Genealogy Chat

I recieved a death cert today for an 11 year old great aunt who dies in 1963. The cause of death is asphyxia by wheat grains, which we knew. but it also says misadventure and that there was an inquest held 2 weeks after her death. does this mean there maybe be more to the the death than an accident!! (There has always been a big question mark). and can i get hold of the inquest papers and find out more??

thanks

kerry

Coroners inquest papers were not kept, but many of the inquest details were published in the newspapers.

[email protected] - try emailing this link, they are very helpful

Christine

thanks christine

Kerry,

Reading through your post and adding together wheat grains and misadventure - were the family farmers, or living in the countryside? Perhaps the little girl got into a grain silo, which can act like quicksand and swallow people up.

Elisabeth

Hi Kerry,
you might be lucky, I was with 2 sets of inquest papers contact the local records office involved.


Worth a try

Kirsty

There is normally a 75 year closure on coroners reports, so even if the papers still survive you may not be able to have access to them.

thanks everyone.
yes her dad was a farm worker it says. it does say due to falling into the pit of a grain drying plant. but just wasn't too sure what it meant by misadventure and along with there being an inquest wasn't sure if the was nothing more sinister. but i suppose because of the nature of her death there would have had to have been a inquest!

Kerry,

I think the misadventure would mean, she was somewhere she didn't ought to have been, and so the accident happened. What a sad end for a young child.

Elisabeth

Hi Sue C,
The local 'Record Office' have an inquest report I am interested in reading. On asking to see it, I was also told there was a 75 year closure order on it. Thought then that it was strange for the Records Office to advertise 'Coroners Reports' in their listing of available record held by them, if they were not available for viewing.

I told them that the previous day I had spoken to the Coroner, who told me that their office only held Reports for 10 years after which they were shipped off to the local Records Office. Had it still been with them he did not see any problem in issuing a copy as long as it was a member of the family applying.

The reply at the Records Office was, if that was the case then obtain written permission from the Coroners Office and bring it to them and they would act on my request. The conversation then went deeper in 'the data protection act', names and places may have to be blacked out ......etc, etc.."

Pity it wasn't reported in the local newspapers of the time.


Paul

The back copies of the local newspapers are kept on film at the nearest library (not records office)which has a family history section. If you can't go in person, they will search for you for a small fee. As you know the date of the death and the inquest, it should be easy to find

update:

i havr been in touch with the bucks research centre, the distrect where she died, they hold copies of local papers from the 60's. so will be off there in a few weeks, hopefully i can find out more. if there are coroners reports to be found i will be able to find them there too, i would imagine.

Hi Paul,

I suppose all Record Offices differ in how helpful they are.

I recently obtained a death cert for my great uncle who commited suicide in 1936 in Surrey.

I contacted Surrey History Centre with the details of the death cert, and they replied with information regarding the 75 year closure. They also told me that they do in fact hold the inquest papers for geat uncle George and have sent me a form to download.

Once this is filled in and sent back to them, they will send it to the present day coroner who will decide whether or not it will be okay to view the papers outside the 75 year closure.

Surrey History Centre.....very very helpful.

Sue

Hi Sue C,
Perhaps it was the initial stonewalling that threw me at the Records Office. Hopefully things are moving now as the Coroners Office said that they would send me a letter of approval on receipt of proof of the family tie which I have posted to them.
Thanks
Paul

definition of word misadventure

An instance of misfortune; a mishap

Used on death certs to say that it was an accident and nothing sinister

Roy

Have you tried looking in THE TIMES? its possible there may be an article there?
Bob