Death certificates following an inquest.....

Joan · Post by **Joan** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 5:17 am

Hello everyone,
I was wondering if any one can tell me if it is normal to have 2 death certificates following an inquest.
One of my ancestors drowned in 1906. I have found one death certificate dated a few days after his death, this being registered by a relative and the second one 4 months later being registered by a police sergeant . The first certificate gives cause of death as 'supposed drowning' and the second as drowning (with an addendum in the margin of 'after precogniton'). The second certificate acknowledges the exstence of the first in the neighbouring town (also in the margin). I wondered if this is/was normal? A newspaper report (a few days after his death) suggests suicide.
thanks
Joan

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 8:13 am

Not at all normal.

I suspect that the one informant didn't know what the other had already done.

David

Cathy · Post by **Cathy** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 7:30 pm

Hi Joan,
I have something similar. Here is a quote from RCE:

R.C.E. Vol 1, Page 7:
Delete the Entry No. 55 of the Register of Deaths for the year 1875, it having been made erroneously. The above correction is made on the direction and by the written authority of the Sheriff, in consequence of the Deposition (dated 8th March 1875).

Thrall · Post by **Thrall** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 5:24 pm

I suppose I´m surprised it didn´t happen more often that a death was "double booked". I only have one, registered at the same place, Inverkip, with a three day gap. The registrars were appropriately named James and John. First was the undertaker, then the unfortunate father. The details are fairly consistent, except the cause of death, "mortification of bowels" either 12 hours, or three days. Pretty horrible way to go for a 29 year old. The father calls himself a "foreman", the undertaker, a "labourer".

Thrall

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 6:30 pm

Thrall wrote:I suppose I´m surprised it didn´t happen more often that a death was "double booked". I only have one, registered at the same place, Inverkip, with a three day gap. The registrars were appropriately named James and John. First was the undertaker, then the unfortunate father. The details are fairly consistent, except the cause of death, "mortification of bowels" either 12 hours, or three days. Pretty horrible way to go for a 29 year old. The father calls himself a "foreman", the undertaker, a "labourer".

Thrall

In the past few years I've come across such a "double-booking" three or four times, - in each case in different registration districts, by informants who obviously weren't aware of each other.

David

Joan · Post by **Joan** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 1:12 am

Thank you all for your help. I searched the Scotsman for a mention of the death but to no avail.
Sorry for delay in thanks but wangled trip to Edinburgh (convinced the sassenachs I work with that Edinburgh was the best place for our Christmas work do). Now frantically getting all my stuff together for a day in the SGS library and a day in the archives, with a party promised at night.A perfect Christmas present.

Thanks again
Joan