Living with Dying: Everyday Cultures of Dying within Family Life in Britain, c.1900s-1950s

In twentieth-century Britain, dying was both extraordinary and an 'everyday' experience. Whilst the death of a loved one was a momentous emotional event for the family involved, within the wider community death occurred regularly. This period of study, from 1900 to 1950, includes two world wars and the advent of the nuclear age and the Cold War. Life expectancy was increasing for most groups across Britain in the first half of the twentieth century. The crude death rate fell from 16.0 per thousand in 1901-05 to 12.8 in 1941-5, though mortality rates remained highly dependent on region and social class. Infant mortality dropped rapidly, from 142.0 per 1000 live births in 1900 to 31.2 per 1000 live births in 1950. Furthermore, these decades saw the development of different medical technologies and care options for individuals who were elderly and dying. This process culminated in the establishment of the National Health Service in 1948, as the welfare state brought about a new level of care for all, 'from cradle to grave'.

What did this mean for families themselves? This research will explore the testimonies of individuals to think about how death and dying were perceived and experienced in modern Britain. It also involves research into public discussions of dying, such as in the press, and how medical practitioners cared for dying patients. The research explores how attitudes to and experiences of dying and death could vary for different groups of people. In particular, I will compare experiences and attitudes to dying across three different regions within Britain, through case studies of Lancashire, Glasgow and Leeds. Furthermore I will consider how factors like an individual's social class, gender and religion affected perceptions and experiences of death and dying.

Through this research, I will also investigate how families communicated about dying, and in particular how children learnt about death. The testimonies I will study will allow me to analyse how families coped with caring for a dying relative, and to consider their relationships with medical practitioners at these difficult times. Finally, the research will also consider how family memories and histories were used to help alleviate emotional stress associated with relatives dying.

This fellowship will enable me to develop my leadership in the field of modern British social and cultural history. As well as allowing me to commence research in a new area and develop a book proposal as a result, the fellowship will open up new opportunities for me to apply for a larger grant in the long term, to investigate dying in comparative perspective, across different parts of Britain, and between different societies across the world, and to pilot new methods of engagement to maximise the impact of this research. In particular, the fellowship will involve development of an exhibition at Abbey House Museum in Leeds; develop new exhibition content and a loan box of handling items with the Thackray Medical Museum; organise a number of events for different audiences, including conferences and 'death cafes'; and work with amateur historians as they investigate their family histories.

There are a number of key beneficiaries of this research, including the four partners. For the Thackray Museum and Abbey House Museum (and for Leeds Museums and Galleries as a whole), the research will directly influence their exhibition content. This will take place through a specific exhibition in Abbey House Museum and in influencing the way in which death and dying are interpreted throughout the Thackray Medical Museum, as it undergoes a period of redevelopment over the next 2-3 years. A loan box of handling items will ensure death and dying are also part of the Thackray's educational and engagement programmes. Through the depth of historical knowledge produced by the research as part of this fellowship, as well as these specific opportunities to collaborate, these museums and their audiences will benefit significantly from this fellowship.

Secondly, the two other partners, Leeds Bereavement Forum and Leeds City Council Public Health team, will also benefit from this research. A better historical knowledge about practices in the past and the ways in which individuals and families deal with dying, and how this has changed over time, will help them in their work with the local community in Leeds. Both organisations aim to support members of the public to talk more openly about death and dying; history can provide one way in which to do this, and our joint death cafes will enable us to ensure the research has benefit for these communities.

The research will also benefit clinicians and others working in geriatric, palliative and bereavement care. Through ongoing conversations with colleagues in University of Leeds Academic Unit for Palliative Care, I am gaining a deeper understanding of some of the key issues in this part of healthcare and medicine today. Understanding how families have managed dying and death at home, for example, is one such issue, already identified in conversations with staff at the Unit. My research into dying at home in the past will be valuable for practitioners today, as they are pushed towards encouraging dying at home rather than in an institution for increasing numbers of patients. A joint conference with Leeds Bereavement Forum in May 2017 will help disseminate aspects of the research to this audience, and open up conversations about how historical knowledge is valuable for contemporary practitioners. The end of project conference will further develop this, as clinicians and others working in geriatric, palliative and bereavement care will be a key target audience, along with historians.

Furthermore, the research undertaken in this fellowship will be of benefit to family historians; both the 15 family historians with whom I will collaborate initially, and a wider audience of family historians reached through the workshop and research guide. Working with family historians to develop a broader understanding of what family history can mean (including interviewing and use of personal objects) has the potential to reshape practices in this area.

Another significant beneficiary of the research is Ellie Harrison, artist and performer of 'The Grief Series'. Harrison is very keen to know more about the history of dying and to find ways in which to incorporate this in to her future work. Including her work at one of the death cafes, and collaborating with her on the final conference will ensure that historical knowledge feeds into her work.

Finally, through death cafes, the final project conference (open to all), and my website, this research will also reach a broader public audience. Ultimately, historical knowledge about death and dying can help tackle remaining taboos in this area, and will increase public awareness of the history of family life in the past, and the wide range of different attitudes and practices relating to dying that could be found in twentieth-century Britain.