Death Records from Lunatic Asylum 1861-1871

[Rona]

Hello,

Can anyone tell me if Death Certificates were issued for inmates of lunatic asylum's around the peroid 1861-1871?

It's just that I have a relative in the Devon County Lunatic Asylum in the 1861 census. I have never been able to locate his death in the GRO indexes or found any movements (eg immigration etc). I am wondering if perhaps his death has not been registered.

In Queensland, Australia it is common for a death in an institution not to be indexed and I thought maybe this applied to England too.

Regards
Rona

[Fulhamster]

Hello,

Can anyone tell me if Death Certificates were issued for inmates of lunatic asylum's around the peroid 1861-1871?

It's just that I have a relative in the Devon County Lunatic Asylum in the 1861 census. I have never been able to locate his death in the GRO indexes or found any movements (eg immigration etc). I am wondering if perhaps his death has not been registered.

In Queensland, Australia it is common for a death in an institution not to be indexed and I thought maybe this applied to England too.

Regards
RonaDear Rona,
I would be very much suprised if a death in an Institution in England at this time was not registered somewhere! At the moment I am unable to suggest where but I am sure one of our more learned freinds will be along soon to advise you! Good luck.By the way, have you tried 'FreeBMD?

[k0065126]

Rona,

If there is no entry in the GRO indexes then there may be one in the local register office index. (The GRO indexes were compiled from local registers but may have missed, or mistranscribed, some entries. The local index should be more accurate.)

Another option is the burial records of the local parish church. Have a look at the Devon FHS in case they can help.

Good luck,

Viv

[Rona]

Viv, I'll try some of the places you recommended.

I know that he's definately not in the GRO as I have a print out of every relevant page in the 10 year period from 1837on-line. There is always the possibility of a spelling mistake, especially if the institution registered the death instead of the family (The family was learned and I haven't seen any other spelling mistakes in the registers).

Thank you both once again.

Regards
Rona

[k0065126]

Rona,

It is also worth bearing in mind that just because you cannot find someone in a census it does not mean that they died before the census was taken.

I believe that up to 4% of the population were missed off the Victorian censuses. My grandfather does not appear in the 1891 census, as far as I can tell, and the wife of a great uncle does not seem to be in any census before 1901, even though she was probably born about 1866.

Good luck,

Viv

[uksearch]

You state that the death was in a lunatic asylum an area I am not too familar with.The workhouse unions kept Religious Creed Registers.They showed,Date of Entry,Name,Age,From Whence Admitted,Religious Creed,Name of Informant,and Date of Discharge/Death.
Possibly the Lunatic Asylums had similar records?

UK

[Roger47]

Hi Rona

I had a problem finding a certificate for my G/Grandfather who died in the third Middlesex Lunatic asylum (which was in Carshalto Surrey)

I tried from the point of view having died he had to be buried somewhere so looked at local graveyards (sometimes they were buried on the Asylum Grounds) but not finding him in the surrounding area, I wondered if after his death the family had taken him home for burial
For as normal he had been placed in an asylum far away from his home to deter escape etc
Well eventually I found my Elias Evans (not Elliot Evans) buried in Abney Park Cemetery East London from here I managed with the correct name to obtain his death certificate
So if all else fails try looking if the asylum he was in had it's own graveyard then try local graveyards to the asylum and also look at burial grounds in the area in which he lived

Good Luck

[sandiep]

My gggrandfather commited suicide in Bethlem Asylum in 1873, and his death was certainly registered................I was aslo lucky enough to obtain his records from the Bethlem Hospital Museum.............these actually included the Post mortum report!!

sandie