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%)