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however, be premised that these bills were voluntary compilations,
not based upon medical certificates, but upon such
information as the relatives of the deceased were able to
supply to the parish clerk at or before the time of interment.
It may not be out of place to mention that the London bills
of mortality were commenced in 1592, on the occurrence of a
Plague, and their publication at weekly intervals in 1603 after
another visitation of the Plague. The limits of the bills
of mortality at that time comprised the 97 parishes in the
City of London, 16 parishes without the walls, and six contiguous
out-parishes. It was not until 1626 that Westminster
was included within the limits. Information of a death
within the limits of the bills of mortality was furnished by
the undertaker or a relative of the deceased to a “searcher,”
the latter not infrequently being an old woman of far from
temperate habits, but it is not quite clear, when, or how, the
intermediation of a searcher originated. The particulars
being verified in some fashion, for there appears 'to have been
absolutely no authentication or guarantee of any description
that the information was correct, the burial was entered in the
parochial record, from which a weekly abstract was prepared
and forwarded to the Company of Parish Clerks, who
compiled the return for the area within the bills of mortality.
The following copy of the summary of the bills of mortality
for the week ending the 26th September, 1665, when the
Plague of London was at its height, taken from the official
records of the Parish Clerks' Company, by the courtesy of
the Master and Wardens of the Company, will probably be
read with interest:—
Number of Deaths.
Abortive 5
Aged 43
Ague 2
Apoplexie 1
Number of Deaths.
Bleeding 2
Burnt in his bed by a candle at
St. Giles, Ciipplegate 1
Canker 1