1747: A case of Spontaneous Human Combustion?

I saw this image flying around the net, and since it claims to be in my neck-of-the-woods, I thought I go there and see it first-hand. This gravestone/marker does exist, and is documented as the previous owner of the house that still stands there to this day.

James Bridges (1696-1747) has engraved upon his gravestone/marker,

"Being melted to death by extreme heat"


The image above is of that gravestone/marker at a house in North Andover, Massachusetts.

Now, imagine if you will someone in 18th century New England, is found as a pile of smouldering ashes (as SHC victims are usually found), wouldn't that be described as "being melted to death by the heat" during that period? I wonder if this might be a previously unknown and documented case of SHC?

Could it have been a blacksmith accident, working with a kiln, smelting lead, death by fire.........

SHC is a possibility but so are other answers.

According to my research, he was a maltster (that is someone malting barley in preparation for use in making beer). Typically, the malting process does not require the heat temps of a blacksmith, or a forge. Also, if he died in a fire, it would have said that, as that was a more common type of death back then than it is today. Being it was termed "melted to death", is not a typical type of death (I've done bags of research in this time frame via fold3.com etc, and have reviewed many death descriptions).

Malting is really simple, you just soak some barley in water. Then you spread it on the floor of a big room (called a malt house). You leave it set in the open air a few days to a week, turning it over occasionally. At this point, the barley starts to germinate. Just as the grain is about to sprout, they roast it in an oven (not unlike an oven we would use in our homes now, only larger). They roast it, which does not require the heat of a furnace or kiln, definitely not hot enough to "melt you to death".

So, that makes it even more odd, that he was declared dead by "melting from the heat". How many people these days "melt from the heat" in their own kitchens making Thanksgiving dinner? Could it be a case of heatstroke? Possibly, but why call it "melting from the heat".....people did understand what the word melting meant.

My first instinct was a witch trial of some sort. It seems the witch hunts didn't end until about 1750, so this could have been at the tail end.

The tombstone says he was 51 when he passed, and ancestry.com shows his wife passed 11 earlier at the age of 40. I was not able to find a cause of death for his wife.

Very interesting thing to put on a tombstone none the less.

DC

reply to post by Krakatoa


Having the occupation that he had, could'nt the text on the tombstone be misspelled?
Maybe it should read :"Malted to death by extreem wheat"

By the way, Hi

When I read the tombstone, I thought he was referring to "global warming", before its time. Because in his last days, maybe temperatures raised like hell where he lived?...

Maybe a typo on the tombstone....Maybe it was supposed to say Malted to death Makes sense, he could have been working when he died.

Someone beat me to it. I should have read all the posts.

We had a local guy die this year from probable spontaneous human combustion.
www.newson6.com...

SHC would be "natural" as a manner of death--as opposed to accidental, homicide, or suicide.

NowanKenubi
When I read the tombstone, I thought he was referring to "global warming", before its time. Because in his last days, maybe temperatures raised like hell where he lived?...

That was somewhat my second theory.

Maybe he was a timetraveller plunging approx. 100 years into the future to around 1840's-1850's
and got caught in the enormous solarstorm/flares-thingy that hit part of the U.S. around that time.

And just as he got the leadrole as Mr. Lit Matchstick, he managed to press the return-button.
And came home as an enigma.

reply to post by Krakatoa


There is a rumour that Kundalini energy, if misused, can cause spontaneous combustion. source

I personally don't believe that can happen, but I just wanted to report this rumour.

swanne
reply to post by Krakatoa

 

There is a rumour that Kundalini energy, if misused, can cause spontaneous combustion. source

I personally don't believe that can happen, but I just wanted to report this rumour.

edit on 15-11-2013 by swanne because: (no reason given)

Kundalini.
Sounds like a new brand of pasta.
Well, hot, really really REALLY hot pasta could maybe when covering a person give similar wounds as fire.
And then a homeless guy comes before the cops show up and just hover in all the pasta, and we got a mystery on our hands.

Huppskij

swanne
reply to post by Krakatoa

 

There is a rumour that Kundalini energy, if misused, can cause spontaneous combustion. source

I personally don't believe that can happen, but I just wanted to report this rumour.

edit on 15-11-2013 by swanne because: (no reason given)

Kundalini.
Sounds like a new brand of pasta.
Well, hot, really really REALLY hot pasta could maybe when covering a person give similar wounds as fire.
And then a homeless guy comes before the cops show up and just hover in all the pasta, and we got a mystery on our hands.

lol yeah, you're right it does sound like a new brand of pasta! Hehe nice one mate!

swanne

lol yeah, you're right it does sound like a new brand of pasta! Hehe nice one mate!

The Italians cannot be trusted, believe you me!
Berlusconi has for eternity set the barr for the rest.
They should just serve him a portion of Kundalini for selfcleansing purpose.

It's fun to goof around, but seriously, this is a topic that catches my attention,
ever since that old Tobe Hooper movie Spontanious Combustion premiered half a excrementload of years ago,
I have tried to read up on the topic.

But my knowledge in this matter is far to poor, so I'll just leave the floor to the more factpacked peeps.
Sorry for my rudeness, if someone thinks I am a jerk-off, it's probably because I am.

I stay silent now and just observe.
Ok?

Star to the OP for a very interesting subject.

reply to post by Krakatoa


Most likely it is just a gentle wording from his family wishing he burns in hell.
2nd