Origin of "Sudden Death"

[Lyn Resthal]

How,

The term 'sudden death' was used in chess games during the 19th Century, according to a short snippet I found on the Encyclopaedia Britannica website. Unfortunately I wasn't able to read more without a subscription.

Wikipedia has a list of chess terms which states:

Sudden death

The most straightforward time control for a chess game: each player has a fixed amount of time available to make all moves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chess_terms

I've mostly heard the term used in regard to penalty shoot outs in football, myself. Perhaps while RDS was staying in Southsea he spent a few Saturdays watching Portsmouth Association Football Club (Incidentally, whose goalie for a period was Conan Doyle.)

[Mike Covell]

Interesting JM, another literary source for something relating to RDS!!
Lyn, we all know RDS played mind games, perhaps his life was just one big game of chess, after all, he almost had Dr Davies in "Check"!!

Here is the problem, although we have sources stating "RDS used the alias" none of it is referenced, and sadly becuase of this "Faulty Researching" we cannot pin a date, year or even a decade, on when he first (allegedly) began using the term.

Howard, I will email my pub/brewery historian friend regarding the ale.

[Mike Covell]

In the book "Reflections of Death" we read that The Church of England has a prayer to save people from "Sudden Death". The book was published in 1815 by William Dodd.
http://books.google.com/books?id=rxU...death&as_brr=1
Not the first time RDS and Religion where associated with one and other.

In the book "Memoirs of Rev. George Whitefield" we again read how a sermon covers "Sudden Death" as a desire and sudden glory!! The Sermon, published in 1834, is available here,
http://books.google.com/books?id=mKm...h&lr=&as_brr=1
Again, RDS, and Religion!!

[How Brown]

Thanks very much Lyn and JM for the additional usages.

Mike:

"Here is the problem, although we have sources stating "RDS used the alias" none of it is referenced, and sadly because of this "Faulty Researching" we cannot pin a date, year or even a decade, on when he first (allegedly) began using the term."

Well, I wouldn't worry too much about anything the two pro-D'Onston authors said anyway anymore. Most, if not virtually all Harris obtained on RDS ( The O"Donnell...the Customs House records...the Bridlington article..the muster roll for Garibaldi)... came from Andy and the other one who appears to have retired,merely parrotted Harris.

But you're right,Faulty One...there is no reference to RDS's original source for the term and it doesn't come from some gambling term as far as we've been able to determine. Just like anything else those two said,it was done without any verifiable sources.

And you ain't seen nuttin' yet.Trust me.

[How Brown]

By the way, this can be found on the internet:

Gamblers used the term even earlier to describe the final single throw of the dice or flip of the coin. Interestingly enough, the first appearance of the phrase 'sudden death' had nothing to do with sports. Mark Twain reported it in 1865 as a frontier expression for rotgut whiskey.

In this sense,yes...there is a reference to "gambling" & "sudden death"...my mistake for not placing it up here within the last post.

But the inference is not in relation to a card game, which is how I've taken the relation of "sudden death" and "gambling" to mean.

The use of the nickname " Sudden Death" spurred the pro-authors to assume it meant gambling, since undoubtedly one of them found a reference to the dice and the flip of a coin, just as I have and probably others have as well...therefore, it "meant" D'Onston was an inveterate gambler in the mind of the pro-authors...but without proof that it did..

[How Brown]

On this link, which discusses poker, the card game, we find the author mentioning the words "sudden death" but not as in some sort of phrase or situation within the game.http://books.google.com/books?id=Gzy...um=1&ct=result

The fact of the matter is that in virtually every instance where it was possible before, the pro-authors exaggerated the actions or statements made by RDS or attributed to him, and turned them into "negative" connotations in order to make Stephenson look sinister,when in fact,he wasn't...according to what we know of him.

[Mike Covell]

Paul Gibson is a leading authority on Hull Pubs and Breweries, and has a vast output of work on local history subjects.
Among his books are,
Kingston upon Hull (Images of England) 2004
Hull Pubs and Breweries (Images of England) 2004
Hull Then and Now 2008
Beverley Then and Now 2006
The Anlaby Road 2007
The Lost Pubs of Hull 1999

The Anlaby Road book was created to help fund The Lonsdale Centre, and Hull Then and Now was created to help fund The Carnegie Heritage Centre.

Paul is also one of the leading local historians and volunteers at the Heritage Centre, his collection of Public House related files are a must see!!

I wrote to Paul last week regarding the origin of "Sudden Death" and he wrote the following reply,

As for the ale, well its unlikely that any ale would have a name at that date as the naming of beers really didn't start until the 1920s. And that sounds like a very modern name to me. Where is the reference from?


Beers and ales at that time would just be called Worthington's XXX , or Entire, or bitter or dark mild etc. the only names that were used were usually references to the hops used. E.g. Hull Brewery had an ale named Marissa, which was a type of hop used in the brew.


Hope that helps,


Paul.

I thanked Paul for his valuble input.

[How Brown]

Nice work,Mike. Thanks for the post.