A resident in Morpeth in 1838, Dr. Henry George Lewis was called on to perform a post mortem on a deceased soldier of the 28th Regiment Michael Ready. The following day Dr. Lewis testified at the inquest.

He found at the post mortem that 'the vessels about the head were in a very turgid state' and a small vessel near the base of the head ruptured with no mark of external violence. Dr. Lewis was of the opinion that ' in the excited state of the deceased's brain the injury might have been caused by a sudden shock such as a fall.'

Ready's fellow soldier John Lestil had been charged with the wilful murder of Ready as he had struck him before he died. Lestil called witnesses to testify that Ready, who was intoxicated, had fallen from a cart and this together with the evidence of Dr. Lewis encouraged the jury to find Lestil not guilty of the murder of Ready

Henry George Lewis died on 5th January 1841 aged 28 and was buried at St. Peters Cemetery, East Maitland