Milton Abbas Local History Group, Dorset, UK

Thanks to Samantha Fiander for finding some thirteen letters and editorials published in The Times between 26 October and 29 November 1848 concerning the typhus epidemic in Hilton during that year. This search was prompted by the article in the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol 129, 2008, by Martin Ayres, ‘The Hilton Typhus Epidemic of 1848, Poverty, Public Health and Social Relations in Early Victorian Dorset.’

Thanks also to Pamela Phillips for searching the British Newspaper Archives and finding about 20 articles in the Western Gazette, Dorset County Chronicle and Evening Mail. It is interesting to note that these newspapers frequently carried the very same letters so there is much duplication,

The facts are that the fever raged in Hilton for most of 1848, and by the end of June there had been 58 severe cases of which six had proved fatal. By November there had been a total of 115 cases and 17 deaths, predominantly of children and young adults under the age of 40.

It is amazing to see the enormous difference in views of the three reverend correspondents, the Earl of Portarlington and the Overseers of the Poor and Churchwardens of the parishes of Milton Abbas and Hilton. But who was telling the truth? 

A Sanitary Inspection was carried out in Hilton on 6 November 1848 and clearly shows the neglect of the farmers and waywardens in not keeping the roads, wells, ditches and ponds clean and hygienic. They of course did not consider the very low wages of agricultural labourers of just 7 shillings a week, and the food that the poor were eating. Nor why Dorset had the lowest agricultural wages in the country. 

These wider issues were explored by the reverend correspondents however in vituperative tones. An anonymous writer under the name of CRITO shows himself to be ignorant and only interested in his own pomposity and verbosity. The attitudes are particularly striking to audiences today..

We also know that Winterborne Stickland was affected by the typhus at the same time.

Now we have all these letters transcribed it would be good to do some further research on this epidemic, the characters involved, and compare the Census and burial records of the local parishes to see how bad the overcrowding was and where the fatalities occurred. 

Please get in touch with us if you would like to help or find out more.