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

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 >