Where would a suicide be buried?

[SandraC]

Hi All

Just had a most exciting death certificate arrive!

Robert Dawson, aged 35, a labourer of Rufford
Cause of death: wilful murder of himself by hanging and suffocation
Reported by Richard Palmer, Coroner for Preston
October 1839

I had already checked the Rufford [St Mary's] Burials Register whilst waiting for this certificate & been surprised / disappointed not to find him.  This explains it, but where would he have been buried?

Am also now waiting with bated breath for the death certificate for his wife who died in the same quarter.

Am I sad?

Regards
SandraC

[Valda]

By the nineteenth century, the Church’s attitude to the burial of suicides had begun to soften and through an Act of Parliament of 1823, such burials were permitted in graveyards, though the property of suicides was still subject to forfeiture for another fifty years (which was why most inquests brought in a verdict of suicide through insanity if they could).

So even though Robert Dawson committed suicide in 1839 he could have been buried in any churchyard - was he non-conformist?.
The burial register is also a register of the burial service as well as the burial. The vicar may have refused to hold a burial service and Robert was simply buried without record.

"Not every deceased person was recorded; those left out included suicides, executed criminals, and unbaptized children. Catholics and nonconformists, although entitled to burial in the parish churchyard, may have been buried elsewhere and would not have had the burial service read. "

Regards

Valda

[SandraC]

Hi Valda

C of E - St Mary (the Virgin), Rufford for his baptism & marriage & the baptisms of his children.

As you say then, maybe buried but without ceremony.  I suppose it depends what happened with his wife - did he commit suicide because she died first or did he do away with her too?

Hopefully the certificate will come tomorrow

Thanks for the advice

SandraC

[jennifer5]

You might also be interested to see if there was a newspaper report of the event. The Lancashire record office holds newspapers for Preston although I can't tell you exactly which dates they hold. I had occasion to be searching for a suicide. No luck in Preston but it was reported in the paper in Blackpool and gave quite a lot of information on what happened. I will be at the record office in October if you can't get there yourself so maybe I could take a look.
Jen

[SandraC]

Hi Jennifer

Thanks for the suggestion & offer.

I'm hoping to get there myself in 2-3 weeks, all being well.

Extra impetus today when the death cert arrived for his wife & said "murdered by Robert Dawson her husband by cutting her throat with a razor".

Talk about murder most horrid - I want to know what she did to get her throat cut!

Regards
SandraC