How to obtain details of my brother's decease in 1990

sevenonine

I need to obtain a copy of the certificate of his death - is it Companies House where it is registered? 

I am his sister and at the time of his death I was living in Australia.  I was informed by telephone by his wife but wasn't able to return for his funeral.

His wife died in the 2070s but his children - particularly the first, has been asked to send me a copy but is deliberately taking her time to do so. Since my return to the UK, all his children have alienated me despite being their only relative on my brother's side.

I would appreciate help and advice in this matter, eg full name of website, cost of the certificate and what proof of relationship is needed.

Many thanks in advance for assistance.

Keep_pedalling

You can obtain one here.

https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate

Caz3121

information here on ordering copies https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate

JGB1955

You can order a copy from Order a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

No proof of relationship needed - they are public documents and available to anyone.

You can also find out if probate was granted (and thereby get a copy of any recorded Will) at Find a will | GOV.UK (probatesearch.service.gov.uk)

Mojisola

JGB1955 said:

You can also find out if probate was granted (and thereby get a copy of any recorded Will) at Find a will | GOV.UK (probatesearch.service.gov.uk)

His estate may not have needed to go to probate if everything went to his wife.

You could also get a copy of her will if you want.

BooJewels

I have found recently that not all certificates are available on the Government central web site, but more are available on the web site of the county where he passed and the death was registered - so it's a local process, not a central one. 

So if you know the county, it might prove easier.  I just ordered some duplicate certificates and they were £11 each and took a couple of weeks to arrive.

RAS

The situation here is very different to Australia. You should be able to get some information from sites like Ancestry (check your local main library) for deaths prior to 2007.

They also have more recent information but it only covers about half of deaths, and details of probate (date of death and grant).

All this information is public here. You then need to order from the government sites above. Don't get caught out by the adverts that often top the page and charge much higher fees.

Marmaduke123

BooJewels said:

I have found recently that not all certificates are available on the Government central web site, but more are available on the web site of the county where he passed and the death was registered - so it's a local process, not a central one. 

The GRO website as already linked has deaths up to and including 2019 at present, and you can order through it. If a PDF rather than a legal certificate will suffice the cost is £7.00. If you need a legal certificate it is £11.00. Don't  go through Ancestry or similar as they charge much more

RAS

Marmaduke123 said:

BooJewels said:

I have found recently that not all certificates are available on the Government central web site, but more are available on the web site of the county where he passed and the death was registered - so it's a local process, not a central one. 

The GRO website as already linked has deaths up to and including 2019 at present, and you can order through it. If a PDF rather than a legal certificate will suffice the cost is £7.00. If you need a legal certificate it is £11.00. Don't  go through Ancestry or similar as they charge much more

I'm not suggesting that the OP order certificates through Ancestry. 

However, if you don't know the exact date and place of death, it and the other sites do offer references that you can check further like probate records. For the wife's death it may be that the electoral roll gives a clue as to when she died, if the OP knows the address.

And in this instance, I agree a pdf might be a better bet as it has signature etc.

Flugelhorn

the certificate will give the cause of death, if sudden it will have been referred to the coroner who may have agreed the COD with the attending doctor and permitted him to complete the certificate and issued a form A to allow the funeral to take place .

If cause not clear on history  to attending staff / coroner then there will have been a coroner's PM and then pathologist or coroner will have stated the cause of death on the cert (so not the doctor who was called). 

If there was a PM then the doctor who was called will not be named on the certificate.

BooJewels

There is a cause of death noted on the death certificate and the name of the doctor who certified it - but no contact details or practice information - and over 30 years later they may well be retired or have passed themselves.

My recent experience of 4 death certificates is that 3 of them put down the main condition they were suffering with that was assumed to have caused their demise and in the 4th case, my uncle died having prostate cancer and my aunt was very upset that they put 'heart failure' as the cause of death, because at the time of his death, his heart was what seemingly gave out first.
So I don't know how much you can rely on that few word entry on a death certificate, if were just signed off by his GP or similar. 

Post Mortems would be handled by the local Coroner's office I think - and if a post mortem was done (only where there is something suspect or unusual about a death - a distant family member was found dead recently - quite young - and is undergoing one, because there was no obvious or expected cause), I presume that the entry on the death certificate as to cause of death would therefore be certified by the Coroner who undertook it.  So getting a death certificate is going to be your starting point to find those assorted things out.