NRS-16247 | Mortuary Registers [Wallsend District Hospital]

These volumes record reception and release of the bodies of deceased persons at the mortuary of the Wallsend District Hospital. Allowing for some changes in format over time, the record typically shows the name of the deceased, the date and time of death or of reception in the mortuary, the ward from which the body was removed to the mortuary, the overall dimensions of the body, whether or not a post-mortem examination was held, whether the funeral was to be by burial or cremation, the sighting by the responsible wardsman of the death certificate presented by the undertaker (required before the body could be released), and the date of the body's release. Each entry is signed or initialled by the responsible wardsman. Between May, 1966 and February, 1979, two volumes were used in parallel to record receptions and releases, but before and after this period the data are recorded as part of a single entry in the same volume. The order of entries is chronological, by date and time of death or reception.