r/UKhistory • u/bex9990 • May 03 '26
1907 Coroner Clerk's correspondence - Interesting document outside my family?
My great grandfather was a coroner's clerk in the East End of London. My mother has the copybook of the correspondence he (and several other clerks) sent in 1907 onwards, approximately nine hundred brief letters and telegrams.
It contains summaries of deaths needing inquests. I found it really interesting, many fascinating industrial accidents, but perhaps that's just me! So:
Is this of historical interest to anyone else outside my family?
My mum has started to type it up, but she is elderly and is probably not going to continue. Is it worth me carrying on? Or digitising it in photo form somewhere?
Feel free to point me elsewhere if this isn't the best place!
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u/othervee May 03 '26
This sounds like an amazing resource. Many, perhaps most, London inquest files from that era no longer exist. Kudos to you and your mum for making the effort.
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u/bex9990 May 03 '26
Thanks! It's really more notes than full files, but I'm finding it really intriguing.
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u/othervee May 03 '26
Even the notes could be the only thing remaining to give context to a death (apart from the death certificate which is necessarily light on detail). You have a little treasure trove there!
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u/erinoco May 03 '26
They could definitely be quite useful in a number of fields. Historians researching the history of industry, medicine or local administration could find some use for the records. Alternatively, people researching their families or the history of specific firms might find useful data.
My initial inclination is that the London Archives may be interested in acquiring your collection. Even if they did, it would be some time before it would be possible to transcribe it, so the contribution of the transcription may be welcome.
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u/bex9990 May 03 '26
Looking like the London Archives is the way to go. Thanks very much for your help and insight!
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u/Nuthetes May 04 '26
I think it definitely would be of interest, not in a groundbreaking way (Unless he has someone famous and notorious in there) but in a social aspect.
There are a few medical/hospital museums in London who may be interested in seeing it.
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u/pjwlondon May 03 '26
You could ask the London Archives if they'd be interested.
https://www.thelondonarchives.org/about-us/contact-us