Thomas Wilkinson

Died 23rd September 1849 

Thomas Wilkinson was 30 when he died, on the first day of the cholera outbreak.

He lived in Clayport, but that is virtually all we know about Thomas so far. His name was included in the Newcastle newspaper reports of the deaths in Alnwick as well as in the Rawlinson Report, but not his occupation etc.

Thomas was one of twelve to die on that first day. The victims that day ranged in age from 18 to 76. Of the twelve, seven lived in Clayport, one of the poorest parts of Alnwick. The weather was cold, with a chilling east wind. ( Note that the weather was recorded meticulously each day, of the outbreak, as it was then thought the cholera was caused by the weather conditions).

Poor people like Thomas were buried in mass graves at the rear of St. Michael’s Church, Alnwick with no headstone.

If you have any more information about Thomas, or any of the cholera dead, we would love to hear from you. Are you a relative, by any chance?

You can contact the Alnwick Branch of the N and D Family History Society via:

              familyhistory@bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk