Genealogy Chat

Hi everyone. My gr-gr-grandfather died on 5th August 1873 but his death wasn't registered until 17th March 1874. According to a registrar I've asked, this was EXCEPTIONALLY odd in those days as registration nearly always occurred within about 2 weeks of a death, even if there was an inquest. According to the certificate, there was no inquest. But even if there had been, again from my friendly registrar, these occurred within days of death in the 19th century. She can think of no reason why the registration was so late so I thought I'd throw it open to the imagination of you lot!!! Just for the record, he was well off and there was a lengthy dispute over his will which went on for 6 YEARS after he died and his widow and young daughters were eventually left destitute! He was 67 and had a young wife and 2 small daughters with whom he lived and he died at home,so his body wasn't left undiscovered somewhere for months. Also, he died of a very painful medical condition which would, today, necessitate emergency surgery, poor chap. Any ideas, however bizarre, welcome, this chap has caused me hours of deep thought! Thanks!!

Registration of death was still not compulsory in 1873, so I guess they didnt bother until they had to, maybe forced by the wrangle over the Will. Perhaps some insurance compnay wouldn't pay out, or another member of the family demanded proof that he was dead, lol. He would of course, have been BURIED very quickly. OC

who was the death registered by? Rebecca :o)

Thanks both of you. My friendly registrar says it would be highly unusual to bury someone without a certificate, even in 1873. And as they were a wealthy family, even more unlikely. His death was registered by a 'G Rees', unknown to me although a 'Mary Rees' was witness at his marriage to his wife.

could of been someone on his wife's side then? If he died quite quickly and suddenly and his wife with having young children to look after was very distraught - and depending on when the will arguement started and by whom, she could have been emotionally unalbe to before then.

But she didn't register the death herself anyway so it wouldn't matter if she was too upset? I imagine, given the family circumstances and the rows which seem to have ensued, that there would have been some delay; it's just that 8 months seems like a very long time! Especially, as we agree, that he'd have to have been buried in that time (I can't find his burial place though!). I've searched local records for an inquest but there doesn't seem to have been one. I know a death can't be registered until after an inquest, if there is one, so maybe there was one scheduled and it never took place.

Straw clutching time - you have checked to see that the death WASN'T registered earlier, and that what you have is an amended certificate, or a re registration> The Registrar would know far better than I do what was the norm in those days, but I would have thought that being wealthy was MORE likely to make the Undertaker turn a blind eye, and he wouldnt insist on a registration certificate in case he lost the commission. However I think the likely explanation was that it got overlooked, everyone thought someone else had done it and they didnt realise for months. Is there anything mentioned about a fine? They would have been fined for late registration. OC

This was definitely the only registration for him. I actually travelled a long way to the local registrar's for it and she let me look with her through the books. I suppose you could be right about the undertaker though, although it's still annoying me that I can't actually find his burial place in any of the surrounding villages! Oh, he's destined to remain a mystery I think!