Genealogy Chat

Not a new Agatha Christie title! Just received a death certificate dated 1838 where my 4xgt grandfather died in the workhouse. The informant is the 'Master of the Workhouse' (now it sounds like Charles Dickens) - was this normal or is it because he was on his own in there? If a spouse was with him would she perhaps have notified the authorities? Sue

I have a death certificate for 1874 Holborn workhouse and its the attendant at the workhouse who was the informant, and he had family who were alive. Similarly I think most 'institutions' its the attendant or who ever is in charge that registers the death, as I have quite a few nursing home deaths and again its always the attendant that registers them and not the next of kin.

I think it would be normal for the Master of the Workhouse to register the death. He may only have been in the workhouse because they were used as infirmaries, and his family may have lived close by. Kath. x

Have you looked at the workhouses site at www.workhouses.org You will be able to find photos and drawings of whichever workhouse the death was at and it is a really interesting site. Kath. x

Thanks Willow Something else to look up next time I get to the archives ..... The list just gets longer! Sue

Kath, sadly he's described as a 'pauper' on the certificate so if his wife was still around I imagine she'd be with him too. Sue Just seen your second message! Yes I've already had a look at that site and it really is very interesting, will go back to another time and study it more carefully.

I've got a death certificate of someone who died in the workhouse and the death was registered by her daughter,who was not an inmate. Fran

Do you have a name for his wife? Have you looked for her on the 1871 or 1881 census? Just because they were paupers doen't neccessarily mean they lived in the workhouse. I have seen plenty of paupers living in lodgings. Kath. x

I've found his wife (I think) in the 1841 census, the first one after his death and she is in the workhouse too. Daughter or daughter in law possibly with her too (they share the same name) It'll be interesting to find out if she'd been there since 1838! Sue

i have 4xgrandfather who died in a workhouse his brother was the informant but he did not live in the workhouse with him . grandfather died of t b and was still married dawn xx

I had ancestors in the workhouse, also, and delving into it a bit more - inmates were seperated, so married couples would not have been together, and any children would have been seperated from their parents too. There are terrible stories of wives/husbands only learning of thei spouses deaths on release. Totally barbaric!