Cause of death - 'Visitation of God' ?

[fayl]

Sorry Bob if I posted in the wrong section, should have done a search first to see if there were any other postings on the same subject.

Was just too eager to find out.

Anyway, thanks for the replies and for steering me in the right direction.  I am a little bit more enlightened (just wish the coroner had been).

However, Shropshire Archives have informed me that there was an inquest into this death at the Quarter Sessions so when I get the chance I will visit them in order to view these documents.

Regards

Fay

[Berlin-Bob]

Was just too eager to find out.

At some time or other it get's us all that way 

Sorry Bob if I posted in the wrong section

No problems 

The Lexicon is growing steadily, and, as the number of postings grow, the search results are growing, too 

Bob

[Lydart]

I've got one:  a report from a Salisbury newspaper of 1825:

On Saturday last Sarah Trowbridge, a widow woman, while standing in the corn market, in this town, complained of a pain in her head, and expressed her intention of returning home; she, however, suddenly fell down and expired. An inquest was held on the body, and the jury returned a verdict- Died by the visitation of God.

Possibly a sudden and very profuse hemorrhage in the brain ?    At least it was quick for poor Sarah.

[behindthefrogs]

Pior to 1875 the recording of a death was down to the registrar touring his district and finding out about it for himself.  Burial could also take place without a doctors certificate up to 1875.

The result is that the registrar had to determine for himself a cause of death.  "Visitation of God" was thus a fairly usual entry in the register when no other reason could be determined.

David

[plimmerian]

Just found my first ever "Visitation of God" recorded by the coroner of Burslem, Staffordshire in October 1848

- John Copestick aged 52, a brickmaker of Tunstall, Staffordshire - a time given as "12 at noon"

- his widow remarried in May 1849!