Berner Street

There's a turn up.

When I research a person, I use original sources – as far as possible. This sometimes discloses a mismatch with other researchers who’ve traced the same character. Mostly, my research reveals the same or similar results. Nonetheless, reading another’s outcome prejudices investigation. It’s surprising how often information is reproduced without questioning the process by which the originator arrived at their hypothesis. There is no reason to assume another researchers’ work is correct, incorrect, or is acting honestly, dishonestly, is or isn’t just plain barking.

Note to self and advice to other researches – and a gift from my old lecturer after I’d delivered a ten-page essay and managed to avoid, in the word storm, answering the question: Question, doubt, and ask that huge three-letter word, WHY? Follow that up with, HOW? But do not assume you know, or they know. They might be correct. You could be accurate. But how do you know?

This is the second time, by this process, I’ve arrived at a distinct data subset from other researchers. I don’t know which is correct – not yet, maybe never. The (main) character within this grouping has little-recorded background, but suddenly I’m looking at a set of surnames I’ve previously encountered – when examining another individual.

It’s intriguing but also a time-consuming distraction. It’s not what I expected, but I can’t ignore it. I’ll attempt to understand the ramifications of this ‘discovery’ if I can establish a relationship between these people – later.

Introducing my dead relative.

I thought life couldn't become more hellish for the inhabitants of Whitechapel. That perhaps I would like to be one of those middle-class tourists who would visit the East End much as one would tour a zoo -- with assistance from H G Wells' transportation. I'm not brave enough ...

 On the occurrence of a death amongst this description of labourers, what do you find to be the general condition of the family, in relation to the remains. How is the corpse dealt with?—Nearly the whole of the labouring population there have only one room. The corpse is therefore kept in that room where the inmates sleep and have their meals. Sometimes the corpse is stretched on the bed, and the bed and bed-clothes are taken off, and the wife and family lie on the floor. Sometimes a board is got on which the corpse is stretched, and that is sustained on tressels or on chairs.

Sometimes it is stretched out on chairs. When children die, they are frequently laid out on the table. The poor Irish, if they can afford it, form a canopy of white calico over the corpse, and buy candles to burn by it, and place a black cross at the head of the corpse. They commonly raise the money to do this by subscriptions amongst themselves and at the public-houses which they frequent.

What is the usual length of time that the corpse is so kept?—The time varies according to the day of the death. Sunday is the day usually chosen for the day of burial. But if a man die on the Wednesday, the burial will not take place till the Sunday week following. Bodies are almost always kept for a full week, frequently longer.

Have you had occasion to represent as injurious this practice of retaining the corpse amidst the living?—I have represented in several communications in answer to sanitary inquiries from the Poor Law Commission Office, that it must be and is highly injurious. It was only three or four days ago that an instance of this occurred in my own practice, which I will mention.

Do you observe any peculiarity of habit amongst the lower classes accompanying this familiarity with the remains of the dead?—What I observe when I first visit the room is a degree of indifference to the presence of the corpse: the family is found eating or drinking or pursuing their usual their usual callings, and the children playing.

Practise of internment in towns. Edwin Chadwick