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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Somerset => Topic started by: Milliepede on Wednesday 01 October 14 08:23 BST (UK)
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I have a death certificate which states place of death Cotford? Hospital Bishops Lydeard.
Helpfully it gives further info in the occupation column "of Preston Close Yeovil RD" so I assume this was her address.
Any idea where she might have been buried please? Frustratingly I was in Somerset at the weekend but unfortunately not near enough to BL to have a nose round!
The death was in 1929 if that helps.
Thank you for any suggestions :)
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You've forgotten to give us her name. ;D
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Well if it helps ;D
She was Patience Ettery aged 80.
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I've found the address of a church called St Mary's so am going to write and see if they can help me.
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Just to update had a reply this morning and there is no record of her being buried at the Church :(
Apparently there was a burial ground next to the hospital, now redeveloped, so sadly the search for her ends there.
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Milliepede
Not all is lost...
Cotford official address was NortonFizwarren which is slightly nearer, but Somerset Heritage Centre do have the records for cotford, but most files are closed so you will need to provide a death certificate for any information, the files include minutes of meetings, staff, admission, discharges, death's etc. You may have to pay for a search to be done which is if I remember rightly £25 for half an hour. But the staff are very good over there so do have a word with them.
A bit of history on the hospital
Cotford was built in the late 1890's, an asylum it was pretty much self contained and cut off from the outside world, it had it's own chapel, I believe burial ground, even housing for staff. It has gone under two other names, Somerset and Bath mental hospital it's last change of name was in the 60's when it became Tone Vale finally closed it's doors in the mid 90's with the new care in the community.
It has been redeveloped and is now a village called Cotford St Luke, some of the buildings still remain and either been turned into flats or left waiting for redevelopment. So worth doing a google map, and also if you google Tone Vale you get loads of information.
If nothing at NortonFizwarren, then Try either the Taunton, either the main cemetery on Wellington Rd, or St James' which is the nearest Taunton parish on that side.
Hope this helps
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Thank you Jo for taking the time to post all that info :)
I don't live in the area so can't do any legwork but have sent a message to the Somerset Heritage Centre to see if they can help me. To be honest I wouldn't pay £25.00 for information but will see what they say first.
Had another thought, her husband died over 30 years before her - do you think there is any chance she would have been buried with him? Or is it more likely she was popped in the hospital burial ground regardless of any family :(
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Do you know where her husband is buried to, as it's worth checking.
I've got a piece of family oral history that links hubbies family to Cotford Hospital.
It is said his one of his gt aunties had a child outside of wedlock, was sent to cotford hosp, as being feeble minded and apparently died there. But after checking the GRO index I can only find 3 possibles between 1911-1983 and none of the ages tally up or come near.
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I don't but he died at 6a Mary St Yeovil 9 Jan 1898.
Little mystery you have there then - have you found a registration for the child?
Can have a look for the mother if you like, maybe she didn't die there after all.
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The plot thickens.
Had a reply from Somerset Archives today and they have no record of Patience being buried in the hospital grounds.
They suggest trying Yeovil Cemetery or Preston Plucknett Church.
So onwards we go :D
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Have tried 4 places now and none of them have any record of her :(
Is there anywhere else I could try please?
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Could it be that she wasn't buried but was cremated? Are there any crematoriums in the area?
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Yes the nearest crematorium is Taunton, but it wasn't opened until 1965 though. But I should imagine it will still be worth contacting them though, the crematorium is right next to the extension original parish graveyard in Wellington Rd near Musgrove Hospital. So they might either know if there was a crematorium before and where, but also the burial records for both grave yards.
As there's a possibility if she was buried local, it's the Wellington Rd original grave yard she might have been buried, or perhaps St James graveyard...
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Thanks for the extra replies and crematorium suggestion :)
Have tried St James and I believe Wellington Road was the Yeovil cemetery one I tried.
I asked Somerset Archives if they could suggest anywhere else and they say she is not at Yeovil St John or Holy Trinity either.
They suggest I try in her birth parish - she was born Haydon Dorset - to see if she was taken back there for burial. I don't know how common a practice that was unless she made a specific wish for that to happen :-\