help - inquest: death by hanging!

[Eviand]

I have two ancestors who took their own lives by hanging (15 years apart). I have dates of when their inquests were held. Would it be possible to obtain detail relating to each of their inquests and would I discover why they took their lives? They both happened between 1865 and 1880.

[Wilkes_ml]

I also have a death by hanging, and although I still haven't found coronor's reports or inquest reports, I did fins a lot of information in the local newspapers at the time, which shed a lot of light on the circumstances.

So, if you can get to Colindale, or the local library of the area, it is worth looking through the newspapers.

Edit: Sorry, didn't notice you were in France. If the deaths occurred in England, it may be possible to write to the local library, who may do a search of the newspaper if you provide the relevant information. Or maybe if you say where and when the deaths occurred, someone helpful here may look if they happen to be researching at the relevant library

[Mutley]

As you are in France you could always try The Times on line.

If you click on the Search field in the blue line above and put in Bedfordshire Library you should find some threads that give you the information on how to join online and you can then access the newspaper.

[Betty Willson]

I often wish I could give answers to queries on B-G Forums but I rarely have any ideas to the answers of problems discussed, whereas I have received a lot of very worthwhile information. I feel compelled to say my bit about this question. I have had four members of my family that I know of, two in recent times who I knew very well, take their own lives and in each case, no one could say for sure WHY. Therefore if an official reason was given why someone committed suicide by hanging, it would only be an assumption, not fact. I think it is unfair to even seek an answer. Betty Willson

[sandiep]

I also have a gggrandfather who comitted suicide by hanging and he was at the time in the Bethlem hospital and thye have a museum site where I was fortunate enough to obtain all his medical records including would you believe the post mortum report.........however this didnt give any reason for his suicide................in life he had been a London City Missioner, so recently I emailed them to see if they had any records they were so helpful and sent me 8 pages of Obituary they had put in their magazine in 1873..............this told me about how he had worked at the Greenwich Hospital until it closed and he was very upset about what would happen to all his pensioners,,,,,,added to which the parish he then had to work in the people were so poor and he got into great despare because he couldnt help them so his health suffered and he must has suffered great misery for a man of god to take his own life.............but the records the mission gave me did make me realised how this had happened............... so I think I would disagree with you Betty in a friendly way I actually feel much closer to my gggrandfather knowing the reason for his sad death.

sandie

[suedent]

If there were possible causes such as money worries or bereavement they may be mentioned at the inquest. On many occasions no known reason could be found. Quite often the verdict would be "took their own life whilst the balance of their mind was disturbed".

The relevance of this is if they were judged insane then they could be buried in a churchyard. Hence, the verdict was quite often reached upon to spare the feelings of any surviving relatives.

[Peter Goodey]

...no one could say for sure WHY

You're spot on there, Betty - about almost anything in genealogy - we may be able to find out what happened but we can very rarely find out why!