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Archiver > OLD-WORDS > 2000-04 > 0956000035


From: "MICHAEL. CHAPPELL" <>
Subject: Re: [OLDWORDS] Cause of death was "confinement"
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 20:33:55 +0100


Hello Helen,

Thank you for yours..

Child Birth & Confinement?

All one can say to the above difference is: The term used may possibly
depend upon the informant or maybe the Registrar. I would hazard that the
term Confinement would be used by an older Midwife or informing person and
Child Birth by a younger person.
Who was the informant do you know? Mother, Daughter, Midwife/an abbr with
an N a type of Nurse, Doctor etc. The informant might well have been asked
if she was present at the time of death and if in the negative the
Registrar. Parish recorder, Vicar etc wishing to be discreet & seen to be
impartial might have preferred the term of Confinement rather than Child
Birth! Thus allowing a degree of latitude in the event of some later legal
enquiry. If there was doubt in his mind and later cause should arise, he
would then be found have been prudent and not a party to compounding a
deception. A contributing factor might have been delay in informing due
to the distance lived. Where was the death recording sent obtained from
etc?

The term 'Child Birth' if not preceeded by 'Before or Prior to', 'In',
'During' or 'After' & etc gives us no certainty either. Confinement does I
think indicate to us that she was in her bed and attended. Child Birth
could be anywhere and in rural labouring communities ocurred in the open
whilst working on the land.

Historically we can only deduce and give opinion, judgment and conclusion if
any in this as in the majority of instances, is the the readers task.

All it takes too is " A slip betwixt lip and toungue" and the pen would have
wrote other.

With best wishes.

Yours,
Mikey.

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