Frizwith

[youngtug]

My gtgtgtgrandmother Frizwith Collier, born about 1796, married Robert Jordan at Cricklade, Wiltshire on the 8th of Febuary 1819. She was buried at Longcot, Berkshire on the 2nd of May 1857. Supposedly having fallen into the canal lock and drowned. I have been unable to find an inquest record as of yet. Neither can I find her place of birth although when she married she was supposed to be from Cricklade and there are Colliers recorded in Cricklade. Any help would be gratefully received.

[heywood]

Hello,

according to 1851 census, she was born Cricklade.

Her death certificate may help re cause of death: September quarter 1857 volume 2c pg 161 Faringdon registration district.

A local paper may have something re the death circumstances.

regards
heywood

[youngtug]

Can't find her birth at Cricklade and various people have looked and she is supposed to have drowned, The death cert, is one on a list for me to get but I am sure one of the other researchers have already got it. The inquest would be of great interest and although it is mentioned a copy of it I have not found.

[halhawk]

When you say the inquest is mentioned, do you mean the Reading Mercury reports?  From what they say I suspect the death certificate will just have the inquest findings of 'Found Drowned'.

[youngtug]

I am not sure I have seen the Reading Mercury report but I have seen a newspaper report in the past [early in my research when I didn't keep proper records, amongst other mistakes,] and yes, probably only death from drowning would be the probable cause. There was an inquest, again I can remember seeing a reference to it somewhere but no one as found it yet.

[cemetery friends]

The on line catalogue for Berkshire Record Office does not record any references for the year 1857. As previously suggested the only reference would be in a newspaper. You may find the the RO or the main library in Reading keep microfilms of newspaper for research [they may not offer a research service so if you cannot visit you will need to engage a researcher].

Otherwise check out the National Newspaper Library by visiting in person or they have an on line service operated by an agency called Gales. You purchase credits; depending where you live several large libraries have access to the on line site and apart from your library card they issue an access code.  The service varies from county to county and with the present cuts in budgets may no longer be free.The best advice is to obtain a copy of the death certificate as the article could be very limited in content.

Interestingly another researcher has placed a Community entry on the IGI Family Search website. Often those entries have facts [possibly placed with the best of intentions] which vary or have not been checked over and is often based on guesswork. For example the date of birth and the year of marriage varies from your data. As an aside on the IGI main site search based on parish records [which has a far greater degree of acuracy] there are variation on the spelling of the surname including a German name using a K  or Kohl which may have been anglicised and as the Christian name is quite unusual and certainly has a German feel, one wonders if she was born elsewhere?

[Old Bristolian]

I imagine the name is a variation of Frideswith - quite common in parts of Oxfordshire

Steve

[frogspawn4]

There are two short articles in the Reading Mercury

Sat 2nd May 1857
"Drowning.
On Wednesday last, a poor woman named Jordan, whose husband keeps a public house close to the Lock, in the parish of Longcot, was found drowned: it is not known if she met her death by accident, or whether it was her own act. We shall give the result of the inquest next week."

Sat 9th May 1857
"Longcot.
An inquest was held on Thursday last, before W.D. Wasbrough Esq, on the body of the poor woman named Jordan, whose death was noticed in our last number. No evidence being adduced to show whether it was by accident or design, a verdict of 'Found drowned' was returned."

Jay

[youngtug]

The second of those I have seen in the past but cannot find it in my [rather chaotic] collection of notes from a few years ago when I last spent some time on this line. As you can see it is not likely to be worth getting a death cert, because the cause of death is known. If a copy of the inquest was available extra information may be gleaned from it. Because her husband was employed at various times by the canal company him and Frizwith are of interest to the present day canal enthusiasts and their researchers.Any extra information would be of interest to them.                                                                                                                                        They also do not know were she was born/baptised and nor have they seen the inquest. It may not have been copied in a paper and the original need not have been kept.                                                                                                                                       For myself the place she was born/baptised and her parents names would be of greater interest.