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Author Topic: Unusual causes of death  (Read 4083 times)
Preraphaelite
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Unusual causes of death
« on: Monday 15 June 09 09:57 UTC (UK) »
Ok, apologies for ths slightly macabre topic!

One of my gggg grandmothers - Charlotte Harvey (nee Wareham) - died in 1844 in Canford, Dorset.  According to her death certificate, the cause of death was "Inflamation on the chest caused by swallowing a plum stone"   Shocked

I imagine that, with less advanced medical knowledge the further one goes back in history, the "causes" of death stated on certificates would consequently become increasingly unusual. 

I would love to hear what other people have discovered from family death certificates. What is the most bizarre or shocking cause of death you have found in your research?
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Belfast: McQuillan
Londonderry: Holmes
Surrey (Guildford, Camberwell): Turton
Kent: Mulinder
Middlesex (St George): Wilson, Fulcher
Essex: Noakes
Dorset (Canford): Budden, Harvey, White
angelfish58
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Posts: 419


Benjamin Stockton Watson
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #1 on: Monday 15 June 09 10:23 UTC (UK) »
The one which knocked me sideways was "crushed by wagons in Thornley pit" and another rellie died of injuries recieved in a train derailment.
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Watson, Snowball, Pyburn, Heppell, Ferry, Holmes, Clennett, Co.Duham & Northumberland
Stockton, Watson N. Yorks
Brown & Anstey, Devon
Challnor/Challoner, Moore, Mansell, Shropshire
Davies or David, Glamorgan
kerryb
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Posts: 12165



WWW
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #2 on: Monday 15 June 09 10:26 UTC (UK) »
I had a great x 3 grandfather who was run over by his cart.  Also a 3 year old who died of accidental burning.  Sad

Kerry
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Searching for my family - Baldwin - Sussex, Middlesex, Cork, Pilbeam - Sussex, Harmer - Sussex, Terry - Surrey, Kent, Rhoades - Lincs, Roffey - Surrey, Traies - Devon & Middlesex & many many more to be found on my website .... www.kerrysfamilyhistory.co.uk
Preraphaelite
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Posts: 19


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #3 on: Monday 15 June 09 10:29 UTC (UK) »
Oh dear, angelfish and Kerry, that all sounds very grim indeed!  Shocked
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Belfast: McQuillan
Londonderry: Holmes
Surrey (Guildford, Camberwell): Turton
Kent: Mulinder
Middlesex (St George): Wilson, Fulcher
Essex: Noakes
Dorset (Canford): Budden, Harvey, White
charlotteCH
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Posts: 3677
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #4 on: Monday 15 June 09 10:31 UTC (UK) »
"Gored by a bull" for one of mine...  Shocked

charlotte
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FAB Fiona
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Posts: 143
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #5 on: Monday 15 June 09 10:34 UTC (UK) »
My gg grandfather died of heart attack whilst "taking a warm bath" at Blackfriars public baths in Salford!

Fiona
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Bradbury-Gorton/Salford/Disley
Barker-Bury/Stockport/Cheadle, Staffs
Barrowclough-Salford/Sowerby
Berry-Coppull
Connolly-Hulme/Birkenhead/Ireland
Crowley, Renshaw & Steele-Manchester
De Rome-Salford/London
Godson-Gorton/Salford/Stafford
Hampson & Lofthouse-Salford
Kay-Bury
Mooney & Richmond-Dublin
Price & Sparks-Liverpool
Pritchard-Stockport/Manchester/Leeds
Shaw-Standish
Stredder-Birkenhead/Liverpool/Folkingham
Sweeney-Salford/Chester
White-Manchester/Notts/Dublin
Ziegler-Staff
msallen
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Posts: 107


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


WWW
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #6 on: Monday 15 June 09 11:21 UTC (UK) »
I have one who froze to death after falling over drunk in a snowdrift on his way home from a dance where he'd been playing the fiddle. He was well into his eighties at the time, so it seems he lived life to the full right to the end  Smiley
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Too many to list! Presently particularly interested in ALLEN, HODGKINSON, FLINT, SWINDELL, SHELDON, BINGHAM, JACKSON - all in Derbyshire
stonechat
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WWW
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #7 on: Monday 15 June 09 11:21 UTC (UK) »
my grandmother's cousin died in train crash in New York
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Douglas, Varnden, Joy(i)ce Surrey, Clarke Northants/Hunts, Pullen Worcs/Herefords, Holmes Birmingham/USA/Canada/Australia, Jackson Cheshire/Yorkshire, Lomas Cheshire, Lee Yorkshire, Cocks Lancashire, Leah Cheshire, Cook Yorkshire, Catlow Lancashire

NOTE I have moved my website to http://www.cotswan.com
charlotteCH
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Posts: 3677
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #8 on: Monday 15 June 09 11:26 UTC (UK) »
Learned an awful thing today about one of my lot... he died of epilepsy in an Asylum for the Insane in late 19th C.

Apparently epileptics were "treated" in asylums... if the fits were intermitent, imagine what his life must have been like in between the fits if there were mad people around him..

charlotte.
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greensleeves
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Posts: 429
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #9 on: Monday 15 June 09 11:39 UTC (UK) »
A poor young chap in my family in the 1700s died when helping to manoeuvre a wagon loaded with two tree trunks into a carpenter's yard.  The trees rolled off and crushed him.
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Suffolk: Pearl(e) & variations - Brettenham, Hitcham,Rattlesden; Waddilove - Rattlesden and possibly Norfolk.  Garnham - Belstead, Ipswich & area. 
Durham/Yorkshire: Sedgwick - West Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Leeds, Merrington.
Shadforth - Hartlepool/Stockton
Shertur
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Kian & Cameron the youngest members of the family
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #10 on: Monday 15 June 09 11:48 UTC (UK) »
I feel very sorry for my 3 x gt. grandmother as her first husband died, aged 29 from falling off his horse as a result of "Natural apoplexy from blood clots on the brain".

Her second husband died from "Fracture of 5th cervical vertebra and compression of spinal cord through a fall from his cart".

They were both coachman, as were most of my ancestors.

Christine
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Bushnell - Whitchurch Oxon, Reading Berks, Chelsea
Harmes - Ashford Middx, West Molesey Surrey
Newson - Suffolk, London
Thirkettle - Pulham Market Norfolk
Cottington - Lewes Sussex, Chelsea
Andrews - Ashford Middx
Brown - Brighton, London
Bryant - Ashford Surrey
Bullen - Suffolk
Carpenter - London
Chapman - London
Hackett - Egham Surrey
Jaggard - Burrough Green Suffolk
Pledger - Suffolk/Cambs
Turrell - Staffs/Warks/Northants
Ward - Suffolk
Flickgirl
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Posts: 226


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.natio
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #11 on: Monday 15 June 09 11:55 UTC (UK) »
My grandmother had a baby who died aged 4 months of "shock scald to legs and abdomen" - the grim family story is that he fell into a pot of soup that was being cooked over the range at the fireplace  Sad  Awful.

Michelle
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Leonard/Lennon/Lennan (Lanarkshire, Ireland, Australia) Kelly (Lanarkshire, Stirlingshire, Clackmannanshire) Campbell (Leith, Glasgow, New York, Australia) McMaster (Stirlingshire, Ireland) Cullen (Lanarkshire)
Preraphaelite
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Posts: 19


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #12 on: Monday 15 June 09 11:59 UTC (UK) »
What a lot of very dramatic exits! And many that are particularly sad. Limited funds have meant that I haven't collected too many death certs, and the ones I have all feature fairly "normal" causes of death (with the exception of the "plum stone" incident, which is just a little odd).

Thank you for sharing everyone, and keep them coming - I don't know about anyone else, but I am finding this absolutely fascinating!  I think I ought to send off for some more death certs for my lot now - heaven knows what I might discover, but I think it'd be difficult to top the being "gored by a bull"!! Shocked
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Belfast: McQuillan
Londonderry: Holmes
Surrey (Guildford, Camberwell): Turton
Kent: Mulinder
Middlesex (St George): Wilson, Fulcher
Essex: Noakes
Dorset (Canford): Budden, Harvey, White
perth tiger
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Posts: 790


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #13 on: Monday 15 June 09 12:16 UTC (UK) »
the week before xmas 1881 my greatgrans brother died from rupture of a vessel  of the brain due to suffocation while in mothers arms in bed. there was an inquest and it was accidental death. he was 16 months old and the 7th of 9 children.
my ggrandad on another line had 2 sisters 3 and 8 die within 2 weeks of each other.
perth Smiley Smiley
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davey hodgson holliday nelson oxberry ruddock sidebottom
yorkshire
Census information is Crown copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk included on your posts.
charlotteCH
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Posts: 3677
Re: Unusual causes of death
« Reply #14 on: Monday 15 June 09 12:22 UTC (UK) »
Death certs can be full of unexpected info- I don't mean cause of death but who the informant is and their relationship to the deceased... I did some homework - checking last census and then marriage regs-on one cuch that arrived and discovered that the informant was the niece of the deceased- and bingo a whole new family was there.  So keep eyes open.

charlotte
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