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Jeanette Pickersgill (30 November 1813 – 20 March 1885) was an English painter. She was the first person to be legally
Pickersgill was cremated six days after her death. The great concern at the time was that the person may not be actually dead, and the thought of being burned alive was too shocking for the Victorians to contemplate. Due to this concern, two doctors certified that Pickersgill was dead.
The cremation took one hour and 15 minutes. Mrs Pickersgill's ashes were transported to Kensal Green Cemetery and placed in a wooden box on a shelf in the catacomb under the Anglican Chapel along with those of William Crellin Pickersgill (who was cremated at Woking in 1887). The ashes continue to remain in position, although the wooden box has deteriorated.
By year's end, only three cremations had taken place out of 597,357 deaths in the UK. At that time cremation was championed by the Cremation Society of Great Britain. By 1901, with six crematoria established, only 427 cremations took place out of 551,585 deaths - less than one-tenth of one percent. However, by the end of the century (2000), over 240 crematoria were in use. Over 70% of the deceased were cremated (437,609 out of 611,960 deaths).The Cremation Society of Great Britain - National Cremation Statistics 1960-2009
/ref>
cremated
Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning.
Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...
in the United Kingdom, at Woking Crematorium in Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
.
Life
She was born Jeannette Caroline Grover in 1813 in Amsterdam. She married the artist Henry Hall Pickersgill on 20 July 1837 at St Anne's, Soho. He died 7 January 1861. She published a volume of poetry in 1827 entitled ''Tales of the Harem''. She exhibited at theRoyal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
between 1848 and 1863. The 1881 Census lists her as an annuitant living at 59 Dorset Square in Regent's Park
Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...
in London. On her death ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' described Pickersgill as "a well-known figure in literary and scientific circles".
Cremation and aftermath
Pickersgill was cremated six days after her death. The great concern at the time was that the person may not be actually dead, and the thought of being burned alive was too shocking for the Victorians to contemplate. Due to this concern, two doctors certified that Pickersgill was dead.
The cremation took one hour and 15 minutes. Mrs Pickersgill's ashes were transported to Kensal Green Cemetery and placed in a wooden box on a shelf in the catacomb under the Anglican Chapel along with those of William Crellin Pickersgill (who was cremated at Woking in 1887). The ashes continue to remain in position, although the wooden box has deteriorated.
By year's end, only three cremations had taken place out of 597,357 deaths in the UK. At that time cremation was championed by the Cremation Society of Great Britain. By 1901, with six crematoria established, only 427 cremations took place out of 551,585 deaths - less than one-tenth of one percent. However, by the end of the century (2000), over 240 crematoria were in use. Over 70% of the deceased were cremated (437,609 out of 611,960 deaths)./ref>
See also
* Dr. William Price, eccentric Welsh physician and advocate of cremationReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickersgill, Jeanette 1813 births 1885 deaths 19th-century English painters 19th-century English poets Artists from Amsterdam Cremation in the United Kingdom Dutch emigrants to England Writers from Amsterdam