141
Houses and homes in Tredegar during the 19th century A Key Stage 2 Educational Resource Pack Part 7—Health & Diseases
142
What was cholera and how did it spread? Cholera was an extremely dangerous and unpleasant disease that first arrived in Britain in the north-east of England in 1831. Someone who showed the first signs of the disease in the morning could be dead by the evening on the same day. As many as half of the people who were infected by cholera died. Cholera spread to the fast-growing, crowded industrial towns across Britain. In the 1830s, no-one knew how cholera was spread or how to cure it. People were gripped by fear and panic.
143
Right: A modern poster showing how cholera affects the human body. Cholera outbreaks occur in places where water and sewerage systems are very basic. Cholera victims suffer from violent bouts of diarrhoea; toilet waste from victims finds its way into water supplies. Cholera then infects people who drink this polluted water! Yuck!
144
Did cholera affect the people of Tredegar? Below are sections of a newspaper report from the Morning Chronicle of 31 October 1832:
145
In the newspaper article, how many people from Tredegar were reported to have died from cholera by the end of October 1832? How quickly could cholera victims die? Did people fear cholera sufferers? What evidence is there of this? Left: The removal of a cholera victim for burial.
Right: a young women aged 23, before and after catching cholera.
146
In 1832, little was known about the causes of cholera and how best to treat sufferers. In Tredegar, a new burial ground on the mountain above the town at Cefn Golau was opened for victims of the outbreak. A list of cholera victims buried in the graveyard at Cefn Golau was made by Thomas Ellis in 1835. He collected his information from Joseph Thomas who was a gravedigger. There is a typed copy on the next page.
147
Register of Persons who died of cholera [and] were buried near Tredegar Iron Works in [this] Parish Several bodies were also taken away by night to be buried by their friends. Received this account from Joseph Thomas Grave Digger in January 1835. [signed] Thomas Ellis This was copied from Thomas Ellis’ account ————————— [signed] W.Morgan P.[arish] Curate In March 1841
Why were cholera victims taken away to buried at night by their friends?
148
In the museum, search for the remains of the gravestone of a man who died of cholera at Tredegar. The gravestone was moved here for safe keeping from Cefn Golau after it was damaged—it is now in 3 parts.
Copy the writing (inscription) on the gravestone try to work out any incomplete words. What was the man’s name? How old was he when he died? When and where did he die? What was unusual about his death? Who paid for the gravestone to be made?
Right: The cholera gravestone in the museum.
149
Right: North Wales Chronicle, 22 January 1833.
Below: Evan Powell, 1884. ‘A large number of persons fell victims to this terrible epidemic; medical skill was of little avail; naught but moans and wailing, groans and weeping fell upon the ear from every direction. Healthy people who were seen travelling the streets in the morning would have the last tribute of respect paid to them by their friends in the evening. Terror stricken people fled to the country, leaving their homes unguarded, seeking shelter somewhere. A cemetery was opened at Cefngoleu for burying those who fell victims to the king of terrors, and a circular was issued proclaiming all graveyards closed against those who died from cholera.’
150
In 1849, there were serious cholera epidemics across Wales including Tredegar again. Many of the headstones at Cefn Golau cholera graveyard date from the 1849 outbreak, which claimed 203 victims at Tredegar. You can visit the cholera graveyard and find out more about the people who died in Tredegar at this time. Right: A poster published in nearby Merthyr Tydfil at the height of the cholera epidemic in the town during 1849.
151
‘In August, 1849, another visitation of cholera was at our doors … The first victim was … T. Price, who resided at Charles Street, one of the healthiest of localities in the town at that time. Before noon the same day, two stalwart and healthy men had fallen victims to the dreaded enemy in the same street; and in less than a month there was scarcely a street in the town that had not been visited by the king of terrors. The death rate rose so rapidly, the fatal cases were so numerous, and the symptoms so terrible, that the doctors were completely bewildered. A large number adopted the same course as many of the inhabitants did in 1831-2, fleeing to the country to evade the scourge.’ Evan Powell, 1884
152
Cefn Golau cholera graveyard
153
‘Weeping relatives were to be met with from dawn until dusk. As an instance of the severity, a whole family residing in Charles Street was swept away in a day. The mother died about eleven in the morning, two children about four in the afternoon. The father assisted an aged lady to place the remains of his beloved ones in coffins as they were brought by the undertaker; before ten at night the poor man was a corpse; and ‘ere the following day dawned the aged lady “was no more.” When a funeral procession proceeded towards the cemetery, doors were closed, passers-by hurried out of sight, and scarcely sufficient number in many cases were found to convey the victims to their resting places. Places of worship were filled to overflowing, such an increase in membership had never been known at Tredegar.’ Evan Powell, 1884
154
Graves of cholera victims at Cefn Golau
155
On the right is the gravestone of John Williams who died of Cholera and was buried at Cefn Golau. The stone reads: Er cofarwydd am John, mab David ac Ann Williams o Dredegar, yr hwn a fu farw Medi 13 1849 yn 4 mlwydd a 2 fis oed. (In memory of John, son of David and Ann Williams of Tredegar who died 13 September 1849 aged 4 years and 2 months). By 1851, David and Ann Williams, living at 7 Heater’s Row, Tredegar had had a new son together who they named John.
156
By 1850, efforts were being made to clean up towns such as Tredegar. Read the report opposite. From what we know today about how cholera is spread, would the efforts have been enough to stop the disease?
Right: Report on improvements made in Tredegar in 1850 by Government Inspector, H. Seymour Tremenheere.
157
Right: A poster from 1853 advising people what to do to avoid being infected by cholera. According to this advice: What needs to be done to prevent cholera? How is cholera often brought on in victims? What advice is given about drinking water? How well do you think this advice prepared people to deal with cholera?
158
Another cholera outbreak flared up in 1854. In London in the same year, Dr John Snow proved that the disease was spread by drinking water that had been polluted with cholera. Before then, most doctors believed that cholera was caused by "bad air". Read the poster opposite from 1856. What new health advice were people given to avoid being affected by cholera?
159
The last great cholera epidemic occurred in 1866. By now, many towns such as Tredegar had built new reservoirs to improve the quality of their water supply rather than rely on spouts or wells or water carriers to supply people’s needs. Towns had begun to lay new sewage pipes and drains to dispose of waste. Regular rubbish collections and street cleaning had also been begun.
‘Certainly many important improvements had been effected since the last visitation of the dreadful disease, and measures were taken immediately in 1866 for preventing the spread of the disorder, and fortunately it did not make its appearance until October. Although winter had set in severely at the beginning of November, yet the rate of mortality went on increasing, and did not reach its highest rate until about the middle of the month; but fortunately, thenceforward it began to abate, and at the end of December the disease had entirely disappeared.’ Evan Powell, 1884
160
Bedwellty Parish Burials 1821 to 1841 In the rest of this section you will find 14 pages copied from the burial registers of Bedwellty Parish which included the area where the town of Tredegar now sits. Many of the people listed in the register of burials were from Tredegar or Tredegar Ironworks as the town was also called; others came from areas nearby. The cause of death was not stated on the register unless there was something unusual about a death. Choose one pair of pages. What were the ages of the oldest and youngest person buried? What is the average age of person buried? Draw a bar chart to show how the burial ages varied. Find out the average age (called life expectancy) that people would be expected to live to today. How does your 19th century results compare with modern life expectancy? What might be the reason for this difference? Investigate ‌.
161
162
163
164
165
166
167