Impressions of Life at Acton-by-Nantwich

From the Register of Burials 1783-1843

Mrs D.Hampson

A recent hurried visit to Chester allowed me a short time in the Record Office and the chance to skim through a section of the filmed copies of St. Mary's registers. Although I have paraphrased most of my findings, any dates quoted are as taken from the record.

My attention was drawn to a form which a curate had filled in for officialdom - as intrusive as ever, even in the early nineteenth century.

Asked for the area of the graveyard, the answer "An acre and a quarter" was given. "How old is the burial ground?" came next and the reply was that it was at least a thousand years old. No attempt had been made to estimate when the burial ground had "been first used". The enquiry, "How much space is there between the bodies?" brought the crisp rejoinder, "There is no space. The bodies are all touching."

The cleric explained patiently that "the soil is not wet: it is sandy", but a degree of acerbity crept into the response to the next question: "How many earthen graves are there?" "The graveyard is full of them." Red tape persisted: "How many family vaults has the church?" Answer: "Six or seven". "How large a population uses the graveyard?" Answer "Three to four thousand". "How deep is each grave?"..."Six to seven feet". "Give numbers interred in each month"...The form ran on and on.

How much more interesting it must have been trying to fulfil, as far as possible, the last wishes of a parishioner of singular disposition who bade all who attended his funeral to stand in the grave "three feet deep" and drink his health! A further request seemed to be, that instead of the prayers for the dead being read in strict accord with the authorized version of the Church of England service for the dead, the curate should make it "to disagree", so that contrary views to those approved by the establishment might be expressed. The directions were very hard to read but the gist was that the usual "Man that is born of woman hath but a short time to live and is full of misery" should become "Man that is born of woman hath a long time to live and is full of cheer". The writing was so faded that there I had to leave it.

By January 1^st 1808 the Clerk of the Parish was buried: his name was Charles Davenport, so perhaps he belonged to the landed family of that name and was laid to rest in one of the six or seven family vaults. Most of the bearers of that surname - and they are numerous in the area - are recorded as small trades people, labourers and one or two yeomen: the jingle is correct in the assertion that there are as many Davenports as dogs' tails in Cheshire.

Fatalities resulting from accidents seemed rather high; predictably the work place was where a fair proportion took place. A middle-aged man died suffocated "when a great deal of sand fell on him". A twelve-year old boy died in the same way when a sand hole he was digging fell in on him. There were falls from horses. Charles Davies of Worleston was buried in July 1791, "killed by a fall from an unruly horse". Deaths were met by mishaps with waggons. Often the death of the waggon driver occurred but sometimes a young child died from running, or falling, under a waggon.

The local waterway claimed a surprising number of victims. Quite a large number of unfortunates died by drowning or crushing or even a combination of the two in the Hurleston Canal and locks. One old man of eighty-four, according to the register, "walked into it". Perhaps it was dark and he strayed from the path; perhaps he stumbled, felt dizzy, collapsed. I shall never know.

One victim was crushed to death by a boat in the canal lock and buried by the authority of the Coroner's Warrant. This was twelve-year old Evan Davies, whose abode is given as Hurleston, but he is described as being "from Welshpool".

Six years later, in April 1836, a youth called William Moss was "feloniously killed at Audley, Staffordshire, by William Stockton." Moss was from Burland and his body was brought back for interment at St. Mary's on 19^th April.

Not surprisingly there are references to death from burns. These victims were usually females, their long skirts and trailing shawls being only too easily blown by draughts into the open fires. One unlucky girl of thirteen sustained fatal injuries "when she careered into railings in front of the aqueduct"

There is the mystery of two tragic suicides which followed each other closely, only a matter of months separating the incidents. The first concerned a woman of around thirty who cut her own throat: the next case was also a young woman, this time in her late twenties. She burned herself to death.

The ages at the time of death are recorded from 1813 onward and these seem to point to a happy trend in which, if infectious illness and daily hazards were circumvented, longevity was often the outcome.

I look forward to a more leisurely look at Acton's registers, also the chance to read the inscription on the sundial that stands in the churchyard.