An Unknown Infant: Documentation Questions Raised by a Sad Tale

[Old Mother Reilly]

These questions have come up as a result of following a 1842 newspaper story - which lacks a documented conclusion.  The background is: a package containing the body of a newborn is pulled ashore in Essex.  An inquest is held and the verdict returned that the infant was dead before being dropped in the Thames, whether born alive or not it was impossible to say.  The woman arrested on suspicion of dropping the baby's body into the Thames from a boat was supposed to have given birth to the child in Surrey.  She was committed to trial for concealing a birth  - there is no newspaper report of such trial ever taking place and no prison records survive to evidence her immediate fate.

My questions are these:  would the birth and death of the infant be registered?  If so what would be given as to surname as the accused woman did not speak to confirm or deny that she (a) had given birth at all or (b) had disposed of the body?  Would the law require that the birth be registered in the assumed birth registration district and the death there also - or would the death be registered in Essex where the body was brought to shore?  Or would the Courts simply bypass the whole registration issue (therefore technically "concealing the birth" themselves!)?
 
I assume the body would be buried in unconsecrated ground in the parish where the inquest took place - would there be any record of this?

I'm not being morbid but trying every avenue to accurately establish the identity of this woman and child so, ideally, need to find as much documentation around these events as I can.

Rachel

[Milliepede]

I would imagine if the woman concealed the birth then she wouldn't have registered it. 

Are there any names in the newspaper story ie name of the woman arrested

[chempat]

This is from 1874, which is as far as I have got, might help as to show how the position was regarded up to then:

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~framland/genealogy/acts/1874Act.htm

paragraphs 3 and 11.

[Old Mother Reilly]

Thank you, Chempat.  It would seem that the Coroner would have to register the death, cause to be ascertained by the jury verdict.  So presumably, in this case, there would be a death register entry in Essex.

[Old Mother Reilly]

I may have found a death registration, thanks to knowing where to look.  I'll check it out. 

I would still like to know if there is likely to be a burial record somewhere.  Does anyone know if records were kept of burials in unconsecrated ground and whether, away from areas with large cemetries, a specially unconsecrated patch would designated in parish churchyards?