Chapter Lodbrog to Longevity of L by Brewer's Readers Handbook

(13) Parr (Thomas), of Atterbury, in Shropshire, an agricultural labourer, died at the age of 152 (1483–1635). He married his second wife when he was 122 years old, and had a son. Old Parr lived in the reigns of ten sovereigns.

There were four others of the same family, the youngest of whom died at the age of 123; and what is still more marvellous is that his son-in-law, John Newell, also reached the age of 127.

(14) Patten or Batten (Margaret), of Glasgow, died at the age of 134 (1603–1737). She was buried at St. Margaret’s, Westminster; and a portrait of her was hung at St. Margaret’s Workhouse.

(15) Scrimshaw (Jane) died at the age of 127 (1584–1711). She lived in the reigns of eight sovereigns.

The next two are from tablets in St. Andrew’s Church, Shiffnal, Salop—

(16) Wakley (William) died at the age of 124. He was baptized at Idsall, otherwise Shiffnal, May 1, 1590, and was buried at Adbaston, November 28, 1714. He lived in the reigns of eight sovereigns.

(17) Yates (Mary), wife of Joseph Yates of Lizard Common, Shiffnal, died at the age of 127 (1649–1776, August 7). She walked to London just after the Great Fire of 1666; and she married her third husband when she was 92 years of age.

Almost all these persons lived in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and from what I have seen of these early registers, the entries are neither uniform nor regular. The present Registration Act did not come into operation till 1874. With the present registers in duplicate, it would be well-nigh impossible to make a mistake of baptism or death.

Longevity in France.

On the tenth anniversary of the taking of the Bastile (July 14, 1799), the First Consul admitted into the Hôtel des Invalides two new members, one of whom was 106 and the other 107 years of age.

Beauprin (Dr.) married, at the age of 80, his second wife, by whom he had 16 children! He died at the age of 117 (A.D. 1805).

Dufournet (Dr.) also married, at the age of 80, his second wife (A.D. 1810), and died at the age of 120 (A.D. 1850).

Jacob (The patriarch) entered the French Assembly, October 28, 1779. He was then 120 years of age, and all the members rose instantly to salute and receive him.

Longevity in Germany, Austria, etc.

Tuisco, a German prince (according to Tacitus), lived to the age of 175. In Danzic, we are told, a person reached the age of 184; in Salzberg, George Wunder died (December 12, 1761) at the age of 186. The case was searched into by Dr. Ufland, of Prussia, who was satisfied with the evidence brought forward. In 1840 a person died in Wallachia at the age of 184.

Longevity in the Roman empire.

When Vespasian was emperor, in a census made A.D. 74, the following statement is made of persons from 100 years of age and upwards.—Glegon: De Longevis.

129 persons had passed the age of 100
114 persons were between 100 and 110
2 persons were between 110 and 125
4 persons were between 125 and 130
6 persons were between 130 and 135
3 persons were between 135 and 145