Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are kindly advised that this website includes images, sounds and names of people who have passed.
All users should be aware that some topics or historical content may be culturally sensitive, offensive or distressing, and that some images may contain nudity or are of people not yet identified. Certain words, terms or descriptions may reflect the author's/creator's attitude or that of the period in which they were written, but are now considered inappropriate in today's context.
In the Library (or anywhere with a Library card for NSW residents) | |
Only in the Library | |
Publicly available |
You can use Reports of inquests, 1796-April 1824, June 1828 when you are in the Library. Can't come to the Library? Contact us. |
To search these records, you need to know the approximate date of your convict's death. If you are unsure of their date of death you can use the last known date when they were alive as a starting point.
STEP 1
Find the Reports of inquests, 1796-April 1824, June 1828 (Archives Resources Kit reel numbers 2232 and 2233) on the drawers in the Family history area of the Governor Marie Bashir Reading Room.
You can search the Index to Coroners' Inquests, 1796-1824 on the State Archives & Records NSW website. |
STEP 2
Select the reel that covers the date of your convict's death. The inquest reports are arranged by date.
STEP 3
Look up your convict's name in the alphabetical index at the front of the volume and note the page number.
STEP 4
Scroll through to the page number noted from the index to find a copy of the inquest report. You can also view the original records in the Library on Ancestry Library Edition (Registers of Coroners' Inquests, 1821-1937) or by visiting State Archives & Records NSW.
Some of the inquest records are hard to read as they are all handwritten. |
Inquests are investigations by the Crown into the cause of death. An inquest may be undertaken by the government when the deceased cannot be identified, has died from suicide or homicide, the cause of death is unclear or if the person died in state care.