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GRO Death Certificate with two names on it ?

S

Snowball

master brummie
I recently requested a Death Certificate from the GRO for one of my relatives who died in 1932. Her name was Marry Murray (nee Frankcom). I have now received the certificate but I'm at a loss to understand why there are two names on it. Under the heading "Name and surname" on the certificate it says - "Emma Burton otherwise Mary Murray" - what on earth is that supposed to mean ? It gets worse - under the heading "Occupation" it gives her address, the fact that she's a spinster, an old age pensioner and a canteen cleaner which is fine except for the fact that in this tiny space on the certificate it then goes on to say that she was the daughter of Samuel Burton, gives his occupation and then says (deceased). These details do not match my records at all and do not seem to apply to Mary Murray - has anybody had this experience before ? any sensible suggestions on how to interpret this certificate would be very much appreciated.

Regards, Chainsaw.
 
All I can think of is that she was registered as Emma Burton and adopted and given a new legal name change by her adoptive parents.
Alternatively like my Great Granddad... she was registered as Emma Burton and here paternal father left, or died before or shortly after her birth and her mother remarried. Emma was then given a new christian name and took on her mother's new husbands name .
With my G/Granddad they even change his age on census forms to fit in with the second marriage date....
 
Thanks for the suggestion Pomgolian but it doesn't quite fit with the circumstances. Mary was the first child born to my great grandfather and great grandmother. They had three other children after Mary all with the surname Frankcom. Mary's 1869 birth certificate is in the name of Frankcom. In Dec 1900 Mary married William Murray at which time her maiden name on the marriage certificate was still shown as Frankcom. From family folk lore I have been told that Mary and Wiiliam lived in Glover Road and that Mary died at the age of 65 years. All that seems to fit nicely with what is written on part of the Death Certificate but this second name Emma Burton is a complete mystery. Do you think it reasonable that this death certificate is for just the one person who might have been known by both names or is there some other logical or even illogical reason. I'm now trying to find out what happened to her husband William Murray and will be interested to see if that death certificate shows similar abnormalities.

Any further suggestions or discussions would be most welcome,

Regards, Chainsaw.
 
Hi Snowball,

Maybe she simply changed her name, my gt gt grandmother left her husband moved to a different town and changed her name so he wouldn't find her, I think it was easier for people to do that then.

Macca
 
Had look on the electoral roll, there are no William or Mary Murrays or Emma Burtons registered for Glover Road, however there is a William & Mary Murray living at 395 Charles Road Small Heath 1912-1935.

Macca
 
Last edited:
Hi Snowball

What's the address on the certificate and does it say who registered the death?

Suzanne
 
Thank you to everyone that has contributed so far, I really appreciate your assistance. In studying the certificate again I have made one error in my previous posts, Glover Road should read Glover Street.

Here is all of the info from the GRO supplied death certificate. Some of the spaces for the written words on thses certificates are quite small so you can imagine the size of the writing to get this muany words written into such small spaces. This is everything I have from the certificate:-

REGISTRATION DISTRICT BIRMINGHAM SOUTH
1932 DEATH in the sub-district of King's Norton in the County of Birmingham C.B.

No. 474

When and where died:- Thirty first May 1932. 1. B. Raddle Barn Road Selly Oak ud

Name and Surname:- Emma Burton otherwise Mary Murray

Sex:- Female

Age:- 65 years.

Occupation:- of 141 Glover Street Birmingham ud. Spinster, Old Age Pensioner, a canteen Cleaner, daughter of Samuel Burton an operative Cotton (my words, looks like Cotton) spinner (again my words, this word is very indistinct but looks like spinner or spanner), (deceased).

Cause of death:- first word is indistinct but looks like Pusulent Meningitis due to abscess of scalp due to laceration of scalp. Fell down stairs at home. Accidental Death. No P.M.

Signature, description and residence of informant:- Certificate recieved from W.K. Davison, Coroner for Birmingham Inquest held on 3rd June 1932

When registered:- Fourth June 1932

Signature of registrar looks like J.M. Robotham.

Thats all I have.

Macca, do you have any info on who might be registered at 141 Glover Street ?

Regards once again, Chainsaw.
 
This is strange Snowball.

Previously I had looked at Glover Street and found the following at 141
1925 - Mary Agnes Murray
1930 Mary Agnes Murray, Frederick Bolton, Margaret Pearl Bolton and Vera Mary Bolton

Suzanne

PS actual electoral image is defintely BOLTON
 
I also had a shock when I received a death certificate for my great-grandfather with two names on it.
At some point late in his life he had taken the name of one of his wife's siblings who had died as a child. He had obviously used it to evade someone! His death was registered in the name of the dead child and was then amended when a sister signed an affadavit stating his real name and what he had done.
As far as I can remember, the death was indexed in both names
 
Yes it looks like Emma Burton and Mary Murray deaths are both indexed 1932 Bham South 6d 65 AMJ
 
"1. B. Raddle Barn Road Selly Oak ud"
OK, That's Selly Oak Hospital. (ud = Urban District).

As the death was registered by the coroner(or someone from the Coroner's office) it looks as if she had no relatives.

"Pusulent Meningitis"
is in all probability Purulent Meningitis, where bacteria enter the brain through an open wound - for a detailed description see:
https://radiology.uchc.edu/eAtlas/CNS/1701.htm

As fro the two names, often if someone changed their name in the past they just did so, with no official alteration like deed poll.
I'd wonder where the father's details came from, or if they were 'invented' as part of a name change as well, i.e. Mary Murray started calling herself Emma Burton for some reason - or were this person and your Mary Murray two different people?


 
A partial resolution ?

When I first started to make notes about my ancestry I was only a teenager and lived in Birmingham with my parents and grandmother. Those old notes from almost half a century ago clearly say that Mary lived in Glover Street. This now gets somewhat confusing because I've found an old family record that says that Mary and her husband William Murray lived in Charles Road not Glover Street. The marriage certificate for Mary and William Murray dated 2nd December 1900 doesn't help resolve very much but it does raise a new problem which will be the subject of a different post.

It would appear that there is a very good chance that the Murray family that "smtr" identified in Charles Road are the ancestors I am looking for, who this Emma Burton was and the reason for the two names on the certificate might never be discovered.

I will now see if I can find Mary's death certificate that must post date 1932.

I would like to express my appreciation for the efforts others have made on my behalf, without your assistance I could have spent untold hours barking up the wrong tree.

Regards,

Chainsaw
 
smtr said:
This is strange Snowball.

Previously I had looked at Glover Street and found the following at 141
1925 - Mary Agnes Murray
1930 Mary Agnes Murray, Frederick Bolton, Margaret Pearl Bolton and Vera Mary Bolton

Suzanne

PS actual electoral image is defintely BOLTON
Click to expand...

I might have a lead on this one, the Glover St mentioned is the one by Great Barr St where the majority of my folks were. Now my Grandfather was named Frederick Bolton who was married to Maggie Bolton and they would have been in that district in 1930. They had quite a few children mostly girls and 3 brothers, one of them named Vera. My dad is one of the brothers who is named after my grandad. I do not know who is Mary Agnes Murray but I shall ask my dad to verify both the address and the detail above.
 
Snowball -As there was a coroner's inquest on the death of your relative,why not contact or visit Birmingham Record Office and see if they have any record of the inquest ? It may throw some light on the circumstances. These records are interesting anyway.Regards Sheila
 
Cornoners' records are notoriously patchy across different areas of the country. If Birmingham Archives doesn't have them, try looking in the local papers for a few days after the inquest. These reports often carry additional 'supporting' material avout the original incident.
 
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