Royal Liverpool Hospital burial records

[Annembenson]

I am trying to find out where my Grandmother Violet Stuart is buried. She gave birth to my mother at 144a Brownlow Hill which I understand was the workhouse. Mum was brought up in the children's homes at Fazakerley. According to her death certificate Violet died in 1980 at the Royal Liverpool hospital and since no one claimed her body she was buried by the hospital. How do I find records of where Violet was buried? This is my very first post!
Anne.

[dickiesam]

Hello Anne and welcome,
Your Mum's birth was almost certainly at the Infirmary attached to the Liverpool Workhouse on Brownlow Hill, not at the workhouse itself.

Do you happen to know what religion Violet was? It could be an indicator as to where she was buried.

[Annembenson]

Hello and thank you for your reply. When mum was admitted to the cottage homes in Fazakerley she was 4 years and 4 months, and the records show her nearest relative was Violet whose address was the Walton Institution, which I understand was also a work house. For that reason I think Violet was in the work house when Mum was born. Mum was always Church of England, not sure if Violet was, I am not sure how I would find out.
Anne

[MaryA]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Although Ancestry include RC burials until 1988, they are probably far from complete so can't be relied on at such a recent date as 1980. For C of E burials it may well have taken place in one of the major cemeteries, such as Anfield or West Derby.

I suspect there would be a standard procedure but I think you would need to approach the NHS to discover this.

Although this site is no longer active it includes a number of links that may be of use to you to make enquiries http://www.liverpoolpct.nhs.uk/

This is the link for the Hospital https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/O ... px?id=1591 with a "Contact" link at the top of the page. I hope they can give you an answer.

[Annembenson]

Thank you for your help. I have sent an enquiry to the NHS using your link and will await a reply.
Anne

[dickiesam]

Hi Anne,
While I hope the NHS can come up with a definitive answer for you, I have never come across an instance where the NHS undertook responsibility for a burial. When a patient died without known relatives they would contact the local town or city council and hand the responsibility over to them for a Public Health Funeral.

​Public health funerals are funerals arranged by Local Authorities for those people who have died and have no known relatives to arrange or pay for their funeral; or have relatives who do not want to; or are unable to arrange their funeral. Local Authorities have a responsibility to arrange such funerals.

See: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages ... erals.aspx
and others...

[MaryA]

Although it was back in the '50s I do know of an instance where the hospital superintendant signed the death certificate and also arranged the burial of somebody who died without apparent relations.

But it's a good idea to follow both lines of enquiry, http://liverpool.gov.uk/

I hope one of them will be able to help you.

[Annembenson]

I may be wrong, the information I have is from Violets death certificate. Section 7a "name and surname of informant" Joan Rose Doyle. 7b "qualification" causing the body to be buried. I assumed that meant the hospital buried her. I don't know who J R Doyle is, I thought she would work at the hospital.
Anne

[dickiesam]

Google public health funerals and see many such as this....
http://www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/fune ... assistance

While this http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN06242.pdf suggests the NHS may have to organise and pay for a funeral under certain circumstances. "This is where it appears that no other suitable arrangements have been or are being made."
And: "Where a person dies in NHS care, the NHS may arrange and pay for the funeral, if there are no relatives or friends who are willing or able to do so. However, before doing so, an NHS Trust may approach the local authority to see if they are willing to arrange and pay for the funeral".

The document also suggests that unless there are strong objections, the deceased should be cremated. Seems to me it is the local council in the first resort and the NHS as a last resort?