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And, though I kill him not, I am the cause, His death was so effected – Alls Well That Ends Well (III.2) The Reports of Sir Edward Coke, Knt. [1572-1617]: In English, in ..., Volume 2By Great Britain. Courts, Sir Edward Coke | This report talks about the official inquisition by a coroner and the report findings. | Source Being a 16th Century Coroner The position of coroner has been in place in England since the 12th century, when Richard the Lionheart established the office of "custos placitorum coronae" which is Latin for "keeper of the pleas of the Crown." The word "coroner" is actually derived from this phrase, with "coronae" becoming "coroner" over time. William Danby is the coroner who investigated the death of Christopher Marlowe. He is mentioned here in Black Books VOL 1 1422-, 1586 by The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn. | Source The position itself is an elected position, and usually an office held my gentlemen local to the area with at least some legal training. Surprisingly, coroner's of Shakespeare's lifetime would not have necessarily had medical training. By volume, there were usually several coroners per county, but that depended on the size of the county. Small counties had 2, operating as a pair, larger had 4 or more, and towns often had their own coroner. They didn’t get to the dead body for a number of days after the events happen. Coroner John Best is mentioned in the Black Books VOL 1 1422-, 1586 by The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn | Source Now for a modern coroner’s office there are coolers for the bodies to keep them from decaying while the evidence is collected. Obviously, refrigeration didn’t exist for Shakespeare’s lifetime, so I asked Steven about the process of performing an autopsy. Steven explains that autopsies had to be performed quickly, and typically the bodies were left right where the accident occurred until the coroner could evaluate it. Occasionally, the records show that bodies would be brought to a public building or left outside a church where the presumption was that they would be safer. Uncertain life, and sure death. – Alls Well That Ends Well (II.3) In this report from The Reports of Edward Coke, knt. (1572–1617) Part.IV pp.45–47, a man is accused of manslaughter after the coroner's report reviewed the body of a man named Robert Wrote, and a jury of 12 men determined the defendant was guilty. | From The Reports of Sir Edward Coke, Knt. [1572-1617]: In English, in ..., Volume 2By Great Britain. Courts, Sir Edward Coke | Source The Accidental Deaths Steve's work focuses on the deaths that were accidental. That means deaths where suspicions of foul play needed to be ruled out. In these instances, autopsies were often routine. When the coroner was performing the autopsy, they were categorizing the deaths into one of 4 groups: homicide, mischance, suicide, or an act of God. Suicide was, as you expect, killing yourself. Legally, homicide was when someone was killed by...
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