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Post by HeatherC on Apr 13, 2009 14:29:45 GMT -5
Hello All  Not sure where to post this but thought it may prove interesting to fellow researchers Best regards HeatherC Transcribed by Julia Mosman for
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wbritonad/ (UPDATED URL  )WEST BRITON AND CORNWALL ADVERTISER 3 MARCH 1848 LOCAL INTELLIGENCE LENGTH OF LIFE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF CORNWALL - The Health of Towns Association, having published returns of sickness and mortality in this county, have given among them a table shewing the average age of all who have died in each registration district of the county. The returns were made in 1841, when the total population of the various districts was 343,310. The average age of all who died in the St. Germans and Liskeard district was 42 years, 11 months; Bodmin and St. Columb district, 37 years 1 month; Launceston, Stratton and Camelford district, 33 years 9 months; Truro district, 33 years 4 months; St. Austell district, 31 years 11 months; Helston district, 30 years 7 months; Penzance and Scilly Islands district, 29 years 2 months; Falmouth district, 29 years 1 month; Redruth district, 28 years 4 months. |
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Post by newlyn on Apr 13, 2009 14:37:50 GMT -5
Thats a bit frightening, I could have been dead for nearly 30 years!!
To busy to die at the moment.
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Apr 13, 2009 16:42:13 GMT -5
It's no wonder the likes of us have so many problems today with that sort of caper going on!  They weren't living long enough to pass on any information to help us out!  Dashed inconsiderate!  |
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Post by donne on Apr 14, 2009 3:56:13 GMT -5
I was struck by the difference between life expectancy between East and West Cornwall - nearly 43 years in St Germans and Liskeard, compared to 30 years or less in the west of the county. Presumably it reflects relative prosperity and perhaps the more hazardous occupations of mining and fishing. I'm always a little uncertain about these averages, though. There is usually a spike in the distribution in the early years related to infant mortality, which will tend to bring down the average - it would be interesting to see what the life expectancy was if you made it to 16 say.
By the way, I followed HeatherC's link to the rootsweb pages and got the message from rootsweb 'We're sorry. The page you tried to access is not available'. Has anyone had more success?
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Apr 14, 2009 4:08:49 GMT -5
I agree Roger - it was more likely for children to die within a few years of birth and I am sure we have all seen plenty of evidence of that. The amount of adults living into their 60's, 70's and beyond might be surprising to many but I have ample evidence of large numbers having done so. Therefore it is the infant deaths that, I think, bring those averages down so far. Roger - try the following and you will get into the West Briton but you will need to locate the article from there. freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wbritonad/CT |
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Post by trencrom on Apr 15, 2009 2:51:29 GMT -5
I agree with Roger's comments also -- a year or so ago CT and I commented on the reports of substantial longevity in Cornwall that we had each come across. The averages quoted here certainly don't reflect that, however once infant mortality is taken out of the picture the expected life span of the population was probably much higher than thse figures indicate.
I would be interested to know what the average life span was elsewhere in Britain at the same time, and therefore did Cornwall stand out in that regard. I don't suppose infant mortality would have been any higher there than in the rest of the country. If it turns out that there is still a significant difference remaining then I too suspect that might be reflective of the occupations hazards of mining and fishing.
Trencrom
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Post by Mal on Apr 15, 2009 4:13:09 GMT -5
I agree with CT, the problem with these stats is that they give an average taken over the population. Given the high infant mortality rates the figures are skewed. Dangerous professions such as mining and the sea also add a variable. Taken over the board, my Cornish and Devonian ancestors tend to be the longest lived of the lot, the Irish and the Scots far less so. Nevetheless, the difference between East and West is interesting too, poverty and sickness always go hand in hand.
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Post by donne on Apr 15, 2009 4:34:20 GMT -5
A.K. Hamilton Jenkins does discuss miners' health in his book 'Cornish Miner'. He quotes papers published in the Cornish Polytechnic Society in the 1840s and 50s. One statistic quoted in 1847 was that nearly one in five Gwennap miners died a violent death. He quotes the work of Dr Richard Couch, a mine surgeon, who shows that the average age underground was around 30, while the miner may have started his employment in the mine as early as 10 years of age. On the other hand, the average age of death of a miner in St. Just about this time was 47. Hamilton Jenkins says that almost all miners would be forced to give up the hard underground work and the exhausting climbs up and down into the mine at the latter end of their life, and seek lighter work on the surface. From my own family, gggf James Donne, copper miner of St Blazey, born Crowan, died of the miner's disease, bronchitis, aged 60, in 1855 so I guess he did quite well.
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Post by lizbond on Feb 13, 2010 16:14:44 GMT -5
From the book, Life in Cornwall 4, Edited by Rita M. Barton, there was an article that I think is fitting in this category:
Longevity at St. Ives
A correspondent, who has recently visited St. Ives, says that his attention was called to three boats' crews of "Old Boys," all busy at work baiting their tackle, or spillers, to be in readiness for the next tide's work, on which they have been busily engaged during the whole summer. The names of the boats, with the names and ages of their respective crews, are as follows:-The Kate, Humphrey Green, 73; Samuel Grenfell, 71; Daniel Ninnis, jun., 73; David R. Gyles, 73; Edward Stevens, 65; total 362 years-Elizabeth Jenkyn, Philip Perkin, 74, Daniel Veal, 78; Philip Row, 78; John Tanner, 71; John Care Ninnis, 69; total 370 years-William, John Cocking, 79; George Bryant, 82; Richard Cocking, 76; Anthony Grenfell, 78; Matthew Stevens, 78; total, 393 years. Grand total, 1,125 years. Average, 75! In addition to these Daniel Ninnis jun., aged 73, who works in the Kate, has just told me that his father, Daniel Ninnis, sen., whose age last birthday was 94, is constantly on the watch for the return of the boats, feeling sometimes anxious for the safety of his boy.
18 September 1884
The oldest of the "Old Boys" was George Bryant, my great-great-great grandfather. I thought maybe you would get a kick out of this article.
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