Death certificates

[JBee]

I've just been looking at a death certificate of a middle aged person who committed suicide and was surprised to see so much detail on it.

Not only did it have the name of the father and his occupation but also an explicit description of the cause of death.

Is this usual?

[Olde Crone]

JBee, I've only seen one death certificate mentioning suicide and it just said an overdose of pills and alcohol - but there was no inquest for that one.

I have a vague feeling that a death certificate issued by a coroner at an inquest is more explicit, (i.e., Where, when, why, how) but I may be wrong.

OC

[JBee]

This one was worse and left nothing to the imagination unfortunately.

[kiterunner]

The name and occupation of father would usually (or often) appear on a child's death cert or an unmarried woman's.

[JBee]

Yes she was unmarried but middle aged

[Olde Crone]

You don't say what year, so remember that before about the 1950s, an unmarried woman was the property of her father, no matter what her age.

OC

[JBee]

It was 1944 OC.

I was more interested in why the graphic detail in her cause of death.

[Olde Crone]

Was it a coroners certificate?

OC

[JBee]

Just a death certificate from the GRO though the informant was the coroner

[Olde Crone]

Yes, that's what I meant. I think, as I said, coroner's certificates have more information and detail.

OC