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Arthur Alfred (1) Woodhurst was born in 1853 to parents James (2) Woodhurst and his wife Mary Ann Bonner. His birth certificate [Birth Index: Stepney 1c 445, 1853 (June)] states that he was born at his parents' residence at 2, Red Lion Street in Wapping on April 17th 1853. His father - who was the informant - was occupied then as a police constable.
He was christened at St. Thomas, Stepney on December 4th 1853 [IGI: Batch C067881].
He died in early childhood. The death certificate [Death Index: Bethnal Green 1c 176, 1856 (Sept)] states that he died aged 3 on August 17th 1856 in his parents' home at 12, Bedford Terrace, Bethnal Green. The cause of death was certified as 'Choleraic Diarrhoea, 16 hours'. His father was then a police constable, and his mother (present at the death) was the informant.
He was buried on August 22nd at St. Dunstan, Stepney.
Cholera - especially in its so-called 'Asiatic' form - was easily capable of killing a small child within 16 hours, or even much less. In the 19th century it was a major killer nationwide. Several epidemics afflicted London, including ones around 1832, 1848-49, 1853-54 and 1866. Until the pioneering study undertaken there in 1854 by the obstetrician John Snow, its causes were unknown. Bizarre and obstructive beliefs and attitudes concerning its supposed causes and remedies prevailed among the parish boards - including that of Stepney where Arthur Alfred (1) was born - and the general population alike, as described in this article.