Missing burials, pre-registration

[Andrew Tarr]

I'm transcribing records for Formby, a parish north of Liverpool on the west coast.  Most of the burials belong to local families, but there are two clear reasons why some deaths will never appear in any record.  The first (simple) one is that the minister never copied up the burials for 1790, which would probably amount to 20 or 30 individuals.  The second reason - which applies presumably to people from other parishes - is the number of deaths at sea, which washed up on Formby beach and received proper burial.  Some years this source amounted to 6 or more bodies 'cast up by the Tide'.  Sad.

[josey]

I've seen this too when transcribing records from Cornwall. I have also seen 'a man ... itinerant ..found dead by side of road'.

[coombs]

Lots of burials in Leigh On Sea, Foulness etc in Essex are "unknown man found drowned, approximate aged 50 years". I think you will find many in that part of Essex as it is the Thames Estuary. One of these unknown men was said to have a tattoo saying "William Rogers" on them.

[clairec666]

I immediately thought of Foulness too, having spent a lot of time looking at their parish records. I've just had a peek at the burial register from 1813 onwards, on the first page there is an unknown man and an unknown boy washed ashore, and there are two more on the next page.

[KGarrad]

St George's Church in Douglas, Isle of Man has 32 burials of unnamed people. Dates 1810-1848.

Includes: Ten poor seamen wrecked on this coast belonging it is believed to the barque "JULIE of BRUFFE". Supposed to be Dutchmen were interred this day. Names & ages unknown. 30 November 1838
Also 10 children, names unknown.

And: 3 sailors belonging to the "Minerva",
A sailor found at sea
A sailor found on this shore
A shipwrecked mariner
A sailor of the "Carolina"
A woman unknown washed up by the sea

[coombs]

I immediately thought of Foulness too, having spent a lot of time looking at their parish records. I've just had a peek at the burial register from 1813 onwards, on the first page there is an unknown man and an unknown boy washed ashore, and there are two more on the next page.

Yes, as Foulness is where we found that our Lucking lines meet up so I have done much research there. I have  a feeling that many of the "unknown man/woman found drowned" people were from further in towards London or from London whose bodies were washed along the Thames and were washed ashore. Of course some may have been sailors and local fishermen.

[coombs]

duplicate post. Accidentally quoted my own message.