All deaths registered in 1870s??

[MarieC]

Does anyone know if all deaths were registered in the 1870s?  In particular, if someone died in an asylum, or if they committed suicide, would their death have definitely been registered - or might they have fallen through the cracks?

I really need to know this before embarking on an extensive bdm search!

MarieC

[Little Nell]

Death registrations were apparently always more complete than birth registrations.  The missing ones may be accounted for by very young children.  Those who died in an asylum would be registered, as would suicides.  If an inquest is held, then the death is not registered until the inquest has been held which can sometimes be weeks or months.  Also the body may not be found for some time.  There are many "unknowns" in the indexes - e.g. people who drowned in the river and were unidentified, especially in large towns and cities. I have seen burial entries for "an unknown man, drowned in the Thames, by order of the Coroner" - they may remain without a name.  But the vast majority should be there.

Dare I say it, happy hunting 

Nell

[MarieC]

Thanks, Little Nell!

You have revived my flagging spirits!  I was hoping someone would say this.

Casalguidi found a possible sighting of my very elusive ancestor, by initials only, in a privately-run asylum, in the 1871 census.  I have been proceeding on the hypothesis of his having a depressive illness, a possible suicide attempt landing him in the asylum, and death there, by suicide or from another cause.  But enquiries to the LMA and the National Archives have shown me that neither coronial inquest records from the period nor records from the asylum have survived. 

My last hope is to find his death.  Now that I know it should be there, I can hop into a search of the death records in the decade beginning 1871 with some hope of finding him!

MarieC

[kesaunders79]

I have been unable to locate a death certificate for my Great Great Grandfathers brother.  He was Philip Luscombe Willcocks and I have a record of burial for him in February 1869 but no entry in the GRO Indexes.  Maybe it's possible some have been missed 

Kieran 

[Hackstaple]

Kieran - death records have many errors, particularly if there were no near family around to give correct details. You have to contend with the 2 spellings Philip/Phillip and the surname variants Wilcocks/Willcocks/Wilcox plus transcription errors.
Where did your relative die?

[kesaunders79]

Well he was of West Ogwell/Denbury area of Devon but I know that doesn't mean he died there. He would of been 23/24 and sadley his brother was also buried a month later but I have his death certificate. Then nearly exactly a year later in 1870 their father died aged 53, it was from cirhossis of the Liver.  I recon he turned to drink after loosing two of his sons.
I would be interested to see what Philip died of, his brother died a month later of Pneumonia in Newton Abbot.
I tried entering Philip Luscombe & Phillip Luscombe only on Free BMD but it didn't find anything other than my Willcocks.  Note there was an earlier sibling that died aged 11 months also named Philip Luscombe Willcocks.

Thanks
Kieran