Accidentally drowned in River Medway Feb 1856

[Scrabble]

I have been searching for a couple of years for the death of my 3xG Grandfather Frederick Rawlison/Rawlinson/Rollinson and received a couple of wrong certificates. He appears in the 1851 census (Rawlerson) as a Mariner aged 22 living in Chatham. His wife remarried mid-1857 so he must have died between mid 1851 and early 1857 aged 22-27.

I have received a death certificate today for Frederick Rawlison aged 24 Mariner Accidentally drowned in River Medway St Nicholas on 1 Feb 1856. The death was registered by the Chatham Coroner 31 March 1856.

As no family are mentioned on the cert and the age is slightly out I would like more confirmation that it is him if possible. Does anyone know if the Coroner's records are accessible for this period? Might there be a newspaper report I can look up? I have searched for a burial at Cityark for St Nicholas but nothing for the right period.

Am I being too fussy? Reading this it sounds as though it must be him.

[jeanharris]

Hi Scrabble.
There are two St Nicholas parishes in the Medway area Rochester and Strood.

                Jean.

[Scrabble]

Thank you Jean. I will have another look at Cityark.

[KPM]

Hi

You may find a newspaper report in the Rochester Gazette (1830 - 1859).  You should be able to find this at the Medway Archives.

Good luck

KPM

[honeybun]

Hi Scrabble

My 2xG grandfather was a fisherman, accidentally drowned in the Medway near Upchurch in 1849.  I contacted Kent Archives in Maidstone and was told that Coronor's records were not kept so nothing from that time is available.  Also the newspaper records for that year do not exist so I drew a blank.  You might be lucky with the newspapers - last time I was in Strood archives they were on microfilm and easy to search.

Honeybun

[Scrabble]

Thank you KPM and Honeybun for your input, I know where to look now.

I was hoping someone would know of some resources in the internet as it would take me 2-3 hours to get to Strood but I will do it one day as I would like to have the story.

[grandarog]

Hi Honey bun,
                     It might be worth you contacting Sittingbourne Library if you have a positive date for his death . They hold the archives of the East Kent Gazette on Microfilm and may do a look up for you as Upchurch is one of the local parishes which are covered by the paper.
               Regards Rog

[honeybun]

Hi Rog

Thanks for that information, I will try Sittingbourne as I'd like to get more on this story.  He lived in Strood so I tried for his local paper (but there are gaps in the archives and 1849 just happened to be one) and I never thought of the East Kent papers.

Regard
Honeybun