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Suicide
According to British law, there were two types of suicide: an act
committed by a person of unsound mind and "felo de se" ("felon upon
himself") - an act of self-destruction committed knowingly and
willingly by a person of sound mind:
"A felo-de-se, therefore, is he that deliberately puts an end to his
own existence."--Blackstone: Commentaries, book iv. chap. xiv. p. 189.
But killing oneself inadvertently, while trying to kill another, is
also considered felo-de-se:
"If one commits any unlawful malicious act, the consequence of which
is his own death, as if attempting to kill another he runs upon his
antagonist's sword, or shooting at another the gun bursts and kills
himself."
Prior to 1870, the estate of a feb-de-se - except his land - reverted
to the crown. The relatives could redeem the chattels and goods for a
fee. The body was subjected to an "ignominious burial on the highway,
with a stake driven through the body." The Burial Act of 1823 forbade
such practices and ordered to bury the feb-de-se within 24 hours after
the coroner's inquest, between 9 PM and midnight, and without
Christian last rites.
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