Author Topic: Irish wills  (Read 6196 times)

Offline lesleyhannah

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Re: Irish wills
« Reply #27 on: Monday 22 February 16 15:39 GMT (UK) »
We received the death certificate yesterday. It shows the uncle died aged 79 and was single. So one question answered. However we believe the estate was left to someone in Bantry bay (maybe a common-law wife, so there could still be children). The informant on the death certificate was a member of the hospital staff, giving the hospital as her address - and the death was registered over a week after the uncle died. We made a phone call to Cork register office, and had a conversation with a very helpful member of staff, who is searching for any record of a will, which means we may get some answers to the mystery of the disappearing relative! Will let you know as soon as we hear. Thanks again for all  your help.

Online heywood

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Re: Irish wills
« Reply #28 on: Monday 22 February 16 16:19 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for the update.
I have little knowledge of such things but perhaps there was a Post Mortem given the delay re death certificate. Usually Irish funerals are quite soon after death.
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Offline lesleyhannah

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Re: Irish wills
« Reply #29 on: Monday 22 February 16 16:29 GMT (UK) »
I did wonder about a post-mortem. Like you, I've no experience with Irish records but English death certs in my family tree always refer to the coroner on the death certificate. This certificate doesn't mention a pm. Also the list of causes of death, and the length of time the uncle had suffered from them, plus his age, make a post-mortem unlikely. But like you I thought more than a week between death and registration (and that taking place in the hospital) seems a bit odd. My personal experience of deaths in hospital/hospice is that they move the body very quickly. It's amazing what you discover when you start trying to uncover family mysteries!

Offline hallmark

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Re: Irish wills
« Reply #30 on: Monday 22 February 16 17:17 GMT (UK) »
"...The informant on the death certificate was a member of the hospital staff, giving the hospital as her address - and the death was registered over a week after the uncle died...."

Registered by whom??

The informant on the death certificate was a MEDICAL member of the hospital staff... as it should be!

Died of what?

Why do you think there was a Post-Mortem?

Nothing unusual about registering a Death at Registry Office a week later? What difference does it make?
Give a man a record and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to research, and you feed him for a lifetime.


Online heywood

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Re: Irish wills
« Reply #31 on: Monday 22 February 16 17:48 GMT (UK) »
Hallmark,

I was just remarking on the delay. In my personal experience of family deaths in Ireland there is a much shorter interval between death and burial/cremation than in England.
I speculated whether there was a PM again because of what I interpreted as a delay.
I was also assuming that the certificate and registration would be the same informant- maybe not then.
Perhaps there was a search for relatives?

Heywood
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Offline lesleyhannah

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Re: Irish wills
« Reply #32 on: Monday 22 February 16 18:14 GMT (UK) »
Hi - The causes of death would have been filled in by a hospital doctor. The 'informant' is the person who goes to the register office to register the death. As well as giving his or her name, their relationship to the deceased and their own private residential address is given. I've registered a few deaths of family members and my name, address and relationship shows in the informant part of their death certificates. Sometimes it's the name and address of a neighbour or family friend in that section. We thought/guessed if the uncle had a wife or partner then she would likely be the informant registering the death. Without having any experience of Irish procedure I also felt that it was unusual for a hospital member of staff (not a doctor according to the name) to be responsible for registering the death a week later when the hospital is usually no longer involved. However as you can see, we've been applying the English procedures to the process, and we could be very mistaken. But I'm very grateful for all your help, and will let you know how things turn out.

Offline aghadowey

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Re: Irish wills
« Reply #33 on: Monday 22 February 16 18:23 GMT (UK) »
It's the same procedure in Ireland as in England as far as I know. The informant (relative, person present at death or medical staff) gives the information as they know it (in this case possibly from hospital admission files). It may be that someone from the hospital registered deaths once a week.

Have you tried contacting local undertakers?
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!

Offline hallmark

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Re: Irish wills
« Reply #34 on: Monday 22 February 16 18:42 GMT (UK) »
Hallmark,

I was just remarking on the delay. In my personal experience of family deaths in Ireland there is a much shorter interval between death and burial/cremation than in England.
I speculated whether there was a PM again because of what I interpreted as a delay.
I was also assuming that the certificate and registration would be the same informant- maybe not then.
Perhaps there was a search for relatives?

Heywood

Yes it is shorter but a Doctor has to sign the Death Cert... the Death doesn't have to be recorded in the Registry Office immediately, and can be after the Funeral. I'm the informant of my mother's Death Cert issued to me... registered by my brother at Reg Office days later.
Give a man a record and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to research, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Online heywood

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Re: Irish wills
« Reply #35 on: Monday 22 February 16 19:03 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for that.
I really thought that in England you can't have a burial/cremation without the issue of a death certificate and then, as I wrote, my experience of Irish deaths and funerals being close together.

In this case, I was thinking there may have been a delay for some reason.

I had wondered if local undertakers or cemeteries may be able to help but there may be data protection there.

It seems odd that there was no announcement in the local papers but then again, that practice is going less now.

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