Warrington’s Cholera Outbreak in 1832
This week, Philip Jeffs looks at Martha Rylands’ diary description of the Cholera Epidemic of 1832…
The first ever officially recorded case of cholera in England was in Sunderland during October of 1831. By December the first severe outbreak occurred at Killingworth Colliery in Newcastle. In June of 1832 Warrington town council announced that ‘Indian Cholera’ had arrived in Warrington. A Cholera hospital was set up in Mersey Street to deal with the high numbers of people expected to die.
Official records show that 169 people died of cholera in Warrington as part of the 1832 outbreak, though the actual numbers may be higher. In Britain as a whole 32,000 people died during the outbreak of 1831-1832.
Leaflets like this were printed by a Board of Health which was formed hastily when cholera broke out in Warrington in the summer of 1832.
Leaflets like this were printed by a Board of Health which was formed hastily when cholera broke out in Warrington in the summer of 1832.
In her diaries, Martha Rylands records what it was like to live through those terrifying times. According to John Paul, Martha actually stopped writing her diary for the duration of the epidemic, and wrote these entries in one glut after the epidemic had ended:
Mr Hodgkinson buried two persons said to have died of the cholera. What A shock had I on the 26 – I went to Miss Brat’s [Bates?] – Oh the consternation the town was in – The Cholera! Gracious Lord thy Judgements were beginning. Oh the horrors of that time. On the 20 Miss Kerr died – I had seen her on the Tuesday in perfect health! I cannot write the accounts of that time – nor even think of those weeks without a sort of horror & trembling coming over me – So many hurried into eternity! Oh Lord Thou cans’t not but do right! On the 3 July Mr. Keen died! On the 4th dear Miss Louise Hornby called! Yes – I felt the Lord reigned! But I felt also – that I deserved to be cut off by this most dreadful malady! ……
Mr and Mrs Edelsten died sometime about now – I don’t know the days – for much was my state of excitement that they dare not tell me! On the 12th the Committee of the Ladies Charity met at our house, it was a mournful meeting! – On the 13th my dear Eliz & Julia went to St. Helen’s – They were unwilling to leave home but we wished it……
I felt at parting with my girls – I trembled as I thought how we might next meet! But the Lord was better to me than my fears! – On the 17th Mr. Wm Smith died! Oh it was again a most awful time! ……
On 27th I heard that Sarah Edelsten – daughter to Mr Edelsten was dead! A most interesting young girl one of our Bible collectors – Oh it is heart rending! – Mr. Mallery’s little boy too! – On the 1st August I rec[d] most interesting letters from Eliz and Julia requesting they might be proposed at our church meeting – what a source of delight! In the midst of all this horror and devestation! That our own dear girls are coming forward……
Dr. Kendrick says it will return worse than ever – and in the higher class! But – how should he know – May the Lord protect us!……
What a shock I had yesterday at hearing there were several cases of Cholera in Scotland Road – Oh why – why cannot I leave myself & my family in the hands of God – Oh it is sad – very sad that I should feel this terror, this alarm!……
How many have been called into eternity during the last eight weeks! & so many to all appearance likely for life – & so many most dreadfully.
Martha’s diary really shows the fear and even hysteria that swept through the country when cholera broke out. If you think of the panic today over something like bird flu, imagine what it would be like if a disease such as cholera was killing people by the hundreds in your area now.
This article was originally posted in 2014.