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Issue 12
December 2008
MISSION STATEMENT: The Dunedin Family History Group’s purpose is to
promote interest in the field of family history through educational programs, to
collect and disseminate genealogical knowledge and information, and to
provide support and guidance to those trying to research all aspects of their
family history.
PROGRAMME FOR 2008 / 2009
A BIT OF THIS
AND A BIT OF THAT
Wednesday 10 December 2008
CHRISTMAS BREAK-UP MEETING
“It’s On The Tree” Quiz ight
Venue: St Peters Church Hall, Hillside Road, South Dunedin
Time: Meeting begins at 7.30 pm but the hall will be open from 7 pm
onwards.
Cost: $2 door charge (bring along some extra change as we will also
be having a raffle to raise funds for the group).
The meeting will conclude with a free Christmas supper - tea, coffee,
cordial and biscuits.
Thursday 29 January 2009
SPECIAL GROUP MEETING
THIS WILL BE A COMBINED MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF
THE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND INC.
There will be a talk on the role of the Family History Society of
New Zealand Incorporated which is based in Christchurch.
There will also be a presentation on Dunedin repositories.
WHAT THIS SPACE IN YOUR JANUARY NEWSLETTER FOR
FURTHER DETAILS.
Venue: St Peters Church Hall, Hillside Road, South Dunedin
Time: Meeting begins at 7.30 pm but the hall will be open from 7 pm
onwards.
Cost: $2 door charge (bring along some extra change as we will also
be having a raffle to raise funds for the group).
The meeting will conclude with a free supper - tea, coffee, cordial and
biscuits.
Wednesday 11 February 2009
PROBLEM SOLVING NIGHT
Please come along with lots of questions to ask on the night.
A panel of “experts” will be present to help answer any of your
questions.
We would appreciate having some of your questions prior to
the meeting so we can do some research for you and
hopefully provide some answers.
WE WILL ALSO BE ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF OUR
ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION.
Venue: St Peters Church Hall, Hillside Road, South Dunedin
Time: Meeting begins at 7.30 pm but the hall will be open from 7 pm
onwards.
Cost: $2 door charge (bring along some extra change as we will also
be having a raffle to raise funds for the group).
The meeting will conclude with a free supper - tea, coffee, cordial and
biscuits.
Our ovember meeting was once again well attended.
We were privileged to have George Griffiths, owner of
the now closed Otago Heritage Bookshop, bring along some
of his stock for sale at the meeting. His book “Books &
Pamphlets on Southern Z - A Simplified Locality Guide
1772 to the 21st Century”, originally for sale at $100, was
sold on the night for $20.
We had a lot of fun trying to work out the meanings of old
occupations and medical terms and a full list is included in
this newsletter. All year I promised to tell you what a nose
picker did. Well they worked in the brewery industry
removing the flowers from the hop plant.
Many members also took the opportunity of using Heather
Bray’s “Otago Daily Times Index” to births, deaths,
marriages and memorial notices 1994 to today. One member
found two elson deaths she had been seeking for some
months.
The Order of Service project continues to grow and we now
have over 2000 entries. Please keep them coming.
Rex Robert’s list of Australian Cemeteries websites which
were on offer in our ovember newsletter have proved very
popular. I have sent out 40 copies to members.
We need topics for 2009. If you have any suggestions please
let us know. One topic suggested so far is how to go about
organising a Family or School reunion.
Our website should be active early in 2009. We will have the
full index of the “Orders of Service” project on the site. It has
been a real learning curve setting it up and I thank Kaye for
all the time and effort she has put into it.
There will be a January newsletter but it will come out about
the 14th January to allow your editor to have a bit of a
Christmas holiday. February’s newsletter will follow on the
1st February.
Well we did it. A full year’s worth of newsletters. I plan to
spent Christmas indexing the 2008 newsletters. Thank you to
everyone for your support. Also a big thank you to everyone
who has provided me with raffles and donations which have
helped to keep us going financially this year.
Finally, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas
and Happy Genealogical ew Year.
Heather Bray
Wednesday 11 March 2009
DUNEDIN CEMETERIES
Guest speaker: Stewart Harvey
Venue: St Peters Church Hall, Hillside Road, South Dunedin
Time: Meeting begins at 7.30 pm but the hall will be open from 7 pm
onwards.
Cost: $2 door charge (bring along some extra change as we will also
be having a raffle to raise funds for the group).
The meeting will conclude with a free supper - tea, coffee, cordial and
biscuits.
CONTACT DETAILS FOR GROUP
Dunedin Family History Group
C/- 28 Milburn Street, Corstorphine
Dunedin 9012
dfhg@xtra.co.nz
The Dunedin Family History Group cannot vouch for the accuracy of goods and services that
are advertised in this newsletter or be responsible for the outcome of any contract which may
be entered into by a reader with an advertiser. Opinions expressed in this newsletter are
those of the authors and not necessarily those of the group.
This newsletter is copyrighted to the Dunedin Family History Group. No part may be
reproduced without the permission of the copyright holders.
Page 1
GENEALOGICAL HAPPENINGS WORLD-WIDE
News from Dunedin
DUNEDIN PUBLIC LIBRARY
CELEBRATES 100 YEARS
Sunday, 30 November 2008 from 11 am
The Library’s normal peace and quiet takes a
back seat for a day as they enjoy their birthday
with fun and activities on every floor.
FAMILY HISTORY MONTH 2009
The NZSG Mosgiel Branch will be hosting a one day seminar
on Saturday 21 March 2009.
Watch this space for further details.
News from Around New Zealand
Index to Christchurch Death Notices in “The
Press” newspaper
An Index to death notices in “The Press”
newspaper is available on www.stuff.co.nz
Click on “The Press” newspaper and then
scroll down the page and on the right-hand
side click on “Readers Services”. Again on the
right-hand side you will find a panel “Readers
Services” which contains the death notice list of names 2000
to the present. This lists the name and date the death notice
appeared in “The Press”. For further information read the “hint
and instructions” section on the website.
BIRTH, DEATH AND MARRIAGE NOTICES FROM NEW
ZEALAND NEWSPAPERS
www.oldnewsbios.co.nz
With 14,512 names, Old News Bios is a database of notices
that appeared in old newspapers mainly dealing with births,
deaths and marriages.
Among the newspapers included are:
News from England
Soldiers’ Discharge Papers
You can search an index of British soldiers
discharged to pension between 1760 and
1913 (which are in class ‘WO 97’) free of
charge using the web-based catalogue of the
UK’s National Archives (known as the Public
Record
Office
until
2003)
at
catalogue.pro.gov.uk. You can then order
copies of the actual pension records online at
www.pro.gov.uk for a minimum charge of £10.
News from Scotland
Scottish Strays Marriage Index
The Anglo-Scottish Family History Society
(ASFHS) has compiled an index of marriages
that took place outside Scotland, where at
least one of the partners was born in Scotland.
You can search the index online free of charge
at the website of the ASFHS’s parent society,
the Manchester and Lancashire FHS
(www.mlfhs.org.uk).
News from Ireland
www.genwed.com/UK/search-ireland.htm
Gen Wed is a search engine which allows you to
search multiple Irish related databases for free.
Among the many databases is the pre-1840
Freeholder's Records (people entitled to vote in
elections) and Ireland-Australia Convict
Transportation
Database,
1791-1853
and Free Settlers' Papers, 1828 to 1848
Cadzow / Michie Family
Bruce Herald
The Bruce Herald was first published in November 1864 in Milton.
Reunion
Originally the newspaper was published weekly until the end of 1872
A combined reunion will be held on 11
from which time it was published twice weekly. Copies of the Bruce
and 12 April (Easter) 2009 in Dunedin,
Herald are also available online at www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
Otago.
Included in index online: 1864 to 1882 - births, marriages and deaths
Robert and Janet (nee BRYSON)
Dunstan Times
CADZOW arrived in Dunedin in 1863 on
The Dunstan Times was published in Clyde.
the “Mataura”.
Included in index online: 1866 to 1900 - births, marriages, and deaths
Mataura Ensign
Their children:
Copies of the Mataura Ensign are available online at
John CADZOW married Margaret MICHIE
www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
Robert CADZOW
Included in index online: January to June 1883 - births, marriages,
Grace CADZOW
deaths, inquests
Jessie CADZOW
The Oamaru Times / North Otago Times
Marion CADZOW married James STEWART
Available online at www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
Mary CADZOW married (1) Captain MORGAN (2) W. ROBERTS
Included in index online:
Christine CADZOW married Martin PRYDE
1864 to 1867 - births, marriages, deaths, funerals, obituaries, inquests
January to March 1901 - births, marriages, deaths, funerals,
Jessie CADZOW married John CALDER
obituaries
Grace CADZOW married David KILGOUR
May 1904 - births, marriages, deaths, funerals, obituaries
Agnes CADZOW married John THOMPSON
Otago Daily Times
Included in index online:
William and Janet (nee ARMOUR) MICHIE arrived in
1870 - births, marriages, deaths
Dunedin in 1861 on the “Pladda”.
1871 - births, marriages, deaths, funerals, obituaries
Their children:
The Otago Witness
Janet MICHIE married Horace KITT
Available online at www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
Included in index online:
Mary MICHIE married Andrew WALKER
1851 to 1853 - births, marriages, deaths, and inquests
Margaret MICHIE married John CADZOW
1915 - obituaries, birthdays, anniversaries
Agnes MICHIE married John McINNES
1916 - obituaries, birthdays, anniversaries
Alice MICHIE married Benjamin KITT
The Tapanui Courier
David MICHIE married Louisa DAVIS
Included in index online: 1876 to 1900 - births, marriages, and deaths
William MICHIE married Margaret DUCKWORTH
The Wakatipu Mail
This newspaper was published in Queenstown.
For further details or register your interest in attending please
Included in index online:
1863, 1864, 1873, 1875, 1879 and 1884 - births, marriages and
contact:
deaths
Len and Maureen Cadzow, 9 Devon Place, Mosgiel, Otago,
1885 to 1888, 1890, 1892 to 1900 - births, marriages, and deaths
email: l.cadzow@xtra.co.nz
University of Otago Magazine
or Fiona Michie, 7 Cambridge Street, Balclutha 9230, South
The alumni magazine for the University of Otago
Page 2Otago, email: fmichie@ihug.co.nz
Included in index online: Issue 18 - October 2007 - obituaries
FOLLOW UP TO YOUR NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
NASEBY WAR MEMORIAL
Bruce Cavanagh from the Gore Historical Museum and
Hokonui Heritage Research Centre has been able to help us
with some of the missing names from the Naseby War
Memorial.
R TYE - Possibly Pte. James Robert TYE, 8/2746 - 6th Reinf.
Otago Infantry Battn. - He was killed in Action at Messines on 7
June 1917 and his next of kin was noted as being J TYE (father)
of 29 Francis Street, Kaikorai Valley, Roslyn, Dunedin.
However his enlistment address was given as Eweburn Nursery,
Ranfurly and my guess is that this is why he appears on the
Naseby District Memorial.
C LUNIM - Possibly Pte. Charles Henry LUNAM, 8/3946 - 10th
Reinf. Otago Infantry Battn. - He was Killed in Action at the
Somme on 1 October 1916 and his next of kin was noted as
being D LUNAM (father), Waitati, Otago.
His occupation at the time of enlistment was given as being a
cook and whilst there appears nothing specific to tie this person
to the Naseby district I suspect that he, like so many others, has
been noted on local memorials simply because that was the
district that they were residing in before enlistment.
J T DEEHAM - Possibly Tpr. James Edward DEEHAN, 71901 37th Reinf. Mounted Rifles Brigade - He died of disease in Egypt
ex Palestine 15 October 1918 and his next of kin was noted as
Mrs E DEEHAN, Dundas Street, Dunedin.
James was a Telegraphist and possibly based in the Naseby
district and similar to Charles LUNAM with the corruption of the
spelling of his surname and also in this case the initials as well.
Although in saying that it appears that James has a brother
called John Thomas DEEHAN 16285, a bank clerk, as his next
of kin was also Mrs Elizabeth DEEHAN, Dundas Street,
Dunedin.
Whilst his brother 2nd Lieut. John Thomas DEEHAN also served
it appears that he survived and was noted on Archway as being
a Bank Manager at the time of his death in 1940. James Edward
DEEHAN has his probate in 1919 so I would be quite confident
in saying J T is actually J E with the surname DEEHAN.
The A MCLAREN is proving a little more difficult however there
is a possibility that this could be one of the following:L/Cpl. Alexander MCLAREN, 27566 - School teacher, killed in
action Ypres 12 Oct 1917 - next of kin J MCLAREN 16 Baldwin
Street, North East Valley. Being a school teacher he could have
been in the Naseby District?
Pte. Andrew MCLAREN, 47749 - NZ Training Unit. Died of
Disease 28 April 1917 and buried Southern Cemetery.
Next of kin - son of Mrs M KUNDSEN (formerly MCLAREN)
Beaufort Street, Pine Hill Dunedin.
POSTCODE AREAS
OF
GREAT BRITAIN
AND
NORTHERN
IRELAND
NZSG CD v5
FOR PUBLIC SALE
Even in these days of
email there will still be an
occasion when you will
need to post a letter to
Great Britain.
By using the correct postal code you are greatly increasing the
likelihood that the letter will be delivered to the correct
destination even if you have made an error in the rest of the
address (including the spelling). In fact the right address but
wrong postal code may mean your letter won’t be delivered at
all. It can also be very handy in identifying the source of
incoming correspondence.
The following site on the Internet lists all the current Postal
codes for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. You need to
register to use the site but it does not cost to do searches.
http://www.royalmail.com/
Shirley Hay <smhay@xtra.co.nz> writes regarding the above
CD for sale and the Otago Daily Times Headlines Index which
she was involved in compiling One of the files on the CD is noted as the ‘Otago Daily Times –
Headlines Index 1879-1998’ containing 120,000 records. This is
a misnomer and quite incorrect for two reasons, both of which
are errors by the CD compilers (who live elsewhere in New
Zealand!)
Firstly, the only available records which were on cards in the
ODT library, dated from 1949-1998 and are fully transcribed to
computer.
Secondly, and more importantly, I do not have permission from
Allied Press to allow the approximately 300,000 headlines as
such to be accessible anywhere outside the ODT itself plus the
University of Otago’s Hocken Library – which are the only two
places where they are held.
I have permission only for the 120,000 Nominal index headlines
extracted from those records which is what is on the CD.
By Nominal we mean only those headlines that contain a name
– that index was separately compiled by myself for genealogical
purposes.
Page 3
Write up of Our ovember Branch
Meeting
SURNAMES AND NAMING PATTERNS
British surnames were established in the period between 1250
and 1450. Many of the surnames come from Old English,
Middle English, Old French, Old Norse, Irish, Gaelic, Celtic,
Pictish, Welsh, Gaulish, Germanic, Latin, Greek and Hebrew.
The origins of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish surnames are
often grouped together mainly because they overlap in their
origins.
There are four basis on which surnames originated:
i) Those taking the first name of the ancestor's father
(patronymic).
ii) Those recording places where ancestors originated.
iii) Names reflecting the occupation of the ancestor.
iv) Surnames that are nicknames.
FIRST-NAMES
The most common form of surnames are based on the
Christian name of the father i.e. the surname of William
(would have originally been a Christian name). It can also
have an "s" added giving Williams.
In some cases, the ending "son" is added so you get
Williamson, Peterson, or Davidson. The origins of some of
these are not so easy to work out, such as Anderson (son of
Andrew) or Tennyson (son of Dennis).
In Scotland and Ireland "Mac" or "Mc" means "son of" i.e.
McDonald, McWilliams, Macfarlane and so on.
People settling in Ireland after the Norman Conquest
sometimes used "Fitz" (from the French "fils", for "son") i.e.
Fitzpatrick, Fitzgerald etc. However if "Fitz" was used in
England this was often an indication of illegitimacy.
The Irish "O", before a name can also mean “son of” but it
originally was used to mean the “grandson of”.
The suffix "kin" can be used in surnames to indicate
smallness. Tomkin could have meant "Little Thomas", Wilkin
could mean "Little William" and Perkin could mean "Little
Peter". This did not indicate their size in stature but more likely
their place in the family i.e. there were not a lot of Christian
names so if a man called Thomas had three sons whom he all
called John, one could have been John Thomas, another
John Thomson and the youngest John Tomkin.
Therefore a Christian name can be altered over time and
within the same family. The name David, for example, has
become: Davey, Davids, Dowell, Davidson, Davidge, Davie,
Davies, Davis, Davison, Dayson, Davy, Davys, Daw, Dawe,
Dawes, Dawkes, Dawkins, Daws, Dawson, Day, Davitt,
Dowson, Dowd, Dowden, and Dowling.
The baptismal name of Richard has been modified to give us:
Dick, Dickens, Dickenson, Dickson, Dixon, Heacock, Hick,
Hickin, Hickman, Hickmot, Hickox, Hicks, Hickson, Higgins,
Higginson, Higgs, Higman, Hiscock, Hitch, Hitchcock,
Hitchinson, Hitchmough, Hix, Reckett, Ricard, Rich, Richard,
Richards, Riche, Richer, Richett, Richney, Richie,
Richman, Rick, Rickard, Rickeard, Rickett, Ricketts,
Rickman, Ricks, Rickson, Ritchie, Ritchard, and Rix.
Welsh surnames can be difficult to trace since, though
patronymic, they were not always hereditary. William's
son Hugh, for example, was Hugh Williams; Hugh's son
Richard was Richard Hughes, and so on.
PLACES
Surnames representing places or land stuctures are
easy to spot i.e. Marsh, Hill, Wood etc. However the
evolution of language has made others less easy to
identify such as Cullen ("back of the river"), and Dunlop
("muddy hill").
OCCUPATIONS
Occupational surnames should be easy to identify i.e.
Barber, Baker, Sawyer etc. However, be warned,
because some apparently obvious names for
occupations aren't what they may seem. Meaning of
names has evolved over time. Someone with the
surname Banker did not obtain this from an occupation.
Banker is a place surname meaning "dweller on a
hillside".
NICKNAMES
Nicknames are the hardest to work out. For example
the surname of Kennedy is Gaelic for "ugly head". So
would this have been a description of someone which
evolved into his surname ?
NAMING PATTERNS
In general, throughout the 18th and 19th centuries,
families tended to name their children in a specific
pattern. Although the pattern was not necessarily
followed specifically it does form the basis for working
out family structures.
General naming pattern
First son was named after the father's father
Second son was named after the mother's father
Third son was named after the father
Fourth son was named after the father's oldest brother
Fifth son father's 2nd oldest brother or mother's oldest
brother
First daughter was named after the mother's mother
Second daughter was named after the father's mother
Third daughter was named after the mother
Fourth daughter was named after the mother's oldest
sister
Fifth daughter after the mother's 2nd oldest sister or
father's oldest sister
English and Welsh were not strong on using naming
patterns but between 1700 and 1870 some families did
follow this pattern.
First Daughter was named after the Mother's Mother
Second Daughter was named after the Mother's
Father's Mother
Third Daughter was named after the Mother
Fourth Daughter was named after the Mother's oldest
Sister
First Son was named after the Father's Father
Second Son was named after the Mother's Father
Third Son was named after the Father
Fourth Son was named after the Father's oldest Brother
Ireland did use a slightly different naming pattern in the
1800's
First Daughter was named after the father’s
Grandmother
Second Daughter was named after the mother’s
Grandmother
First Son was named after the father’s Grandfather
Second Son was named after the mother’s Grandfather
Then alternate names using the Grandmother's,
Grandfather's, Mother's, Aunt's, and Uncle's names
Scotland probably used the naming pattern most widely
between the 1700s and late 1800s
First son was named after father's father
Second son was named after mother's father
Third son was named after father
First daughter named after mother's mother
Second daughter named after father's mother
Third daughter named after mother
Page 4
EARLY OCCUPATIONS
The following list describes various old occupations which
have been extracted from the 1841-1901 British and Scottish
census.
A
ACATER - supplied food provisions, e.g. a ships chandler
ACCIPITRARY - falconer
ACCOMPTANT - accountant
ACCOUCHEUR / ACCOUCHEUS - one who assisted women
in childbirth
ACCOUTREMENT MAKER / ACCOUTRE - supplier of
military accessories
ACKERMAN / ACREMAN - ploughman, an ox herder
ACTUARY - kept public accounts of business
ADVERTISEMENT CONVEYANCER - sandwich board man
ALABASTERER - worked with alabaster
ALBLASTERE - crossbow man
ALDERMAN - senior councillor one position down from Mayor
in the local council
ALE-CONNER / ALE FOUNDER - official who tested quality
and measure of ale served in public houses
ALE DRAPER - seller of ale
ALE TUNNER - employed by the brewery to fill ale casks with
ale
ALEWIFE - woman tavern-keeper
ALNAGER - official who examined the quality of woollen
goods and stamped them with the town seal of approval
AMANUENSIS - secretary or stenographer
ANCHOR SMITH - made anchors
ANKLE BEATER - young person who helped to drive the
cattle to market
ANNATTO MAKER - worked in the manufacture of dyes for
paint or printing
ANTIGROPELOS MAKER - made waterproof leggings
ANVIL SMITH - made anvils and hammers for blacksmiths
APIARIAN - beekeeper
APOTHECARY - prepared and sold medicines or drugs;
pharmacist
APRONMAN - mechanic
ARCHIL MAKER - made a violet dye from lichens, used in the
textile industry
ARKWRIGHT - skilled craftsman who produced
"arks" (wooden chests or coffers)
ASHMAN - dustman
ASSAYER - determined the proportions of metal in ore
AURIFABER - goldsmith
AVENATOR (PLANTIFENE) - hay and forage merchant
AXEL TREE MAKER / AXEL TREE TURNER - made axels for
coaches and wagons
B
BACKMAKER - made "backs", vats, tubs, a cooper
BACK WASHER - employed to clean the wool in the worsted
manufacturing industry
BAGMAN - travelling salesman
BALER - bales hay and in the mills one who bailed wool or
cotton goods
BAL MAIDEN - female mine worker who worked on the
surface (also a Pit Brow Lass)
BAND FILER - metal worker in the gun making industry
BANDSTER - bound the wheat sheaves after harvest
BANKER - dug trenches and ditches to allow drainage of the
land, placing the surplus earth in banks around the edge
BANKSMAN - employed in the mining industry being in
charge of the cages at the pit head (sometimes known as a
bank manager)
BARGEE / BARGEMAN - worked on or owned and operated
a barge
BARKEEPER - another name for a toll keeper
BARKER - tanner
BASIL WORKER - worked with sheep and goat skins
BASKETMAN - made baskets and furniture from wicker, and
also employed to empty the basket of coal being offloaded
from the colliers into the barges
BASS / BAST DRESSER - employed in dressing fibre or
matting
BATT MAKER - made the wadding used in quilt and mattress
making
BATTLEDORE MAKER - made the beaters used on clothes
carpets etc to remove the dust (later made the paddles used
in washing machines)
BEAD PIERCER - employed to drill the holes in beads
BEAMER - winds the warp on the roller before putting it on the
loom in the textile industry
BEARER - worked underground carrying the coal to the
bottom of the pit shaft and placed it in the containers for
uplifting to the surface
BEAVER - made felt used in hat making
BEESKEPMAKER - made beehives
BEETLER - operated a beetling machine, used in the textile
trade for embossing fabric
BELL HANGER - installed bells in churches
BELLOWFARMER - responsible for the care and
maintenance of the church organ
BELLOWS MAKER - made bellows used for organs or
blacksmiths fires
BELLY BUILDER - built and fitted the interiors of pianos
BENDER - cut leather
BESOM MAKER - made brooms
BEVER - beverage maker
BILLIER / BILLYMAN - operated a Billy Roller, a machine
used in the cotton industry to prepare the cotton for spinning
BILL POSTER - put up notices, signs and advertisements
BINDER - bound items, e.g., books, hats etc .
BIRD BOY - employed to scare away birds from crops
BLACKING MAKER - made polish for shoes
BLADESMITH - sword maker or knife maker
BLAXTER / BLEACHER - bleached cloth or paper pulp
BLINDSMAN - employed by the Post Office to deal with
incorrectly addressed letters and parcels
BLOWER - glass blower, one who operated a "blowing
machine" used to clean and separate fibres in the textile
trade, one who operated the bellows at a
blacksmiths
BOATSWAIN - ship's officer in charge of riggings & sails
BOBBER - who polished metals one who helped to unload
fishing boats
BOBBIN CARRIER - worked in spinning and weaving sections
of the mills
BOBBIN TURNER - made the bobbins used in the spinning
and weaving industry
BODEYS / BODY MAKER - made bodices for women's
garments
BOILERMAKER - worked with metal in any industrial setting
BOILER PLATER - made rolled iron plate used to make
boilers for steam engines etc
BOLL - looked after power looms in the weaving industry
BONE BUTTON TURNER - made buttons using a lathe
BONE LACE MAKER - made pillow lace
BONE MOULD TURNER - made the moulds for button
manufacturers
BOOK GILDER - decorated books with gold leaf
BOOK KEEPER - looked after the accounts for businesses
BOONMASTER - surveyor of roads with the responsibilities of
maintaining and repairing the road
BOOTBINDER - employed to operate the machines which
bound footwear
BOOT CLOSER - worked in the shoe trade stitching together
all the parts of a shoe upper
BOOTHMAN - corn merchant
BORLER - who made cheap coarse clothing
BOTCHER - tailor or cobbler
BOTTLE BOY - pharmacists assistant
BOWDLER - worked with iron ore
BOWLMAN / BOWLWOMAN - dealer in crockery
BOWLMINDER - in charge of the vats used for washing raw
wool before processing
BRACHYGRAPHER - shorthand writer
BRAIDER - made cord by twisting threads or strips of leather
BRAILLER - made girdles
BRAKEMAN / BRAKESMAN - operated the winch at the pit
head or operated the braking mechanism on trains and trams
BRASILER - dyer
BRAZIER - worker with brass
BREWSTER - female brewer or brewer
Page 5
BRIGHTSMITH - metal worker
BROOM-DASHER - dealer in brooms
BROOM SQUIRE - broom maker
BROW GIRL - female employed at the pit head
BROWNSMITH - works with copper or brass
BUCKLER / BUCKLESMITH - made buckles
BUCKLE TONGUE MAKER - made the metal points that go in
the holes of a belt
BUCKRAM MAKER - worked with buckram (used in stiffening
materials) e.g. belts, lapels and collars
BUCK WASHER - laundress
BUDDLEBOY - employed to use and maintain the vats used
in the lead and tin mines for washing the ore
BULLWHACKER - oxen driver
BUMMAREE - middle man between the wholesaler and the
retailer at the fish markets
BUNTER - female rag & bone collector
BURLER - quality inspector for clothing
BURMAIDEN - chambermaid or lady-in-waiting
BURNEMAN - carrier of barm or water for brewers
BUSHEL MAKER - cooper
BUSHELER - tailor's helper
BUSS MAKER - maker of guns
BUSKER - hair dresser
BUTNER - button maker
BUTTER CARVER - made imprints in butter pats
BUTTON BURNISHER - button polisher
BUTTY - negotiated mining contracts and supplied the labour
C
CADDY BUTCHER - butcher that dealt in horse meat
CADDIE - messenger or errand boy
CAFFLER - rag and bone collector
CAINER - made walking sticks
CAIRD - another term for a tinker
CALCINER - burnt bones to make powdered lime
CALENDER - one who listed documents
CALICO PRINTER - dyed and colored calico
CAMBRIC MAKER - made a fine linen or cotton fabric called
cambric
CANDLE MAKER / CANDLER - who made and sold candles
CANNALLER - canal boat worker
CANVASER - one who made canvas
CAPER - cap maker
CAPITALIST - investor
CARDROOMER - term for anyone who worked in the carding
room of the mills
CARDER - cards wool
CARDMAKER - maker of cards or instruments for combing
wool
CARMAN / CHARMAN / CARTER / CARRIER - one who
drove a vehicle used to transport goods
CARD NAILER / NAILORA - maintained the teeth (nails) on
the carding machine used for preparing wool and cotton for
weaving
CARTER - one who carries or conveys in or as if in a cart
CART WHEELER - one who made cart wheels
CARTOGRAPHER - map maker
CARTWRIGHT - maker of carts & wagons
CASHMARIE - one who sold fish usually at inland markets
CASTRATOR - who castrated farm animals aka gelder
CATTLE JOBBER - buys and sells cattle
CAULKER - filled up cracks (in ships or windows) or seams to
make them watertight
CEILER - puts up the ceilings in buildings
CELLARMAN - looked after the beer, wines and spirits in
public houses or the warehouse
CEMMER - hand combed the yarn before weaving
CHAFF CUTTER - made chaff by cutting straw
CHAFFERER - dealer in chaff
CHAIR BODGER - travelling chair repairman
CHAISE MAKER - made carts from wicker
CHAMBER MASTER - shoemaker that worked from home as
an outworker or selling direct
CHEESE FACTOR / CHEESEMAN / CHEESE MONGER dealer in cheeses
CHAPELER - made and sold hats
CHARWOMAN - cleaning woman
CHIFFONIER - wig maker
CHINGLOR - rooftiler who used wooden shingles
CHIP - shipwright or carpenter
CHIPPERS LABOURER - assistant to a shipwright or ships
carpenter
CHIROPODIST - treats diseases of the feet & hands
CHOWDER - fish monger
CLAY CARRIER - assistant to the shot firer in the pits
CLAYMAN / CLEYMAN - worked in the clay pits usually
preparing the clay for making bricks and also one who coated
the outside of buildings with clay to make them water proof
CLOTHIER / CLOTHESMAN / CLOTHMAN - who made or
sold clothes
COAL BACKER - carried the sacks of coal from the coal
barge to the coal wagons
COAL BURNER - made charcoal
COAL DRAWER - worked in the mines pushing or dragging
the coal carts the bottom of the pit
COAL HEAVER - unloaded coal
COALMAN / COAL MERCHANT / COAL HIGGLER - sold coal
usually from a horse and cart, house to house.
COALMETER - measured the coal
COAL RUNNER - attended the coal carts underground
COAL WHIPPER - unloaded coal from ships using baskets
attached to a simple form of crane
COBBLER - shoemaker
COBLEMAN - used a flat bottomed boat for fishing
COD PLACER - put fire proof containers which held the
pottery for firing into the kiln
COLLAR MAKER - made horse collars and one who made
shirt collars
COLLIER - coal miner, a coal merchant or one who worked on
the coal barges
COLOUR MAN - mixed the dyes in the textile trade and also
assistant to a house painter
COMB MAKER - made combs either for the textile industry for
combing wool etc. or the maker of hair combs
COMPOSITOR - set the type ready for printing
CORACLE MAKER - made coracles, a small round boat used
for fishing
COXWAIN - ship or boat helmsman
CROFTER - tenant of a small piece of land
CURER - cures tobacco
CUTLER - knife seller or sharpener
D
DAIRYMAN - worker or owner of a dairy farm or seller of dairy
products
DELVER - dug ditches
DEXTER - dyer
DIPPER - who worked in the pottery trade and was
responsible for the glazing of items
DISTILLER - maker of alcoholic beverages
DOOR KEEPER - guard, janitor, or porter
DOUBLER - who operated a machine used to twist together
strands of fibre (cotton, wool etc)
DOWSER / DIVINER - water finder
DRAGMAN - fisher man who fished by dragging a net along
the bottom of the water
DRAINER - who made drains
DRAPER - dealer in fabrics and sewing needs
DRAWBOY - weavers assistant in the shawl making mills,
they sat atop the looms and lifted the heavy warps.
DRESSING MACHINE MAKER - who made sewing machines
DROVER - sheep or cattle driver
DUFFER - peddler of cheap goods
DUSTMAN / DUSTBIN MAN - collected domestic refuse
DYER - employed in the textile mills to colour fabric prior to
weaving
E
ELLERMAN / ELLIMAN - who sold oil used for lamps and
known as an oilman
ELYMAKER - oilmaker
EMBOSSER - who moulded or carved designs that were
raised above the surface of the material
ENGINEMAN - employed at a mine to be in charge of the
machinery used to crush the ore
ENGINE TENTER - who operated the machine which
stretched the cloth whilst drying in a woollen mill
Page 6
ENUMERATOR - who collected the information for the census
from the householder and recorded it
EYER - one who made eyes in needles used for sewing.
F
FAKER - photographic assistant who added colour to
photographs by hand before colour film was available
FALCONER - breeds, trains, or hunts with hawks
FANCY-PEARL WORKER - worked in mother-of-pearl making
buttons or fancy goods
FEATHERMAN - dealer in feathers and plumes
FEATHER-WIFE - woman who prepared feathers for use
FELLER - woodcutter
FELL MONGER - remover of hair or wool from hides in leather
making
FELTER - worker in the hatting industry
FILLER - who filled bobbins in mills
FINE DRAWER - employed in tailoring to repair tears in the
cloth (invisible mending)
FIREBEATER - tended the boilers that powered the
machinery in a cotton mill
FLAXDRESSER - prepared flax prior to spinning
FLESHMONGER / FLESHER - butcher or one who worked in
a tannery
FLESHEWER - butcher
FLETCHER - arrowsmith (from French fleche).
FLUSHERMAN - who cleaned out water mains
FLYCOACHMAN - driver of one-horse carriage hired by the
day
FRAME SPINNER - worker on a loom
FRAMER - one who frames houses
FRAMEWORKER KNITTER - operator of machine which
made hosiery
FULLER - cloth worker who shrinks, beats and presses the
cloth
G
GALVANISER - iron worker who handled process of coating
metal with zinc, to inhibit formation of rust
GANGSMAN - foreman
GAOLER - jailer
GARTHMAN - owner or worker of a fish trap
GAS MANAGER - foreman position in charge of checking for
poisonous gas in coal mine shafts
GELDER - castrator of animals, especially horses
GILDER - applies gold leaf
GLAZIER - glass cutter
GLOVER - one that makes or sells gloves
GOLDSMITH - maker of gold articles, banker
GREENSMITH - worker in copper or latten
H
HABERDASHER - seller of men's clothing
HACKER - maker of hoes
HACKLER / HACKMAN / HECKLER - one who separated the
coarse part of flax or hemp with a hackle, an instrument with
teeth in linen industry
HACKNEY MAN - renter of horses & carriages
HAIR SEATING & CURLED HAIR MERCHANT - dealer in
horse-hair stuffing used in upholstery
HAIRWEAVER / HAIRMAN - weaver of cloth composed
wholly or partly of horsehair
HAMMERMAN - hammerer, a smith
HANDSELLER - street vendor
HANDWOMAN - midwife or female attendant
HATTER - maker of or dealer in hats
HAWKER / HUCKSTER - peddler
HAYMONGER - dealer in hay
HEALD KNITTER - operator of a machine which produced a
jersey type of fabric as opposed to woven fabric
HECK MAKER - maker of a part of a spinning machine by
which the yarn is guided to the reels
HEELMAKER - made shoe heels
HELLIER / HILLIER - tiler or slater
HILLIER - roof tiler
HOSIER - retailer of stockings, socks, gloves, nightcaps
I
ICEMAN - seller or deliverer of ice
IRON MONGER - dealer in hardware made of iron (also
known as a feroner)
J
JAKES-FARMER - one who emptied cesspools
JOBMASTER - supplied carriages, horses and drivers for hire
JOYNER or JOINER - skilled carpenter
JOURNEYMAN - one who served his apprenticeship and
mastered his craft; properly, one who no longer is bound to
serve for years but is hired day to day
K
KIDDIER - skinner or dealer in young goats
KILNER - lime burner, in charge of a kiln
KNACKER - harness maker, buyer of old horses and dead
animals
L
LACEMAN - dealer in lace, who collected it from the makers,
usually only those who had bought his thread, and sold it in
the lace markets
LACE-RUNNER - young worker who embroidered patterns on
lace
LATTENER - brass worker
LAUNDERER - washer
LAYER - worker in paper mill responsible for a particular stage
in paper-making process
LINENER - linen draper, shirt maker
LINER / LYNER - flax dresser
LUTHIER - maker and repairer of stringed musical
instruments
M
MADERER - gathered and sold garlic
MALSTER - brewer, maker or seller of malts
MASON - stonecutter
MEALMAN - dealer in meal or flour
MELDER - corn miller
MERCER - cloth seller
MILLPECK - sharpener of mill stones
MILLNER - maker of women's' hats
MILLWRIGHT - designer & builder of mills or mill machinery
MIXER - bartender
MOCADO WEAVER - weaver of woollen cloth used for
making clothes 16-17th century.
MUGGLER - pigman
N
NARROW WEAVER - weaver of ribbons, tapes, etc
NECKER - worker responsible for the feeding of cardboard
into the machine the makes boxes
NETTER - net maker
NIGHT SOILMAN / NIGHTMAN - one who emptied cesspits,
ashpits and backyard toilets
NIPPER - lorry boy, a young person employed by the carter or
wagoner to assist with the collection and delivery of goods
O
OILMAN - sold the oil for lamps
ORRICE WEAVER - designer of lace patterns to be woven
OUTWORKER - worker who carried on their occupation at
home, e.g., cotton or woollen weavers but it applies to many
occupations
P
PACKMAN - travelled around carrying goods for sale in a
pack
PACK THREAD SPINNER - operator of the machine which
made thread or twine
PAINTRESS - woman employed in the pottery industry to
hand paint the finished articles
PAPER-STAINER - one who made wallpaper
PALING MAN - seller of eels
PAPERER - inserted the needles into the paper ready for sale
in the needle making trade
PARFUMIER / PERFUMER - manufacturer and purveyor of
scents such as perfumes, colognes and even incense
PARGETER - applied ornamental plaster to buildings
PAVER / PAVIOUR - laid paving stones
PELTERER - one who worked with animal skins
PESSONER - fish monger
PICKER - one who cast the shuttle on a loom
PINNER - pin make
PINNER UP - dressmakers assistant or one who sold
broadsheets or ballads in the streets
PITMAN - coal miner
Page 7
PLAITER - maker of straw plaits used in making hats etc
PLANKER - one who planks or kneads the body of the hat
during felting
POINTER - sharpened needles or pins or lace maker
POINTSMAN - railway worker who operated the points, used
to change the line on which the train was travelling
PORTER - door or gatekeeper
POSTER - one who worked in the quarries breaking rocks
POTATO BADGER - seller of potatoes
POT BOY / MAN - one who worked in public houses washing
and removing dirty pots also did other menial tasks
POULTER - seller of poultry
POWER LOOM TUNER - one who maintained the loom in
mills
PROCTOR - official of a university
PUBLICAN - innkeeper
Q
QUARRIER / QUARRYMAN - quarry worker
QUILLER - one who operated a machine that wound yarn
onto spools
QUISTER - one who bleached things
R
RAG CUTTER - one who cut up rags into small pieces to be
used for making paper etc
RAG MAN - one who went from street to street collecting and
selling old clothes and rags
RAKER - street sanitation worker
REEDMAKER - made the pipe for a musical instrument or
made a weavers implement (a reed) or reed cloth or the comb
used in tapestry
REELER - operated the machine that wound the yarn onto the
bobbin
REGISTRAR - official who registers events such as land
purchases or births
RENOVATOR - one who repaired clothing
RIDDLER - wool stapler
RIPPER / RIPPIER - one who sold fresh water fish at the
markets or maker and seller of baskets
ROLLEYWAY MAN - maintained the underground road in the
mines
ROLL TURNER - carder of wool, cotton etc into rolls prior to
spinning
ROPER - maker of rope or nets
ROVER - archer or operator of a machine used in cotton mills
which prepared the carded fibre into rolls
RUGMAN - dealer in rugs
S
SADDLER - one who made saddles, harnesses, horse collars,
bridles
SADDLE TREE MAKER - one who made the frames for
saddles that the saddler used
SAGGER MAKER - one who made the fireclay containers in
which the stoneware was placed ready for firing
SALT BOILER - one who obtained salt by boiling water
SANDWICHMAN - wears a sandwich billboard for advertising
SAWYER - saws timber to boards
SCAVELMAN - employed to keep the waterways and ditches
clear
SCRIBBLER - employed in a scibbling mill where the wool
was roughly carded before spinning
SCRIBER - employed at the docks to mark the cotton bales
with the approximate weight ready for selling by the brokers
SEAL PRESSER - employed in the glass industry to seal the
bath against air intake which could spoil the finished surface
SEEDSMAN - sower of seeds
SEXTON - employee or officer of a church who cared and up
kept church property and sometimes rang bells and dug
SHEARER - removed the fleece from sheep
SHEARGRINDER - sharpened shears, scissors
SHINGLER - A roof tiler who used wooden tiles (shingles)
SHUNTER - one who moved rolling stock around the railway
yards
SHUTTLE MAKER - made the shuttles for the weaving mills
SILK THROWER - worker in the silk industry
SILVERSMITH - worked with silver
SLAPPER / SLAPER - one who worked in a pottery preparing
the clay for the potter
SLATER - roofer
SOAP BOILER (SOPER) - soap maker
SPICER - grocer or dealer in spices
SPINNER - spins yarn
SPOONER - made spoons
SPURRER or SPURRIER - maker of spurs
STALLMAN - keeper of a market stall
STAMPMAN - worker of an ore crushing machine
STATIONER - bookseller, seller of paper & writing implements
STAY MAKER - corset maker
STEWARD - manager of property, purveyor of supplies or
someone who attended passengers on conveyance
STICHER - one who does decorative stitching
STOCKINGER - knitter, weaver, or dealer in stockings
STOKER - tends the fire of an engine boiler
STONEMAN / STONEWARDEN - a surveyor of highways
STOREMAN - one responsible for stored goods
STRAW PLAITER - one who made straw braids for the hat
industry
STREAKER - one who prepared the body for burial
STRIPPER - employed in the woollen trade to remove the
rubbish from the carding machines
SWORD CUTLER - sword maker
T
TACKLER - an overlooker of power loom weavers
TAILOR - one who made or repaired clothes
TALLOW CHANDLER - made or sold candles
TANNER - leather maker
TAPER WEAVER - one who made the wicks for candles
TASSLER - one who made tassels used in furnishings or
nobleman
THATCHER - one who covered roofs with straw or reeds
THRESHER - one who separated the grain from the husks
and straw
THROWSTER - one in the textile trade who twisted the
strands of fibre together into yarn
TICKET WRITER - person (usually female) who hand wrote or
painted the price tickets on goods displayed for sale and
painted the signs that go up to make a window display
TIEMAKER - one who made wooden railway ties
TILER - one who put tiles in place either on the roof or floor
TOBACCO SPINNER - maker of cigars
TURNPIKE KEEPER - worked at the toll gate to collect fees
for use of the road
TOOL HELVER - made tool handles
TOW CARD MAKER - one who made tow cards, used in the
textile industry
TWIST HAND - one who operated a lace machine
U
UPHOLDER - upholsterer and also a seller of second-hand
goods
V
VALUATOR - who valued objects
VICTUALER - seller of food/drink
VINTER - wine merchant
W
WAGONER - wagon or cart driver
WAILER - one employed in the mines to remove the impurities
from the coal
WAINWRIGHT - builder or repairer of wagons
WAREHOUSEMAN - in charge of or employee in a
warehouse
WASHMAN - tin coater
WATCH FINISHER - assembled watches and clocks
WATCHMAN - town official who guarded the streets at night
WELL SINKER - dug wells
WELL WRIGHT - made the winding equipment used to raise
the bucket in the well
WET GLOVER - made leather gloves
WHEELER - wheel maker, attended to the spinning wheel in
the textile industry and one who led the pit ponies that pulled
the tubs underground in the mines
WHEELWRIGHT / WRIGHT - maker or repairer of wagon
wheels
WHIPCORD MAKER / WHIPMAKER - made whips
WHITENING ROLL MAKER - made the whitening used in
whitening walls of cottages
WRIGHT - builder or repairer
Page 8
Y
YARDMAN - rail road yard worker
YEOMAN - farmer who owns his own land
Z
ZINCOGRAPHER - designer who etched in relief a pattern on
zinc plates used for printing
OLD MEDICAL TERMS
The following list describes various old medical terms found in
parish records and death certificates in England, Ireland and
Scotland.
A
ABORTUS FEVER - Brucellosis, a disease caught from cattle
via milk resulting in a fever.
ABSCESS - a swelling in soft tissue filled with pus caused by
an infection, such as a boil.
ADDISON’S DISEASE - anaemic condition caused by kidney
disease. A disease characterised by severe weakness, low
blood pressure, and a bronzed coloration of the skin, due to
decreased secretion of cortisol from the adrenal gland.
AGUE - malarial infection characterised by paroxysms (stages
of chills, fever, and sweating at regularly recurring times) and
followed by an interval or intermission of varying duration.
ANAEMIA - lack of sufficient red blood cells, sometimes
caused by iron deficiency and worsened by the medical
practice of bleeding patients for virtually every condition. Also
known as green fever, green sickness. See also chlorosis.
ANEURYSM - a ballooning of an artery caused by a
weakened artery wall.
ANASCARA - generalised dropsy. See dropsy.
APHONIA - laryngitis
APOPLEXY - paralysis caused by stroke. Sudden deprivation
of all the internal and external sensation and of all motion
unless of the heart and thorax.
APHTHAE or APHYHOUS fever, see thrush.
APHTHOUS STOMATITIS - mouth ulcer. See also canker.
ASCITES - a build up of fluid in the abdomen caused by heart
failure or kidney disease. See also dropsy.
ASTHENIA - see debility.
ATROPHY - trophy: wasting.
B
BAD BLOOD - see syphilis
BILIOUS FEVER - intestinal or malarial fevers. See also
typhus.
BILIOUSNESS - nausea, abdominal pains, headache, and
constipation. Also jaundice associated with liver disease.
BLACK DEATH or BLACK PLAGUE - bubonic plague, an
infectious fever caused by the bacillus Yersinia pestis
transmitted by the rat flea.
BLACK JAUNDICE - Wiel's disease, a bacterial infection of
the liver carried by rats, which can affect farmers and sewage
workers.
BLOOD POISONING - septicaemia, an infection throughout
the body.
BLOODY FLUX - blood in the stools, see dysentery.
BOIL - an abscess of skin or painful inflammation of the skin
or a hair follicle usually caused by a staphylococcal infection.
BRAIN FEVER - see meningitis and typhus.
BRIGHT’S DISEASE - Glomerulonephritis (kidney
inflammation).
BRONCHIAL ASTHMA - a difficulty in breathing, caused by
spasm of the bronchi i.e. the tubes of the lungs.
BRONCHIAL CATARRH - acute bronchitis
BURSTEN - hernia or rupture.
C
CACHEXY also CACHEXIA - a wasting syndrome.
CAMP FEVER - see typhus.
CANCER - a malignant and invasive growth or tumour.
CANCRUM OTIS - an erosive ulcer of the cheek and lip
resulting from poor hygiene. It was often seen in young
children and could be fatal as it led to gangrene of the facial
tissues.
CANINE MADNESS - rabies or hydrophobia
CANKER - an ulcerous sore of the mouth and lips. Possibly
includes herpes infections commonly known as cold sores.
CARDIAC INSUFFICIENCY - where the heart is no longer
able to pump efficiently. It may be a consequence of a heart
attack or of damage to the valves.
CARDITIS - inflammation of the heart.
CATALEPSY - seizure or a trance like state.
CATAPLASM - a poultice.
CATARRH - inflammation of a mucous membranes of the
head and throat, with a flow of mucous. Bronchial catarrh was
bronchitis; suffocative catarrh was croup; urethral catarrh was
gleet; vaginal catarrh was leukorrhea; epidemic catarrh was
the same as influenza.
CEREBROSPINAL FEVER - See meningitis.
CHILD BED FEVER - also known as puerperal fever is a form
of septicaemia caused by lack of hygiene during the delivery
of a baby.
CHIN COUGH - whooping cough or tussis convulsiva, mainly
a disease of childhood associated with a strange sounding
cough which often brings on vomiting.
CHLOROSIS - anaemia from iron deficiency
CHOLERA - an acute, infectious disease caused by Vibrio
comma, characterised by profuse diarrhoea, vomiting, and
cramps. Cholera is spread by faeces-contaminated water and
food.
CHOLERA INFANTUM - a common, non-contagious
diarrhoea of young children, occurring in summer or autumn. It
was common among the poor and in hand-fed babies i.e.
babies who were fed on mixtures of bread or flour and water,
possibly with admixture of cows' milk, which might be infected,
or condensed milk, which was vitamin deficient.
CHOREA - a diseases of the nervous system, characterised
by jerky movements chiefly of the face and Extremities.
COLIC - abdominal pain and cramp. Renal colic can occur
from disease in the kidney and affects the ureter; gallstone
colic arises from stones in the bile duct.
CLYSTER - an enema
CONGESTION - accumulation of blood or other fluid in a body
part or blood vessel for example congestion of the lungs in
failing heart. In congestive fever the internal organs become
gorged with blood.
CONGESTIVE FEVER - see malaria
CONSUMPTION - a wasting away of the body; formerly
applied especially to pulmonary tuberculosis, caused by the
bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
CONVULSIONS - violent, involuntary muscular contractions of
the extremities, trunk, and head. An involuntary contraction of
the fibres of the muscles, whereby the body and limbs are
preternaturally distorted. See also epilepsy.
CORRUPTION - infection
CORYZA - a cold. See also catarrh.
COSTIVENESS - constipation
CRAMP COLIC - appendicitis
CREEPING PARALYSIS - a term that encompasses multiple
sclerosis
CROUP - a spasmodic laryngitis seen mainly in children and
associated with a cough and difficulties in breathing.
CYNANCHE - inflammation of the throat.
CYNANCHE MALIGNA - putrid sore throat.
CYNANCHE PAROTIDAEA - mumps.
CYNANCHE PHARYNGAEA - inflammation of the pharynx.
CYNANCHE TONSILLARIS - inflammatory sore throat. See
quinsy.
CYNANCHE TRACHEALIS - See croup.
CYANOSIS - dark skin from lack of oxygenated blood.
CYSTITIS - inflammation of the bladder.
D
DEBILITY - abnormal bodily weakness or feebleness; decay
of strength.
DELIRIUM TREMENS - a nervous disorder involving muscular
twitching and hallucinations caused by alcohol abuse. Also
known as DT and the shakes.
DEMENTIA PRAECOX - schizophrenia, a mental disorder
characterised by disordered thinking and hallucinations.
Page 9
DIAPHRAGMATITIS - inflammation of the diaphragm.
DIPTHERIA - an acute and often fatal infectious disease of
the upper respiratory tract in which a membrane grows across
the throat.
DROPSY - a swelling caused by accumulation of abnormally
large amounts of fluid. Caused by kidney disease or
congestive heart failure.
DYSENTRY - inflammation of the intestine
DYSPEPSIA - acid indigestion or heart burn.
E
ECLAMPSIA - a form of toxaemia accompanying pregnancy.
EFFLUVIA EXHALATIONS - In the mid 19th century, they
were called "vapours". Among the contagious effluvia were
rubeolar (measles).
ENDOCARDITIS - disease of the heart valves that can result
from rheumatic fever.
ENTERIC FEVER - See typhoid fever.
ENTERITIS - inflammation of the bowel.
EPILEPSY - a disorder of the nervous system, with either mild
and occasional loss of attention or sleepiness or by severe
convulsions with loss of consciousness. Commonly caused by
oxygen starvation during a difficult birth.
EPISTAXIS - bleeding from the nose
ERYSIPELAS - a feverish disease characterised by intense
deep red local inflammation of the skin caused by
Streptococcus bacterium.
F
FALLING SICKNESS - epilepsy.
FISTULA - a sinuous ulcer.
FURUNCLE - See boil.
FRENCH POX - venereal disease, former name of syphilis.
G
GANGRENE - the decay of tissue, commonly the extremities,
usually because of the failure of blood supply as in frost bite or
as a complication of diabetes.
GASTRITIS - inflammation of the stomach.
GATHERING - an accumulation of pus.
GLEET - See catarrh.
GLOSSITIS - inflammation of the tongue.
GOITRE - swelling of the thyroid caused by shortage of iodine
in the diet. Also known as Derbyshire neck.
GOUT - an arthritic disease marked by recurrent acute attacks
of pain, tenderness, redness, and swelling around the joints
and tendons caused by deposits of monosodium urate
crystals
GRAVEL - a disease characterised by small stones which are
formed in the kidneys, passed along the ureters to the
bladder, and expelled with the urine. See also stranguary.
GREAT POX - See syphilis
GRIPPE - influenza, also La Grippe or grip.
H
HAEMATEMESIS - literally vomiting of blood.
HAEMATURIA - passing blood in the urine.
HAEMORRHOIDS - piles.
HAEMOPTYSIS - spitting blood.
HECTIC FEVER - recurring fever with sweating, chills, and
flushing.
HEPATITIS - inflammation of the liver.
HIVES - an allergic skin disorder, often attended by severe
itching. Also called cynanche trachealis.
HIP GOUT - osteomylitis
HOSPITAL FEVER - See typhus.
HYDROCELE - dropsy of the testicles
HYDROCEPHALUS - enlarged head from accumulation of
cerebrospinal fluid, water on the brain.
HYDROPERICARDIUM - collection of fluid around the heart
resulting in constriction of the heart itself.
HYDROPHOBIA - literally a fear of water which is a symptom
of rabies.
HYDROTHORAX - congestion of the lungs, see also dropsy.
HYSTERITIS - inflammation of the womb.
I
ICTERUS - See jaundice.
IMPOSTHUME - a collection of purulent matter in a bag or
cyst.
INANITION - decline from inadequate nourishment; starvation.
INFANTILE PARALYSIS - poliomyelitis.
J
JAIL FEVER - see typhus.
JAUNDICE - a yellow pigment deposited in the skin, whites of
the eyes, and mucous membranes, caused by an increase of
bile pigments in the blood.
K
KIDNEY STONE - see gravel.
KINGS EVIL - scrofula, a tubercular infection of the throat
lymph glands
L
LA GRIPPE - influenza.
LEPROSY - long lasting disease caused by the bacillus
Mycobacterium leprae
LETHARGY - a morbid drowsiness; a sleep from which one
cannot be kept awake.
LOCKJAW - See tetanus.
LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA - A movement disorder caused by
syphilitic infection of the spinal cord.
LUES - See syphilis.
LUES VENERA - venereal disease
LUNG FEVER - See pneumonia
LUNG SICKNESS - tuberculosis, see consumption.
LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS - a chronic disease causing
degeneration of connective tissue. It causes red skin lesions,
inflammation of joints and lesions of the internal organs.
Female sufferers have difficulty in carrying a child.
LUPUS VULGARIS - A chronic tubercular infection of the skin
involving soft yellow swellings, ulcers and abscesses.
M
MALARIA - a disease caused by parasitic protozoa of the
genus Plasmodium, transmitted by the bites of insects such as
mosquitoes..
MALIGNANT - sore throat: diphtheria
MALIGNANT FEVER - See typhus.
MANIA - insanity
MARASMUS - progressive emaciation caused by malnutrition
in young children.
MEASLES - an infectious viral disease marked by rash of red
circular spots. A critical eruption in a fever.
MELANCHOLIA - depression.
ME,BRANOUS CROUP - hoarse cough, diphtheria.
MENINGITIS - A term in modern usage which is used for
inflammation of the membranes on the surface of the brain,
involving high fever, severe headache, and stiff muscles in the
neck or back.
MENORRHAGIA - excessive menstrual bleeding.
MIASMA - "poisonous vapours" (bad smells) that were
believed to spread infection.
MILIARY FEVER - small pustules or vesicles on the skin, so
called as they resemble millet seed.
MILK FEVER - fever: from drinking infected milk, such as
undulant fever or brucellosis.
MILK LEG - thrombosis of veins in the legs caused by lying in
bed too long after childbirth. It leads to ulceration of the skin.
MORMAL - gangrene
MORTIFICATION - infection, often used for gangrene or
necrosis.
MYELITIS - literally and inflammation of a nerve.
MYOCARDITIS - inflammation of the heart muscle
N
NAPLES DISEASE - another name for syphilis.
NATURAL DECAY - death through old age is frequently
shown on death certificates as natural decay.
NEPHRITIS - inflammation of the kidney.
NEURALGIA - pain in a sensory nerve.
NEURASTHENIA - neurotic condition.
O
OEDEMA - swelling caused by retention of fluid such as might
occur with a weakened heart.
OPTHALMITIS - inflammation of the eye.
Page 10
OTITIS - inflammation of the ear.
P
PALSY - a privation of motion or feeling or both, proceeding
from some cause below the cerebellum, joined with a
coldness, flaccidity, and at last wasting of the parts. If affecting
all the parts below the head, except the thorax and heart it is
called a paraplegia, if in one side only a hemiplegia; if in some
parts only on one side, a paralysis. This definition could
include conditions arising from spinal injuries and stroke as
well as conditions such as Bell's palsy and cerebral palsy.
Shaking palsy is Parkinson's disease.
PARISTHMITIS - See quinsy.
PAROXYSM - convulsion.
PEMPHIGUS - vesicular fever.
PERICARDITIS - inflammation of the pericardium, the
membrane around the heart.
PERITONITIS - inflammation of the peritoneal cavity in which
the intestines lie.
PETECHIAL FEVER - See typhus.
PHLEGMASIA - general term for inflammation.
PHRENITIS - an inflammation of the brain.
PHTHISIS - See consumption.
PINK DISEASE - disease in children caused by mercury
poisoning from the use of mercury salts in teething powders.
PLEURISY or PLEURITIS - inflammation of the pleura, the
lining of the chest cavity.
PNEUMONIA - inflammation of the lungs produced by
infections such as Diplococcus pneumoniae or Klebsiella
pneumonia.
PNEUMONITIS - inflammation of the lungs.
PODAGRA - gout or pain in the feet.
POTTER’S ASTHMA - Workers in the pottery industry of
Staffordshire were exposed to dust from dried clay and in
some cases from ground flints and bone used as clay
additives. They developed an inflammation of the lung similar
to that of miners with silicosis.
POTTS DISEASE - tuberculosis of the spine leading to
degeneration of the vertebrae.
PROSTITIS - inflammation of the prostate gland.
PUERPERAL FEVER - a fever arising after giving birth, also
called child bed fever, caused by bacterial infection and
commonly fatal.
PURPLES - spots of a livid colour, which break out in
malignant fevers.
PUTRID FEVER - diphtheria
PUTRID SORE THROAT - ulceration of an acute form,
attacking the tonsils, see also Quinsy.
PYREXIA - See dysentery.
Q
QUINSY - an acute inflammation of the soft palate around the
tonsils, often leading to an abscess
R
REMITTING FEVER - malaria also called the ague.
RISING OF THE LIGHTS - croup - any obstructive condition
of the larynx or trachea (windpipe), characterised by a hoarse,
barking cough and difficult breathing, occurring chiefly in
infants and children.
RHEUMATISMUS - rheumatism.
RUBELLA - German measles.
RUBEOLA - Measles
S
SCARLATINA - Scarlet Fever, a contagious disease caused
by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes, which attacks the
red blood cells and produces inflammation of the nose, throat
and mouth, headache, sickness and red rash.
SCREWS - rheumatism
SCROFULA - tuberculosis of the lymphatic glands, especially
those in the neck.
SCURVY - deficiency disease, common on long voyages and
characterised by softening of the gums, haemorrhages under
the skin and general debility.
SHINGLES - a painful skin condition, commonly in older
people, caused by the virus that produces chicken pox which
can remain dormant in the body for many years.
SHIP FEVER - See typhus.
SMALLPOX - Also known as variola. A viral infection
producing fever and a skin rash followed by pustules which
leave permanent scars. The disease was often fatal.
SOFTENING OF THE BRAIN - senility or general paralysis of
the insane which is tertiary syphilis. Also used for cerebral
haemorrhage/stroke.
SPLENITITS - inflammation of the spleen.
SPOTTED FEVER - could be typhus or meningitis.
ST ANTHONY’S FIRE - See erysipelas.
ST VITUS DANCE - a twitching of the limbs consequent on
streptococcal infections also known as chorea Sancti Viti.
STRANGUARY - restricted urine flow. A difficulty of urine
attended with pain. This could have included bladder stones.
STROPHULUS - prickly heat.
SUMMER COMPLAINT - See cholera infantum also dysentery
or baby diarrhoea caused by spoiled milk.
SUPPURATING - producing pus.
SYNOCHUS - fever
SYPHILIS - long lasting contagious venereal disease caused
by bacterium Treponema pallidum
T
TABES DORSALIS - tubercular infection of the spine.
TABES MESENTERICA - tubercular infection of the lymph
glands in the abdomen.
TEETHING - Teething infants sometimes suffered infections
of the gums as the teeth erupted leading to pain and swelling.
If the infection became systemic, it could lead to convulsions,
diarrhoea and even death.
TETANUS - an infectious, often fatal disease caused by the
bacterium Clostridium tetani, which enters the body through
wounds.
THRUSH - a disease in which there are white spots and
ulcers in the mouth, and on the tongue, caused by a parasitic
fungus, Candida albicans. There is a similar condition of the
vagina.
TRENCH FEVER - a louse borne infection characterised by
headaches, inflamed eyes, skin rashes and pains in the legs.
TUBERCULOSIS - A chronic infectious disease that can affect
a variety of organs. The most common variety is pulmonary
tuberculosis or consumption, passed on via droplets in coughs
and sneezes. Tuberculosis of the lymph glands in the neck
was called scrofula or King's Evil. The disease could be
contracted through infected milk.
TYMPANY - A kind of obstructed flatulence that swells the
body like a drum.
TYPHOID FEVER - an infectious disease producing intestinal
inflammation and ulceration. It was usually encountered in the
summer months.
TYPHUS - An acute, infectious disease caused by the
parasite Rickettsia prowazekii, transmitted by lice and fleas. It
is marked by high fever, stupor alternating with delirium,
intense headache and dark red rash. Typhus, because it was
flea borne, was often prevalent in the winter months when
people were less likely to wash their clothes or indeed
themselves.
U
UNDULANT FEVER - brucellosis, an infectious fever
contracted from contaminated milk.
V
VARICELLA - Chicken pox
VARIOLA - See smallpox
VENESECTION - bleeding.
W
WHOOPING COUGH - See chin cough.
WHITE LEG - See milk leg.
WINTER FEVER - See pneumonia.
WOOL SORTER’S DISEASE - anthrax, a disease formerly
found in farm animals that could be transmitted to man.
WORM FEVER - may have been used to indicate a fever or
enteritis during which worms were passed in the faeces. It is
given as a cause of death of children in the early 19th century.
Page 11
PARISH REGISTERS
Parish Registers were first ordered to be kept by Thomas
Cromwell, Vicar General for King Henry VIII in 1538. Cromwell
ordered that every parish must keep a register and that every
Sunday the Parson, in the presence of the wardens, must
enter all the baptisms, marriage and burials of the previous
week. The register was to be kept in a coffer with two locks.
Failure to comply imposed a fine of 3s 4d which was to be
spent on the upkeep of the church. This order was received
with some suspicion and despite the fine imposed many
parishes ignored the order to keep these registers.
The order was repeated in 1547 during the reign of Edward VI
but this time the fine was to go towards poor relief.
In 1563 parliament passed an act which carried more weight.
Records were to be kept in 'great decent books of parchment'
and copies or 'Bishop's Transcripts' of new entries were to be
sent each month to the diocesan centre. Previous entries in
paper registers were to be copied into the new books. Paper
was at the time much cheaper than parchment (which is made
from animal skins) and in many cases loose sheets of paper
had been used and unfortunately lost. Over time some paper
registers had deteriorated to the point where the registers
were unreadable due to homemade ink. Unfortunately the Act
stated that the costs involved were to be met by imposing
charges for entries. This was strongly opposed by many
clergy and the act was not enforced.
It was not until the ecclesiastical mandates of 1597 and 1603
that the act was enforced throughout the country. The parish
was now to finance the registers and the books were to be
kept in a chest with three locks. To ensure that records were
kept properly the entries were to be read out each Sunday
after evensong. Few of the early paper registers survive and
often only the bare essentials were copied.
Registers were poorly kept during the English Civil war 1643 1647 and in the commonwealth period which followed it. Many
were abandoned or hidden by the clergy and in some cases
were lost completely.
Registers were returned to churches after the restoration of
the monarchy in 1660.
In 1678 an act was passed making it compulsory for all
corpses to be buried in a shroud made of wool only. This was
to encourage the wool trade. An affidavit was to be made and
recorded that this had been carried out. This was not a
popular law since the poor could ill afford the shroud. A
separate burial register was enforced from this date.
In 1696 an order was passed that a fine of £2 was to be
imposed on all who did not report the birth of a child to the
vicar within 5 days. Children who were not christened were to
pay a tax of 6d to the vicar. Vicars who failed to record a birth
were to be fined £2 for neglect. This highly unpopular tax was
not abandoned until 1706 when it was realised that enforcing
the penalties would ruin many clergy.
In 1711 an order was made that parish registers should be
ruled and that pages should be numbered but once again this
order was generally ignored.
1733 a law was passed forbidding the use of Latin in parish
registers.
1751 was the year the calendar was reformed. Prior to this,
the year commenced on Lady Day - 25th of March. So, in
previous registers, December 31st 1750 would have been
followed by January 1st 1750 and not 1751 as it would today.
1754 - Lord Hardwick's Marriage Act. This Act enforced a
separate marriage register which was later pre-printed and
had spaces for witnesses, the signature of the bride and
groom, the condition and parish of the bride and groom and
the signature of the minister. It also enforced banns and made
clandestine marriages illegal. Clandestine marriages were
legally binding unions in which the couple had not completely
followed the rules set by canon law. The Anglican Church
required that the prospective union be announced by either
the posting of banns for three weeks before the intended
ceremony or the issuance of a marriage license. The
ceremony itself had to take place within the parish of one of
the candidates between the hours of 8 am and noon and
abide by the service listed in the Book of Common Prayer.
Clandestine marriages were often performed by clergymen
who did not have an official position, in parishes other than
those of the couple, or in such diverse locales as taverns,
prisons, or even brothels. So long as the couple freely
consented to the marriage, the service was read out of the
Book of Common Prayer, and there were no legal
impediments such as consanguinity, the union was
considered valid and was recognized by both the Church and
the state. However, because these ceremonies were very
difficult to regulate, a shady subculture surrounded
clandestine marriages causing objection from the Church and
the legal establishment.
1763 the minimum age of marriage was fixed at 16. Prior to
this date, the church accepted the marriage of girls aged 12 or
more and boys aged 14 or more. In addition, a dispensation
on licence could be obtained from a bishop which allowed
marriage at a younger age. From 1763 a person below the
age of 21 required the consent of parents to be married in
England. An example of an early age marriage is this one
from Burnley parish in Lancashire:
A stamp duty of 3d was placed on all entries and registers
causing many families not to have children baptised. Paupers
were exempt. Many entries of 'pauper' were made by the
minister when parents would not pay. The duty was repealed
in 1794.
1812 Rose's Act - New printed baptism, marriage and burial
registers were to be used by all parishes with separate
volumes for each. The marriage register remained
unchanged.
1853 Cemetery Act - By 1853, many churchyards were over
crowded and an act of parliament was passed, which allowed
towns to open cemeteries.
Early parish burial records contain only the most basic
information.
"John Smith was buried the 21st day"
"Charles the son of John Smith was buried the 10th day"
"The wife of John Smith was buried the 8th day"
"Widow Smith was buried the 1st day"
Frustratingly the wife's name was often not considered
important enough to be mentioned. However by the early
1800s registers began to include the wife's name.
"Mary the wife of John Smith was buried"
"Mary, the widdow of John Smith was buried"
"Sarah, the daughter of John Smith and Mary (his wife) was
buried"
Unfortunately with all parish registers you are at the mercy of
the clergy as to how the information was recorded.
Occasionally you may be lucky to find the occupation and/or
age of the person stated.
It is also sometimes possible to find a cause of death stated,
particularly if it was a result of plague. Burial registers from
1813 contained more information. Normally the name of the
person is recorded, sometimes with the name of the township
or hamlet and occasionally the name of the place of
residence. The age of the deceased is given in some parishes
during certain periods, especially in the late eighteenth and
early nineteenth century. From 1813 onwards the age at death
was part of the required details in burial entries.
What Was the Cause of Death?
As you will have noticed reading through the list of illnesses
on the previous pages, medical technology and terminology
has certainly changed over the decades and centuries.
Most of us know that consumption was an earlier name for
tuberculosis, and that palsy referred to a paralysis or a loss of
muscle control. However, older medical terms and alternative
folk names for illnesses can cause some problems.
Decrepitude - Feebleness due to old age
Dentition - Cutting of teeth
Dry Bellyache - Lead poisoning
Flux of humour - Circulation.
But sometimes other illness are hard to imagine. In 1887 one
Page 12
Henry Phillipps died from a bible blister. This was a cyst or
ganglia usually at the wrist. This cyst would be full of fluid. The
common practice was to take the family Bible, place your
hand on the table and give the cyst a thump with the bible.
Henry Phillipps should not have died from having a cyst hit by
a bible so they must have been some other underlying cause.
Sarah Tait died in 1854 and her burial record shows her cause
of death as Mad Hatter's disease. This was the name given to
an ailment caused by mercury poisoning causing a plethora of
physical and psychiatric complaints. The term "Mad Hatter" is
from the character in Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland."
The character was based on the English felt and hat makers
who used mercury in processing the animal skins and went
insane because of it.
Matthew Forbes died from a Rose cold in 1803. This was the
name given to Hay fever or nasal symptoms of an allergy.
While we don’t usually associate Hay fever with death it may
be possible that Matthew died of an asthma attack or some
other similar breathing problem.
The Victorian period was a time of limited diet and fairly basic
sanitary conditions for the poorer families. In these conditions
the health of the children was often under threat from
diseases and infections. One of the things which crops up
regularly in the school registers is the occurrence of illnesses
of many kinds. Like diphtheria and scarlet fever, measles is
easily treated by modern drugs today, but in Victorian times
they were all serious illnesses and children could
die from these ailments.
Epidemics of scarlet fever, measles, diphtheria
and whooping cough were very common and
schools were often closed for weeks or even
months. Many illnesses could spread very
quickly, and children who had illness in the family were often
banned from school.
Although infant mortality decreased and the life expectancy
increased during the Victorian era, both measurements
indicate terrifying rates. Babies were susceptible to disease,
infections, and mistreatment. The public was susceptible to a
wide array of disease, not to mention malnutrition and
inhuman working conditions.
During the middle of the Victorian age, rural people lived
longer than city dwellers, the rich lived longer than the poor,
and men lived longer than women. Women died younger not
only due to childbirth; women suffered from inactivity and from
inferior food consumption. It was also primarily women who
were responsible for nursing the sick; which inevitably led to
their own sickness. Society had delicate expectations for
women, and as a result, it was not ladylike to have a hearty
appetite or abundant energy. Customarily the finest food was
given to the men and boys of the family. In the lower classes,
both men and women were debilitated by the age of forty.
Long hours, poor nutrition, and premature full-time
employment all contributed to a short life expectancy. Life
span slowly increased within the Victorian age, as treatment
became more advanced, surgery more effective, and
knowledge more extensive. The average life span in 1840, in
the Whitechapel district of London, was 45 years for the upper
class and 27 years for tradesmen. Labourers and servants
lived only 22 years on average.
Occupations
Most of the occupations on the previous pages are usually self
explanatory. However sometimes it is hard to work out exactly
what was the occupations. The following occupations were all
extracted from Wills between 1783 and 1875.
Beildsman - Licensed beggar
Biddy - A female servant usually of Irish stock
Blockmaker - One who crafted pulleys
Garlekmonger - Dealer in garlic
Hetheleder - Provider of heather for fuel
Lorimer - Bridlemaker
Perukemaker - Wigmaker
Pictor - Painter
Simpler - Agriculturist that we would call herbalist today
Sprigger - Embroiderer of fine lace and muslin
Sutor - Shoemaker or cobbler
The website Findmypast.com has searched through the
census records and found some very unusual occupations
which have cropped up over the decades. Some may very
well be transcription errors or that the enumerator misheard.
Either way they make for interesting reading.
Ale Wife
Alley Girl
Allsorts Stripper
Ankle Beater
Ashbank Fairy
Baby Farmer
Back Washer
Belly Builder
Bottom Knocker
Butty
Can Dodger
Donkey Boy
Donkey Maker
Dribble
Dripping Man
Dung Boy
Elephants Teeth Dealer
Fang Manager
Fat Lad
Flasher
Floater
Fluttergrub
Hocus Pocus Man
Hooker
Jack About
Kisser
Knacker
Mondayman
Monthly Nurse
Morning Girl
Mugger
Necessary Woman
Night Soilman
Nipper
Now Now
Pigman
Pit Brow Lass
Pom Pom Man
Potato Badger
Punty Sticker
Ransacker
Slapper
Stripper
Tiring Boy
Toe Rag
Tweennie
Up And Down Man
UNUSUAL OCCUPATIONS - GRAVE ROBBERS
I don't know that you'd ever find this on a census or a legal
document but some people were resurrectionists in the early
1800's.
Resurrectionists were grave robbers who dug up fresh
corpses and sold them to be used in anatomy lectures in
medical schools. They are better known as body snatchers.
In the 19th century, medical colleges used human bodies for
anatomy demonstrations. Most of them used bodies of
executed criminals or, rarely, donated ones. However,
shortage of bodies sometimes made the teachers buy corpses
from shady underworld characters. They ignored their
possible misgivings because they wanted to satisfy the
curiosity of their students.
The most famous body snatchers are William Burke and
William Hare. Burke and Hare were Irish immigrants who
settled in Edinburgh. When one of Hare’s lodgers died, owing
him money, Burke and Hare sold the body to assistants of Dr.
Robert Knox, an eminent surgeon, for use in dissection. The
two would dig up the graves of the recently departed in the
dead of night, steal the body and then sell it for cash to a
doctor for use during anatomy demonstrations. They then
decided there was no need to go digging. The two
entrepreneurs started murdering people in Edinburgh's old
town and selling the bodies to the medical schools on an 'ask
no questions basis.'
The murder of their sixteenth victim led to their arrest, along
with Burke's mistress and Hare's wife, yet the courts had little
evidence with which to conduct a successful prosecution.
Hare was offered immunity from prosecution if he would turn
King's evidence. Burke was found guilty on only one account
of murder. The charge against Burke’s mistress was found
‘not proven’, and she was acquitted. Burke was hanged on
January 29th 1829 in front of enormous crowds. Hare tried to
get away from Edinburgh to start anew, but the scandal
ensured that he was faced with angry mobs everywhere he
went. He was in Carlisle in 1829, but his fate thereafter is
unknown, although there are reports of him being sighted as a
blind beggar in London and that he died a penniless pauper in
London in 1859, while Robert Knox - the doctor who bought
most of Burke and Hare's bodies so willingly - was never
prosecuted. However his career did suffer even though he
claimed to have had no knowledge that the bodies supplied to
him might have been murdered. He was eventually forced to
move south and work in London.
Burke’s body was used as an example for dissection, his
skeleton still being preserved in the Anatomy Museum at
Edinburgh University Medical School.
Page 13
COMMON ABBREVIATIONS FOUND IN
RECORDS USED BY GENEALOGISTS
a.
a.a.r.
ab.
Abp.
abr.
abt.
AC
accu.
ackd.
Ad
AdCl
AdD
AdS
AD
aft.
a.k.a.
a.l.s.
als.
anc.
anon.
Ap
APG
approx.
apptd.
appx.
arr.
b.
ba.
bach.
bap or bapt.
b.d.
bef.
bet.
b.o.t.p.
bp.
bpl.
bpt.
B.T.
bur. / bu
c. or ca
cem.
cen. or cens.
cert.
ch/o
chr.
cous.
d.
dau.
dec
desc.
d. & h.
d/o
do.
dpl.
dsct.
d.s.p.
- about, age, acre, ante, aunt
- against all risks
- abbey
- Archbishop
- abridged; abridgment
- about
- ancestor chart
- accurate
- acknowledged
- adopted
- adopted child
- adopted daughter, etc.
- adopted son
- [Latin] Anno Domini
- after
- also known as
- autographed letter signed
- alias
- ancestry; ancestor; ancient
- anonymous
- apprentice
- Association of Professional Genealogists
- approximately
- appointed
- appendix
- arrived
- born
- bachelor
- bachelor
- baptised; baptism
- birth date
- before
- between
- both of this parish
- baptised; birthplace
- birthplace
- baptised
- Bishop's Transcripts
- buried
- circa (about)
- cemetery
- census
- certificate
- child of
- christened
- cousin
- died; death
- daughter
- deceased
- descendant
- daughter and heiress
- daughter of
- ditto
- death place
- descendant
- [Latin] descessit sine parole; died without
issue
d.s.p.m.
- [Latin] descessit sine parole mascula; died
without male issue
dum. or d. um. - died unmarried
d.y.
- died young
E.D.
- Enumeration District
f.
- female
fa.
- father
FHC
- Family History Center
FHL
- Family History Library
FR
- Family Registry
FRC
- Premises and library for NZSG
g.
- grand; great
GA
GD
gdn.
GEDCOM
GF
GGF
gm.
GGM
HMS
hus.
IGI
inf.
k.
kn.
LDS
m.
m/1, m/2
mat.
MIA
mors.
na.
n.d.
neph.
Ni
nm.
nmed.
n.p.
n.x.n.
NZSG
obit.
o.p.
orig.
o.t.p.
Pa
p.r.
PRO
Pu
rec.
reg.
Reg. Gen.
rel.
s.
s. and h.
Sb
Scl
Sf
Sm
s/o
s.p.
s.p.l.
s.p.m.
Ss
transcr.
transl.
U
unm.
v.a.
w.
wd.
w/o
ww.
ww/o
wwr.
y.
Yr.
Page 14
- great aunt
- granddaughter
- guardian
- GEnealogical Data COMmunication
- grandfather
- great-grandfather
- grandmother
- great-grandmother
- Her (or His) Majesty's Service or Ship
- husband
- International Genealogical Index
- infant
- killed
- known
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- married
- married first, married second, etc.
- maternal
- Missing in Action
- death; corpse
- naturalized
- no date
- nephew
- niece
- name
- named
- no place
- no christian name
- New Zealand Society of Genealogists
- obituary
- out of print
- origin; original
- of this parish
- partner
- parish record
- Public Record Office
- pupil
- record
- register
- Registrar General
- relative
- son(s)
- son and heir
- stepbrother
- step child
- stepfather
- stepmother
- son of
- [Latin] sine parole; without offspring
- [Latin] sine parole legitima; without
legitimate offspring
- [Latin] sine parole mascula; without male
offspring
- stepson
- transcribed
- translation
- uncle
- unmarried
- [Latin] vixit annos; (s)he lived (a certain
number) years
- wife
- widow
- wife of
- widow
- widow of
- widower
- year
- younger
KELSO
Kelso is a small settlement in West
Otago, located ten kilometres north
of Tapanui on the Kelso River, close
to its junction with the larger
Pomahaka River.
The township was first surveyed in
1875, and the first settlement began the following year. It was
named Kelso after the Scottish town of Kelso which was home
to one of the town's first settlers, James Logan. The town was
linked by rail in 1878 with the construction of a Tapanui Waipahi line. There was a passenger service until 1934 and a
goods service until 1954. The Railway Hotel opened in 1881.
The Presbyterian Church was built in 1888 and a
Congregational church also flourished in the town. A flour mill
operated from 1881 to 1889 and was then used as a rabbit
canning factory until 1894.
The township was frequently subject to flooding, notably in
1903, 1913 and 1917. it was inundated with flood water during
two major floods of the Clutha River catchment in 1978 and
1980, and after the latter flood it was decided to relocate the
settlement. Today, little remains to indicate the location of
Kelso, other than a stone memorial and faded wording
referring to the township on several remaining buildings.
If you are interested in reading more about Kelso I
recommend reading an article in the Otago Daily Times
newspaper, 31 May 2008 page 19 entitled "In memory of a
town that drowned."
A FAMOUS INCIDENT IN THE TOWN
The town had been made famous by the phantom “Kelso
Airship” which is still the subject of discussion whenever the
subject emerges of flying saucers appearing around New
Zealand. The episode began on the evening of 11 July 1909
when, according to the Otago Daily Times newspaper,
several Kaitangata residents reported observing, for about
thirty minutes, mysterious lights resembling a possible airship
bobbing in and out of view to the east over the Wangaloa
Hills. The Evening Star newspaper reported that the German
vessel Seestern, which had recently left Australia bound for
New Zealand, had launched the Zeppelin from its deck to spy
on the countryside and then return to the ship.
By the last week in July, a massive outbreak of sightings
occurred from one end of the country to the other. The most
spectacular incident took place on Friday 23 July in broad
daylight at Kelso, where 23 schoolchildren and an adult
described a Zeppelin-type airship swooping low over the
township. Several drawings done by the pupils appeared in
the local newspapers. One drawing done by a pupil, Thomas
Jenkins, consisted of a long cigar-shaped body, a suspended
gondola underneath, and two large sail-like wings. He also
said the propeller-like wheel at the back was revolving rapidly.
Further information on these sightings can be read in the
following newspapers: Evening Star, 29 July, 1909, page 4;
Otago Daily Times, 29 July 29, 1909, page 7 and Auckland
Weekly ews, 5 August, 1909, page 21.
Kelso has an interesting 1865-1980 monument
marking the record heights of floods in the town.
The 1978 flood, known as the ‘100 year flood’ was
to be followed by another in 1980. This later flood
was much worse than that of 1978 and was the
demise of the township.
The above map shows Kelso’s location to neighbouring Glenkenich,
Tapanui, Heriot and Crookston.
KELSO SCHOOL
Otago Witness, 29 April 1882, Page 13
The Kelso school opened in 1882. The one roomed school
and teacher’s house cost £400 to build. It was replaced by a
new school in 1952 which cost £13,000.
Several school reunions have been held. The first reunion was
in 1932 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the school. Further
reunions have been held in 1952 (70th), 1962 (80th), 1972
(90th). However the school did not remain open for its 100th
anniversary. It closed in 1980 following a series of devastating
floods in the area. Despite the closure a final reunion was held
in 1982.
The school building was dismantled and taken to Heriot in
1983. Only the old oak tree planted by school children to mark
peace in 1919, following World War One, has survived to
mark the spot where the school once stood.
The Kelso School was consolidated with Tapanui and Heriot
Schools.
The Hocken Collections in Dunedin hold the Kelso school
records for 1954-1982. The Hocken Collections also holds the
Kelso School history file 1882-1982 which includes history
cards, historical notes, newspaper clippings, notices regarding
school closure and photographs of school buildings.
Neighbouring Glenkenich School opened in 1877 and was
consolidated with Kelso school in 1948. Its records from 1896
- 1949 are in the Hocken Collections.
The oldest photograph in existence of the school. The photograph is dated
1890. The two teachers in the photograph are Mr A. S. Malcolm (standing
second row with hat on) and Miss Harland (seated in the front row).
Page 15
KELSO SCHOOL ROLL 1882-1900
The year indicates the first time the pupil
attended the school.
Some pupils had broken attendance.
ADAMS
ADAMS
AITCHISON
AM-GOW
BALNEAVES
BALNEAVES
BARR
BARTON
BARTON
BARTON
BEGGS
BEGGS
BEGGS
BEGGS
BEGGS
BEGGS
BENFELL
BENFELL
BEWS
BRAND
BRAND
BRAND
BRAND
BRAND
BRAND
BRAND
BROOK
BROOK
BUCHANAN
BUCHANAN
BUCHANAN
BUCHANAN
BUCHANAN
BUTCHART
BUTCHART
CHANDLER
CHANDLER
CHANDLER
CLARKE
CLARKE
CLOUSTON
CLOUSTON
CLOUSTON
CRAWFORD
CRAWFORD
CRAWFORD
CRAWFORD
CRAWFORD
CRAWFORD
CRAWFORD
CRAWFORD
CRAWFORD
CRISP
CRISP
CRISP
CRISP
CRISP
CRISP
CRUICKSHANK
CRUICKSHANK
CRUICKSHANK
CRUICKSHANK
CRUICKSHANK
DARRELL
DOAKE
DOAKE
DOAKE
DOCHERTY
DOCHERTY
DOCHERTY
DUNNET
DUNNET
DUNNET
DUNNET
DUNNET
DUNNET
EDGAR
EDGAR
Charles
Walter
Vera
George
Amy
Jessie
Bella
Oke
Una
Vivian
Hugh
John
Peter
Rosina
Sarah
Thomas
Edward
William
John
Annie
Ellen
George
John
Lizzie
Maggie
Peter
Alice
Lilly
Constance
David
Ernest
Frank
Thomas
Alice
Mary
Annie
Henry
Sophie
Donald
Isabella
James
Louise
Maggie
Daisy
Fanny
Florence
Lucy
Maggie
May
Rebecca
Rose
Wallace
Charles
Elizabeth
Euphemia
Julia
Louisa
Martha
Adam
Allen
Charlotte
Oliver
William
Walter
David
Eliza
Ellen
Daniel
Hannah
John
Albert
Bella
Charles
John
Margaret
William
Agnes
Vincent
1892
1892
1900
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1900
1900
FALCONER
FAULKNER
FAULKNER
FERGUSON
FERGUSON
FERGUSON
FINLAY
GIBSON
GOODWIN
GOODWIN
GOODWIN
GREEN
GUINAN
GUINAN
GUINAN
GUINAN
HAGEN
HAGEN
HAGEN
HAGEN
HAGEN
HAGEN
HAGEN
HANSEN
HANSEN
HANSEN
HANSEN
HANSEN
HANSEN
HANSEN
HANSEN
HANSEN
HARKER
HARKER
HARLAND
HENDERSON
HENDERSON
HENDERSON
HENDERSON
HERBERT
HERBERT
HERBERT
HERBERT
HERBERT
HERBERT
HERBERT
HOOKER
HOOKER
HOUNSON
HUNTER
HUTTON
JENKINS
KERNOHAN
KERNOHAN
KERR
KERR
KING
KING
KITCHING
KNIGHT
LAY
LAY
LAY
LAY
LAY
LAY
LAY
LAY
LAY
LAY
LAY
LEASK
LEASK
LEASK
LOGAN
LOGAN
LOGAN
MALCOLM
MATHESON
MATHESON
McDONALD
McDONALD
McDONALD
Thomas
Alice
Flora
Ernest
Frances
James
Robert
Annie
Edward
Emma
George
Bessie
Christopher
Edwin
James
May
Isabella
John
Maggie
Samuel
Sarah
Thomas
Wilson
Ann
Annie
Charles
Ethel
John
Lily
Louisa
Margaret
Mary
Margaret
Simon
Ada
Alex. J.
Annie
George
Helen
Agnes
Alfred
Arthur
Francis
Frank
James
William
Maria
Rose
Mabel
Christina
Annie
John
Maxwell
Nell
Elizabeth
John
Tasman
William
John
George
Annie
Beatrice
Benjamin
Charles
Ellen
James
Maria
Olive
Oliver
Sarah
Zetta
Annie
Robert
Samuel
Annie
James
Lily
Robina
Annabel
Maryann
Agnes
Alexander
Angusina
Page 16
1900
1887
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1892
McDONALD
McDONALD
McDONALD
McDONALD
McDONALD
McDONALD
McDONALD
McDONALD
McDONALD
McDONALD
McDONALD
McDONALD
McGREGOR
McGREGOR
McGREGOR
McGREGOR
McGREGOR
McGREGOR
McHARRY
McKENZIE
McKENZIE
McKENZIE
McLEAN
McLEAN
McLEAN
McLEAN
McPHEE
McPHEE
McPHEE
McPHERSON
McPHERSON
McPHERSON
McPHERSON
McPHERSON
McRAE
McRAE
McRAE
McRAE
McRAE
McRAE
McRAE
MILLER
MILMINE
MOIR
MONTGOMERY
MONTGOMERY
MONTGOMERY
NICHOLSON
NICHOLSON
PARGITER
PATON
PATON
PATON
PATON
PATON
PATON
PATON
PATON
PECK
PECK
PEMBERTON
PEMBERTON
REID
REID
REID
RENTOUL
RENTOUL
RENTOUL
RENTOUL
RENTOUL
RICHARDS
RICHARDS
RIDDELL
RIDDELL
RIDDELL
RIDDELL
RIDDELL
RISK
RISK
RISK
RISK
RISK
RISK
Annie
Archie
Bella
Christina
Donald
John
John
Margaret
Mary
Robert
Sarah
Thomas
Alexander
Annie
Bella
Jane
Maryann
Wilhelmina
James
Donald
Kenneth
W. Alex
Archibald
Charles
John
Robert
Annie
Euphemia
Johanna
Archibald
Barbara
Donald
Elizabeth
William
Albert
Colina
Duncan
Isabella
Jessie
John
Mabel
Arthur
Violet
James
James
Robert
William
Robina
William
Margaret
Annie
Effie
George
James
Jane
Mary
Robert
Agnes
Lilly
William
Jane
Leslie
Jane
Jessie
William
Jessie
John
Laurence
Mary
Peter
George
William
Annie
James
Jane
John
William
Charles
David
Florence
George
Robert
William
1883
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