A cough of such severity that its possessor might not have long to live.
Can also be used hyperbolically to mean simply a bad cough
Unclear, but the phrase “churchyard skin” occurs in a similar sense in the memoirs of British courtesan Harriette Wilson (1786-1845)
Evelyn – 1960s
Evelyn King (Joyce Collard) – mother of Naomi, Francis, Clare & Jeremy