Coroners Records

The History

Coroners have been required to look into unexplained deaths for several hundred years.

Coroners records include explicit details of the people concerned and the circumstances of their deaths.

These facts may have been revealed by investigation or during the formal Inquest.

Normally Coroners records are not available for examination for 75 years after the Inquest.

Sadly many Coroners destroyed their records well before the 75 years which leaves no official record surviving.

Coroners may also hold records of enquiries into  unexpected deaths where a subsequent post mortem allowed a death certificate to be issued without the need for a formal inquest.

What records can you find?

Older records are held in the National Archive or the local County Records Office with newer records held by the Coroners Office for the area in which the Inquest was held.

Inquests are public court hearings that are often reported in local or occasionally by national newspapers.

Even if access is not possible to the Coroners records a search of local newspaper archives may result in details of the inquest.