Death of Charlotte Cummins 1852

[Ju]

Hi!

My ggg grandmother was Charlotte Cummins. Her death certificate shows that she
died in Stockton on 17th May 1852, aged just 47, having hung herself as a result
of insanity, leaving a husband, Thomas, and a son, George.

The coroner registered the death on 12th October 1852, but, having contacted the
record office in Trowbridge, I know that the coroners' reports for that area for that
time are no longer available. However, there are some newspapers which covered
the area, so they may contain articles concerning her death.

I was just wondering where Charlotte would have been buried, as I didn't think that
people who committed suicide could be buried in consecrated ground. I have been
told that in some cases a sympathetic vicar might turn a blind eye - would that have
been more or less likely in a small village such as Stockton?

I know that it seems kind of strange to ask for more information about someone who
committed suicide, but I would like to try to find out why. Was she really insane, or
was that just a verdict that was more sympathetic to her family?

Thanks for any help.

Ju

[AngelaR]

Hi Ju

I've got a couple of suicides (so far.....) in my family and they both seem to have been buried in the usual churchyard. It seems that the 'insanity' bit, whether true or not (and how can anyone tell) meant that people could be buried in consecrated ground. I suppose there could be some hard-line vicars, but I would start from the assumption that Charlotte is in the churchyard.

I've had a look for her in the Wiltshire Family History records but can't find her.

Just to be a bit encouraging about information where there isn't a coroner's report - I found reference to both my family suicides, with a bit of corroborative detail, in a newspaper covering 5 counties. Charlotte certainly should have a write-up in local papers such as the Salisbury Journal. The local studies library in Trowbridge has copies on microfilm. If you can't get to it, perhaps someone can look it up for you? I found that the write-up was between 1 and 2 weeks after the death.

Good luck

Angela

[Ju]

Hi Angela,

Thanks for your reply!

Thanks to the help of davierj, I now know that Charlotte was buried in the churchyard,
as he found an entry in the parish records for Stockton concerning her burial on 20th
May 1852. He also found out that her husband, Thomas, married again on 9th Oct 1852,
3 days before Charlotte's death was registered by the coroner.

I'm definitely going to contact the local studies library at Trowbridge in the hope that
they may be able to find some reference to Charlotte's death in the local newspapers.

Thanks again - it is encouraging to know that other people have found things this way.

Best wishes,

Ju