New Ways To Die

[CALGACUS03]

Sorry, took the thread off course there.

During my genealogical research I came across the death certificate of a man who had been killed in Grange Loan, Edinburgh in the late 19th century. Now, it's a house lined residential street, but then it was a quiet lane with occasional cottages and farmhouses dotted along it and well outside the city. The cause of death on the certificate was interesting enough that I Googled further and found a news report from the Edinburgh papers of the time.

Apparently a young lady had been cycling home late at night from Edinburgh when she ran into an obstruction in the road. She was thrown from her bike and received minor injuries, the 'obstruction', however, was a tramp (or so he was described) who had fallen asleep in the lane, and was killed by the collision.

I suppose that death by bicycle (and possibly the idea of a woman cycling alone late at night) was considered sufficiently odd as to ensure that the story was taken up by the city's papers.

For the Victorians that would have been a new way to die.

I'll definitely have digital copies of the documents somewhere it's just a question of finding them among my various CD-ROMs, DVDs, and HDs.

 

[JamesWhitehead]

I suppose that death by bicycle (and possibly the idea of a woman cycling alone late at night) was considered sufficiently odd as to ensure that the story was taken up by the city's papers.

I am reminded of the hazards a woman faces when taking a leak in the dark.

A case of horrid sexual injuries, which turned out to be caused by a cyclist!

It sounds like an urban myth but escargot was able to name the source. Of course coroners may enjoy all the anecdotal gross-out power conferred on them by their job! I know I would! :reap:

 

[MorningAngel]

Yep, one of my (too) many hobbies is researching my family tree. As a result I often spend a lazy afternoon poking around remote cemeteries looking for stones that bear family names. To be honest I did this before becoming interested in genealogy - call it morbid curiosity.

I frequently come across stones such as this one:

View attachment 26376

Just how people coped with infant mortality on this scale (and the above example is of course by no means unique or even extreme) beggars belief.

A more prevalent and stronger belief in religion must have been of solace, but I can't help wondering just how people managed to function when any childhood cough or fever might be something run of the mill or could be the harbinger of an illness that would cut through your family.

Something that I've mulled over from time to time since it first occurred to me; when I was studying death records whilst at university, is how much the high infant/child mortality rates of, for example, the Victorian era desensitized people. I've often had trouble putting this into words - even to myself, but here goes. If you've grown up seeing siblings, cousins, friends, etc. dying for one reason or another, only in adulthood to see the same thing occurring to your neighbors children, those of workmates, your nephews and nieces and so on - did people come to almost accept these deaths?

I don't mean to suggest that they didn't grieve or mourn the deaths - but it must have had a profound effect? To what extent was it even expected that a certain number of your offspring would pre-decease you? That would have had an impact on your view of your children, I'd have thought. I almost feel that simply to maintain a modicum of sanity in the face of such a high potential childhood mortality rate that a parent would almost need to consciously or sub-consciously maintain a level of emotional detachment.

No, I haven't been able to put into words quite what I mean I just can't imagine (and I'm not even a parent) how people could keep functioning given the prevalence of deaths among the young in the 19th century.

I believe people have come across the deceased child’s name being reused when they have researched their family tree (which doesn’t help when you are trying to get who’s who straight).

 

[CALGACUS03]

I believe people have come across the deceased child’s name being reused when they have researched their family tree (which doesn’t help when you are trying to get who’s who straight).

Yes, had that in my own family tree. One of my earliest known ancestors on my mothers side was Robert K., son of Abraham K. He apparently tried to honor his father twice; first by naming his eldest son Abraham in 1817, and then, subsequently, naming his fifth son Abraham in 1833. Presumably the first one had died before that date.

Unfortunately, to no avail, Abraham Mk2 died at the age of 26 of 'Scrofula, for several years'.

(I'm sneakily relieved, given how often the same names were reused generation after generation on that side of the family - if 'Abraham' had prevailed that might have ended up being my first name :tears.

 

[MorningAngel]

Yes, had that in my own family tree. One of my earliest known ancestors on my mothers side was Robert K., son of Abraham K. He apparently tried to honor his father twice; first by naming his eldest son Abraham in 1817, and then, subsequently, naming his fifth son Abraham in 1833. Presumably the first one had died before that date.

Unfortunately, to no avail, Abraham Mk2 died at the age of 26 of 'Scrofula, for several years'.

(I'm sneakily relieved, given how often the same names were reused generation after generation on that side of the family - if 'Abraham' had prevailed that might have ended up being my first name :tears.

I had many generations all being called John, it gets very confusing.

Interesting thing. My dads official name is Alan but he hates it so goes by his second name Richard. Going back there are no Alans in his tree but plenty of Richards (not too many though).

 

[Min Bannister]

IIRC there were two Walter Scotts before Walter Scott but I know there was at least one. Years after his death, locks of his dead baby brothers and sisters (5 of) were found in a secret drawer in his desk.
Walter himself survived a tuberculous nanny who lied about her condition to get the job and another nanny who tried to take a pair of scissors to his throat after she was sent away to the Borders with him and away from her boyfriend. He was subsequently lamed by polio. It was certainly a tough job being a baby back then. I also seem to remember a Horrible Histories sketch where the family did not name any of their children until they reached 5 years old as there was no point until they at least lived to that age. This was apparently "accu-rat" ie true. Horrendous.

 

[Cochise]

Sorry, took the thread off course there.

During my genealogical research I came across the death certificate of a man who had been killed in Grange Loan, Edinburgh in the late 19th century. Now, it's a house lined residential street, but then it was a quiet lane with occasional cottages and farmhouses dotted along it and well outside the city. The cause of death on the certificate was interesting enough that I Googled further and found a news report from the Edinburgh papers of the time.

Apparently a young lady had been cycling home late at night from Edinburgh when she ran into an obstruction in the road. She was thrown from her bike and received minor injuries, the 'obstruction', however, was a tramp (or so he was described) who had fallen asleep in the lane, and was killed by the collision.

I suppose that death by bicycle (and possibly the idea of a woman cycling alone late at night) was considered sufficiently odd as to ensure that the story was taken up by the city's papers.

For the Victorians that would have been a new way to die.

I'll definitely have digital copies of the documents somewhere it's just a question of finding them among my various CD-ROMs, DVDs, and HDs.

Their is a case like that quoted in Keith Simpson's book -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Simpson_(pathologist)
But IIRC his case was in Suffolk. So at least two ladies have made the mistake of peeing in the road. Still outnumbered by the dead blokes who pee'd on the live rail.

 

[bugmum]

I believe people have come across the deceased child’s name being reused when they have researched their family tree (which doesn’t help when you are trying to get who’s who straight).

In my trawl through the parish baptismal records of Devon and Cornwall last year, there were many instances where the same name was being re-used (sometimes on more than one occasion) by a family.

 

[Bigphoot2]

I was doing a genealogy course and the tutor showed us a census form from Ireland with his ancestors on it which had him confused.

Mary - daughter – 16

Mary - daughter – 13

Mary - daughter – 11

Mary - daughter – 8

Mary - daughter – 5

Mary - daughter - 2

It looked as if there were six daughters all called Mary - then he discovered the names were actually Mary Elizabeth, Mary Patricia, Mary Anne etc.
He also found an Arthur as part of the household, he wasn't aware of any Arthurs in the family - no birth, marriage or death records of an Arthur. He eventually found out that Arthur was the dog!

 

[bugmum]

It looked as if there were six daughters all called Mary -

I once read that in a Roman nursery, it was possible for all the boys to have the same name and the girls to have none, owing to their naming conventions. I'm not quite sure I believe it.

 

[Spookdaddy]

...It sounds like an urban myth but escargot was able to name the source...

It does sound like an urban myth. But I almost found myself in this very situation when cycling alongside the Water of Leith in Edinburgh, towards Roseburn, in the dark - and somewhat more than slightly the worse for wear. I was a little disappointed when it became obvious that the two conjoined orbs floating a couple of foot above the path, softly glowing in the intermittent moonlight afforded by the cloud scudded night sky, were, upon hazardously closer inspection, not of supernatural origin.

When it actually dawned on me what it was I was looking at the only way I could think of stopping in time was to fall off my bike.

 

[Spudrick68]

My mum comes from a strong Catholic family. All three girls have Mary as their second name.

 

[Ascalon]

My mum comes from a strong Catholic family. All three girls have Mary as their second name.

I have five uncles with Mary as a middle name!

 

[Tempest63]

I was doing a genealogy course and the tutor showed us a census form from Ireland with his ancestors on it which had him confused.

Mary - daughter – 16

Mary - daughter – 13

Mary - daughter – 11

Mary - daughter – 8

Mary - daughter – 5

Mary - daughter - 2

It looked as if there were six daughters all called Mary - then he discovered the names were actually Mary Elizabeth, Mary Patricia, Mary Anne etc.
He also found an Arthur as part of the household, he wasn't aware of any Arthurs in the family - no birth, marriage or death records of an Arthur. He eventually found out that Arthur was the dog!

I work with two Eastern European boys called Paul. But they have different middle names which are always used alongside their first name in the company of Family. Their Dad was also called Paul.