1836 suffolk burial 30 days after death

[Olicana]

Hi, I have just come across the second " burial 30 days after death" in 1836 in Norton, Suffolk. Can anyone shed a light on why this should be? It seems an awful long time to keep a body in those days. Thank you

[groom]

What time of the year was it? Could it have been a particularly cold winter when the ground was too hard to dig a grave?

[Olicana]

Good idea, but it was 31 July 1836. Couldn't really have been a worse time of year for storing a body!

[phenolphthalein]

Could it have been a found body ie someone found them dead a long time after they were last seen (which then became the date of death)

or the body was recovered sometime after they died -- ie trapped in a mineshaft etc

or was there an inquest and a delay for some reason

or relatives far away who delayed the burial?

or is it a mistranscription -- sometimes dates are elsewhere on page and missed by transcribers

[Rosinish]

Interesting theories phenolphthalein!

Annie

[Greensleeves]

An awful lot of people drowned in rivers in those days, and it sometimes took a considerable time for the body to be found, if it was washed downstream.  On the NROCAT site (which is actually Norfolk, but also includes a lot of information for Suffolk, there are lists of deaths in villages, and the cause of death.  It is surprising how many have references to the deceased going down to the river to wash, and drowned.

[Olicana]

Thank you for all your replies; some interesting theories. Unfortunately it was before deaths were officially registered, so I presume there is no way of finding the cause of death. I looked at some old Suffolk newspapers, as they often seemed to report accidents, but couldn't find anything.