View report page

126
"To the Relieving Officers and the District Medical Officers a letter was written, as
follows:—
' Proposed Mortuary Chapel for North Kensington.—The Cemeteries Sub-Committee of the
Public Health Committee are considering whether it would be desirable to provide at North
Kensington a mortuary chapel for the reception of the bodies of poor persons who may have
lived, or who have died, in that portion of the Borough, and for which there is no suitable
accommodation at the homes of the deceased persons or their relatives. The suggestion to
provide such temporary resting place for the dead, as distinct from the mortuary to which the
Coroner's court is attached, arose out of an expression of opinion that the little use made of the
existing mortuary by poor persons residing at North Kensington was due to its distance from the
poorer parts of that division of the Borough. In this connection I may mention that, last year,
not more than five bodies were admitted at the- request of the relatives of deceased persons.
During the same period 67 bodies were admitted at the request of undertakers,* 37 from North
Kensington.
' In the year 1901 about 230 bodies of parishioners were removed from the Infirmary for
burial by the friends of the deceased, the larger portion, presumably, to North Kensington, and
to poor homes without suitable accommodation.
' The object of this letter is to ask you to favour me, for the information of the Sub-Committee,
with an expression of your opinion whether the provision of a mortuary chapel (without
facilities for the making of post-mortem examinations) would meet a public want ? and whether,
from your knowledge of the sentiments of the poor in your district, you think there is reasonable
probability that such use would be made of a second mortuary as to justify the expenditure in
construction and maintenance as would be entailed thereby ? '
" Replies were received from two Relieving Officers, as follows :—
(1) ' A mortuary chapel, such as is suggested, would, if made use of, no doubt be a boon,
but I am of opinion it would rarely be used by those for whom it was intended.'
(2) ' Adequate provision is provided for the pauper class and almost in every case
the bodies are removed to the public mortuary by the contracting undertaker ;' but ' whether the
poorer class would avail themselves of such provision is difficult to say. If such a mortuary
were built, no doubt they would soon see that it was to their advantage. The suggestion, I
think, deserves consideration.'
"The senior District Medical Officer for North Kensington wrote:
' I have often been most forcibly struck by the need (of the proposed mortuary chapel) in a
district in which many families are unable to provide more than two or three rooms, and often
only one, for living purposes. It seems to me terrible that, sometimes for days together, these
must be tenanted by the living and the dead It is a crying evil which should be remedied
without delay, and I have little doubt that a mortuary chapel would be extensively used.'
" Excepting the last, all of the foregoing communications had reference, mainly, to the dead
bodies of poor persons who had been in receipt of ' relief,' in-door or out-door, at the time of death,
or whose relatives were so poor as to be dependent on the Guardians for ' burial orders,' whether by
way of ' relief or loan. But in addition to these cases there are, in the course of the year,
hundreds of deaths of persons, poor but not paupers, who had resided with their families in
lodgings or tenements so restricted for room as not to afford suitable accommodation for the bodies
during the time—often extending to a week—between death and burial. The surviving relatives of
deceased persons of this class, it is probable, would come in course of time to value such provision
as is contemplated for the reverent care of their dead. And it can hardly be questioned that they
would be encouraged to avail themselves of it by ministers of religion and medical practitioners,
who would know how to estimate its value."
In connection with the enquiry I had communication with the Medical Officer of Health for
the Borough of St. Marylebone, which possesses accommodation of the sort desiderated. He
informed me that in the year 1901, 561 bodies were deposited; of which, 212, in the ordinary
mortuary, became the subjects of inquisition by the coroner, whilst 97 had been admitted from the
parochial infirmary or workhouse The remaining 252 bodies, deposited in the mortuary chapel, had
been removed from the homes of parishioners at the request of surviving relatives ; a number which
contrasts favourably with the " five " cases of deposit at our own mortuary, and would seem to
indicate that in St. Marylebone the accommodation provided, mainly for the benefit of the poor, is
appreciated.
The upshot of the report was that the Public Health Committee recommended the erection
of the proposed chapel, and their report was adopted by the Council. After full consideration, the
site I proposed, at the north-east corner of Avondale Park, near the superintendent's lodge, was
approved, and at the present time of writing the foundations of the building are being laid.
* In many cases on the order of the relieving officers.