What happened to the body

[EdCan]

I have a death certificate from 1952 for a person who died at St James Mental Hospital. His address is given as 61 Hatfield St which I presume is the Hospital location. The certificates states that the body was to be buried at 61 Hatfield St. Would the body have been actually buried at the hospital or would he have been cremated and the ashes scattered? I saw that the site was sold to a property developer?

Ed

[Kay99]

This is an extensive Heritage Assessment of the site and concludes that as far as can be established from available records, the asylum chapel was never consecrated, and thus there would never have been any burials in its grounds.     https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CD-1-18-Heritage-Assessment-St-James-Hospital.pdf

Kay

The reference is Para 7.6

[ShaunJ]

I can't find any record of a Hatfield Street in Portsmouth. Could you post a snip of that part of the death certificate?

[EdCan]

I can't find any record of a Hatfield Street in Portsmouth. Could you post a snip of that part of the death certificate?

Evidently it is in Southsea. I googled 61 Hatfield and it appears to be a residential street

[Little Nell]

I am puzzled that the certificate states the place of burial.  This is not something that I have come across before on English death certificates.

I don't know a Hatfield Street in Portsmouth/Southsea.  It isn't listed on any of the census.  The hospital was built in 1879 and still stands. 

There is a Hatfield Road in Southsea south west of the hospital, not far from Highland Road cemetery

Nell

[EdCan]

Column 7 of certificate states A E Thompson causing the body to be buried 61 Hatfield Rd Southsea. I wonder if 61 Hatfield Rd is the address of Mr Thompson ?

Ed

Added - Column 2 shows name and column 5 states "of 61 Hatfield Road Southsea U.D."

[MollyC]

Google Streetview shows 61 Hatfield Road with an old plaque on the upper storey "St James Terrace".

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.7889573,-1.0626472,3a,75y,291.84h,80.34t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sDZM8syb_daJKwK5oQ1gogA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

[EdCan]

It then appears that the person who died and A E Thompson lived in the same residence. The person who died had lung cancer and his last days where in St James where he died?

Ed

[Little Nell]

Please look at the heading of Column 7, which reads:
Signature, description and residence of the informant.

So that does mean that A E Thompson lives at the same address. It does not mean that is where the deceased will be buried.

Nell

Added: Just realised that you won't see that heading if you have downloaded a digital image rather than having a full certificate.  Sorry, didn't think