slighty morbid....?

[millymcb]

 This page is a consultation document which refers to grants to relatives for funerals.  This discussion is about what happens to someone if they are found dead, with no relatives coming forward, and no identity known.

In this case, the public health act prevails.

Yes - the social fund is a grant system given to people on low incomes and pensioners etc.  I think my mother automatically got about £700 towards my father's funeral because she was a pensioner.  You don't automatically get it just for death of a spouse if you have above a certain amount of income..

But when there is no relative it is left to the council to sort out.

Milly

[Redroger]

I want mine to be quick, and above all at a minimal cost. Money is best spend on the living as it is no use to the dead.

[rachelralph]

so leading on from the fact that people are buried as unknowns do the local authorites keep any records of the unknown, ie finger prints, last address, anything??

[Nick29]

so leading on from the fact that people are buried as unknowns do the local authorites keep any records of the unknown, ie finger prints, last address, anything??

I would doubt it.  The aim would be to get the person cremated or interred as cheaply and quickly as possible.  A Death Certificate is really only issued for burial or insurance purposes, where relatives are involved.

[Redroger]

Rachel, As I live in Bournemouth the next time I visit the library I will look at the electoral registers for 111 Ashley Road Bournemouth, to see what is shown, but don't know when my visit will be.

[rachelralph]

thank you redroger, 111 ashley road was a boarding house owned by my great nanny up until about the 1950's. it was called little ireland and was a resting place for truckers. i think my great nanny's mother may have owned it for a while also. her name was amy ann dennigan. her husband was richard dennigan.

[millymcb]

so leading on from the fact that people are buried as unknowns do the local authorites keep any records of the unknown, ie finger prints, last address, anything??

I would doubt it.  The aim would be to get the person cremated or interred as cheaply and quickly as possible.  A Death Certificate is really only issued for burial or insurance purposes, where relatives are involved.

I would think the council department responsible for paying for it would have to keep rough details for internal use - ie date of death, cremation and last known address, possibly estimated age and records of any investigation (although how long they would keep that for is questionable).   

I guess if you turned up later and knew very specific details - ie you were able to give details of a specific address they would then be able to cross reference it  - although they would probably be doing this in the hope of passing you the bill!!!

I doubt they would have records going a long way back.  And I'm sure they wouldn't help someone just for genealogy purposes!!

Milly

[flipflops]

Funeral Directors often demand sizable deposits upfront before they will act at all, so relatives may not be able to afford to arrange the funeral no matter how they felt.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15245710

[Nick29]

so leading on from the fact that people are buried as unknowns do the local authorites keep any records of the unknown, ie finger prints, last address, anything??

I would doubt it.  The aim would be to get the person cremated or interred as cheaply and quickly as possible.  A Death Certificate is really only issued for burial or insurance purposes, where relatives are involved.

I would think the council department responsible for paying for it would have to keep rough details for internal use - ie date of death, cremation and last known address, possibly estimated age and records of any investigation (although how long they would keep that for is questionable).   

I guess if you turned up later and knew very specific details - ie you were able to give details of a specific address they would then be able to cross reference it  - although they would probably be doing this in the hope of passing you the bill!!!

I doubt they would have records going a long way back.  And I'm sure they wouldn't help someone just for genealogy purposes!!

Milly

Yes, of course, Milly, but I think it's fair to say that if you have a previous address for someone, then you are quite a long way towards establishing an identity.  Sadly, many of these unfortunate people are found sleeping on the streets, with no ID.  It's possible that they record some details, but only those which take up the minumum amount of time and money.