A fatal gun accident has occurred at Plymouth. The deceased was Mr. James Hammerton, a resident of London. At the inquest, which took place on Monday, it was shown that on Saturday he was shooting in a field near South Devon-place. He was accompanied by Corporal Ackford, of the South Devon Militia. Whilst standing in a hedge with the muzzle of the gun upwards, he accidentally struck the stock of the weapon against a stone, and the gun, being loaded, went off and Mr. Hammerton was killed on the spot.
Source: Bristol Mercury, 5 September 1868