Further evidence on the decline in infant mortality in pre-industrial England: North Shropshire, 1561–1810

Abstract

Summary There is growing evidence of a substantial decline in infant mortality in England from the late seventeenth century onwards. This trend is examined in detail using data from the parish registers of a group of rural parishes in North Shropshire. A major change in the whole pattern of first-year mortality during the period 1661-1810 is indicated, its main features being an increase in mortality between the ages of six and eleven months, and a marked fall in mortality during the first three months of life. Examination of the seasonal pattern of infant mortality shows very heavy mortality among young infants in the winter, presumably from respiratory causes, during the period before 1700. It is suggested that a fall in the number of deaths from these causes was the main reason for the decline in infant mortality since the late seventeenth century.