Partial Transcript

Registration District: Preston
1853. Death in the Sub-district of Barton in the County of Lancaster

When and where died Twenty second November 1853
5 Park Road
Name and surname Dorothy Ann Barton
Sex Female
Age 2 years
Occupation Daughter of Henry Barton
Labourer
Cause of death Hydrocephalus
7 months certified
Signature, description and residence of informant Henry Barton
in attendance
5 Park Road, Preston
When registered Twenty sixth November 1853
Signature of registrar Thomas Green, Registrar

[Certified copy obtained by mail from the General Register Office, 15 February 2007]

Research Notes

According to the 1851 census Dorothy Ann (an unusual name) was the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Barton living at Crosses. Dorothy Ann would have been born in December 1850. This is almost certainly the death certificate of the same Dorothy Ann, just shy of her third birthday. There is an anomaly here on the location of the death, which is given first as Barton and then as 5 Park Road in Preston. There are several possible explanations for this and it is an area for further research. Also note that Henry gave his occupation as farmer in the 1851 census but labourer here. These points may be important because the Barton family apparently disintegrated between 1851 and 1861. Hydrocephalus, or water on the brain, is the accumulation of spinal fluid in the skull putting pressure on the brain. It is a very common birth defect.