate records his trade as 'Joiner (retired)' presumably working for Crompton Bros. Right: 113 Knott Lane, Hyde in 2009, the home of Cissy and Agnes CROMPTON. 115 Knott Lane is to the right

1852info6a, sheet 3

Right: A map locating areas relevant to Frank CROMPTON Milk Street, from where Ada was married. 46 Stockport Road, from where Frank was married. Silverhill Road, leading to the building yard. 15 Napier Street, where Frank lived in 1911. 37 King George Road, where Mary was born in 1933. 5 King George Road, where Lily BIRCHENOUGH, HJ Snr's wife, died. Auburn Avenue, build by John Harper. 17 Primrose Avenue, where HJ Snr. died. 115 Knott Lane, where Frank died.

1852info6a, sheet 4

The death of Frank CROMPTON

Dr. Harold Shipman certified that Frank's death occurred on Sunday, 26th March 1995, although it seems very likely that he died two days earlier, on Friday, 24th March.

'Mr Crompton was a widower and lived by himself [being an independent man]. His medical notes and records confirm his family's recollection that he suffered from mild angina. This appears to have been diagnosed in 1984 and seems to have been relieved by use of a glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) spray.'

'In August 1994, Mr Crompton was diagnosed as having carcinoma of the prostate. He responded well to treatment by Cyprostat and, on 2^nd February 1995, was noted to be asymptomatic. His treatment was discontinued. ... From early 1995, Shipman made it his practice to visit Mr Crompton at home. Usually, these visits were unsolicited. From time to time, Shipman would take a blood sample. Mr Crompton did not require or receive the ten ampoules of 100mg of diamorphine that Shipman prescribed in his name on or about 28^th February 1995. ... Shipman ... talked to him and had persuaded him of the wisdom of keeping a supply on hand [in case the carcinoma of the prostate returned]. Shipman's explanations for writing these two prescriptions were frankly implausible and I [Dame Janet Smith, a High Court Judge and Chair of the Inquiry] am satisfied that Shipman kept the proceeds of both prescriptions for himself.'

Note: After the post-mortem of Shipman's first recognised victim Superintendant Bernard Postles, the officer in charge of the Shipman case, and his team 'had a probable method of killing - diamorphine. But could they prove that Shipman had access to a large enough amount of what is a controlled drug?' Source: Peters, Carole, 'Harold Shipman, mind set on murder', Seven Oaks, London, 2005, page 34

'There is no evidence that anyone saw or spoke to Mr Crompton on 24th or 25th March.' 'On the afternoon of Sunday, 26th March 1995, Ms [Mary] Crompton tried to contact her father by telephone. ... [She found] Mr Crompton sitting in his chair, fully clothed, near to the dining table. He looked comfortable and she formed the impression that he had simply fallen asleep after his lunch.' 'The ambulance staff diagnosed the fact of death and recorded that rigor mortis had already set in. ... [Mrs Cooper] noted that shopping was still in bags and recalls that somebody found a receipt with Friday's date on it. Mrs Cooper also told the Inquiry that, on the perpetual calendar that Mr Crompton always kept up to date, the last date showing was Friday, 24th March 1995. [There] was other evidence to suggest that Frank Crompton had died on 24th March.' 'Ms Crompton spoke to Shipman to thank him after her father's death. He indicated that it was probably a blessing that Mr Crompton had died because his cancer was 'becoming rampant'. Right: Frank CROMPTON's death certificate

1852info6a, sheet 5

'The death certificate reveals that, when the death was originally registered, the date of death was recorded as 24th March 1995. The registrar subsequently corrected this 'error' on 3rd April 1995 in the presence of Mr Crompton's son, Mr Whyril Frederick Crompton, and in the presence of the superintendent registrar, one B. (Brenda) Clayton. Ms Crompton remembers that her brother had originally tried to register the death as having occurred on 24th March, but was told that the death had to be registered as having occurred on the day when the body was discovered.'

Note: An official spelling of Whyril. On his statement his name is spelt 'Wyril and Whyril below his signature

Dame Janet concludes:

'There are some suspicious features of this death but the evidence that Shipman killed Mr Crompton is not at all clear.' ...

'I have come to the conclusion that Shipman probably killed Mr Crompton. The factor which influences me most is that I think it unlikely that this was a death from a heart attack. Mr Crompton's appearance in death was not such as would usually be found following a heart attack. Although a death from a heart attack was possible, there is no other aspect of the evidence to suggest that this was the cause. All the other features of the case are either neutral or else give rise to some suspicion that Shipman was involved. There is nothing which points clearly against his involvement. The evidence falls far short of that which would be required to convict Shipman of murder. Nonetheless, I have concluded that he probably caused Mr Crompton's death by administering a lethal injection of diamorphine.'

'In January 1995, Shipman killed one patient. In late February and in mid-March, he obtained further supplies of diamorphine, prescribed in the name of Mr Frank Crompton. It has not been possible to discover how much of the drug was administered to Mr Crompton and how much was kept by Shipman. Shipman killed no fewer than nine patients in the month of March and three more in April,'

Mr Crompton had been a patient of Shipman since Shipman's arrival in Hyde in 1977 and had followed him when he moved to the Market Street Surgery. He thought highly of Shipman. Shipman certified that the cause of Mr Crompton's death was coronary thrombosis due to ischaemic heart disease.

'Shipman was not prosecuted for causing the death of Mr Crompton but an inquest was opened and adjourned by the South Manchester Coroner on 18^th May 2001.'

'[By 1995] ... Paul Britton [a criminal and forensic psychologist] believes that Shipman had gone through a significant transformation. He was no longer a doctor who wanted to save lives. Instead killing had become a routine.

'Clearly by 1995 the 'buzz' Shipman got from his deaths was diminishing. His crimes were escalating and he killed nine patients in quick succession. ... Killing two patients in one day seemed to sate him for a while as there was then a whole week's gap between the deaths of Marie Fernley, John Crompton [no relation], Frank Crompton [24/26 March 1995] and Vera Brockhurst.'

Source: Peters, ibid, page 211

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This page was created by Richard Crompton and maintained by Chris Glass	Version A.2 Updated 03 January 2010