Has anyone mentioned smallpox? I lost the majority of one family twice in the mid-1600s in East Kent, and it does seem to have been more prevalent than plague by then. Bryan Jenner On 26 Feb 2008, at 21:57, Ian Clark wrote: > The lack of many parish registers during the Civil War was because > many of > the clergy in Parlimentary areas were dismissed. Marriages were > performed > by the local JPs are were purely civil affairs. Burials might have > been > done by the old sexton. But probably the only man in the village > who could > write was no longer allowed to do his job. > > The standard academic research on plagues and illnesses in the SE is > "C0ntours of death and disease in early modern England" by Mary > Dobson CUP > 1997. She does not identify any general outbreaks of plague or other > disease in the period 1641-52, with each year reported "average" or > better, > and only very localised incidents reported. She analysed over 1,100 > parishes in SE England. However 1638 is "crisis mortality"1639 "high > mortality", 1640 "unhealthy", 1653"unhealthy". The only regional > disease > outbreak that she mentions was typhus in 1643, which seemed to have > followed > the king's army, but in places like SW England and along the > Thames. The > following year there was plague in parts of Essex and north Kent > ports. > She also reports no particularly unusual weather patterns in 1642-6. > > Ian Clark > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: sfhg-bounces@rootsweb.com >> [mailto:sfhg-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Donna Casey >> Sent: 26 February 2008 19:20 >> To: SFHG SxFamHXGrp >> Subject: [SFHG] Illness-Related Death Toll: Alfriston Parish c1644? >> >> Below is information I have rec'd which was found in the >> Parish Registers for Alfriston, East Sussex c1642 - 1646: >> Can anyone help me to further locate information about what >> is presented in the following: >> >> Death toll in c1642 - 1646: There were 23 burials (in >> Alfriston) that year, but in the previous10 yrs the average >> was 10 deaths per year. After 1642 the register gets >> neglected - 4 burials recorded in 1643, none (recorded) in >> '44, 4 deaths in '45, then only 3 burials per year for the >> next 20 years. >> >> There was obviously a lack of enthusiasm among the clergy >> for record-keeping at the time (Civil War - political >> climate?). But it might be worth considering that there was >> an epidemic in the area c1642 - the figure of 23 is high for >> the village (Alfriston). (checked for any recorded bad >> weather conditions at the time but nothing showed up.) >> >> Where can I check for plagues or other severe illnesses >> that might have occurred during this period? >> >> Thanks again, >> Donna TILLINGHAST Casey >> Michigan, USA 9674 >> >> >> If you want to understand today, you have to >> search yesterday. Pearl Buck >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> SFHG-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without >> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SFHG-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message >

Mary Dobson has an extensive discussion on smallpox in her tome. Its main incidence seems to have been in a later period (esp 18th cent) and in larger urban areas. In rural areas like Alfriston it often affected only a few households in any village. Smallpox is not mentioned at all in Sussex during the period in question - though she does mention scattered local outbreaks in the late 1640s (and small incidences of the plague during the period), but nothing out of the ordinary. Ian > -----Original Message----- > From: Dr. Bryan Jenner [mailto:bryan.jenner@univie.ac.at] > Sent: 27 February 2008 09:33 > To: southwick@eml.cc > Cc: 'Donna Casey'; 'SFHG SxFamHXGrp' > Subject: Re: [SFHG] Illness-Related Death Toll: Alfriston > Parish c1644? > > Has anyone mentioned smallpox? I lost the majority of one > family twice in the mid-1600s in East Kent, and it does seem > to have been more prevalent than plague by then. > > Bryan Jenner > > > On 26 Feb 2008, at 21:57, Ian Clark wrote: > > > The lack of many parish registers during the Civil War was because > > many of the clergy in Parlimentary areas were dismissed. Marriages > > were performed by the local JPs are were purely civil affairs. > > Burials might have been done by the old sexton. But > probably the only > > man in the village who could write was no longer allowed to do his > > job. > > > > The standard academic research on plagues and illnesses in > the SE is > > "C0ntours of death and disease in early modern England" by > Mary Dobson > > CUP 1997. She does not identify any general outbreaks of plague or > > other disease in the period 1641-52, with each year > reported "average" > > or better, and only very localised incidents reported. She > analysed > > over 1,100 parishes in SE England. However 1638 is "crisis > > mortality"1639 "high mortality", 1640 "unhealthy", > 1653"unhealthy". > > The only regional disease outbreak that she mentions was typhus in > > 1643, which seemed to have followed the king's army, but in places > > like SW England and along the Thames. The following year there was > > plague in parts of Essex and north Kent ports. > > She also reports no particularly unusual weather patterns in 1642-6. > > > > Ian Clark > > > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: sfhg-bounces@rootsweb.com > >> [mailto:sfhg-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Donna Casey > >> Sent: 26 February 2008 19:20 > >> To: SFHG SxFamHXGrp > >> Subject: [SFHG] Illness-Related Death Toll: Alfriston Parish c1644? > >> > >> Below is information I have rec'd which was found in the > >> Parish Registers for Alfriston, East Sussex c1642 - 1646: > >> Can anyone help me to further locate information about what > >> is presented in the following: > >> > >> Death toll in c1642 - 1646: There were 23 burials (in > >> Alfriston) that year, but in the previous10 yrs the average > >> was 10 deaths per year. After 1642 the register gets > >> neglected - 4 burials recorded in 1643, none (recorded) in > >> '44, 4 deaths in '45, then only 3 burials per year for the > >> next 20 years. > >> > >> There was obviously a lack of enthusiasm among the clergy > >> for record-keeping at the time (Civil War - political > >> climate?). But it might be worth considering that there was > >> an epidemic in the area c1642 - the figure of 23 is high for > >> the village (Alfriston). (checked for any recorded bad > >> weather conditions at the time but nothing showed up.) > >> > >> Where can I check for plagues or other severe illnesses > >> that might have occurred during this period? > >> > >> Thanks again, > >> Donna TILLINGHAST Casey > >> Michigan, USA 9674 > >> > >> > >> If you want to understand today, you have to > >> search yesterday. Pearl Buck > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> ------------------------------- > >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > >> SFHG-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > >> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >> > > > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > SFHG-request@rootsweb.com > > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > > the body of the message > > > >