What does honorary Coroner mean?

[Mygenes2006]

Hi, I found the following entry in the Singapore Straits Times newspaper...


8 June 1889
‘Mr W. H. Derrick, Superintendent of the Pahang Corporation, Sungei Lembing, has been appointed a honorary coroner for the district, and Dr. Rolph an honorary deputy coroner’

My great great grandfather had no medical training that I am aware of.  Could anyone tell me what this role might involve? I am trying to put together a family book for his niece for Christmas (or at this rate her 90th birthday next May!!).

Any help welcomed.  thanks

[Victor Harvey]

I think you'll find it means an "unpaid position".
Victor

[KGarrad]

A coroner simply investigates unusual and suspicious deaths - no medical knowledge is necessary!

[Redroger]

Often in Britain at least a Coroner has had legal training. Does this apply to your ancestor?

[KGarrad]

Redroger - only in modern days!

Often it was a policeman, or someone closely associated with the police.

[AskAnExpert]

The item was in The Singapore Free Press, 8th June, 1899, not as described.

You can find it here. http://newspapers.nl.sg/

A 1927 article has what appears to be him as a Justice of the Peace.

Askan

[Mygenes2006]

Hi thank you for all the replies.  I had the date wrong, it was 1899 so thanks for that AskAnExpert, the link you sent is a resource I have used a lot, have found lots of entries relating to William and his family and am in the middle of transcribing some of them into a booklet for my Gran as a Christmas present as I know she will enjoy reading them.  Am on page 30 so far!

William was an accountant but believe he might have been a solicitor as well ....he and his brother George set up a company Derrick & Co which eventually evolved into part of Ernst & Young and was the first company of its kind set up in Singapore.  A book was recently published talking about his role in setting the company up etc.

Thanks once again, I was having visions of him carrying out autopsies!  Thought it was a bit old.  Obviously I have been watching far too much CSI.  So really he was a sort of investigator.  Sounds really interesting.   thanks.

[Redroger]

At my grandmother's inquest in Boston 1901, the Coroner was a local surgeon.