Libraries and leisure

Fatalities 1827–1933

It was one of the duties of the Coroner to enquire into cases of sudden or unexplained death. All surviving 19th century Hertfordshire Coroner’s inquests have been listed by the deceased’s name. There are two sets of records for the Hertford Division which then consisted of the eastern half of the county. Coroner Longmore’s book of inquests covering 1827-1840 gives no further details than what appears in the index. The other inquests cover 1870-1883 and contain depositions, lists of juries and verdicts.

All the surviving Hemel Hempstead Coroner’s Division inquest papers over 75 years old are indexed. They cover the period 1908-1933 (ref. Off Acc 244). Some of the files are quite extensive and may be fairly costly to copy. However, they contain a wealth of information about the deceased individuals that cannot be found elsewhere. Some entries are listed as ‘No Inquest Necessary’ but they still contain the coroner’s officer’s report which includes personal details about the deceased and the circumstances of their death.

This only represents a small proportion of inquests that took place in 19th and 20th century Hertfordshire. It is also worth checking local newspapers for reports of inquests, although not all were recorded.