What's the record number of UK SCs simultaneously living in the country?

Posted by: @wellabove110

What's the record number of UK SCs simultaneously living in the country?

Without checking, I believe it's around the 20 mark. I think there are some currently living SCs that aren't known to us yet.

@heatwave116 Very close! The highest number of living supercentenarians is 19, which was set on 21 Dec 2013 and equalled on 23 Aug 2019.

Top 10 Oldest Living People in the UK (as of 25th May 2022)
Today's update (Happy 110th birthday, Ms. Hammond!; RIP Ms. Anwyl)

1. Ethel May Caterham (Ash Vale, Surrey, ENG) (b. 21 August 1909), 112 y.o.
2. Rose May Eaton (Tongham, Surrey, ENG) (b. 23 August 1909), 112 y.o.
3. Ada Thompson (Thwaites, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 28 November 1910), 111 y.o.
4. Edna Strickland (Hounslow, London, ENG) (b. 6 march 1911), 111 y.o. 
5. Gladys Mathilda Cloke (Madeley, Shropshire, ENG) (b. 24 July 1911), 110 y.o. 
6. Mary Florence Walker (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 28 August 1911), 110 y.o.
7. Mary Letitia Keir (Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, WAL) (b. 3 March 1912), 110 y.o.
8. Margaret Hammond (Normanton, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 25 May 1912), 110 y.o.
9. Olive Finlay (Whickham, Tyne and Wear, ENG) (b. 3 August 1912), 109 y.o. 
10. John Alfred Tinniswood (Southport, Merseyside, ENG) (b. 26 August 1912), 109 y.o. Doyen of the UK

Rose Eaton confirmed alive in May 2022 (with new pictures)

facebook.com/georg.donni/posts/pfbid02wtnCMnnHUafSEC6o6PPoXaBbVvTy5iv1K3HYvTR6HxpxLhuB7WypkjpLQWx2zB9xl

Olive Finlay unfortunately passed away on 27 July 2022, just a week short of her 110th birthday. 

The list of the top 10 oldest known living people in the UK is now as follows:

1. Ethel Caterham (b. 21 Aug 1909), 112, of Ash Vale, Surrey

2. Rose Eaton (b. 23 Aug 1909), 112, of Tongham, Surrey

3. Ada Thompson (b. 28 Nov 1910), 111, of Thwaites, West Yorkshire

4. Edna Strickland (b. 6 Mar 1911), 111, of Hounslow, London

5. Gladys Cloke (b. 24 Jul 1911), 111, of Madeley, Shropshire (birthday not confirmed)

6. Mary Walker (b. 28 Aug 1911), 110, of Croydon, London

7. Mary Keir (b. 3 Mar 1912), 110, of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire

8. Margaret Hammond (b. 25 May 1912), 110, of Normanton, West Yorkshire

9. John Tinniswood (b. 26 Aug 1912), 109, of Southport, Merseyside (male)

10. Merah Smith (b. 9 Nov 1912), 109, of Croydon, London (b. Jamaica)

@rob Thanks for this sad update. RIP Ms. Finlay.

Top 10 Oldest Living People in the UK (as of 22nd August 2022)
Today's update (Happy 113th birthday, Ms. Caterham!)

1. Ethel May Caterham (Ash Vale, Surrey, ENG) (b. 21 August 1909), 113 y.o.
2. Rose May Eaton (Tongham, Surrey, ENG) (b. 23 August 1909), 112 y.o.
3. Ada Thompson (Thwaites, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 28 November 1910), 111 y.o.
4. Edna Strickland (Hounslow, London, ENG) (b. 6 March 1911), 111 y.o. 
5. Gladys Mathilda Cloke (Madeley, Shropshire, ENG) (b. 24 July 1911), 110 y.o. 
6. Mary Florence Walker (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 28 August 1911), 110 y.o.
7. Mary Letitia Keir (Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, WAL) (b. 3 March 1912), 110 y.o.
8. Margaret Hammond (Normanton, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 25 May 1912), 110 y.o.
9. John Alfred Tinniswood (Southport, Merseyside, ENG) (b. 26 August 1912), 109 y.o. Doyen of the UK
10. Merah Smith (Croydo, London, ENG) (b. 9 November 1912), 109 y.o.

Top 10 Oldest Living People in the UK (as of 29th August 2022)
Today's update (Ms. Eaton turned 113; Ms. Walker turned 111; Mr. Tinniswood turned 110; RIP Ms. Cloke)

1. Ethel May Caterham (Ash Vale, Surrey, ENG) (b. 21 August 1909), 113 y.o.
2. Rose May Eaton (Tongham, Surrey, ENG) (b. 23 August 1909), 113 y.o.
3. Ada Thompson (Thwaites, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 28 November 1910), 111 y.o.
4. Edna Strickland (Hounslow, London, ENG) (b. 6 March 1911), 111 y.o. 
5. Mary Florence Walker (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 28 August 1911), 111 y.o.
6. Mary Letitia Keir (Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, WAL) (b. 3 March 1912), 110 y.o.
7. Margaret Hammond (Normanton, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 25 May 1912), 110 y.o.
8. John Alfred Tinniswood (Southport, Merseyside, ENG) (b. 26 August 1912), 110 y.o. Doyen of the UK
9. Merah Smith (Croydo, London, ENG) (b. 9 November 1912), 109 y.o.
10. Sylvia Corfield (Rochdale, Greater Manchester, ENG) (b. 21 November 1912), 109 y.o.

@diego Updated, thanks!

An older British name appeared, Marie Pevovar, born 27/1912, 9/1912, another source, in 9th place Rose Eat passed away, but couldn't find any other source besides:
 https://gerontology.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_oldest_living_people_in_the_United_Kingdom?diff=241139&oldid=236190 
Which is out of date, with Gladys Cloke and Rose Eaton still

Top 10 Oldest Living People in the UK (as of 9th October 2022)
Today's update (Added Ms. Pevovar, RIP Ms. Eaton)

1. Ethel May Caterham (Ash Vale, Surrey, ENG) (b. 21 August 1909), 113 y.o.
2. Ada Thompson (Thwaites, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 28 November 1910), 111 y.o.
3. Edna Strickland (Hounslow, London, ENG) (b. 6 March 1911), 111 y.o. 
4. Mary Florence Walker (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 28 August 1911), 111 y.o.
5. Mary Letitia Keir (Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, WAL) (b. 3 March 1912), 110 y.o.
6. Margaret Hammond (Normanton, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 25 May 1912), 110 y.o.
7. John Alfred Tinniswood (Southport, Merseyside, ENG) (b. 26 August 1912), 110 y.o. Doyen of the UK
8. Marie Pevovar (Edgware, London, ENG) (b. 27 September 1912), 110 y.o.
9. Merah Smith (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 9 November 1912), 109 y.o.
10. Sylvia Corfield (Rochdale, Greater Manchester, ENG) (b. 21 November 1912), 109 y.o.

Correction, Pevovar in 8th place

@charlesm09 Yes,Pevovar in 8ª place,thanks

Top 10 Oldest Living People in the UK (as of 15th December 2022)
Today's update (Ms. Thompson turned 112; Ms. Smith and Ms. Corfield turned 110)

1. Ethel May Caterham (Ash Vale, Surrey, ENG) (b. 21 August 1909), 113 y.o.
2. Ada Thompson (Thwaites, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 28 November 1910), 112 y.o.
3. Edna Strickland (Hounslow, London, ENG) (b. 6 March 1911), 111 y.o. 
4. Mary Florence Walker (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 28 August 1911), 111 y.o.
5. Mary Letitia Keir (Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, WAL) (b. 3 March 1912), 110 y.o.
6. Margaret Hammond (Normanton, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 25 May 1912), 110 y.o.
7. John Alfred Tinniswood (Southport, Merseyside, ENG) (b. 26 August 1912), 110 y.o. Doyen of the UK
8. Marie Pevovar (Edgware, London, ENG) (b. 27 September 1912), 110 y.o.
9. Merah Smith (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 9 November 1912), 110 y.o.
10. Sylvia Corfield (Rochdale, Greater Manchester, ENG) (b. 21 November 1912), 110 y.o.

Adela Harrison is the new top 10 after Margaret passed away. Adela was born on 2/1/1913 in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire

Top 10 Oldest Living People in the UK (as of 9th January 2023)
Today's update (RIP Ms. Hammond, Ms. Pevovar and Ms. Corfiled)

1. Ethel May Caterham (Ash Vale, Surrey, ENG) (b. 21 August 1909), 113 y.o.
2. Ada Thompson (Thwaites, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 28 November 1910), 112 y.o.
3. Edna Strickland (Hounslow, London, ENG) (b. 6 March 1911), 111 y.o. 
4. Mary Florence Walker (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 28 August 1911), 111 y.o.
5. Mary Letitia Keir (Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, WAL) (b. 3 March 1912), 110 y.o.
6. John Alfred Tinniswood (Southport, Merseyside, ENG) (b. 26 August 1912), 110 y.o. Doyen of the UK
7. Merah Smith (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 9 November 1912), 110 y.o.
8. Adela Lauretta Harrison (Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, ENG) (b. 2 January 1913), 110 y.o.
9. Rhoda Binge (Netley, Hampshire, ENG) (b. 8 January 1913), 110 y.o.
10. Marion Rowatt Dawson (Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, SCO) (b. 19 January 1913), 110 y.o.

Around two years ago, on the 110 Club, I posted a 'top 20 oldest living people in the United Kingdom' post on the 110 Club. I've recently decided to recreate this gallery, and here is the result, as of 19 January 2023:

Sadly, only two people from the first gallery I made are still alive: Ethel Caterham (originally #5) and Ada Thompson (originally #17). As Felicity Crump lives in Alderney, a British Crown dependency, I've opted to include her in this list (and if someone from one of the British Overseas Territories were to enter the top 20 in the future, I may include them in a future update).

The United Kingdom is one of the countries that had a noticeable drop in birth rate during the First World War (although not as extreme as the drops in some mainland European countries, such as Belgium.) I've often been curious whether this drop in birth rate may be noticeable in the UK 108+ population or if it may be too small to be differentiated from statistical noise (for example, in regard to males living in Scotland, 1915 experienced a significantly lower birth rate than any year prior for a few decades, yet the fourth-oldest man from 1915 is still older than the oldest man from 1911, 1913 or 1914.) 

There is also something that is not directly related to Rob's observations - but reflects a similar negative trend the extreme end of longevity in the UK.

The UK "All time Top Ten" has generally seen much less change over the past decade than almost all other geographic regions. 

Some areas like Latin America, South America and others are somewhat newer on the scene in terms of larger numbers of validations coming through and these may potentially be biased towards more recent cases. But more comparable areas such as the USA, France, Italy, Spain, Canada and others have seen far more activity in their all time Top Tens than the UK.

Alternatively expressed, on average the UK top 10 place holders have typically been there far longer than those in other areas and the average age of the UK top 10 has slipped below that of some of these countries in more recent years.

The comparative top tens are shown in the tables below. Please note they only relate to verified 113+ candidates and a geography is not considered unless it has 10 verified 113+ cases.  

@chrisr I reckon the fact that the UK had an extreme run of 'bad luck' - the fact that no-one reached 113 between 2018 and 2022 factors into this. 1908 was the first year with 4 people from the UK reaching 112, but none reached 113 (1909 would also go on to have 4/5).  

I don't think this is unique to the UK, but many elderly people here have an extremely pessimistic view on aging. It's very rare you'll find a British (super)centenarian on oxygen or a feeding tube for an extended period of time, due to British societal beliefs. Many people simply feel it is their time to go when they lose the ability to take care of themselves, rather than when their organs actually give out. 

Looking at the ages of the UK's oldest person over the past century, a very interesting pattern can be seen. From the 1920s to the 1960s it is relatively stagnant, sitting at an average age of 106-108. From about 1968 to 1988 there's a very sharp rise in the average from about 107 to 112, where it has stayed since. Despite this, the average number of supercentenarians living in the UK has increased during that time from around 2 to 12. 

Older people in the UK are also receiving less coverage than ever before. Until around 2016-17, someone becoming the oldest person in the UK would usually be cause for a report, since then it almost never has been. The amount of reports has never really recovered post-pandemic either, when I first started properly researching SCs in 2018 over half would receive a birthday report, that number is now around 1/3. 

With all that being said, I do think Charlotte Hughes' record as the oldest Briton ever will probably be broken within the next decade or two, especially once the 1919-1920 cohorts start reaching extreme ages. It'll be interesting to track the changes in the UK top 10 in the next few years as it's been quite stagnant since my interest really began in 2018.

Some very good insights Rob

As you say, a bad mortality rate on reaching 112 for UK citizens for those two years and numerous other examples over the past 5. 

Over the 23 years of this century so far, only 3 from the UK (Ethel Lang, Florrie Baldwin and Amy Hulmes) have celebrated 114th birthdays, (the latter two passing away very soon after) whilst the global tally for this period stands at circa 155. 

In terms of your second point I'm originally from Yorkshire and have a few aunts and uncles left there, now generally between about 85 and 92. All 3 of them display the traits you mention. Comments such as "Ï've had my time", "not sure why I'm still here'' and "just waiting love" are what I usually hear when I contact them. Also in line with your point above, none of the 3 are in bad health.

I agree that Charlotte Hughes's record must fall in the coming years. Lets hope its Mrs Caterham.

But based on the above, another 114th birthday in the UK would be a great outcome in itself.

Here's a brief, heartwarming story about Mary Walker, the fourth-oldest known living person in the UK, from a few months back:

Posted by: @robbie

↑

Here's a brief, heartwarming story about Mary Walker, the fourth-oldest known living person in the UK, from a few months back:

 

touching 😍

Thanks Rob for sharing it!

Top 10 Oldest Living People in the UK (as of 6th March 2023)
Today's update (Ms. Strickland turned 112; Ms. Keir turned 111)

1. Ethel May Caterham (Ash Vale, Surrey, ENG) (b. 21 August 1909), 113 y.o.
2. Ada Thompson (Thwaites, West Yorkshire, ENG) (b. 28 November 1910), 112 y.o.
3. Edna Strickland (Hounslow, London, ENG) (b. 6 March 1911), 112 y.o. 
4. Mary Florence Walker (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 28 August 1911), 111 y.o.
5. Mary Letitia Keir (Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, WAL) (b. 3 March 1912), 111 y.o.
6. John Alfred Tinniswood (Southport, Merseyside, ENG) (b. 26 August 1912), 110 y.o. Doyen of the UK
7. Merah Smith (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 9 November 1912), 110 y.o.
8. Adela Lauretta Harrison (Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, ENG) (b. 2 January 1913), 110 y.o.
9. Rhoda Binge (Netley, Hampshire, ENG) (b. 8 January 1913), 110 y.o.
10. Marion Rowatt Dawson (Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, SCO) (b. 19 January 1913), 110 y.o.

With the passing of Ada Thompson,new top ten is Felicity Crump,born on 21/1/1913 in Kings Norton, Worcestershire,living in Alderney, Guernsey, Channel Islands?

Top 10 Oldest Living People in the UK (as of 15th March 2023)
Today's update (RIP Ms. Thompson)

1. Ethel May Caterham (Ash Vale, Surrey, ENG) (b. 21 August 1909), 113 y.o.
2. Edna Strickland (Hounslow, London, ENG) (b. 6 March 1911), 112 y.o. 
3. Mary Florence Walker (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 28 August 1911), 111 y.o.
4. Mary Letitia Keir (Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, WAL) (b. 3 March 1912), 111 y.o.
5. John Alfred Tinniswood (Southport, Merseyside, ENG) (b. 26 August 1912), 110 y.o. Doyen of the UK
6. Merah Smith (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 9 November 1912), 110 y.o.
7. Adela Lauretta Harrison (Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, ENG) (b. 2 January 1913), 110 y.o.
8. Rhoda Binge (Netley, Hampshire, ENG) (b. 8 January 1913), 110 y.o.
9. Marion Rowatt Dawson (Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, SCO) (b. 19 January 1913), 110 y.o.
10. Felicity Crump (Alderney, Guernsey) (b. 21 January 1913), 110 y.o.

Top 10 Oldest Living People in the UK (as of 28th April 2023)
Today's update (RIP Ms. Crump)

1. Ethel May Caterham (Ash Vale, Surrey, ENG) (b. 21 August 1909), 113 y.o.
2. Edna Strickland (Hounslow, London, ENG) (b. 6 March 1911), 112 y.o. 
3. Mary Florence Walker (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 28 August 1911), 111 y.o.
4. Mary Letitia Keir (Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, WAL) (b. 3 March 1912), 111 y.o.
5. John Alfred Tinniswood (Southport, Merseyside, ENG) (b. 26 August 1912), 110 y.o. Doyen of the UK
6. Merah Smith (Croydon, London, ENG) (b. 9 November 1912), 110 y.o.
7. Adela Lauretta Harrison (Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, ENG) (b. 2 January 1913), 110 y.o.
8. Rhoda Binge (Netley, Hampshire, ENG) (b. 8 January 1913), 110 y.o.
9. Marion Rowatt Dawson (Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, SCO) (b. 19 January 1913), 110 y.o.
10. John Farringdon (Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, ENG) (b. 7 June 1913), 109 y.o.

Merah Smith recently received the Freedom of the Borough from Croydon Council for her services to others while working in the NHS - alongside rapper Stormzy!

https://news.croydon.gov.uk/stormzy-awarded-freedom-of-the-borough-by-croydon-together-with-110-year-old-community-champion/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-65116206