Accidents and Violent Death in Early Modern London by Dr. Craig Spence was published in 2016 by Boydell & Brewer. Dr. Spence is a former professor of History and Archaeology at Bishop Grosseteste University. His expertise and interests include early modern urban and cultural history with a focus on the patterns and interpretation of accidents. This is exemplified in Accidents and Violent Death as the book discusses murder, suicide, and fatal accidents experienced in urban London between the mid-seventeenth and mid-eighteenth centuries. This study is unique as it is a subject often overlooked by Early Modern historians. Dr. Spence argues that these deaths are telling of life in general as well as social and cultural norms of the time. Through the examination of quantitative and qualitative data, Dr. Spence was able to thrust the reader into a world of danger and ground them in the realities of urban living during the Early Modern period.
Dr. Spence discusses a brief historiography of accidents and violent deaths within the introduction of his book and defines accidents as dependent on environment, period, and place (1). He also discusses the shift of public perception of accidents from that of the wrath if God to threats to be managed. This shift was characteristic of the scientific revolution and the enlightenment as society gravitated to a more secular understanding of the world. After this shift, threats were mitigated through technological and fiscal solutions rather than atonement for sins and religious superstition (8). Also within his introduction, Dr. Spence breaks down the book structure into three sections. The first section, comprising of chapters one and two, discusses demographics and metropolitan record keeping of the analysis of death. Section two, consisting of chapters three through six, focuses on the most common types of violent death during the era. And section three, consisting of chapters seven through nine, discuss the dissemination of these records and public response as well as medical efforts.
Chapter one discusses sudden violent death in London, listing homicide, suicide, and fatal accidents as the main categories (26). This chapter also examines the city’s demographics and infrastructure as contributing factors to the record data, stating that this was a period of urban development and influx of young people, both leading to more accidents (24). Chapter two discusses the act of record keeping, the procedures around examination of the body, and the charges placed in correlation with findings. Chapter three discusses death by burning and drowning. Death by fire was a domestic fear as women and children were increasingly susceptible due to the use of candles, lamps, and hearths within the home (66). Drowning was a prevalent danger in maritime professions as well as civilian travel expeditions. Drowning was so common that it was, for a time, considered an inevitable demise for maritime professionals (94). Chapter four examines the urban phenomenon of fatal falls, vehicular accidents, machinery hazards, and animal related deaths that claimed the lives of many on city streets, labeling these as “everyday urban accidents.” Chapter five discusses more rare and exceptional deaths caused by explosions, asphyxiation, poisoning, crowd-crushing, and weapon misfires (148). Chapter six discusses time, drawing distinct trends that correlate with population density, warfare, economic strife, and other large scale events with the causes and frequency of violent deaths (164). Chapter seven discusses the development of occupational medicine and the role of the parish when presented with a violent accident. Chapter eight examines the attempt to mitigate accidents through company management and government regulation in order to control negligent behavior in the workplace (206). Chapter nine discusses the print culture responsible for sharing the narrative of events and reiterating the fact that these events were an undeniable part of urban life (242).
Dr. Spence utilizes various primary sources as the foundations of his study. These sources include ballads, books, maps, corporate documents, personal correspondence, diaries and journals, legal statements and statutes, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, prints, burial registers, and the Bills of Mortality. Dr. Spence has a deep interest in print culture and the Bills of Mortality is arguably his most valued source for this work. The Bills were a weekly publication of death records primarily used to track plague outbreaks in Early Modern London. These publications, however, provide quantitative data that gives insight into the dangers of living in London. Dr. Spence also utilizes various secondary sources from peers within the field to bolster his analysis of primary sources.
