Minimum age of informant for a death?.....

[StewL]

Hello all you good people

Could someone tell me if there was a minimum age at which one could inform of a death in the 1880's.

Thanks

[DavidWW]

Hello all you good people

Could someone tell me if there was a minimum age at which one could inform of a death in the 1880's.

Thanks

The original Acts of Parliament were silent on this matter.

Bisset-Smith's 1907 "Vital Registration - A Manual of the Law and Practice", in effect a handbook for registrars, says nothing about the minimum age for an informant for a death register entry, but does make the comment in relation to an informant for a birth registration, - "As a rule no one under fourteen should be taken as Informant "

It would seem reasonable that the same would apply to death register entry informants.

But note the "as a rule" comment, giving some leeway, which I believe was taken to mean that, as long a younger child was the only possible informant, and that such a child clearly understood the process, then an age of less than 14 would be acceptable in exceptional circumstances.

Davie

[StewL]

Thank you Davie

Much appreciated, as I was totally unaware of this subject.

Stew

[MaryE]

I found an 11-yr-old as informant on his father's death in 1920 on a Scottish death cert. He was the oldest of the children but his mother was still alive.

Mary

[HK]

I have a great uncle John who seems to have been the death informant for his generation starting when he was 14 with his grandfather and continuing through his own generation to his own wife.Aunts,uncles,neices and nephews if there was a death just get John to pop in and inform the registar.Now there's one for Bob.With John walking through the door and the registrar saying"Aw no .Who deid now?"
HK