Bilston Cholera, 1832

The rapid industrialisation of Bilston in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries led to chronic overcrowding and insanitary conditions, which were an ideal breeding ground for the cholera epidemic of 1832.

During seven weeks, one in twenty of Bilston's population died from the disease. The death rate was so high that coffins could not be made quickly enough and had to be brought in from Birmingham.

A list of 692 of the victims of the 1832 outbreak of cholera in Bilston has been transcribed by Pat Galloway and sorted into surname order. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your machine in order to view this file.

If you experience any difficulties viewing the PDF file, please read the Frequently Asked Questions.

Further information on the cholera epidemic in Bilston is available on our Bilston CD-ROM, which includes a map of 1832, extracts from trade directories and a narrative of events.

Selections leaflets listing other material held on Bilston, Bradley and the cholera are also available online.