Burial and Suicides

[ostrauts]

Dear All,

I've recently discovered that my x2 Great Grandfather committed suicide in 1883.  Its my understanding that this would have caused concern when he came to his burial.  Due to the time suicide was considered a criminal offence from what I've read.  I'm afraid I don't know what religion denomination the family had at this time.

So, would the parish and clergy allow for his burial in consecrated ground or would he have been placed in common ground?  Either way would his burial be recorded in the relevant parish burial books?

Many thanks.

[arthurk]

I have a similar situation a couple of years later. The first thing to do would be to try to find out more about the circumstances of his death - death certificate, of course, and as it was a suicide there would have been an inquest, which would very likely be reported in a local newspaper.

My understanding is that by that period there was beginning to be an understanding of what drove people to suicide, and so if at all possible the verdict included a finding that the balance of mind was disturbed (or similar), which to at least some clergy would not have prevented a normal churchyard burial.

In the case in my family, the burial took place in a cemetery in the village; it has the appearance of a local authority cemetery, but the burial is recorded in the church register, so I'm not sure who was responsible for it. In any case, by 1883 a lot of churchyards were getting full, so the burial could easily be found elsewhere, regardless of the circumstances of death.

Arthur

[SmallTownGirl]

I'm sure I saw a burial register the other day where there was a mention of suicide and a note in the margin with words to the effect that the burial was with the permission of the Bishop.

STG