18th Century Obituaries: the First Celebrity Gossip Columns

As genealogists, we rely on obituaries to provide birth and death dates, biographical details, and the names of surviving relatives. Obituary content provided by the surviving relatives casts the subject in a flattering light. Modern obituaries list a person's achievements and omit any personal information that might be considered scandalous. Dr. Elizabeth Warwick, associate professor at the Univeristy of Warwick (UK) claims this was not the case in 18th century England. Instead, "the people featured in obituaries became the objects of scandal and public fascination, or indeed the UK's first celebrities."