Hannah Ellen Woodhurst

Brief biography

Hannah Ellen Woodhurst was born in 1848 to parents Richard William (1) Woodhurst (RWW) and his first wife Susannah Miller. Her birth certificate [Birth Index: Bethnal Green II 58, 1848 (Dec)] shows that she was born at her parents' residence 6, Smith's Place, Bethnal Green on November 12th 1848. RWW's occupation is given as willow cutter, possibly connected with the use of willow in the making of willow bonnets. The location of Smith's Place has not yet been identified. Hannah Ellen was clearly named after RWW's sisters Hannah (1) and Ellen (1).

Hannah Ellen died on February 4th 1849. The death certificate [Death Index: Bethnal Green 2 46, 1849 (March)] states that she died aged 12 weeks at 5, Victoria Place in Bethnal Green. The informant - present at the death - was RWW's married sister Eliza (1), named as "Eliza Warner" and residing at that address. The certificate mis-spells Hannah's middle name as "Allen". RWW's occupation was cited as willow manufacturer. The cause of death was certified as "inflammation of viscera from birth, diarrhoea 5 days". This may well have been a euphemism for cholera, which was very prevalent at that time but whose acknowledgement as such was frequently repressed by both the populace at large and the medical profession.