I have 4 direct-blood relatives without a "cause" of death. Is there anyway to find out cause in English records aside from buying the death certificates? I only want cause, nothing more. For example, other countries include cause in various documents: South Africa (hospital); Canada (provincial to 1977); US (open Archive details digitalized soon after death).
For anyone's interest here are the four:
Joseph Wickens, 1806-1893, [3 Laburnum Rd, Chertsey, Surrey]
Mary Ann Keep Wickens, 1809-1892, [same]
Elizabeth Pickard Wickens 1847-1902, [30 Rochester St., Southampton]
Martha Young Roworth, 1849-1935, [98 Thanet St. Clay Cross, Derbyshire]
Well, I guess that answers my question. Cause of death seems not officially recorded. But some record somewhere must have it. I am afraid that I have no MP to ask. My only ancestor MP died in 1913 and I live over 6,000 miles away from Westminster.
Thanks anyway. JIM
What a shame, boscoe, that your enquiry has been swamped by other matters and not dealt with.
The answer, as ever, has to be 'It depends ........'
There may be something in local newspapers, especially in cases of homicide or accidental death, or epidemical disease. I've also seen occasional notes as to manner of death in burial registers.
I have some transcripts of English hospital records showing patients' cause(s) of death - sadly not from your places of interest, but it shows that local history groups and/or family history societies are working in this area as well as the usual parish records. I obtained a full copy of an ancestor's hospital records from the relevant county record office.
Unfortunately most of these paths to knowledge require some outlay, but if you're familiar with the GRO's online certificate ordering system, you might want to order PDF copies of the death entries at £6 (instead of £9.25 for a paper cert). Be quick though, as this is a trial system and might end at any moment
Hope some of this helps
Carol