inquest reports

[lisat]

Hi there, I'm fairly new to this, so I hope I dont do anything I shouldnt! Can anyone help me regarding finding information on an inquest. The relative I'm researching died in 1957, and the death certificate states the cause of death as 'coal gas poisoning in room, circumstances unknown (open verdict). Could this be suicide, or does open verdict suggest not? There was an inquest, by the Coroner for the county of London, and I wondered if it would be able to see the results, or do they hold them for so many yuears? My relative died in hospital, I dont suppose you can get hold of such recent hospital records, can you?
Do you think there might be a newspaper report, how would I find this? She died in a hospital in Holborn, London. How would I find archives for the right newspaper?
Any help would be ever so welcome. Thanks

[stanmapstone]

Public access to coroners' records is governed by the Public Records Act 1958 as amended by the Public Records Act 1967, s.44, and Coroners' Rules (1984) Rule 57. By an order of the Lord Chancellor, under s.5 of the 1958 Act (Instrument No. 68, Access to Public Records, 16 April 1984), records relating to reported deaths are closed to the public for 75 years
Any request to see closed records should be directed to the appropriate local coroner's office. However  a schedule of destruction is laid down by a Home Office Circular 250/1967. Once the records are 15 years old they can be 'weeded' - destroyed or sampled, for example - by the individual coroner concerned.

Stan

[Steve G]

Circumstances unknown (open verdict).

   I'd say that about sums it up, doesn't it? They couldn't figure out what had happened, so left it as OV.  Pretty much the official jargon for, " Your guess is as good as mine. " And so we can now only conjecture ourselves.

 And, unless I'm mistaken; Wouldn't the inclusion of OV , on the Cert' suggest that was the Coroners finding? I suppose it'd all come down to exactly when she died and any time span between that and the production of the Cert'? No idea how long Coroners take to produce their verdicts on such things.

 Traditionally though, people stuck a wet towel against the bottom of the door and stuck their head in the gas oven. That left little doubt as to their intentions, when discovered.

 God, what a lovely subject to start the day with!  

[Rena]

I've lived in a few rentals back in the 1960's when lethal coal gas was used.  In old draughty homes it wasn't unusual for the wind to blow out the flames on the gas cooker or gas fire.  Anyone who who didn't have a nose for smells was at a disandvantage, or beware if you had an afternoon nap & the heater flames blew out - you'd never wake up again.

Rena

[lisat]

Thanks to Stan, Rena and Steve G for your replies. Sorry for starting the day with such a depressing question! I think you may be right Rena, since an open verdict must indicate that suicide wasnt obvious, perhaps it was an accident.
Anybody any ideas about reports in the papers and where to start with that?

[Steve G]

Lisat; Regards newspaper reports? Just thinking back to the times ..... I'd say it wouldn't exactly be 'big' news. But, it might have got a mention in the local, evening paper.

 So, that's where I'd start. Where did she live? What was the local paper? Do they still exist in any shape or form? Local (to her) library ....?

[Ermintrude46]

Open verdict  is/was often a way of softening the blow to the family, it doesn't mean that it wasn't suicide, just that there wasn't enough evidence of the person's state of mind/intentions produced to prove without a doubt that they intended to kill themselves and thus justify a no-quibble verdict of suicide.  Often, an open verdict allowed for a family to claim on the life insurance/cover the mortgage on the house when a suicide verdict would not.
Ermy

[lisat]

Thanks Steve G. - she lived in Holborn, London, so I guess I'll try Google to find local paper.

Ermy, think you're spot on. Knowing her circumstances does make me think suicide was more likely than an accident. Thanks.

Just another quick question, I would like to find if she was buried, and where? Any ideas how. Ive seen a website www.deathsrecords.com, but its American, covers UK, and costs. Anybody tries it? If I wrote to the Cemeteries dept. of the local borough, do you think they would tell me if she is buried there?
Thanks once again to all of you who have answered.

[casalguidi]

Some of the London Borough of Camden records are now online.  You can search for free but need to pay if you want to see complete entries https://www.deceasedonline.com/

Casalguidi