Inquests are conducted by coroners and are held to investigate the manner and cause of death
Coroners
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.
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.
Missing persons
Missing persons must be declared dead by the Coroner. This must occur before the estate can be settled.
How do you know if an inquest was held?
The death certificate
The death certificate should show whether an inquest was held, or if an inquest was 'dispensed with'. Indexes to deaths registered in New South Wales are available on the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages website.
Indexes to inquests
If the approximate date of death is known, it is possible to check indexes to inquests for the appropriate year, under the name of the deceased. An inquest is not always held at the time of death. You may need to look in the years following the known date of death or try looking for a report in the newspapers of the time.
Search the online Index to Coroners' Inquests 1796-1824 and the Inquest Index July 1942-June 1963.
See below for indexes for 1826-1942.
Newspapers
You may locate a report about an inquest in a newspaper. We do not hold copies of newspapers. Digitised copies of some newspapers are available on the National Library of Australia's Trove website. The State Library of NSW or public libraries in the local area may also hold newspapers.
If there was foul play…
If there was foul play involved in a death, such as murder or manslaughter, Coroner's records can sometimes lead on to other court records. There may also be information in newspapers published at the time.
Inquests before 1825
| Series | Title | Dates | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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(Reels 2232-2233) *ARK |
Judge Advocate: Reports of inquests The volumes contain reports from coroners on inquests held throughout the Colony, including a few held in Van Diemen's Land and one at Port Macquarie. The deaths were mostly caused by drowning, apoplexy or a Visitation of God. There are also occasional murders, thieves killed in the course of a robbery and spearings by Aborigines (mostly in the Bathurst district). Item List
|
1796-Apr 1824, Jun 1828 | ||||||||||||||||||
| - | Colonial Secretary's Papers *ARK | 1788-1825 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
(Reels 6021, 2928) |
Colonial Secretary: Proceedings of coroner's inquests Reports of some of the inquests held in the colony, arranged alphabetically by the names of the deceased. They provide details of the names of the coroner, the deceased, the jury and a record of depositions and the jury's finding. |
1809-1822 |
Inquests 1826-1963
Indexes / Registers
For some years, for example May 1859-Mar 1864, indexes are the only surviving records relating to inquests. The Guide to Using the Archives Resources Kit and Births, Deaths and Marriages Guide provide full listings of these records.
Earlier registers show district, before whom inquest held, when and where held, date received, name of deceased, finding and date death certificate required. The later registers also record age of deceased, locality of birth, locality of death, and cash or property owned at the time of death. Though the registers can sometimes provide additional information, they usually reflect that on a standard death certificate.
See the Inquest Papers section below for a list of papers surviving for this period.
Where the inquest papers have not survived, the newspapers of the day can be a valuable source of additional information.
| Series | Title | Dates | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - |
Card index to inquests This index was compiled by NSW State Archives staff and is accessible in the reading room. It complements the following series NRS 344. 1839-44 lists surnames A-G only. |
1834-1836, 1839-1844, 1852-1858, 1867-1868, 1870-1875 |
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Attorney General & Justice: 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. Item List
|
1859-1898 |
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| NRS 343 |
Attorney General & Justice: Register of Coroners inquests and magisterial inquiries *ARK
Please note that the following registers are incorrectly labelled on Reel 2921: 4/6611.1 as 4/6611; 4/6611.2 as 4/6612; and 4/6612 as 4/6613. Item List
|
1834-1942 |
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| NRS 346 |
Attorney General & Justice: Card register to inquests The cards are arranged alphabetically for each six-month period. Search the online index here. |
Jul 1942-Mar 1963 |
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| NRS 1783 |
Sydney City Coroner: Registers of inquests and inquiries Item list
|
1862-1926 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NRS 1784 |
Sydney City Coroner: Index to registers of inquests and inquiries Item list
|
1883-1925 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NRS 1785 |
Sydney Coroner: Registers of inquests dispensed with Item list
|
1882-1927 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Inquest papers
Information found within the papers may include particulars relating to the deceased, such as age and locality of death, circumstances surrounding the death, copy of the coroner's findings, names of members of the jury and also names of witnesses and their testimonies. When an inquest was related to a fire, information given may include the address of the dwelling and the name of the occupants and owner.
The papers can be a valuable source of information and may include statements from witnesses, police and medical officers. Information may also include a record of personal items found on the deceased and occasionally photographs of the death scene or the victim. For this reason, they may be distressing to the researcher.
If further court action arose out of the inquest, the inquest papers may be filed with the later court papers.
The inquest files are mostly indexed and the indexes are listed above. The files concerning reports of deaths, inquests dispensed with and magisterial inquiries are not indexed. These files are listed in date order. The lists are available in the reading room.
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| NRS 345 |
Coroners' inquest papers (Files concerning inquests, magisterial inquiries and inquests dispensed with) A small number of inquest papers have survived for some localities in 1851, as well as inquest-related papers for 1926, and 1930 (in 19/8450). List available in Reading Room. A small sample of files from 1916, 1918-1920, 1921-1939 have survived. View a list of surviving papers for 1916-1939 » The bulk of the papers from 1940-Dec 1963 have survived. A card index exists for inquests held between July 1942-March 1963. When the date of an inquest is known from a death certificate it may be possible for staff to check the index. |
1851-1963 |
| NRS 313 |
Letters received 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 |
1918-1920 |
Inquests for specific localities
Occasionally there are records for specific localities. Where these survive, they are listed in the catalogue. See below in 'Other Records' for what types of records may have survived.
| Series | Title | Dates | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
(Reel 2667) |
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. |
May 1815-Sep 1819; Jun 1828 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
(Reel 3146) |
Port Macquarie: Register of inquests and magisterial inquiries | Jan 1839-Sep 1855 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
(Reel 3147) |
Dubbo: Register of inquests and magisterial inquiries | 1904-1917 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(Reel 2667) |
Lower Hawkesbury: Verdicts in Inquests | 1888-1913 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(Reel 2242)
|
O'Connell Plains: Coroner's Notebook | 27 Oct 1883-21 Nov 1889 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
(Reel 3147) |
Parramatta, Silverton and Singleton: Register of inquests and inquiries held by R.H. Mathews | 26 Jul 1884-9 Oct 1894 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
(Reel 3147) |
Penrith: Register of inquests and magisterial inquiries. | 10 Jun 1914-8 Oct 1928 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NRS 1796 |
North Sydney: Registers of bodies received A register each entry of which was apparently filled in by the person (usually a policeman) depositing the body. Information is recorded under the following headings: number and date, name and sex, age, where born and occupation, when and where found, remarks giving full personal description (in cases in which bodies had not been identified), and a statement of wounds or injuries appearing thereon. The entry was signed by the person depositing the body. Item list
|
1881-1908 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NRS 1797 |
North Sydney: Post Mortem Registers, 1881-1908 Item list
|
1881-1908 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
[4/6589] |
North Sydney: Index to Post Mortem registers | 1907-1908 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NRS 1799 |
South Sydney: Register of bodies received A register each entry of which was apparently filled in and signed by the person (usually a policeman) depositing the body. Information is recorded under the following headings: number and date, name and sex, age, where born and occupation, when and where found, remarks giving full personal description (in cases in which bodies had not been identified), and a statement of all wounds or injuries appearing thereon. Item list
|
1881-1901 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NRS 1800 |
South Sydney: Post mortem registers The registers contain entries under the following headings: date of death; date of autopsy; name of doctor making autopsy; name of medical attendant of deceased, if known; name of deceased; birthplace; age and occupation; previous history and habits of deceased; circumstances connected with the death of the deceased; special remarks, where necessary; post mortem appearances-giving full description of the body, and of all external marks or injuries, if any; external description; result of post mortem; cause of death; signature of doctor; and date. Item list
|
10 Oct 1881-13 Jun 1901 |
Related records
Pharmacy Board
| Series | Title | Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
(Reels 3147-3148) |
Register of deaths by poisoning Information provided may include the name of the deceased, date of death, place of death, poison, how poison was administered and remarks. |
1924-1939 |
Other records
The following are descriptions of typical records that may survive for specific localities.
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.
Further details
For information about the current coronial system in New South Wales, check the NSW Coroners Court website.
ARCHIVES IN BRIEF / SHORT GUIDES
Content in theis Guide first appeared in Archives in Brief 4 - Inquests and coronial records and Short Guide 2- Births, Deaths and Marriages
What's happened with Archives in Brief and Short Guides »
*ARK signifies that a copy of the record or guide is part of the Archives Resources Kit and is held by the community access points.