Traces of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic in St. Michael’s churchyard, Lichfield

Background

Over the last decade or so, I have collated a great deal of information concerning the interments in the large churchyard of St. Michael’s church in Lichfield, bringing together burial register entries and monumental inscription surveys into one searchable spreadsheet. This has proved to be useful for family history researchers in particular. The data has also allowed me to carry out a fairly detailed analysis of how patterns of death and burial have changed over the two hundred year period since burial registers were introduced in 1812, The results of this work can be found elsewhere on this website in the paper “The changing face of death“.

Now of necessity this analysis, dealing with 200 years of data, has used fairly broad data averaging periods to examine long term trends, and most of the analysis used data averaged over 10 year periods. Thus the effects of any events that occur over a shorter time period will not be visible in the results. Now recently I have been reading a number of papers and reports about aspects of death, burial and cremation and have come across repeated references to the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 / 1919. This has led me to wonder if there is any trace of the deaths caused by this epidemic in the St. Michael’s churchyard data. As esch wave of this epidemic occurred over a period of a few months, an analysis over much shorter time scales than I previously used was required. This blog post presents the results of this analysis, and is supplemented by newspaper material from the period that illustrates how the pandemic was viewed in the wider Lichfield area.

Burial numbers 1918/1919

The analysis of burial numbers looked at two sets of data. The first was the information from the burial registers. This was analysed over annual, quarterly and monthly periods from 1910 to 1920. The second set of data was from the Civil Death Registration database for the Lichfield Registration area. This is much larger than the parishes of St. Michael and St. Mary that use the churchyard, and also much larger than the city of Lichfield itself. It extends to the surrounding towns and villages, including Brownhills, Burntwood and Rugeley. Data was analysed over annual and quarterly periods. The results of the analysis are shown in Figure 1 below. Figure 1a show the annual data for the two sets of records. The St. Michael’s data has been multiplied by a factor of 10 for clarity. In general the results imply that the number of burials recorded in the St. Michael’s records are around 10 to 15% of those for the entire registration district, which seems reasonable. The civil registrations show a significant peak in the data for 1918, but such a peak is not apparent in the St. Michael’s data. Figure 1b show quarterly burial numbers and registrations for 1918 and 1919. Here both datasets show a significant peak in the last quarter of 1918, which ties in with historical records that the epidemic was at its peak over this period. Figure 1c shows the monthly data for the St. Michael’s burials for 1918 and 1919 only. The dotted lines show the spread of the monthly data for the years 1910 to 1917.The 1918 data shows a low number of burials in January and February, below the 1910 to 1917 spread of data, and a major peak in October and November as the epidemic hit Lichfield. The low values in January and February of that year explain why the epidemic peak could not be seen in the annual averages, as they would tend to lower the averages despite the peak later in the year. The 1919 data lies within the spread of the 1910 to 1917 data. Tus to answer the question posed above, it is possible to see some traces of the epidemic in the St. Michael’s data, concentrated in the months of November and December 1918.

Figure 1. Analysis of burials by year, quarter and month

Residence

In total in October and November 1918 there were 45 deaths recorded in the St. Michael’s burial register and it is possible to look at where these lived within the parish and their age at the time of death. Details of all 45 individuals are given in Table 1 below (a downloadable pdf). Of these 13 were residents of the Workhouse on Trent Valley Rd. The addresses do not reveal any particular cluster of cases, and deaths from across and beyond the parish were recorded.

Lomas Download

Table 1. Details of the burials in October and November 1918

Age distributions

The data in table 1 also enables the age distribution of the deaths to be investigated. First however, the question arises as to what might be the expected age distribution of deaths. For the October / November period in the years 1910 to 1917 there were an average of 14 deaths. If one applies the average death age distribution for the decades 1910 to 1930 to the expected 14 deaths, the expected death age distribution for October / November 1918 is shown in figure 2a. It can be seen it shows a peak for ages between 0 and 10, followed by a rapid fall off, then a gradual rise withe age, peaking in the 71 to 80 age range. It thus shows high child mortality, but the majority of other deaths in the older age group. Note that these are average expected values and there were large variations around this distribution from year to year. Figure 2b shows the actual number of deaths by age in October / November 1918. The difference between Figures 2a and 2b is best appreciated from Figure 2c which shows this data from Figure 2b minus the expected death rates from Figure 2a i.e. what would now be called the excess deaths. It is clear that most of the excess deaths were in the 11 to 50 age range, which is very much in line with what has been reported by many other sources – that the Spanish flu virus was particularly dangerous for the young and healthy.

Figure 2 Death rates by age group

From the press

Naturally the arrival of the epidemic in Lichfield caused much consternation and was reported at length in the press -particularly the Lichfield Mercury. In this section we present a few extracts from that publication between October and December 1918.

From 11/10/1918, we have this description of the effects of the virus and the symptoms.

An epidemic of influenza raging in Lichfield and all the schools. with the exception of the High School, have been closed. The epidemic is the most widespread that has occurred for very many years, and it has developed with great rapidity. There are quite a large number of instances where four or five members of a household are down with the disease and one case reported where eight persons in one house are under treatment Happily, the cases are for most part of mild type, though a proportion are of a more serious character. One noteworthy feature is that number of cases the influenza is accompanied by nose bleeding and vomiting, while in others the sufferers are delirious. The outbreak has increased the strain on the local doctors, who. for a long time have been working at high pressure consequent on the absence on military service of members of the who formerly practiced in the district.

A week later (18/10/1918) there was no respite.

The influenza epidemic in Lichfield at present shows no signs of waning. Every day brings an addition the list of cases, and several deaths have occurred. The Grammar School and High School and all the elementary schools in the City are closed. Many people who so far have escaped are taking all the recognized precautions, and the local chemists have had large demands made upon them far quinine, essence of cinnamon, eucalyptus oil, and other preventatives.

On 25/10/1918 we read of the actions taken by the City Council with the (limited) provision of nursing support. Official advice on how to behave is also given.

The present influenza epidemic is the most virulent and widespread has been experienced in the district for very many years, certainly for the last quarter of a century. The Lichfield City Council, as the local health authority, has, through the Sanitary Committee, had the matter under consideration, and two special nurses have been called in to assist combating the disease. They are acting under the direction Mr. G. Homan. the City Medical Officer of Health, and the other local doctors, and although at the time of writing fresh cases continue to be notified, it hoped that before long the disease will have run its course.
Of course the position in Lichfield is not by any means singular in regard to the extent of the epidemic; it has made its appearance in all parts of the country, and amongst all classes of the community. Those who have, so far escaped attack will wise to take all the available precautions. Sir Arthur Newsholme, Medical Officer of the Local Government Board, has issued a pamphlet asking for the cooperation of everyone in obtaining control over disease, and suggesting preventive measures. Infection is chiefly spread in the earlier stages, and every patient who has severe cold or fever should go bed and stay there for three or four days. If every person suffering from fever were to do this the spread of disease in factories and workshops, offices, shops, and schools would be greatly reduced. Among the precautions suggested are;— Avoid scattering infection in sneezing and coughing. Boil handkerchiefs. Spit in receptacles containing disinfectant. Indiscriminate spitting is especially dangerous during the prevalence of influenza. Keep windows open, especially in bedrooms. Thoroughly wash all utensils from influenza sick room. Overcrowding in dwellings, unventilated assembly rooms, and places of entertainment should avoided. Gargle the throat with solution of one in 5,000 permanganate of potassium in water containing a pinch of common salt. This should also be snuffed up through the nostrils and expelled through the mouth. Stay in bed until all fever is gone. Relapses follow chills or over exertion while convalescent. Alcoholism favours infection. Old persons and young children should not be allowed near an influenza patient. No vaccine is available for the treatment of influenza, and although in cases of primary pneumonia and bronchitis, treatment with a vaccine has sometimes been found useful, no such treatment can be recommended for the pulmonary complications of influenza.

By 1/11/18 the epidemic in the city was abating, although its seems to be still spreading in the outlying villages. The writer of the article below speculates on how such an epidemic might be better managed in the future,

LESSONS FROM THE LICHFIELD OUTBREAK -THE POLICY OF THE FUTURE
The influenza epidemic is still causing acute anxiety in Lichfield. Fresh cases continue to occur in the City, though they are not as numerous as they were fortnight or three weeks ago. Unfortunately the disease seems now to be spreading to the outlying districts and the schools are closed at Armitage, Gentleshaw, Fradley, Alrewas Shenstone. Wall, Chasetown, Kings Bromley, Whittington, Weeford, BrownhilIs and Norton Canes. It cannot, therefore, be said that there is any real abatement.
The impression has gaining ground that disease which has made its appearance with such virulence and over practically the whole world is not influenza. This impression arose the fact that the symptoms seemed in general to be a of quite different type from those experienced in previous epidemics. In the many people there was a suspicion that the outbreak was a form plague. The latter suspicion, is, according Sir Walter Director of the Medical Research Committee, and Lieutenant-Col. Harvey, the Royal Army Medical College, entirely without foundation. Research work has been proceeding for some time and no such organism as the plague bacilus has been found. Further it is pointed out by another expert that influenza manifests itself in various ways, and bacteriologists may find that what we call influenza is really a group of distinct diseases.
The widespread nature of the outbreak is responsible for the great public attention that the disease is attracting at the present time. The State is now directing its energies io ascertain what preventive measures may be taken, and a special conference of representatives of ail departments has been promised by Mr. Haves Fisher. But, Professor W. J. H. Simpson, of King’s College, London, points out. to wait until epidemic has acquired a full grip on the community before taking measures against it is not prevention. There should be some central health organization in the country which have readily its command all available information concerning all communicable diseases occurring in every part of the world and in every part of its own country.
THE NURSING ARRANGEMENTS.
From the outbreak as it has manifested itself in Lichfield, a number of useful lessons may be drawn .It is of course, essential that the Medical Officer of Health should at once call into consultation with him the local doctors, and as part of the possible co-ordinate their service. Then, too, the local authority should take such steps they are able to secure adequate nursing. At Lichfield both these things have been done, though in regard to the nursing of cases the arrangements made have been totally inadequate. But for the latter fact it must be remembered that neither the Medical Officer of Health nor the City Council is in any degree to blame. Two nurses were specially engaged to in the nursing of cases and these, with the nurses from the Nursing Homo, have worked zealously and untiringly. But so heavy was the demand their services that they were not remain at one case for any length of time, and in cases of influenza and pneumonia not only careful but continual nursing is essential.
The simple truth that the supply of nurses not equal to the demand. The question arises, in the case of epidemic of the present magnitude, what can be done to remedy the paucity of trained nurses. An answer may be found if we turn our thoughts back to the beginning the war. The call went forth for nurses to assist in looking alter the wounded, and immediately there was noble and patriotic response on the part of a large number women, partly trained in nursing as members of the V.A.D. The call in the interests of the nation was answered then; and there is every reason to be believe that it would be similarly answered when an epidemic which threatened to have d effect on the mortality of the nation made its appearance. Some organizarion might established whose duty it would be to maintain a list of women who were prepared in an emergency offer their services. Such a scheme would, of course, call for some form of subsidy on the part of the local authority. It would be necessary to have available a number of women who could be called upon to sit up with patients during the night. The ordinary individual cannot afford to bear the whole of the expense a fully qualified nurse even if such were available. But if the City Council had a list of women, possessed of shrewd common sense and some knowledge of nursing, whom they could call upon in case of a serious epidemic and to whose payment they would make a grant, it would be an incalculable service to the community.

Only a small number of obituaries of the deceased were published. The first (from 25/10/1918) describes the death of a soldier from influenza after having recovered from being wounded in action. Second Lieutenant Ward was not buried in the graveyard but was presumably buried around Le Havre. However the grief of his mother was firmly located in the city.

The death took place in. hospital on Saturday, from influenza and pneumonia, Second Lieutenant E. Ward. R.F.A., son of Mrs. Ward. 24, Trent Valley Road, Lichfield. Second Lieutenant Ward enlisted the R.F.A. in 1906. and at outbreak of the war was serving in India as a sergeant. His battery then served in Mesopotamia until last April, when they were moved to France. Last February deceased was granted commission as Second Lieutenant. and September 13^th he was wounded. Recovering from his wounds was sent to Havre, and was passed as fit for duty. Subsequently he was admitted to hospital suffering from influenza and died as already stated. This is the second son Mrs Ward has lost and another son is still serving on Salonika.

And from 8/11/18

The funeral of the late Mrs. Agnes Pilsbury, wife of Councillor A. Pilsbury, 29, St. John Street, took place Saturday. The deceased, who was 43 years of age, died on the 28th ult. from pneumonia, following influenza, leaving a family of six little children, with whom, and the husband, sincerest sympathy is felt. The first part of the service was in St. Mary’s Church, the Rev. H. S. Cresswell officiating The interment place in St. Michael’s churchyard. The mourners were Councillor A. Pilsbury (husband), Misses Sylvia and Winifred Pilsbury (daughters). Mr. Jno. Topliss (brother), Miss Topliss (sister), Mr. and Mrs. Fred Topliss (brother and sister-in-law), Mr. and Mrs. W. Lester (Burton). Miss Leedbam, and Mrs Dix.

Finally on a lighter note, clearly some saw the pandemic as a commercial opportunity. From the 1/11/18 edition and weekly till the end of December we find this advert for an overcoat.

TO PREVENT INFLUENZA!
Order a good Overcoat, all wool. from £4 10s.
YOU KNOW THE TAILOR G. C. DEAN.
Lierapnon Serge, regd. (guaranteed all wool). 20 ozs.), Indigo, just arrived. Suit to Order, £6 6s.
Note Addresses:— 26, Queen Square, WOLVERHAMPTON. Corner Corporation St., BIRMINGHAM, (Opposite Stephenson Place). 94. BULL. RING. (Opposite Seed Shop). Tel. Mid 860.

On the 13/12/18 we see the difficulties caused by the war and the epidemic to the makers of Bovril.

Amongst the many difficulties that have hampered Food Manufacturers during the War none have been more troublesome. or have entailed more serious sequences, than the shortage of containers all kinds, and especially of glass bottles and jars. During the current influenza epidemic, tor example, the special strengthening and stimulating powers of Bovril made large supplies of this well-known food, so urgently needed. the proprietors found themselves totally unable to meet the public requirement through lack of bottles although they had ample supplies of raw materials in stock.

Stephen Glynne’s church notes – Lichfield St. Michael

Preamble

Material in the following paragraphs is repeated from an earlier post as an introduction to Stephen Glynne and his church notes.

The Glynne Baronetcy dates back to 1661, with its main estate at Hawarden in Flintshire. The 8th Baronet, Sir Stephen Glynne (1780 to 1815) married Mary Griffin, daughter of Lord Braybrooke. After his early death, he was succeeded by his son Sir Stephen Richard Glynne, the 9th Baronet (1807-1874). I first came across him as the owner of the Oak Farm Iron Works in the Black Country, which was the subject of a spectacular financial crash. Glyne was saved from financial ruin by the efforts of his brother-in-law, the future Prime Minister William Gladstone, at very considerable expense to the latter.

More widely, Stephen Glynne is best known as a church antiquarian. Over the course of his adult lifetime he visited over 5000 churches in England and Wales, making notes, and in some cases sketches of their architecture, plans and furnishings. These notes can be found in 106 volumes now housed in the Gladstone Library at Hawarden. Only a small minority of these have been transcribed and published. Here we give a transcript of his notes for St. Michael’s in Lichfield. The history of the church is set out in detail in my four part ebook. The restoration of the early 1840s, which is of relevance to what follows, is described in Part 3. At that time the Lichfield Society for the Encouragement of Ecclesiastical Architecture were instrumental in the rebuilding of the church (and the chancel in particular) in the prevailing gothic fashion.

Stephen Glynne’s description of St. Michael’s, Lichfield

Stephen Glynne’s notes on St. Michael’s church in Lichfield are brief and mainly straightforward. They are oddly dated 1827 and 1849, but the description is clearly from a visit in 1849 after the extensive “restorations” of the early 1840s. There are a couple of entries on a blank facing page however that refer to the pre-restoration church and that might refer to an 1827 visit (given at the end of the transcript below).

St. Michael’s in 1845 (post-restoration)

The transcript

The church is conspicuously situated on the eminence called the Greenhill at the eastern extremity of the city within a very spacious cemetery commanding pleasing views of the Cathedral and surrounding county. The church is of the usual form with aisles and clerestory to the nave and a western tower with stone spire. But with the exception of the steeple, the whole church has been lately almost entirely renewed and in great measure rebuilt in tolerably good style. The steeple which is of red sandstone, appears to be a three ?? (1) of plain kind. The tower is embattled with corner buttresses, a string course under the belfry only. The belfry windows of two lights on the north and south is a long ??? slot -a questionable lancet on the west, but no west door. The spire is octagonal but not ribbed, having three horizontal bands and two tiers of spire lights, which are on the same sides. The north aisle, as rebuilt, has a low pitched roof and a battlement with three Perpendicular windows. The south aisle is wider and loftier with a high pitched roof and Perpendicular windows, varying in tracery. At the east end has been added a gabled chamber for receiving the Organ (2). The nave is of four bays, the arcades with pointed arches and octagon columns. The chancel has been wholly rebuilt in the Perpendicular style – its east window a triplet and on each side three single lancets. The chancel is groined, the ribs springing from shafts (3). The clerestory of the nave has a high pitched tiled roof and windows of two lights. The north porch is set in the western bay .

(4) The ancient chancel had a three ?? (1) east window, and the former chancel, as appears from a view in Shaw’s Staffordshire, had a quasi clerestory, an upper tier of windows. The whole of the former church was perpendicular.

Notes

1. This symbol can’t be read, but it is the same at both places where it occurs.
2. The description of the church matches what can be seen today, with one exception – the description of a gabled chamber for the organ. This clearly refers to a structure that was replaced by the current choir vestry in 1923 ad can be seen inthe foreground of the picture above.
3. The restored chancel was itself significantly altered in the late nineteenth century, with much of the work of the 1840 restorers removed or altered.
4. The text in this paragraph probably refers to an 1827 visit.

Saddlebacks and serendipity

In 2021 I discussed some of the early graves in St. Michael’s churchyard in Lichfield. Amongst these was the distinctive “saddleback grave” shown in Figure 1 below, one of the five listed monuments in the churchyard. At the time I wrote as follows.

The inscription is very worn and the dedication of the monument can’t be read. This grave features in a nineteenth century drawing that is in the William Salt library ……. That drawing gives the date of the grave as 1674, and with a little imagination this can be made out on the tomb itself. Apart from the date, it is the style of the grave that makes it so distinctive. It is a shame that the dedication is illegible.

Figure 1 The Saddleback grave in 2021

And this is where serendipity comes in. Over the last few days I have begun to think about filling in some of the gaps in my long term project to collate the memorial inscriptions of St. Michael’s churchyard with the burial registers – specifically to include material from the early registers up to 1812. A very helpful archivist at Staffordshire Archives told me that these have been scanned and can be found on Find my past. So I have been busy doing some mass downloads of the material during my seven day free trial (as you do). Whilst doing this I came across the sketch shown in Figure 2 in the register from 1680-1741, on a blank page opposite the entries from November to March 1691 (note this was before the calendar change!)

Figure 2. The sketch from the 1680 to 1741 Register

It clearly shows the Saddleback grave and gives the inscription as

Here lyeth the bo… of James Allen Esq…..1677

There is another note in lighter script that says

Illegible in 1891

So it seems we have an identification of the occupant of the Saddleback grave – although the date is given as three years later than indicated on the William Salt picture. Checking back on the records however in the 1574 to 1680 register, the only entry that corresponds to the name is from 1674

April 13th Mr James Allen, Magistrate, Beacon St

Beacon St is somewhat conjectural however – it is not easy to read. So it looks as if the William Salt date is the correct one.

The registers tell us little else. There is an entry for the marriage of James Allen (Gent) to Mrs. Hester, daughter of Richard Pyot (Dyot?) in November 1658 at St. Mary’s which seems possible. However this was in the Civil War / Commonwealth period when records become very patchy, so there may have been other about with the same name. If any reader knows more of James Allen, then please let me know. But a least we now have a name.

A little more on a Nurse’s Grave

In a recent post I set out what we know of Elizabeth Logan, a nurse who swerved with Forence Nightingale in the Crimea and who is buried in St Michael’s churchyard. Towards the end of the post I wrote

” In addition, sadly, her grave can no longer be positively identified, and there are a number of broken or very worn monuments in the region where a1984 survey by the Birmingham & Midland Society for Genealogy & Heraldry (Midland Ancestors) suggests it is to be found.”

Thankfully her headstone has now been found, not by me, but by my wife who took all of 60 seconds to find what I had spent several hours looking for. My only excuse is that I was looking for a reasonably vertical headstone rather than one laid flat and half buried under grass – see the photo below. It can be seen to be in rather poor condition, and clearly some thought needs to be given as to how it can be better cared for and displayed.

The Changing Face of Death

The paper summarised in this blog, and another on a different topic that was written around the same time, were originally intended to be sent to journals for publication – after five years of retirement I felt able once again to resume my career long warfare with journal editors and referees. However reading the journal author guides quickly made me change my mind, and I decided simply to mount the papers on this website. This has advantages in that doing so is good for my blood pressure and state of mind, and also allows for immediate dissemination of what has been written, but also disadvantages, in that the papers have not been tested by peer review and, as I am possibly the world’s worst proof reader, no doubt have significant numbers of typographical errors. Readers will come to their own views as to whether my approach has been the correct one.

Outline

This post links to a paper that analyses the burial registers of St Michael’s church in Lichfield over a 200-year period from 1813 to 2012, together with the memorial inscriptions for that period found on graves in the churchyards. It is written in a deliberately academic style, which probably restricts its audience somewhat, and is very technical and statistical in its approach. Indeed, it is based on a collated spreadsheet analysis of all burial register entries, grave location records and monumental inscriptions. It summary, the analysis shows that over the first 150 years of the study period there was a remarkable stability in interment and funerary practices, but in the final 50 years there was a very major change. We will consider these in outline in this post, but full details can of course be found in the paper.

Over the 200 year period, the age profile of those interred changed in accordance with national trends, with a marked reduction in infant death rates, and an increase in deaths in the older age ranges – see figure 1 for female deaths for example.

Figure 1. Female interments by age 1813-2012

The biggest change to occur in the study period has been the change from burial to cremation as the major mode of interment – the national and St Michael’s percentage are sown in figure 2. It can be seen that St Michael’s lags significantly behind the national trend, not least because proper arrangements were not made for the interment of ashes until 1979 when a Cremated Remains area was set out.

Figure 2 National and local percentage of cremations

The interval between death and interment was remarkably stable up until the 1950s, with a 50^th percentile value of 3 to 4 days, and a 90^th percentile value of 6 to 7 days (figure 3). However in the 1960s, these values began to increase., and by 2012 the 50^th percentile of the interval between death and burial was 12 days, and between death and interment of ashes following cremation was 41 days. It is conjectured in the paper that this increase for both burials and interments. has been driven by the need to arrange a time for the crematorium service. These changes have profound effects on the nature of the mourning process. By the time of the funeral the families have passed through the first acute stage of grief and have become much more active in planning and conducting the funeral itself.

Figure 3. 50^th and 90^th percentiles of intervals between death and burial (1813-2012), interment of ashes (1960-2012) and cremation (2001-2012)

Associated with this, the percentage of graves with headstones or other monuments has increased significantly since the 1960s, from around 20% of al interments up till then, to around 90% by 2012 (figure 4). The nature these inscriptions has changed too, with family relationships becoming the primary subject.

Figure 4. Percentage of graves with monuments in both churchyards 1813-2012

Taken together, I argue in the paper that the data is consistent with earlier work by others that indicates the focus of interments and funerals has moved away from concentrating on the Christian message of resurrection and eternal life, towards celebration of the life of the deceased, primarily in the context of the family.

The paper

The changing face of death Download

History of St Michael-on-Greenhill Lichfield (V)

100th Anniversary of the dedication of the choir vestry at St Michael’s church in Lichfield.

The location of the choir vestry

From the Staffordshire Advertiser January 13^th 1923.

St. Michael’s Church. Lichfield. New Vestry erected at a cost of £1,200

On Sunday evening the large and commodious vestry which has recently been erected at the south east corner of St. Michael’s Church, Lichfield, to replace the small and inadequate room utilized by the clergy and choir in the past, was dedicated by the Archdeacon of Stafford (Rev. High Bright) in the presence of a large congregation.

At the morning service the Rector (Rev. Percival Howard) took advantage of the opportunity to refer to the important improvement which the vestry has made to the church, and in the course of an appropriate address outlined the course of the restoration of the church in the years 1842 and 1890 ……….

There follows a very lengthy description of all the alterations made between 1842 and 1892, before finally returning to the matter in hand.

…….. Since then no structural alterations had taken place until last year, when the Parochial Church Council decided to put in hand the building if a new vestry. This work has now been completed under the direction of Messrs. Bateman and Bateman, Architects, by Messrs. R. Bridgeman and Sons, and in place of the old and inadequate vestry, a large and commodious room has been created, which the Rector thought they would all agree was a handsome addition to the church, and in perfect keeping with the rest of the architecture. To prevent the smoke and fumes entering the church, considerable alteration has also been made to the flue. The whole of this work, which had cost £1,200, has been carried out without an appeal thanks to the generosity of their forefathers, who had left an endowment for the benefit of their church.

Following the dedication on the evening, the Archdeacon preached from the text “Seek ye My face! My heart said unto me, Thee, they face Lord, will I seek (27^th psalm, 8^th verse)

The congregation included the Mayor (Councilor J. H. Bridgeman), the Sheriff (Mr W. E. Pead), the Town Clerk (Mr W. Brockson) and a number of other leading citizens.

It is tempting to think that the alterations to the flue were to remove the smoke and fumes generated by the clergy and choir, but these were probably something to do with the boiler house beneath the vestry! And for all the praise heaped on the design, the roof has leaked continually over the last 100 years.

Of the people mentioned, the mayor, J.H Bridgeman was the son of Robert Bridgman, who was an earlier mayor and the founder of the Ecclesiastical Architects Robert Bridgman and Sons. The firm had many local commissions including the east front of the cathedral. Both Robert and John are buried in the churchyard. Mr Pead, the Sheriff wrote a lengthy war diary describing the war in Lichfield, that was published and is available on Google Books. The Rector at the time, was Percival Howard (Rector 1913-1946), who served as an army chaplain in the Great War, and reports of his leaving presentation suggest he was highly regarded in the parish. There is a memorial to him in the chancel.

But after a hundred-year life, changes are in the air. The new parish rooms are intended to be connected to the church through the choir vestry, so that part of the church will see major changes in the next few years. But a hundred years for £1200 still represents pretty good value for money.

The 19th century clergy of St. Michael’s, Lichfield (V)

A nurse’s grave (V)

In the records of headstone inscriptions for St. Michael’s churchyard in Lichfield, we find the following entry.

Sacred to the memory of Elizabeth Logan who died February 28th 1878. Having acted with Miss Nightingale in the Crimea on her return she followed the profession of sick nurse for which she was eminently qualified by her skill and experience. A strong sense of duty and great kindness of heart. No one who witnessed her self—denying exertions in aid of suffering humanity could ever forget them. Well done good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

The burial register tells us that she was 66 when she died and the register and lived on Dam St. In the 1861 census she is recorded as a nurse, lodging with a greengrocer and his wife on Market Street. She there identifies herself as “Mrs” and her birthplace is given as Glasgow. This leads me to conjecture that she was widowed before she went to Crimea, and probably had no children, although there are lots of other possibilities of course.

In the records of Miss Nightingale’s nurses she is noted as coming from Edinburgh and having been recommended by “Dr Simpson and others and committee of Nursing home” and was “one of the very best nurses, returned on the Ottawa, July 1856”. Florence Nightingale writes of her to her friend Lady Cranworth, from the Barrack hospital at Scutari in early July 1856.

My probable last letter to you is merely to say that Elizabeth Logan, nurse, whom I have sent home by the Ottawa is, on the whole, the one I consider the most respectable and sober, efficient, kind and good of all my nurses, the one I most hope not to lose sight of, the one I have the deepest regard for. She wishes for a private situation. If she comes to you for a character, I think you may be perfectly safe in recommending her. She is an excellent nurse.

Praise indeed from such as she. We read of Elizabeth briefly again in August 1856 when she wrote to Miss Nightingale saying her wages had not been settled (one presumes by the army), and in February 1857 when she wrote thanking her “for the Sultan’s gift and for her help in securing her present agreeable situation”. Would that we knew what the gift and her situation was!

And that is about as much as we know of her. The fact that she was probably a widow with her husband’s name makes her very difficult to trace through the census and baptism and marriage registers. Indeed Elizabeth Logan is not an uncommon name in Glasgow and Edinburgh around that period. So we have no details at all of her early life, or what she did when she returned from Crimea, other than that she finished up in Lichfield. In addition, sadly, her grave can no longer be positively identified, and there are a number of broken or very worn monuments in the region where a1984 survey by the Birmingham & Midland Society for Genealogy & Heraldry (Midland Ancestors) suggests it is to be found. But the presence of her grave in the churchyard does balance to some degree the many soldiers graves found there, including of those who fought in the Crimean War.

So to end with a plea – if any reader can provide any more information about her life, it would be hugely appreciated.

A view from St. Michael’s church in Lichfield in 1840

Recently, whilst searching for some lost material in the choir vestry at St. Michael’s, I came across a framed version of the picture shown above, which is one that I have not seen before. It shows a view from the north side off the church looking out over the city in 1840. In some ways it is very familiar, with the cathedral in the background, and in the middle distance, towards the left of centre, we can see St Mary’s, but without its spire that wasn’t added until the rebuilding of the 1850s and 1860s. In front of St. Mary’s, we can see the back of houses that were on Greenhill, and housing in the area that we know as Deanscroft but was more usually referred to at that time as Dean’s Croft. Indeed parts of this were still owned by the Chapter of the Cathedral in the 1840s. The Greenhill / Church St / Dean’s Croft area was quite densely populated at that time. Now that area is largely taken by the old school buildings (built in stages in the second half of the nineteenth century). The position of the cathedral and the houses enables the position of the artist to be determined fairly accurately – see the map below.

**The solid red circle shows the approximate position of the artist, the open red circle the position of the Emery tomb, and the red ellipse the position of the Harrison tombs.**

But it is in the foreground that we see the major changes when comparing this picture with what we see now, with many more graves and monuments visible than is now the case. But here all is not all that it seems. Firstly, it is puzzling that the avenue of trees that leads from the church door to the north gate is not shown. This was planted as an avenue of elms in the 1750s and should have been visible. Perhaps they obscured the view, and the artist, as was his or her prerogative, thought it best to omit them. Secondly it is difficult to reconcile the grave locations in the picture with those currently visible. A photograph that shows roughly the same view is shown below. Whilst many of the headstones were laid flat in the re-ordering of the churchyard in the 1960s, the chest tombs were generally left in position, and these have usually survived to the present day.

**The current view, showing the Emery tomb to the left and the Harrison tombs to the right**

What remains in today’s view is the large Emery chest tomb to the left, and the rather dilapidated row of chest tombs to the right. The details of the graves in the picture from 1840 are a little different in the photographs with different grave styles and only three graves in the row to the right, again suggesting the use of “artistic license” in the drawing. Some of the grave details are reminiscent of those on other chest tombs in the graveyard, so the artist might have been trying to capture a range of details not completely in the field of view. The ground level also appears to have changed, with a build up of the ground around the base of the tombs so that they appear lower than they did originally. This is due to many decades of grass growth and mowing, leading to a steady increase in height of the ground surface.

Returning to the graves themselves, the inscription on the Emery tomb was recorded in the 1980s as follows, although much of this is no longer readable.

Sacred to the memory of WILLIAM EMERY died December 9th 1767 aged .9 years. And of MARY his wife who died… Also of ELIZABETH and ANN daughters of WILLIAM and MARY EMERY. ELIZABETH died January 27th 1773 aged 16. ANN died…… WILLIAM who died March 12th l…„and ANN EMERY his wife died July 8th 1825 aged 66. Also JOHN son of RICHARD and ANN EMERY died January 18th 1853 aged 46. And of RICHARD EMERY who died February 23rd 1826 aged 72 also ANNE wife of above died December 17th 1863 aged 82.

Those to the right are largely of the Harrison family. Again in the 1980s the inscriptions were transcribed as follows.

Rev. JOHN HARRISON son of THOS. and FRANS. HARRISON died January 22nd 1793 aged 39. THOMAS HARRISON son of THOS. qnd FRANS. HARRISON died December 31st 1807 aged 48

Here lieth the body of ANN the wife of SAMUEL HARRISON who departed this life Jany 1st 1785 aged 48. Also near this place lies the body of JESSE DEE (brother to the said ANN HARRISON) who died June 1st 1785 aged 39

To the memory of SAMUEL HARRISON who died April 2nd 1798 aged 62.

In memory of Sarah Harrison who departed this life July 28th 1835 aged 72 years

These tombs have seen better days as can be seen from the close up picture below.

Of course, what is also missing from the modern photograph is the sheep – the nineteenth century version of the council grass mowing machine – and the rather elegantly dressed family who are walking down the path from church. The husband and wife are very clear, but their two young children less so. In the original picture there is a similarly dressed gentleman sitting on a chest tomb that is no longer identifiable, apparently studying his laptop, although this is probably not the correct interpretation!