Letter A in baptism register

[steadyrollingman]

I had a sudden inspiration on the 'C' against multiple entries in a burial register.

Might there have been a local epidemic, which the minister decided to keep a record of? Cholera, perhaps?

Not to my knowledge (which isn't that extensive, to be fair). Then again, if that's it, maybe there would be a lot more than a dozen or so (from memory) marked that way in what was quite a bustling parish at that time?

[KGarrad]

4th Cholera Pandemic reached London in 1866 (5596 lives lost), and even Ystalfera in South Wales.
Nothing much since in UK?

[steadyrollingman]

I'm currently scrolling through some more burial records and noticed a few (maybe suicides?) that say 'by coroner's order' above the person's name - wonder if C might therefore stand for Coroner? Then again, that one month in Kelloe must have had a lot of suicides if that's the case, which only seems slightly more likely than a load of Catholics mysteriously dying at the same time...

[arthurk]

Coroners would be involved with accidental or unexpected deaths as well as suicides, and in a mining community there might be quite a few of those. The ones with just a 'C' - were they men of working age?

[steadyrollingman]

Thing is, none of them related to my lot, so I didn't record any of them. I came across another spate of them after I'd posted, and from memory, they were a mixture, men and women of various ages and even, I'm sure, a two-year-old. This was in Trimdon, a different parish to before, although another Durham mining village, round about 1860s. So as before, a lot appeared closely together which might suggest a mining accident (although 20 years before the notorious one) but assuming I'm right about women being in there too, not sure how that would tie in with this theory. Next time I come across another spate of these I'll have to check with the casualties listed on http://dmm.org.uk to see if there's any correlation.
But I do find myself inclined to believe C might stand for coroner now though, regardless of the causes of death...

[steadyrollingman]

All that being said though, my understanding is that writing "by coroner's order" in the register for a suicide, the vicar was covering himself for burying a 'sinner' in consecrated ground, which he wouldn't have otherwise been legally obliged to do. I can't possibly imagine that in a mining community of all places, he would have to be 'forced' to bury victims of accidents and unexpected deaths, so why the need to write that? Anyway, next time I'll make a careful note of who this applies to, see if it sheds any light on the subject...

[stanmapstone]

All that being said though, my understanding is that writing "by coroner's order" in the register for a suicide, the vicar was covering himself for burying a 'sinner' in consecrated ground,

Nothing to do with suicides. The burial would have taken place with a coroners certificate. Section XXVII An Act for registering Births, Deaths, and Marriages in England. [17 August 1836] 6 & 7 Will. IV. c.86


the Coroner, upon holding any Inquest, may order the Body to be Buried, if he shall think fit, before Registry of the Death, and shall in such Case give a Certificate of his Order in Writing under his Hand, according to the Form of Schedule (F.) to this Act annexed, to such Undertaker or other person having Charge of the Funeral, which shall be delivered as aforesaid;

Stan