DISASTERS of another kind far more fatal than the fishing devastated the Parish at intervals; severe epidemics of smallpox are recorded in 1684, 1704, 1725, 1732, 1764, 1772; and in 1623, 1629, 1639 the deaths were very numerous, though no special note was made of the cause. All that we hear of Ramsey tends to show that it had scarcely recovered from its practical destruction by the sea about 1630. So called from the size of the pustules (or pox) - the Great Pox (or commonly just Pox) was Syphilis which had reached Europe by the end of the fifteenth century. It is a viral infection (and thus not amenable to antibiotics) which exists in two main strains variola major with a death rate of around 25-30% and the much milder variola minor with a death rate of around 1%.
The sole host of the virus is Man though related viral strains infect, for example, cattle. Infection is either by contact with the pus or scabs, or by inhaling the virus by close contact with an infected person. The infection period of some 12 days allows an infected person to spread the disease before displaying obvious signs. It is likely that like many other diseases it evolved with the early domestication of animals in the Middle East - it is thought that some Egyptian mummies show signs of childhood smallpox.
It was certainly endemic by the 10th century in a wide band stretching from Portugal through to China - it is possible that this was a mild variant as it was considered as an inevitable childhood disease. This would apper to have been the first smallpox epidemic to hit the Island - smallpox had become endemic in London bu around 1680 and in the North of England by 1684. From 1685 smallpox was a major factor in the death of children.
DEMOGRAPHIC CRISES pre 1651- Many parish registers indicate Smallpox as a cause of death - Kirk Michael parish registers indicate that severe epidemics of smallpox were recorded in 1684, 1704, 1725, 1732, 1764, 1772 . There were earlier high death rates in 1623, 1629 and 1639 though no special note was made of the cause. Appleby states that in 1587/88, 1597 and 1623 the northwest of England (he specifically studied Cumberland and Westmorland) were struck by famine - i.e. starvation and starvation-related disease. It is likely that 1557 also saw a very high death rate. The earliest Manx burial register is that for Ballaugh but as this starts in June 1598 only the 1623 peak can be studied from Manx burial records (and only for three adjacent northern parishes).
The Island is divided between 17 old parishes which division appears to have held since the formation of the Parish system in the 12th century (though Santon and Marown may be the result of a split in an earlier larger parish). Most parish divisions follow some feature of the land - e.g. Lonan is the basin of the Laxey River, Onchan that of the basin of the Groudle and Malew that of the Silverburn. The role of the sheading,15 parish and farm boundary in forming the basis of the Derby Lords' rent collection preserved the system from the 1420's; thus the parish boundaries changed little until the 19th century since when, sometimes after acrimonious disputes especially in Douglas, new parishes have been formed in the towns, and some older rural chapelries upgraded. Non-Manx readers should note the considerable differences between English villages centred around their parish church and the parishes on the Island.
MANX REGISTERS are non-existant pre 1600, only Ballaugh, Jurby and Michael have burial and baptismal registers covering most of the 17th Century; by 1625 Braddan, Marown and Onchan provide Burials, by about 1650 Malew, Maughold and Ballure Chapel Ramsey are available, many of the remainder of the parishes are only complete by early into the 18th Century. Most of the deaths in 1741 appeared to be due to an epidemic in Malew - German saw an epidemic of 'flux' in 1740 and a significant dip in conceptions from late summer of 1742. There was a significant number of deaths of children in Arbory in summer 1741 though the burial register has no comment on them. Wrigley & Schofield describe the English demographic crisis of 1741/2 as '3-star' quality - there being little crisis mortality in 1740 and the first half of 1741, the first surge in July 1741 corresponded to an exceptionally hot summer; local crises followed this, the descriptions of which vary, but generally involve 'fevers of the bilious kinds'. They suggest that dysentery rather than typhus was the major factor behind the heavy mortality in these years. Most of the deaths in 1741 appeared to be due to an epidemic in Malew - German saw an epidemic of 'flux' in 1740 and a significant dip in conceptions from late summer of 1742. There was a significant number of deaths of children in Arbory in summer 1741 though the burial register has no comment on them. In both 1764 and 1772 the adjacent, and more rural, parish of Kirk Michael also reported outbreaks of smallpox though not as marked as in Kirk German where most deaths would appear to have been in Peel. Smaller outbreaks of smallpox are reported in the Kirk German registers at intervals of about five years until the end of the 18th century though the number of reported deaths (again mainly of infants or children) were lower at about 20.