Burials Differentiated by Gender 1764 - 1772
The total number of male and female burials were counted to produce Table F-1:
Table F-1
1764 | 1765 | 1766 | 1767 | 1768 | 1769 | 1770 | 1771 | 1772 | Total | |
Female | 171 | 194 | 207 | 279 | 257 | 170 | 231 | 189 | 218 | 1916 |
Male | 166 | 153 | 186 | 239 | 190 | 168 | 217 | 205 | 194 | 1718 |
Totals | 337 | 347 | 393 | 518 | 447 | 338 | 448 | 394 | 412 | 3634 |
Figure F-1 shows even more clearly that there were consistently more female burials than male ones. Since it is accepted now that more male babies are born because they have a greater likelihood of dying during infancy, it would appear to be anomalous that two centuries ago there were more female deaths.
To investigate this further the data was analysed to produce the totals for males and for females dying of each disorder category on an annual basis. Table F-2 shows the female statistics and Table F-3 the male ones. Figure F-2 illustrates the results.
It can be seen that childbed accounts for only 20% of the extra female deaths and that women appear to be more susceptible to consumption. Figure F-2 also shows that men and boys were recorded as having more deaths due to fits, over the nine years studied, and slightly more deaths from asthma. They were also more likely to die from an accident.
Annual totals of female burials by reported disorder
Table F-2
FEMALE | 1764 | 1765 | 1766 | 1767 | 1768 | 1769 | 1770 | 1771 | 1772 | Totals |
Asthma | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||||
Child Bed | 3 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 41 |
Chin Cough | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 20 | |
Consumption | 30 | 50 | 43 | 39 | 41 | 39 | 28 | 22 | 27 | 319 |
Dropsy | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 19 | |
Fevers | 19 | 19 | 35 | 30 | 36 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 176 |
Fitts | 21 | 34 | 31 | 27 | 37 | 22 | 23 | 17 | 25 | 237 |
Measles | 1 | 25 | 26 | |||||||
Old Age | 20 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 26 | 24 | 212 |
Smallpox | 23 | 6 | 15 | 37 | 30 | 8 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 155 |
Wearing | 14 | 1 | 12 | 21 | 7 | 26 | 12 | 22 | 115 | |
Accidents | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||
Other | 6 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 9 | 28 | 18 | 15 | 111 |
Unknown | 24 | 37 | 43 | 67 | 41 | 40 | 56 | 74 | 89 | 471 |
Suicide | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
Totals | 171 | 194 | 208 | 279 | 257 | 170 | 231 | 189 | 218 | 1917 |
Annual totals of male burials by reported disorder
Table F-3
MALE | 1764 | 1765 | 1766 | 1767 | 1768 | 1769 | 1770 | 1771 | 1772 | Totals |
Asthma | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 22 |
Child Bed | 0 | |||||||||
Chin Cough | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 21 | |||
Consumption | 18 | 31 | 37 | 35 | 23 | 24 | 16 | 10 | 19 | 213 |
Dropsy | 6 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 34 |
Fevers | 21 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 32 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 162 |
Fitts | 35 | 34 | 34 | 28 | 28 | 37 | 34 | 40 | 22 | 292 |
Measles | 1 | 23 | 2 | 26 | ||||||
Old Age | 13 | 7 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 12 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 161 |
Smallpox | 30 | 4 | 15 | 30 | 16 | 2 | 25 | 10 | 1 | 133 |
Wearing | 17 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 16 | 24 | 17 | 12 | 102 | |
Accidents | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 19 | |
Other | 5 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 24 | 16 | 122 |
Unknown | 14 | 26 | 27 | 67 | 28 | 42 | 61 | 68 | 77 | 410 |
Suicide | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
Totals | 166 | 153 | 186 | 239 | 190 | 168 | 217 | 206 | 194 | 1719 |
Figure F-2 illustrates the totals from these tables.

The large number of burials with an unrecorded cause of death makes it impossible to determine whether there is any reason for more female deaths than males in every year with the exception of 1771.
Looking at 1771 itself is just as unrewarding. The comparison table in Appendix B [Table B-5 and Figure B-3] does however reveal a few interesting points. It was the year with the least rainfall in the entire period. Winter had been colder than the previous year but summer started early and, while not getting excessively hot, continued with higher temperatures through to December. But none of these temperatures were the highest for their individual months. Wheat prices were 18 pence up on the previous year, but were still lower than they had been 3 years previously. Consumer goods were also rising [Table B-7] as was the price of raw wool [Table B-6] The Real Wage Index, however, was at its lowest point which, taken with the rise in price of consumer goods, might indicate that the population were having to tighten their belts. Particularly since the production of cloth in the West Riding had been relatively low for the last few years, though still a lot higher than 5 years before.
However both 1769 and 1770 had a higher baptism rate than previously and 1771 surpassed them both, so perhaps the increase in the proportion of male burials is caused by the higher mortality of baby boys.
Wrigley and Schofield [1981] show a peak in their burial figures for 1770 which does correspond to a general rise in burials in Leeds, but doesn't explain why it was a year when more men than women died.
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