Coroner's Records

[Londonwhay]

Following on from an earlier thread where Geoffer's suggested that someone search coroner's records...

...I wanted to do this on my last visit to the Suffolk Records Office only to be told that they don't keep them.:( I asked where they were and was told "at the coroner's office." This answer gave me no hint as to whether they would be available there or elsewhere to search. I was just told to search the local newspaper records for the period concerned to see if I could find mention of any news report made at the time.

In such a case is this the usual way forward?

Glenda

[Neil Wilson]

For newspaper reports, you have to try the Local Studies Library. I would imagine that coroner's offices do not let the general public view their records and they would have a closed date on them anyway being official documents.
Prehaps the records are sent from them to the national archives when the time period is up, would be interested in other's views on this.
Neil


Following on from an earlier thread where Geoffer's suggested that someone search coroner's records...

...I wanted to do this on my last visit to the Suffolk Records Office only to be told that they don't keep them.:( I asked where they were and was told "at the coroner's office." This answer gave me no hint as to whether they would be available there or elsewhere to search. I was just told to search the local newspaper records for the period concerned to see if I could find mention of any news report made at the time.

In such a case is this the usual way forward?

Glenda

[Geoffers]

...I wanted to do this on my last visit to the Suffolk Records Office only to be told that they don't keep them.:( I asked where they were and was told "at the coroner's office."........In such a case is this the usual way forward?
Glenda
Newspapers will certainly usually record the detail of an event - the trick is in finding the newspaper, especially as some inquests can be deferred for fairly long periods of time. Death certificates and wills should help to narrow down the period of search.

One other possibility to assist you (as long as it's not a recent death) as to the brief circumstances of death, is to see if the Suffolk RO have any police records - in particular any Occurrence Books (O.B's), into which brief details of sudden deaths were recorded. There were a vast number of these books and many have been destroyed as they take up a lot of room - if not at the RO then try the Suffolk Constabulary and see if they have a museum or anyone who looks after archives.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[Ladkyis]

It was the practice in 19th century that the Coroner kept the records of the cases he dealt with and when a new coroner was appointed then the old records went with the old coroner or were thrown out or used as packaging or left in an attic for the mice. There was no obligation for the records to be kept - and I don't know that this has changed. However, if there was an inquest then the local newspaper would report it very thoroughly and these reports can still be seen in the old newspapers - and have helped me to discover two accidental deaths in different branches of the family.
Ann :)

[Londonwhay]

Thanks folks, looks like I will have to scour newspapers. As it is Haverhill I suspect that it could be in any or all of Suffolk, Essex, or Cambridge newspapers of the time.

Glenda

[Londonwhay]

If it's Haverhill, you may be lucky and find something on http://www.foxearth.org.uk/
Although the focus is on Foxearth, they do have quite a lot of extracts from things like the Bury & Norwich Post covering events quite some way away - I found a report concerning one of my mine who had his barn set alight in Cockfield, and a less reputable one who was fined for poaching in Lawshall.
Thanks Mythology, I didn't find what I was looking for, this time, but I have just spent a pleasant half hour or so browsing the site. I particularly like the story about the poor young lad in Bury St Edmunds whose 'cure' was to dance for three hours, this to be repeated weekly until he was healed. :)

Yet another useful site to put in my favourites folder.
Glenda

[AnnB]

If you do find a report into the inquest in one of the local papers, be prepared for the 'no holds barred' reporting! We are amazed, these days, at what newspapers can get away with, but I have found that reports of inquests can be extremely harrowing, with no details left out. This is particularly the case if the death was due to accident or suicide.

Good hunting
Ann

[orinocco]

I've been reading your posting and have found them very interesting. I have a similar query. Where should I go / ask to get copies of an Inquest and the Coroners' Report for a death 23 years ago? Will it even be possible? It is for a blood relative, could this make a difference?

Any ideas?

[Peter Goodey]

Where should I go / ask to get copies of an Inquest and the Coroners' Report for a death 23 years ago?

Assuming you really mean 23 years ago, the same advice applies. You could try the appropriate coroner's office although you'd need some very good reasons. Newspaper reports are by far the best approach. This assumes of course that there was something newsworthy about the death.

[orinocco]

Yes it is for my Granddad. He took his own life when I was only 11 years old. I only found out about this very recently. It's a very sensitive subject in the family and so have only a small amount of info to go on. I have someone researching the newspaper archives at the moment and as he was missing for quite a while before being found, I'm hoping there will be information in the papers, but I'm also trying to find alternative options for obtaining the information incase it was kept quiet.

[Reeve99]

Hi

Thanks for this thread. I've got a baby who died who the burial record said was buried following coroners inquest. I assume it won't have been reported in the papers as I've kind of assumed it was a cot death type situation. What do you reckon?

Anna

[Peter Goodey]

What do you reckon?
If it was after 1837, there'll be a death certificate,

[Ladkyis]

Hi

I assume it won't have been reported in the papers as I've kind of assumed it was a cot death type situation. What do you reckon?

Anna
First rule is never to assume. For the 19th century I think the majority of coroner's inquests were reported in the local newspaper. If you know the date it would be well worth spending a while searching the local papers of the time.
My cousin's wife recently found an inquest report from the 1940s about her grandfather in the local paper and this quashed a few family myths and proved a few others.
It never hurts to look, you never know what you will find.

Ann