Reference
Co/Inq2/3
Title
Individual inquest reports
Date free text
1952-2007
Production date
From: 1952 To: 2007
Scope and Content
Administrative background.
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Contains inquests from four distinct groups based on administrative areas. These are as follows:
**Borough of Bedford - from 1952 to 1974 when cases were merged with the County series. The Borough Coroner was also Coroner for the district of North Bedfordshire.
**District of North Bedfordshire: from 1952 to 1972 when cases were merged into the County series. The North District Coroner was also Coroner for the Borough of Bedford.
**District of South Bedfordshire; from 1964 to 1972 when cases were merged into the County series.
** County of Bedfordshire: from 1972, when the North and South districts were combined. Note that prior to 1986 the cases appear in one reference sequence imposed by the archive service and prefixed Co/Inq2/3/CB. After 1986 the cases are grouped by year based on their original file reference.
Inquests were held in the area which the deceased died. Thus if a resident of Podington had died in a road accident on the B557 in Aspley Guise, the Coroner for South Bedfordshire would hold the inquest. If, however, the injured person was taken to Bedford South Wing and died there, the Coroner for the Borough of Bedford would conduct the inquest.
Documentation Guide.
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There is no such thing as a 'standard file', each case may have differing documentation. However, certain documents are commonly found on the majority of files. These include:
Inquisition Sheet; Report to Coroner of Death; Post-Mortem Report; Pathologists' Report; Witness Statements; Notice of Requirement to Attend an Inquest; Sketch Maps/Plans; Photographs [where included this is noted by an asterisk * on the individual case entry; other documents can include letters from the deceased's doctor, Coroner's notes on procedure etc., suicide notes', letters from insurance companies and forms allowing a body to be removed from England for disposal.
Note: Many files were found to have been heavily weeded presumably by the Coroner himself. In these cases, very little remains apart from the Inquisition Sheet and Report to Coroner of Death, these cases have been highlighted with a 'plus' sign [+].
Access restrictions
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Where material is less than 75 years old, and has not previously been assessed by archive staff, requests for access will be assessed under Freedom of Information legislation. If there is no exemption to the information requested being made available access will be granted as part of our normal business and the file will be opened from then on. Where any exemptions to Freedom of Information apply or may apply we will liaise with the coroner regarding the request.
Level of description
file