5th Great Grandparents Luke Staples Elizabeth Tabraham.

*This relationship is still being verified/explored. 

Luke was born in 1757 in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England.  Luke Staples and Elizabeth Tabraham were married on the 14 April, 1780. (3) 

He and Elizabeth were parents to around 7 children, but around 5 died or were stillborn. The first, Mary, was born and died in 1780. (1) Then they had two boys who appear to have survived, Edward (1785) and my ancestor, Luke (1787). It appears that they then tried the name Ann (1796) (2), but after three "Ann" infants died in a row, they named the next Elizabeth, but she also appears to have been stillborn in 1800.

This is quite typical of the period in England generally, but Soham was a particularly dangerous place to live.

Soham sits on the edge of the Fens, which in the 18th century were still only partially drained. The Fens were notorious for poor health outcomes—parishes like Ely, Littleport, and Soham consistently recorded higher infant and child mortality. Stagnant water, boggy land, and poor drainage encouraged mosquitoes and water-borne diseases. Drinking water was often drawn from shallow, contaminated wells. Dysentery, diarrhoeal diseases, and fevers (often described as “ague,” likely malaria-like illnesses) were major killers of infants. (4)

Furthermore, Soham was a largely agricultural labouring community. Many families lived at or near subsistence level. Infant diets included early introduction of pap or gruel, which were often contaminated or nutritionally poor. Breastfeeding was sometimes shortened if mothers were working in the fields. Poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy also contributed to premature birth and low birthweight, both common in the Fens.

In fen-edge parishes, families often engaged in peat cutting, fishing, harvest work and fen labour (which was often physically taxing). 

Infants were more exposed to the environment or cared for by older siblings, increasing risk of accidents or infections. High mobility in harvest seasons also helped spread disease.

(1)"England, Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDWG-NJ3 : Thu Jul 24 15:40:03 UTC 2025), Entry for Mary and Luke, 16 9 1780, burial.

"England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NVGY-6ZF : 4 February 2023), Elizth. Staples in entry for Mary Staples, 1780, christening.

(2)"England, Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JZMJ-LQY : Sat Jul 26 04:36:39 UTC 2025), Entry for Ann Staples and Luke Staples, 13 Mar 1796 birth and death.

(3)"England Marriages, 1538–1973", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NK1D-1VQ : Wed Apr 16 21:03:53 UTC 2025), Entry for Luke Staples and Elyzabeth Tabraham, 14 Apr 1780.

(4)Nicholls, Alice. “Fenland Ague in the Nineteenth Century.” Medical History 44, no. 4 (2000): 513–530. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025727300067107

Davenport, R. J. (2019). Infant-feeding practices and infant survival by familial wealth in London, 1752–1812. Social History of Medicine / (open access via PMC). Retrieved from PubMed Central: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6474727/