My grandfather Joseph Mayo drowned in the river Severn probably in January 1909. His death certificate says:

When and where died: Seventeenth March 1909, River Severn, Bollow, Westbury on Severn UD
Certificate received from H Allen Armitage, Deputy Coroner for Forest division, County of Gloucester, Inquest held nineteenth March 1909.

The death was registered on 22 March 1909 registration district Westbury on Severn. In the church of St Peters, Minsterworth his burial is entered on 20th March 1909 and there is a note saying “2 months in river before found”.

There are no surviving Coroners' records for that time, no mention in any newspapers and no police report. Does anyone have any idea what happened to him or have any ideas of where I can go next?

I'm surprised that there is no newspaper article for this.

not sure what you know about the area but here goes....

The River Severn from say Minsterworth / Elmore south through Bollow, Newnham, Arlingham and into the wider estuary is both attractive and full of hidden danger. http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/983610

The fishermen/boatmen of the area were frequently caught out by the power of the River, which changed the mud flats/sand banks and water channels almost daily. I can recall seeing Lave net fishermen in the Severn on the mud flats walking out to the channels where the fish and the fast water flow. From the shore it looked so easy, thankfully I was warned not to try it !

Joseph was living at The Flat in 1901 as a Labourer http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/46814
(Severn Bore Inn, Hartland Hill and the Ley nearby)he presumably knew the River even if he was not a boatman / ferry man. Perhaps he was fishing in or on the banks of the River, or just walking nearby.

The tide is such that it is not unknown for bodies to be washed out and back for a period of time before being found.

Here is a recent quote following another fatality.

"The sand and mud banks in the Severn suffer from really soft mud which can trap you very quickly, sandbanks which have quicksand in them and coupled to the tide which floods in about three-and-a-half hours here," said Geoff Dawes of the Severn Area Rescue Association.

and another depressing story

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206054/Schoolboy-10-drowns-danger-river-signs....

1851
Thomas Mayo abt 1779 Sandhurst, Gloucestershire, England Head Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
Alice Mayo abt 1789 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Wife Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
Joseph Mayo abt 1826 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Son Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
Alice Mayo Tabt 1831 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Minsterworth, Gloucestershire

William Mayo abt 1811 Hemstead, Gloucestershire, England Head Minsterworth, Gloucestershire Fisherman
Ann Mayo abt 1814 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Wife Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
James Mayo abt 1841 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Son Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
Emily Mayo abt 1844 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
Joseph Mayo abt 1846 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Son Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
William Mayo abt 1848 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Son Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
Reuben Mayo abt 1850 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Son Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
James Merrett abt 1797 Elmore, Gloucestershire, England Lodger Minsterworth, Gloucestershire

1861 vessel called John
Joseph Mayo abt 1846 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Man Vessels, Glamorgan

1881
Fanny Mayo abt 1843 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Wife (Head) (Head) Minsterworth, Gloucestershire Boat owners wife
Mary E. Mayo abt 1866 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
George Mayo abt 1870 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Son Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
Emma Mayo abt 1872 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
Sydney J. Mayo abt 1874 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Son Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
Florence A. Mayo abt 1876 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Minsterworth, Gloucestershire
Alice Mayo abt 1878 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Minsterworth, Gloucestershire

1891 nr Bollow
Joseph Mayo abt 1846 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Head Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire General Labourer
Fanny Mayo abt 1843 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Wife Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire
Emma Mayo abt 1872 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire
Alice Mayo abt 1878 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire
Winnie Mayo abt 1882 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire
John Mayo abt 1884 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Son Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire

1901 The Flatt
Joseph Margo abt 1846 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Head Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire General Labourer
Winnie G Margo abt 1881 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire
John Margo abt 1884 Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England Grandson Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

Hi Pat
I notice Joseph's was living in a flat.
Was this his normal/permanent residence?
Perhaps details of his demise was published in his original town of residence prior to the Westbury area.
Just a thought.

Forest

Its not "a flat" its "The Flat" :-)

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/46814

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

Joseph Mayo lived in Minsterworth and was a worker on the river all his life, even owning his own boat at one time, so he must have been aware of the dangers of the river. The story in the family is that he crossed the river on the ferry to get bread. The only reason they knew he must be in the river was because the loaf of bread was found on the river bank. I don't know which side of the river the bread was found. No one as far as I know has any idea what happened.

Thanks for all the information, it was very interesting.

As you see from Slowhands' reply Joseph was living at "The Flat" not in a flat. He lived in Minsterworth all his life as far as I know so his details are all around there. I have a lot of information about him but some vital bits are missing - such as why did he go from boat owner to labourer? Why did they send my grandfather away to Abergavenny when he was 8 years old when all the rest of the family (8 others I think offhand) all stayed in Minsterworth and grew up there?

Records are very good but they don't tell you everything!
PatW