Welcome to The Briercliffe Society Forum

I wonder if any of your experts can help?My Father was married before he married my Mother.His first wife died in 1926 3 weeks after giving birth to a Stillborn child. I have researched as far as I can and found that the child is buried in a Communal Grave and the Mother in a normal grave that my Father purchased.I have found A Cemetery Record that lists the baby as Unknown Procter and a further record that lists the baby as Stillborn Procter.
My Father never ever spoke of his first wife. In fact it is only recently that I found out about it. As all the people who were witness to his Marriage and his wifes Death are dead long ago I wonder if there is any way that I can find out more of my Brother/Sister?All this happened such a long time ago that I am concerned that I will never find out. As far as I am aware the child was not given a name but surely a Christian Ceremony was performed. I need to know if I had a Brother or a Sister
All my relatives are dead so there is no one that I can ask.Any ideas anyone?

Have you looked in the local newspapers?

What cemetery is the baby interred in?

Do you know the name of the funeral home that provided the service? Maybe they still exist and ca be contacted.

Hi James,
where did all this take place?
Have you tried looking on Ancestry to see if the birth was registered. I don't know if stillbirths are registered, or maybe the baby was premature as well.
I have a sub to Ancestry and could look for you if you want.
Gloria

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

I don't think there would have been a ceremony in 1926. My mum had a sister who only lived a day. She was buried in a communal grave and as far as we know, there was no ceremony to speak of (it was before mum was born).

I assume the burial record does not state the sex but maybe the actual cemetery may have a note giving more info?

_________________
Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

James, have you looked into getting a Civil Registration certificate for the baby? An Act making it compulsory to register stillbirths came into force in 1926, but I don't know if it was at the beginning of the year and would thus cover this instance.

The GRO site http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/stillbirths/ has information about obtaining a stillbirth registration certificate. A brother or sister of the stillborn child may obtain a certificate if he/she has information about the parents' date of death, but apparently the procedure is different from the usual one.

Joan

James, I've just looked into it further, and it seems that although the Act to register stillbirths was passed in 1926, it didn't come into effect until 1927.

An aunt of mine had twins in 1923 who lived ten minutes and two hours. They were buried in the municipal cemetery with no religious ceremony. Another aunt had a child in August 1926, who lived seven hours, also buried in the municipal cemetery with no religious ceremony.

Joan

Thank you to the replies and the offers of help. I will give you all the facts of my research so far.
The events that I described occured in Rishton Lancashire.I contacted the Cemeterys i Lancashire and they said that 'Unknown Procter was buried in a Communal Grave in Great Harwood on the 7th Jan 1926
I contacted Accrington Library who told me that Elizabeth Procter wife of James Procter[my father] aged 40 of 11a Walmsley Street Rishton was buried on 16th Jan 1926 in plot 541 Great Harwood and that 'Stillborn Procter' of 11a Walmsley Street Rishton was buried on the 7th Jan 1926 in plot 2196 Great Harwood.
That is as much as I have found out. I wondered if there was Religious Ceremony for the child which would perhaps have a record of thr event and possibly have details of the sex of my brother/sister? I like the suggestion that someone made that there might be a mention in a local paper.The local Church is St Peter and St Paul in Rishton. I wonder if they kept records?

Accrington Library would have the newspapers of the time, maybe worth contacting them again.

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

I have looked at deaths, but cannot see the baby there. Perhaps deaths weren't registered when stillborn. For some reason Ancestry won't let me search "Complete Births" today so I don't know if I can find it there.
It might be worth contacting the Hyndburn branch of LFHHS, the e-mail address is hyndburn@lfhhs.org.uk they might have an idea as where to go from here.
Good luck
Gloria

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

I have found the death reg details of Elizabeth. On Ancestry it is under Procter, but the "e" is a bit of a blur and it should probably be an "o".
Proct?r Elizabeth
Year 1926
March Quarter
Age at death 40
Blackburn
Vol 8e
Page 451

I wonder if you could get any more details from this, they may mention the baby in the cause of death. Might be worth a try.

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

From Lancashirebmd I have found these
Birth 1926
Frederick Proctor, sub district Blackburn South Western, registration district Blackburn, reference BSW/30/46
Death 1926
Frederick Proctor, age at death 0, sub district Blackburn South Western, registration district Blackburn, reference BSW/19/94

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

I also found Elizabeth Proctor on Lancashire bmd, Blackburn South Eastern Blackburn BSE/31/35. Notice that she was registered Backburn South Eastern, the baby Blackburn South Western. It doesn't necessarily mean they weren't mother & son, but it's a pointer. Obvously the child's death cert is the only thing that would be conclusive.

_________________
Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

Gloria, doesn't this mean that the birth/death was registered and therefore a certificate would be available? If so, there would be an address, and informant's name, which would indicate whether this child is the one James is seeking.

Joan

That's what I was thinking Joan, but it isn't forced to be the right child, must be worth a try though. I could just do with getting on Ancestry to double check it, but for some reason it isn't letting me search "Complete Births".

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Would the death have to be registered before the burial can take place? If that is the case, the burial would say more than 'Stillborn Proctor' wouldn't it?

_________________
Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!