BARNES Edgware/Hendon. Big Mystery!

[Raft G.]

Hi all, my first official post and I'm really desperate now, so maybe some of you experts could tell me what my next move would be or point me in the right direction.

The Story:

Where does Dawn Barnes rest?

My wife, Caroline, had an older sister named Dawn Barnes. She was born at Edgeware General Hospital, Middlesex on 1st July 1962. Dawn only lived for two hours. Over the years Carolines mother, Pamela, had only talked about this a couple of times but did mention that Dawn was buried. Pamela died before we could get any proper info, family problems I'm afraid. Carolines father is still alive but has severe memory problems, so no info there either, except that he said "The hospital dealt with it". So we would presume that the baby would have had a 'Contract' funeral, buried in a common grave with other babies and maybe adults.

Caroline's aunty, Elaine, said she new where Dawn was buried and could take us to the grave. Alas, she died before we could make the trip south. We inquired with Elaine's husband, Pat, who said Dawn was buried at Sunny hill, Hendon. Before we could confirm this, Pat also died suddenly. Now there are no more old relatives to ask. Yes I know, sloppy investigating on our part!

The Search:


I think I'm right in thinking that a Contract funeral from Edgeware Hospital would probably been the nearest public cemetery, which would be Holders Hill, or Mill Hill Hendon.

For three solid weeks I have tried the following:

Inquired at Edgeware Hospital, which is now a small Community Hospital apparently..........no record.
Inquired at Barnet Hospital.........no record.
Rang every cemetery and crematorium in the Edgeware/Hendon/Middlesex/Harrow/Brent and Barnet area's ..........no record.
Rang all the funeral directors in the same area's...........no record.
Tried a couple of churches in Hendon.........no record.
Tried some internet sites...........very confusing!
Tried 'Sands', a neonatal death helpline...........not much help.
Tried the local studies at Hendon library..........no luck.
Enlisted the help of Brian Parsons, the London funeral historian. He did a quick search.........couldn't find anything.
'Helen' at Holders Hill Cemetery and 'Steve' at Mill Hill Cemetery are getting fed up with me!
'Eve' at Golders Green Cemetery & Cremetorium did some searching around, great help but couldn't come up with anything.

The Evidence:


We have acquired the birth and death certificates (+ photocopies of the original entries) from Burnt Oak register office, Edgeware.

This is what it says on them:

Birth Certificate

Regitsration District - Hendon....1962.....Birth in the sub-district of Redhill....in the County of Middlesex.

No.185

First July 1962 Edgeware General Hospital, Hendon.

Dawn

Girl

Father - Roger Edward gregory Barnes

Mother- Pamela Rose Barnes, formerly Morris

Fathers occupation- Clerk

Signature & residence - R Barnes - 89 Sunny Gardens Road NW4

When registered - Fith July 1962

Signature of Registrar - E M Reeve deputy

In pencil - Baby died 1.7.62

The death certificate reads the same except:

No.490

Dawn Barnes

Female

Age - 2 hours

Cause of death - la. Atalectasis of lungs - Certified by R G Bury(?) M.B.(?)

I tracked down the Edgeware Maternity records to the Midwives at Barnet Hospital. They are very old dusty books. An entry was found for Dawn Barnes 1.7.1962. All it said was:

Mothers age - 21

Time of birth - 15.25

Weight - 5lbs 14ozs

Neonatal

Conclusion:

Everything seems to point to Hendon, but no burial records can be found anywhere. I've been told a few times that if you have a birth & death certificate there has to be a burial or cremation. Edgeware Hospital could have put the baby in the incinerator but highly unlikely, and seeing as she lived for two hours, unlawful I think. A baby buried with other babies and adults will still have to have an entry in the indexes. Was Dawn cremated? Don't know but not usual for the sixties. Is there anything we've missed? Has anyone got a sledge hammer for this brickwall?

Many thanks to you all for reading all this.

Regards,

Ray.

[Mutley]

Welcome to the forum.

I do not know if you have read this piece from the London Metropolitan Archives.
http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cats/118/11851.htm

admission and discharge registers, 1941-1974; registers of deaths, 1928-1956; registers of births, 1928-1940; registers of confinements, 1951-1958; maternity case books, 1945-1958;

It is worrying that the dates are earlier than those for Dawn.

Further down on the page it says that "patients records are closed for 100 years".
But it may be worth contacting them.

[Kerrywood]

who said Dawn was buried at Sunny hill, Hendon.

First thoughts are that she might have been buried at the parish church, St Mary, which is located at the top end of Sunny Hill Park.

Tried the local studies at Hendon library..........no luck.

Deposited registers for St Mary Hendon are at London Metropolitan Archives, not at the local studies library. Those after the 1950s have not been deposited but have been retained by the church.

Tried a couple of churches in Hendon.........no record.

Which ones? Did you phone or write? I would suggest a personal letter to the incumbent of St Mary's (rather than a phone call to the parish office) might be a good move. You could enclose a s.a.e.

(I've changed your thread title from Barnes to Barnet, as I suspect that was intended? Please say if not.)

[Raft G.]

Yes thanks Mutley.

Is this the site:

http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corpo..._and_archives/

Couldn't fathom it out at all so rang them. And you're right about the 100 years thing. This all confuses me! You can ring any cemetery in the country and find a grave in minutes, so why can't I access burial records in archive places?

But, as you said, the dates are wrong anyway. And, we already have the birth & death certificates.

My heads spinning! LOL!

[Mutley]

Yes that is the LMA.
Your question to them could be a more general one rather than specifically asking about Dawn.
Where might a person have been buried if the hospital arranged it, any person, a baby or an old person?
It might give you a clue.

However, I would follow Kerrywood's advice first.

[Raft G.]

Hi Kerry.

Yes, the connection with Sunny Hill and St Marys + Sunny Gardens Road was encouraging. Anne Maslin did a search and sent me this email:

I have looked at our records and I can find no trace of baby Barnes. Have you checked the burial records, to see if she was buried in St Mary's? I have records of most of the graves but I will let you know should I find it in the section that I still have left to record.
I am sorry that I cannot help you more.
Anne Maslin

Isn't St Marys at the bottom of Sunny Hill?

The other church was Our Lady of Dolours........Haven't got a graveyard.

The thing is, if the hospital "Dealt with it", it would surely have been a poor persons funeral and probably end up in a communal grave in the nearset local cemetery. Does that sound right? Thats what I keep getting told anyway. Of course I'll try anything now though!

Erm......in the thread title I thought you had to put the name of the person you are looking for, Dawn Barnes?

Many thanks for your replies.

[Peter Goodey]

http://www.barnet.gov.uk/cemeteries-feb-2011.pdf

[Raft G.]

Yes that is the LMA.
Your question to them could be a more general one rather than specifically asking about Dawn.
Where might a person have been buried if the hospital arranged it, any person, a baby or an old person?
It might give you a clue.

However, I would follow Kerrywood's advice first.

Yes, I'll try again on monday and report back, thanks.

[Raft G.]

http://www.barnet.gov.uk/cemeteries-feb-2011.pdf

Done them all Peter.............nothing!!!

[Kerrywood]

Isn't St Marys at the bottom of Sunny Hill?

No, it's at the top, in Church End. Try entering NW4 4JT into Google maps, pull down the orange man for Street View, and you'll see the church.

The other church was Our Lady of Dolours........Haven't got a graveyard.

That's a Catholic church. Is that what you're after?

Erm......in the thread title I thought you had to put the name of the person you are looking for, Dawn Barnes?

My fault, sorry, I was thinking topographically. Surnames are best given in capitals. Now fixed.