WELCOME
This website contains transcripts of 5888 press reports of historic Coroner’s inquests for the period 1801-1920 in Wiltshire, England.
1801-1867 is entirely Wiltshire, 1868-1920 less thorough but primarily south Wiltshire with the odd incursion into Hampshire and Dorset.
I recommend you to subscribe to the British Newspaper Archive online, a wonderful resource for all historians. But hopefully you’ll find something to your purpose here as well!
As well as being a good family history resource, this collection contains several famous cases in Wiltshire, including the Rode Hill House murder, the Gore Cross Robbery, the first Salisbury Railway Disaster, and the brief murderous appearance in Wiltshire of Percy Toplis (the Monocled Mutineer).
Unfortunately, I did not have the staying power in my typing fingers to transcribe the multiple press reports pertaining to the Salisbury Boat Train Disaster of 1906 or the Edwin Haskell murder case of 1908, but the links here will take to you to descriptions of these.
Searching
You may Search for specific names, ie: “Smith, Emily,” though responses will be from the most recent additions to the site.
I would encourage a general trawl through the year pages, where a list of each year’s cases is given together with my own comments and pointers. Happy Hunting!
Where a report carries the phrase, “By the Foreman/Coroner/Juryman…” it means that the following sentence is evidence elicited from the witness by that person. In other words, the Coroner is happy to allow one or two experienced gentlemen to ask questions besides himself.
Why Coroner’s Inquests?
This project is the result of my own family history research. I sought answers to a question regarding my great-grandfather, and so started looking at old newspapers on a microfiche viewer in my local library, discovering what a telling window on to the previous life is given by reports of Coroner’s inquests.
As the funeral Service in the Book of Common Prayer says,
“In the Midst of Life So We Are in Death.”
These reports shine a light on social injustices, on industrial advances without Health & Safety, on where certain types of work were carried out and the people involved, on healthcare or the lack of, on the common necessaries of life, and on long-remembered local disasters, and, to put it simply, how much harder life then was for ordinary working class people.
Whilst this project is extensive, it is far from complete. The years 1801-1867 were found in the Salisbury Journal, and the later years 1868-1920 in the Salisbury Times, but I am only human and have undoubtedly missed some along the way, as no doubt the journalists of the day missed many at the time.
I hope you will find this project of use, perhaps in explaining a mystery in your family history research, or of seeing how people did this or that a century or more ago. I am sure you will understand that in transcribing such a mass of material there will be inevitable reading and typing errors, and that the interpretations given in each year’s introductions and some comments are my personal views alone. Alan Doel.
© http://www.salisburyinquests.wordpress.com, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to http://www.salisburyinquests.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
I acknowledge with thanks the permission of Salisbury Journal to reproduce their materials on this blog.
Wiltshire Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 
Posted by Susan Winch on June 4, 2017 at 3:51 pm
Hello there, what a wonderful website!
I have just discovered a burial record for my direct ancaetsor, who was buried 17 November 1835 in Mere, Wiltshire. His name was James FORWARD aged 43, “killed by accident.” I would love to know more. I would be so grateful if you could point me in the right direction. Kindest best wishes, Susan (Forward) Winch
Posted by bensloper on June 10, 2017 at 6:37 pm
Hello Susan,
Of course, my site only goes from 1860something-ish, so I cannot do 1835, and to be honest, newspapers of that period tended to tell much less of the detail, often you will get a mere mention without details, I have had a look on the British Newspaper Archive website but could find nothing pertinent, you could look in the Wiltshire History Centre for actual Coroner’s records, use the catalogues available at discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk , that’s the best I can suggest. The Wiltshire Family History Soc may have something, or the Online Parish Clerk websites. Best luck.
Posted by Iris on June 13, 2018 at 6:57 pm
Hello
Interesting comments regarding the causes of suicide in 1916 – ie during WW1 – a distant relative of mine committed suicide aged 41 at Bramshott Post Office (part of the Canadian camp). Could he have chosen that rather than conscription?
Where to look for the Inquest?
Frank Camden Townsend
Death date: 03/12/1916
Any help happily received!
idec44
Posted by bensloper on June 14, 2018 at 10:26 pm
Hello, Thanks for your comment, my comments on the cases on this site are often fuelled by modern cynicism, sometimes without real justification! I have searched on the British Newspaper Archive website, but was unable to locate any news item of your ancestor’s death by suicide. It may be that the press reporter was not on the spot to report on it, inquests were often held on the spot in a building local to the event, and often on the same day or that following. The fact is that suicide is simply not something that people would wish to talk about, but clearly it must have been happening. There was an awful lot of bellicose talk about going to war and getting it over quickly, doing your duty etc etc, but I note the date of late in 1916 – the Somme battle was six months old at that moment, many thousands had died there already and the nation was becoming uncomfortably aware of this death-toll. Regarding Coroner’s Inquests, if Bramshott Post Office was in Hampshire, then Hampshire Record Office in Winchester may hold Inquest records, though I would doubt the existence of it myself. Best wishes.
Posted by Tony Lyons on June 15, 2018 at 2:32 pm
I am chairman of the Bourne Valley Historical Society which covers eleven communities from Hurdcott (nr Salisbury) up to Cholderton. I would like permission to precis some facts in pamphlet form from your great website about those from this area who committed suicide. This would be of great use to our members. I hope you will feel able to grant permission.
Posted by bensloper on June 16, 2018 at 10:12 pm
Hi Tony, I would hope you would look at more than suicides! Yes, by all means, but, as the condition on the site states,… “Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to http://www.salisburyinquests.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.” I cannot allow direct copying, but quotes and the use of information in your own item is, of course, fine. I have transcribed all these reports and published them on the site with the permission of Salisbury Journal (Newsquest Media). What else are you writing about in your pamphlet? Best wishes.
Posted by Philip Hirst on August 14, 2018 at 9:29 am
Thanks for the inquest of Edward Siddy, killed by a plane that crashed at Lake Down airfield on Nov, 26 1917. In fact, my great uncle Lees Hyde was also involved in this accident. He was one of the two men in the bell tent that was crushed by the plane as it careered to a stop. He was badly injured and did not die until about 13 days later (Dec 8) in Fargo Hospital. I am surprised that there isn’t a separate inquest on him. Is the hospital in a different jurisdiction?
Posted by bensloper on August 14, 2018 at 8:08 pm
Hi, and thanks for the question. Unfortunately I cannot answer that. At the height of the war there were many deaths from people being in the wrong place at the wrong moment associated with all the movements of active wartime. I believe I am right in asserting that by this stage of the war, the Coroner, if he saw fit, could hold the inquest on his own, and, considering the fact that he had already held one that dealt with the accident, this may have been what happened. It was also a case that reporters could not be everywhere to record the event for the press. I have checked on the British Newspaper Archive, and there is no inquest noted in the Salisbury Journal. Best wishes.
Posted by Philip Hirst on August 14, 2018 at 8:27 pm
Thanks for checking. You’re probably right, but are you sure the BNA covers this date? It seems to have digitised the Salisbury and Winchester Journal up to 1911 and the Salisbury Times up to 1909. I think the BNA restricts itself to editions that are definitely out of copyright unless it has permission to use material that is still in copyright.
Posted by bensloper on August 15, 2018 at 10:40 pm
Ah, well, mmm, to quote Captain Mainwaring, “Ah yes, I was wondering which one of you would spot that one…” !!
Posted by Liz Millward on December 7, 2018 at 10:51 pm
Just discovered your wonderful site but unfortunately the inquest I am looking for is not here. I have just receceived the death certificate for Emily Scammell died 31 August 1885 Mere, Wilts – cause of death “Visitation of God from an enlargement of the liver” Inquest held 2nd September 1885. I have also searched the BNA with no luck. Can you suggest where else I could look?
Posted by bensloper on December 9, 2018 at 5:18 pm
Hello Liz, thanks for your comment. Go back on the BNA website and look at Frome Times, 9 Sep 1885, page 3, column 4. An interesting case, considering the comments they make on her, it may help to understand any family history of similar condition your family may know of already. There’s also a question about why she was in a workhouse in the first place, cases like her often found their way into asylums. A brutal age in many ways. I apologise that I did not have this case on the site already, because most of the site was produced by painstakingly scrolling through old microfilms on a grainy screen, photographing the items as best I could (a 3mb camera in those days) and transcribing the poor images as best I could! Amazing I got any of them down really, considering how easy the internet and BNA make the job now. Best wishes.