Coroners were first appointed in 1194, their function was to investigate and
establish the causes of deaths which were suspicious or sudden without
obvious reason as to why. Coroner's Courts are still held today for the
same purpose but also deal with other matters such as treasure trove - their
'sittings' are called inquests.
Vera Brown
Chairman
Powys FHS
-----Original Message-----
From: Wilson, MD (Michael) [mailto:M.D.Wilson@rl.ac.uk]
Sent: 28 November 2003 11:14
To: POWYS-L(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: [POWYS] Coronership of the County of Montgomeryshire
Does anybody on this list know what was the role and function of the Coroner
of Eastern Mongomeryshire in the 16th and 17th centuries ?
In W.A.Griffiths (1948) "Richard Griffiths of County Montgomery, gent., Mr
Case's Scholar", The Mongomeryshire Collections, Vol L, Part II, pgs 151-167
it states that:
[T]he Coronership of the Eastern half of the County was held by the
Glenhavren and Trederwen House family and their kinsmen for about 150 years.
Besides Richard Griffiths of Glenhavren, who died in 1587, there were
Randolph Parry of Llanerchbrochwel, Coroner 1613-1624; Morris Lloyd, Coroner
1651-1676; John Vaughan of Trederwen Hall, Coroner 1649-1665; Archur Vaughan
of trederwen Hall, Coroner 1665-1678; John Griffiths of Glanhavren, Coroner
1678-1711, followed by Thomas Rogers of Burgedin, Coroner 1711 until his
death in 1728. Then the appointmentof Lumley Williams of Ystum Colwyn broke
the sequence of family interests.
However, the author does not explain what the Coronership of the Eastern
half of the County of Montgomeryshire entailed.
Elsewhere I have seen the statement:
The office of coroner dates back to the central middle ages, but very few
early records survive. Indeed, no records survive at all for Breconshire,
and the Radnorshire and Montgomeryshire coroners' records commence in the
middle of the nineteenth century. After 1888 he was appointed by the County
Council.
Can anybody enlighten me ?
thanks
Michael Wilson
http://www.bitd.clrc.ac.uk/Person/M.D.Wilson