I recently wrote to the Coroner for Worcestershire seeking information about my great grandmother who was the subject of an inquest. I knew from her death certificate that there had been an inquest and I had also seen two newspaper reports of her death. The reply I received said that "Coroner's records are sometimes available to family members of the deceased, however The Freedom of Information Act does not provide an entitlement to this information." "Records, where available only have to be maintained for a period of 15 years, although sometimes they are kept for longer."
Newspaper reports of the time that the event happened are usually a good source of information. Libraries and record offices local to Birdwell, Yorkshire may well hold information.
