Genealogy Chat

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Coroners’ Inquests
http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/coroners-inquests/

Chris

Thank you Sylvia! I am definitely going to resort to the local newspapers; but if I do get stuck I'm the people who work at the local records office will be more than happy to help :-). Thank you once again for all of your stories!

Steph

Steph

I had a case where an ancestor died in the mid 1880s in Oldham ......... family story of how he died etc.

I got his death certificate, family story was half-true!!

But the certificate did give his date of death AND the date of the inquest.


I contacted the Local Archives and Study Centre in Oldham, and asked if they had any holdings of old newspapers, and if so could they could possibly find a report of the following death and/or inquest ............ I gave all the details I could, and asked for a search to be done from the date of his death to 2 weeks after the inquest was held (to make allowance for a weekly paper).



That Centre was really good .............. they had a volunteer search the papers the very next morning. She found the report of the inquest, contacted me for my home address, copied the report and mailed it to me.



Good luck with your search




sylvia

Stephanie

In those days the inquest was usually held very soon after the death - possibly the day after - and the newspaper report either the same day as the inquest or the day after that, so you shouldn't have to search too far if there is a newspaper report to be found.

Kath. x

Ahh I see Joan. Its a shame really that they are allowed to throw them away; I know they would have so many records but they are invaluable really. Thank you very much for the advice, I always prefer seeking experience from people who have dealt with such records rather than relying on archival catalogues.

I will have a look in the newspaper, and hopefully I will be lucky in finding something. It will be a very sad case if I do find something.

Once again thank you very much for your help!

Stephanie Scrutton

I have several inquests in my tree covering various dates & have never had any success in locating actual records.

From what I have learned from my own researching & read (via UK genealogy magazines) about the survival of Inquest records over the years they are not readily available.
Coroners apparently have the Legal right to destroy their records after 15 years,or they could just be disposed of on the death of a Coroner,under those circumstances many won't have survived.
There was / still is a long closure rule on these records,"usually" around 75yrs & so any that have survived might not yet available to the public for viewing,any old ones within the 75yrs that have survived might be made available to view but this would be at the discretion of the various records offices.

You could of course be lucky & find what you are looking for but it can be rather frustrating & dissappointing when you don't!

All my information re inquests has been gleaned from the newspaper reports,but even then some do get missed,
I have 3 cases that I have not found a newspaper report for?

Joan.

A little boy named Albert Edmund Flood, he was two when he died. Accidental death, shock due to burns. Certificate was received from A.G. Inglis who was the coroner for Liverpool at the time.

who you looking for steph?

Hello, I recently received a death certificate for a death of an ancestor for which an inquest was held. The date was 1923. I know that there may be a report of the inquest in the local newspapers, of which I am going to try.

I have also had a look on google about the Liverpool Records Office holdings, but I would like to know of other peoples experience? Whether someone has been able to obtain a copy of an inquest for this decade?

Many Thanks
Stephanie