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Riseley Deaths 1690-1742

Rev John Harding was Vicar of Riseley from 1690 until his death in 1742. During this time he assiduously annotated the burials section of the parish register [P50/1/4] to show causes of death. The following list shows causes of death, sex of the deceased [M or F] for each year.

1690

  •  Consumption: 1M, 1F
  •  Fever: 1M, 2F
  •  Smallpox: 2M, 3F (one an infant)
  •  Infant deaths: 4M, 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths cause not recorded: 2M, 1F

1691

  •  Cholic: 1F
  •  Consumption: 1F
  •  Fever: 1M, 1F
  •  Scurvy and dropsy: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 2M, 2F
  •  Non-infant deaths cause not recorded: 2F

1692

  •  Consumption: 1M
  •  Dropsy: 1M
  •  Fever: 1M
  •  Old age: 1M, 1F
  •  Palsy: 1M
  •  Sudden death: 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths cause not recorded: 3M, 1F 

1693

  •  Childbed: 1F
  •  Fever: 4M, 2F
  •  Old age: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 2M, 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths cause not recorded: 1M, 2F

1694

  •  Fever: 5M, 1F
  •  Looseness and vomiting: 1F
  •  Old age: 1M, 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 1M, 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths cause not recorded: 1M, 2F

1695

  •  Consumption: 1M, 1F
  •  Fever: 1F
  •  Old age: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 6M, 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 3M

1696

  •  Consumption: 1F
  •  Discontent: 1F
  •  Drowned: 1F
  •  Fever: 1M
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 2M, 2F

1697

  •  Consumption: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 1M
  •  Fever: 2M, 4F
  •  Hurt with a stick: 1M
  •  Worms: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 1M, 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 2M

1698

  •  Consumption: 1M
  •  Dropsy: 1F
  •  Fever: 3F
  •  Fever by drinking: 1M
  •  Old age: 1F
  •  Stagnation of blood: 1M
  •  Surfeit: 1M

1699

  •  Apoplexy: 1M
  •  Childbed: 1F
  •  Consumption: 3M, 1F
  •  Drowned: 1M
  •  "Eat up with lice": 1F
  •  Fever: 1M, 3F
  •  Pleurisy: 1M
  •  Sounding fits: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 1M, 4F

1700:

  •  Consumption: 1M, 2F
  •  Fever: 2F
  •  Infant deaths: 1M

1701

  •  Old age: 1F
  •  Quinsy and fever: 1F
  •  Smallpox: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 1M, 2F

1702

  •  Consumption: 1F
  •  Fever: 5 M
  •  Fever and consumption: 1M
  •  "Spot blood": 1M
  •  Sudden death: 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 1M, 1F
  •  "An idiot": 1M

1703:

  •  "Black jaundice": 1F
  •  "Bled to death at nose": 1M
  •  Consumption: 1M, 2F
  •  Dropsy: 1F
  •  Fever: 4M, 1F
  •  Smallpox: 2M, 5F
  •  Infant deaths: 2F

1704:

  •  Consumption: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 1M
  •  "Killed by a cart": 1M
  •  "Stoppage of urine": 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 3M, 4F

1705:

  •  Childbed: 1F
  •  Consumption: 1M, 2F
  •  Dropsy: 2M
  •  Drowned: 1M
  •  Fever: 4M, 3F
  •  Sudden death: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 2M, 3F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 1M

1706

  •  Childbed: 2F
  •  Cholic: 1F
  •  Consumption: 1M, 3F
  •  Drowned: 1F
  •  Fever: 1M, 1F
  •  "Lethargy": 1F
  •  Sudden death: 1M, 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 3M, 9F

1707

  •  Cholic: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 1M
  •  Drowned: 1F
  •  Fever: 1F
  •  Gangrene: 1F
  •  Old age: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 2M, 3F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 1F

1708

  •  Childbed: 1F
  •  Complication: 1M
  •  Fever; 2M, 1F
  •  Gangrene and fever: 1M
  •  "Killed with a cart": 1M
  •  "Lost for want of looking to": 1M
  •  "Starved to death": 1F
  •  Sudden death: 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 4M, 4F

1709

  •  Ague: 1F
  •  Fever: 1M, 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 2M, 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 1M

1710:

  •  Asthma: 1M, 1F
  •  Childbed: 1F
  •  Complication: 1M
  •  Consumption: 1M
  •  "Died for want of looking to": 1F
  •  Fever: 1F
  •  Old age: 1M
  •  Overlaid infant: 1F
  •  Surfeit: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 3M, 1F

1711

  •  Chincough [whooping cough]: 1M, 1F
  •  Complication: 1M
  •  Consumption: 1F
  •  Diabetes: 1M
  •  Fever: 2M, 1F
  •  Pleurisy: 1F
  •  Smallpox: 1M
  •  Worms: 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 2M, 2F

1712

  •  Cholic: 1F
  •  Complication: 1M
  •  Consumption: 1M, 2F
  •  Diarrhoea: 1M
  •  Fever: 2M, 1F
  •  Overlaid infant: 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 2F

1713

  •  "Cancer in her neck": 1F
  •  Childbed: 1F
  •  Complication: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 1F
  •  "Eaten up of lice": 1M
  •  Fever: 2F
  •  Old age: 1F
  •  Old age and starved: 1M
  •  Surfeit: 1F
  •  Worms: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 1M, 4F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 1M

1714

  •  Complication: 1M
  •  Dropsy: 1M
  •  Fever: 2F
  •  Grief: 1F
  •  "Killed by a wagon": 1M
  •  Old age: 1F
  •  Palsy: 1M
  •  Quinsy: 1M
  •  "Rotten": 1M
  •  Scurvy: 1M
  •  Starved: 1F
  •  Sudden death: 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 3F

1715

  •  Complication: 1M, 1F
  •  Diabetes: 1M
  •  Fever: 2M
  •  "Ilium passic": 1M
  •  Old age: 1F
  •  "Pissing of blood": 1M
  •  Rupture: 1M
  •  Smallpox: 1M, 2F
  •  Infant deaths: 2M

1716

  •  Chincough: 1M
  •  Consumption: 1M
  •  Dropsy: 2M, 1F
  •  Fever: 1M, 3F
  •  Old age: 2F
  •  Smallpox: 1M, 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 2M, 1F

1717

  •  Consumption: 1M
  •  Dropsy: 1F
  •  Drowned: 1F
  •  Fever: 2M, 1F
  •  Old age: 1F 

1718

  •  "Cancer in her throat": 1F
  •  Convulsion: 1M, 1F
  •  Fever: 1M
  •  "Fever upon the spirits": 1F
  •  Scarlet fever: 2F
  •  Starved: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 1M

1719

  •  Childbed: 1F
  •  Complication: 1F
  •  Convulsions: 1M
  •  Fever: 1F
  •  Old age: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 2M, 1F

1720

  •  "Burned to death": 1F
  •  "Cancer bleeding": 1F
  •  Cholic: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 2F
  •  "Eaten up of lice": 1M
  •  Fever: 2M, 1F
  •  Old age: 1M
  •  Smallpox: 1F
  •  Starved: 1F
  •  Sudden death: 3M, 1F
  •  Tympany [abdominal distention]: 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 4M

1721

  •  Childbed: 1F
  •  Complication: 1F
  •  Consumption: 1M, 2F
  •  "Eaten up of lice": 1F
  •  Fever: 1M, 2F
  •  Old age: 1F
  •  Pleurisy: 2M
  •  Quinsy: 1M, 1F
  •  Starved: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 2M, 2F

1722

  •  Complication: 2M
  •  Consumption: 2M, 2F
  •  Fever: 3M, 4F
  •  "Long illness": 1F
  •  Old age: 1F
  •  Scurvy: 1F
  •  Smallpox: 1M, 1F
  •  "Water in the head":1F
  •  Infant deaths: 2M

1723

  •  Complication: 1F
  •  Convulsions: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 1M
  •  "Spleen": 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 1F

1724

  •  Convulsions: 1M
  •  Complication: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 1M, 2F
  •  Fever: 1M, 5F
  •  Smallpox; 1M

1725:

  •  Complication: 1M
  •  Consumption: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 1F
  •  Fever: 1F
  •  Old age: 2M, 1F
  •  Smallpox; 2M

1726

  •  Bloody urine: 1M
  •  Consumption: 1M, 2F
  •  "Fistula in his side": 1M
  •  Mortification: 1F
  •  Old age: 1M, 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 1M

1727

  •  Chincough: 4M
  •  Consumption: 1M, 2F
  •  Dropsy: 1F
  •  Fever: 1M, 1F
  •  Worm fever: 1F

1728

  •  Cholic: 1F
  •  Complication: 2M
  •  Convulsions: 1F
  •  Fever: 1M, 4F
  •  "No one knows": 1F
  •  Old age: 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 1M
  •  "An idiot": 1F

1729

  •  Bloody flux: 1M
  •  Childbed: 1F
  •  Childbed fever: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 2M
  •  Fever: 6M, 4F
  •  Looseness: 1F
  •  Mortification: 2F
  •  Old age: 1M
  •  Vomiting and looseness: 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 1F

1730

  •  Consumption: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 1F
  •  Fever: 7M, 4F
  •  "Long illness": 1M
  •  Looseness: 1M
  •  Old age: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 4M, 3F

1731

  •  Asthma: 1M
  •  Cancer in the throat: 1F
  •  Childbed fever: 1F
  •  Consumption: 2M
  •  Dropsy: 1F
  •  Fever: 8M, 3F
  •  Long illness; 1M, 2F
  •  Stone cholic: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 1M

1732

  •  Complication: 1F
  •  Fever: 1M
  •  "Long illness": 1M
  •  Smallpox: 1M, 1F

1733

  •  Apoplexy: 1M
  •  Cold and fever: 2M
  •  Dropsy: 1F
  •  Drowned: 1M
  •  "Long illness": 1F
  •  Old age: 1F
  •  "Sore legs": 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 1F

1734

  •  Asthma: 1F
  •  Chincough: 1F
  •  Consumption: 1M
  •  Fever: 2M, 1F
  •  "Lethargy": 1M
  •  Scrofula: 1M
  •  "Spotted fever": 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 2M, 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 1F

1735

  •  Apoplexy: 1F
  •  Childbed: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 1F
  •  Fever: 2F
  •  Infant deaths: 2M, 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 2F

1736

  •  Apoplexy: 1F
  •  Complication: 1F
  •  Dropsy: 1F
  •  Fever: 1M
  •  Pleurisy: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 3M, 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded:1F

1737

  •  Asthma dropsy: 1F
  •  Complication: 1M, 2F
  •  Fever: 2M
  •  "Long sickness": 1M
  •  "Mortification in his legs": 1M
  •  Old age: 1F
  •  "Scalded to death": 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 1M

1738

  •  Consumption: 1F
  •  Drowned: 1F
  •  "Sore legs": 1F
  •  Sudden death: 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 1M, 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 1M

1739

  •  Fever: 3M
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 1M

1740

  •  Fever: 3M, 3F
  •  "Killed with a horse": 1M
  •  Mortification: 1F
  •  Smallpox: 1M
  •  Sudden death: 1F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 2M, 2F

1741

  •  Complication: 1M
  •  Consumption: 2M
  •  Fever: 1M, 2F
  •  Fever and cold: 1M
  •  Old age: 1M, 2F
  •  "Ulcer in her leg": 1F
  •  Infant deaths: 1M, 2F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 1F

1742

  •  Cholic: 1F
  •  Consumption: 3F
  •  Fever: 1M, 1F
  •  Old age: 2M, 2F
  •  Sudden death: 1M
  •  Infant deaths: 3F
  •  Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 1F

Totals:

  • 1 Ague: 1F
  • 4 Apoplexy: 2M, 2F
  • 4 Asthma: 2M, 2F
  • 1 Asthma dropsy: 1F
  • 1 Black jaundice: 1F
  • 1 Bled to death at nose: 1M
  • 2 Blood in urine: 2M
  • 1 Burns: 1F
  • 5 Cancer or fistula: 1M, 4F
  • 12 Childbed: 12F
  • 2 Childbed fever: 2F
  • 8 Chincough (whooping cough): 6M, 2F
  • 7 Cholic: 7F
  • 3 Cold and fever: 3M
  • 23 Complication: 13M, 10F
  • 58 Consumption: 25M, 33F
  • 6 Convulsion: 3M, 3F
  • 2 Diabetes: 2M
  • 1 Diarrhoea: 1M
  • 1 Discontent: 1F
  • 29 Dropsy: 13M, 16F
  • 8 Drowned: 3M, 5F
  • 4 "Eaten up with lice"; 2M, 2F
  • 164 Fever: 88M, 76F
  • 1 Fever and consumption: 1M
  • 1 Fever by drinking: 1M
  • 1 Fever upon the spirits: 1F
  • 1 Gangrene: 1F
  • 1 Gangrene and fever: 1M
  • 1 Grief: 1F
  • 1 Hurt with a stick: 1M
  • 1 Ilium passic: 1M
  • 2 Lethargy: 1M, 1F
  • 8 Long illness: 4M, 4F
  • 5 Looseness (and vomiting) or bloody flux: 2M, 3F
  • 5 Mortification: 1M, 4F
  • 2 Neglect: 1M, 1F
  • 38 Old age: 17M, 21F
  • 2 Overlaid infant: 2F
  • 2 Palsy: 2M
  • 5 Pleurisy: 4M, 1F
  • 3 Quinsy: 2M, 1F
  • 1 Quinsy and fever: 1F
  • 1 Rotten: 1M
  • 1 Rupture: 1M
  • 1 Scalded: 1F
  • 2 Scarlet fever: 2F
  • 1 Scrofula: 1M
  • 2 Scurvy: 1M, 1F
  • 1 Scurvy and dropsy: 1M
  • 28 Smallpox: 14M, 14F
  • 2 Sore legs: 2F
  • 1 Sounding fits: 1M
  • 1 Spleen: 1M
  • 1 Spot blood: 1M
  • 1 Spotted fever: 1M
  • 1 Stagnation of blood: 1M
  • 6 Starved: 3M, 3F
  • 1 Stone cholic: 1M
  • 1 Stoppage of urine: 1M
  • 14 Sudden death: 6M, 8F
  • 3 Surfeit: 2M, 1F
  • 4 Traffic accident (cart, wagon or horse): 4M
  • 1 Tympany: 1F
  • 1 Ulcerated leg: 1F
  • 1 Water in the head: 1F
  • 4 Worms: 2M, 2F
  • 141 Infant deaths (no other cause given): 71M, 70F
  • 45 Non-infant deaths, cause not recorded: 24M, 21F
  • 2 "Idiots": 1M, 1F

Total deaths: 330M, 351F = 681, an average of 13 people per year

Common causes of death:

  • Fevers: 172 (25.25%)
  • Infant deaths: 144 (21%)
  • Consumption: 58 (8.5%)
  • Old age: 38 (5.5%)
  • Dropsy: 29 (4.25%)
  • Smallpox: 28 (4.25%)
  • Accidental death: 15 (2.25%)
  • Child birth: 14 (4% of women)
  • Vomiting, diarrhoea etc.: 6 (0.75%)
  • Cancer: 5 (0.75%)