Getting away with murder?.....

Cathy · Post by **Cathy** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:41 pm

Having just started on the latest baby to join my tree, it has taken me to Durness, Dornoch areas of Sutherland.
I have printed off a load of death certs. which haven't been certified.
The causes of death are "Supposed", no medical attendant.
Supposed Hooping Cough.
Supposed Natural Decay.
Supposed died of wet and cold (having been found on a hill).
There are many more, and not an R.C.E. in sight.
I gather these are remote places, and there are gaps of months between registered deaths. Sparce population?
Could you get away with murder?

Duplicate post deleted - Andrew Paterson

Post by **AnneM** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:45 pm

Hi Cathy

I've quite a few like that and it sure looks that infanticide was a real possiblity with no come back at all.

Anne

Post by **AnneM** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:50 pm

Just remembered a story I heard, Don't know what date this was meant to be but evidently a midwife in the remote Highlands went to visit a mother whose child had fairly recently been delivered and on asking where the baby was was told, "Lachy slewed it."

Don't know how accurate that is but seems all too horribly likely.

Anne

Cathy · Post by **Cathy** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 10:37 pm

Scary.
I did read something recently (may have been in Orkney), about several babies being buried under the floor. Obviously not registered.

nelmit · Post by **nelmit** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 11:50 pm

I have also found a few strange childrens' deaths but a couple I looked at recently made me feel really sad. Not even a cause of death for Alexander.

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-248

His sister had died just 4 months before.

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-247

Jane (my gg grandmother) already had another 4 children living (another girl had died around 1853) and went on to have her last illegitimate son in 1865 age 43.

My heart always feel heavy when I try to piece this lady's life together.

Annette M

Post by **Ina** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:04 am

Seems that a lot of children died at early ages. Here is the record I found at the Greenock Cemetery for the children of my great great grandparents.

Aug. 25 1873 Elizabeth Larkin 2 months
June 1, 1877 John Larkin 11 months
Oct. 3, 1877 Martha Larkin 2 years
Feb. 22, 1879 Child Stillborn
Nov. 26, 1879 John Larkin 15 months
Jan. 27, 1880 James Larkin 5 years
June 10, 1882 Child Stillborn
July 27, 1900 Henry Larkin 28 years (my great grandfather)
Aug. 3, 1900 Helen Larkin 20 years

Ina

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 7:55 am

If you ever have the chance in at NRH, or a few spare credits, pick a year in the mid/late 1800s, and search for births with no given name and the surname "ANONYMOUS". These will generally be "exposures" where the newborn was left outside somewhere ................

David

Later - I didn't have much time earlier - between 1855 and 1904, the number of "ANONYMOUS" entries in the birth registers is 407.

The number of "ANONYMOUS" entries aged zero in the death registers in that same period is 1414. I think that the large difference is explained by deaths such as bodies washed ashore and the like where the age is unknown, and entered as such in the death register, and the search engine picks up an "unknown" in the age column when a search is made for deaths where the age searched on is 0.

dww