COPY Inquests & coronial records guide

Inquests are conducted by coroners and are held to investigate the manner and cause of a death or a fire.

Major sources for inquest records

Before 1825

• NRS-5607 Judge Advocate: Reports of inquests, 1796-Apr 1824, Jun 1828 *ARK

This series is indexed by the Coroners inquest index, 1796-1824. It is also available for searching on the Ancestry website in the database New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Coroners' Inquests, 1821-1937.

• Colonial Secretary's papers, 1788–1825

View and download the digitised records

• NRS-1024 Colonial Secretary: Proceedings of coroner's inquests, 1809-1822

Note: The proceedings of inquests which returned a finding of murder by a named person are not listed here.

After 1825

• Card index to inquests, 1834-1836, 1839-1844, 1852-1858, 1867-1868, 1870-1875

Compiled by staff and accessible in the Reading Room. It complements the following series NRS-344 below. Note that 1839-44 lists surnames A-G only.

These indexes and registers cover inquests heard around NSW, including Sydney.

• NRS-344 Indexes to registers of coroners inquests *ARK

This series is incomplete - the registers are only partially indexed. Prior to 1899, indexes are located in the front of 4/6611.2 (H-Z only) and 4/6612 only; the remaining available indexes for this period, which are separate volumes, are to be found on the following reels.

This series is complemented by the card index to inquests, listed above.

• NRS-343 Register of Coroners inquests and magisterial inquiries, 1834-1942 *ARK

Between 1899 and 1942 an index is included in the front of each register. Registers have not survived for the period May 1859-Mar 1864 (although index entries may be found).

This series is available for searching on the Ancestry website in the database New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Coroners' Inquests, 1821-1937.

The three series below are all listed in the online index

• NRS-346 Card register to inquests, Jul 1942-Mar 1963

The cards are arranged alphabetically for each six-month period.

• NRS-345 Coroners' inquest papers (files concerning inquests, magisterial inquiries and inquests dispensed with), 1851-1963

We hold a small sample of files from 1851, 1916, 1918-1920, 1921-1939. The bulk of the papers from 1940-Dec 1963 have survived.

• NRS 313 Letters received, 1918-1920

A number of files relating to inquests are included with the correspondence. These inquests were passed on to the Attorney General because the Coroner had brought down an open verdict or a reward was offered to bring forward more information.

Inquests for specific localities

Occasionally there are records for specific localities. Where these survive, they are listed in the catalogue. Examples are:

Sydney City Coroner

• NRS-1783 Registers of inquests and inquiries, 1862-1926

This series is available for searching on the Ancestry website in the database New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Coroners' Inquests, 1821-1937.

• NRS-1784 Index to registers of inquests and inquiries, 1883-1938

The years 1883-1911 are copied on Reel 1390

• NRS-1785 Registers of inquests dispensed with, 1882-89

Record name of deceased, date and number of inquest dispensed with.

More Sydney Coroner records

Registers of bodies received

The registers show the number of the body and date received, name, sex, age, birthplace, occupation, where and when found, remarks, description and a statement of wounds or injuries.

Post mortem registers

Post mortem registers list the date of death, date of autopsy, doctor and medical attendant, name of deceased, birthplace, age, occupation, previous history and habits of the deceased, circumstances surrounding the death, remarks, external description, result of post mortem, cause of death, doctor's signature and date.

Internal examination registers

These record the name of the deceased, date of autopsy, cause of death, age, occupation, birthplace, date of death, by whom identified, circumstances relating to the death, and details of medical examination.

External examination registers

These may provide the name, age and birthplace of the deceased, occupation, date and results of examination, remarks and signature of the pathologist.

See the catalogue for a list of records from Sydney Coroner.

• NRS-1796 North Sydney: Registers of bodies received, 1881-1908

This series is available for searching on the Ancestry website in the database Sydney, Australia, Morgue Registers of Bodies, 1881-1908.

• NRS-1798 North Sydney: Index to post-mortem registers, 1907-1908
• NRS-1797 North Sydney: Post mortem registers, 1881-1908

This series is available for searching on the Ancestry website in the database Sydney, Australia, Morgue Registers of Bodies, 1881-1908.

• NRS-1799 South Sydney: Register of bodies received, 2 Oct 1881-23 Aug 1892

This series is available for searching on the Ancestry website in the database Sydney, Australia, Morgue Registers of Bodies, 1881-1908.

• NRS-1800 South Sydney: Post mortem registers, 10 Oct 1881- 8 Jul 1889

This series is available for searching on the Ancestry website in the database Sydney, Australia, Morgue Registers of Bodies, 1881-1908.

• NRS-1788 Sydney: Registers of bodies received, 1908-1965

See the item list for NRS-1788 here.

Other localities

• NRS-1757 Coroners and Morgue: Verdicts in inquests - County of Buckinghamshire, Van Diemen's Land, May 1815-Sep 1819; County of Cumberland (NSW), Jun 1828

Verdicts in inquests, recording dates of death and of inquisition, name of deceased, circumstances and cause of death. Each verdict is signed by the coroner and members of the jury. In some cases for Buckinghamshire and in all cases for Windsor depositions are also included.

• NRS-1780 Port Macquarie: Register of inquests and magisterial inquiries, Jan 1839-Sep 1855
• NRS-1764 Dubbo: Register of inquests and magisterial inquiries, 1904-1917
• NRS-1769 Lower Hawkesbury: Verdicts in inquests, 1888-1913
• NRS-1772 O'Connell Plains: Coroner's notebook, 27 Oct 1883-21 Nov 1889
• NRS-1775 Parramatta, Silverton and Singleton: Register of inquests and inquiries held by R.H. Mathews, 26 Jul 1884-9 Oct 1894
• NRS-1778 Penrith: Register of inquests and magisterial inquiries, 10 Jun 1914-8 Oct 1928

Other records

Pharmacy Board

• NRS-10914 Register of deaths by poisoning, 1924-1939

Information provided may include the name of the deceased, date of death, place of death, poison, how poison was administered and remarks.

Responsibility of the Coroner

For information about the current coronial system in New South Wales, check the NSW Coroners Court website.

The most important function of a Coroner was to inquire into unnatural or sudden deaths, and Coroners were authorised to hold inquests in all cases of death if the body should be lying within the Police district or districts in which his jurisdiction applied. In the more remote Police districts of the Colony where no Coroner was situated, magistrates could take depositions and inquire into the circumstances of death but, in such cases, a Justice of the Peace had no authority to empanel a Jury, as had a Coroner.

In addition to this function, Coroners had a common law right to preserve general order, were authorised to hold inquests on bodies of all persons who died in prison and could also hold inquests respecting deaths taking place in asylums, hospitals or public institutions. In the event of the destruction of any property, real or personal, by fire the Coroner had jurisdiction to inquire into the cause and origin of such fire.

Under the Coroners Act, (No. 27, 1980) Coroners must hold an inquest when the deceased person is not identified, when the cause of death is not determined, when the person died as a result of a homicide, or if the person died in or attempting to escape from police custody. A coroner may also be directed to hold an inquest by the Attorney General or the State Coroner.

Reports of death

Deaths in certain circumstances must be reported to the Coroner. These circumstances include: sudden or unnatural deaths - occurring as a result of an accident, suicide or act of violence, deaths of persons in institutions or in police custody, and deaths within 24 hours of, or as a result of the administration of anaesthetic. These may or may not result in an inquest.

Missing persons

Missing persons must be declared dead by the Coroner. This must occur before the estate can be settled.

Inquests dispensed with

Not all reports of death result in an inquest. Under the current Act a coroner may dispense with an inquest if the circumstances around the death or fire are sufficiently disclosed to make a formal court hearing unnecessary.