deaths in mental health institutions

[kylejustin]

has anyone got any certs for this? a distant cousin has sent me a death for her ancestor, who died in tooting bec hospital, but she was married, and the cert says 'single' and that she was from westminster when she was from lee in kent or hastings even when she would have been admitted.

just wondering if they would changed details for protection or something? most probably my cousin just has the wrong death cert.

[Anne in Carlisle]

My feeling is that it is the wrong certificate. I don't think they would change the details for privacy ... after all she was dead. Mistakes or carelessness can happen of course but this seems a LOT different unless the name is very rare.

Anne

[Olde Crone Holden]

They wouldn't have changed details to protect her, but they MIGHT have made careless/uncaring mistakes. Who registered the death? I agree, it does seem like the wrong cert unless there is something which pins it down as being the right cert - husband informed, etc.

OC

[kylejustin]

the informant is the 'chief resident officer', and there is no husband mentioned, she was down as 'spinster' on 'domestic work' from 'westminster'. the name though not common, has a lot of possible deaths, especially since this cert is for 1923, and the person concerned vanishes after 1871.

[Olde Crone Holden]

Wrong one, then, almost certainly. Except that the hospital would only know facts about her that they had been told by someon else - she may have been pretending to be unmarried, for instance.

You could check hospital admittance records of course but personally, I'd be looking for a different death cert first.

OC

[Gwyn in Kent]

I too think it likely you have the wrong certificate.

I have a death certificate for a married woman of 56 who died in a 'lunatic asylum' in 1916.
Her home address is given and she is shown as 'wife of...' and his occupation.
Informant of death was the resident assistant medical officer of the asylum.

Gwyn

[kylejustin]

thanx gwyn, that was what i was hoping for. thanx oc too, i think it's the wrong death cert.