Searcher of the dead

Searchers of the dead, also known as plague-searchers or simply searchers, were people, mostly women, hired by parishes in London, England, to examine corpses and determine the cause of people's deaths. Their written documents containing statistical data linking sickness to fatality were then turned in to parish officials for use in publishing official bills of mortality. These mortality reports have enabled historians and researchers alike to estimate the living conditions and influence of grave diseases like the bubonic plague on the given population. Searchers existed primarily in London, where they were first appointed during the plague outbreaks around 1568. They continued work through the early modern period up until the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836, which called for all births, deaths, and marriages in England to be well-documented. They served as important figures to the parish although they were often neglected in records as many people began to question their credibility later on during the 17th century.