One Place Study, 13 St. John's Square - Lillian Jane Hewitt
- Tony Smith
- 1 day ago
- 11 min read
Updated: 9 hours ago
Lilian Jane Hewitt was a resident of St. John's Square in the late 1930's until her death in 1945. She didn't appear to be wealthy and her destination of St. John's Square was somewhat unexpected. This blog will tell the story of how she arrived there.
Early Life in Brighton
Lillian Jane Hewitt was born on the 19th May 1881 to Jane Hewitt (nee Wickens) and Henry Hewitt at 1 West Hill Place, Brighton. Henry's occupation was a bootmaker (1).
West Hill Place is in the area of West Hill near Brighton railway station. West Hill was developed in the 1840's and 1850's with 'working class' and 'middle class' terraced housing near the station. In the 1870's large villa residences were built in the grounds of a former workhouse. West Hill was designated a conservation area in 1977 (2).
Henry Hewitt and Jane Wickens were married 28th May 1878 in the parish of Preston St. Peter, Brighton, Sussex at the age of 20 and 22 respectively. Henry was a resident of Brighton and Jane a resident of Preston which is now part of Brighton. Henry's occupation was a boot closer which was a shoe manufactory worker who stitched the upper parts of the shoe (3 & 4).
Lillian was baptised 10th July 1881 at St. Luke's, Prestonville, Brighton. She was the daughter of Henry and Jane and Henry's occupation was listed as a shoemaker (5)
Tragedy struck the family on 25th February 1884 before Lillian was three years old when her father Henry died at just age 26. The cause of death was phthisis now commonly known as pulmonary tuberculosis which he had been suffering from for several years and exhaustion. The death occurred at 1 West Hill Place, Brighton with Jane Hewitt present at the death. The death was registered four days later on the 29th February 1884 (6)
The Brighton School Enrollment records show that Lillian was enrolled into school 10th January 1887. The address given was 18 West Hill Place and her mother's occupation was a needlewoman. Lillian had not previously attended a school and she was withdrawn from school on 31st May 1889, at age eight. Looking at the other entries on the same page about 40% of the children were withdrawn at some stage (7) The Elementary Education Act made schooling compulsory for children from 5-10 years of age. Children of 13 years and under, who were in work, had to have a certificate to demonstrate that they had reached a certain standard. The Elementary Education (School Attendance) Act raised the school leaving age to 11 in 1893 (8).
The 1891 Census shows Lillian Jane, age 9 living with her mother Jane, widowed, age 34 and her older brother George, age 12 at 18 West Hill Road, Brighton. Jane's occupation was needlework and she was born in Burgess Hill, Sussex. They are sharing a house with a another single woman and another family (9).
By 1901 Lillian was age 19 and was working as a serving maid for the Barclay School for the Blind Girls at 23-25 Wellington Road, Brighton. The census does not indicate that Lillian herself was blind. According to the census there were fifteen blind girls residing there with ages ranging from seven to twenty eight. The majority were teenagers. The lady superintendent of the house was Ada E. Willoughby, age 40, born in Birmingham (10).
The Barclay Home and School for the Blind and Partially Sighted Girls in Brighton was founded in 1893 by Gertrude Campion to provide industrial training for blind girls. The cost of the school was funded by Alexander Barclay who gave Gertrude Campion £500. The school started off in St. Michael's Place before moving to 23-25 Wellington Road in 1900 By 1906 it occupied numbers 21 and 27 Wellington Road as well. The swift expansion was due to the fact that the Blind School in Eastern Road had switched to a single-sex establishment. The school started out as a simple operation which included basket making. This changed in 1922 when 31 Wellington Road was purchased to accommodate a workshop. By this time items such as wool costume with silk braid trimming, hand woven coats in wool with skirt lengths to match, tweeds, hopsacks, serge, silk matinee coats, silk stockings, curtains, towels and tablecloths were being produced at Barclay. A shop at 22 East Street in the middle of the shopping area was purchased to sell all these items.
Although it was hard work there was plenty of fun and laughter from the girls. They often enjoyed singing or reciting as they operated their machines. Many of them joined the Barclay Workshop Choir and took part in music festivals. When the girls had finished work for the day their paid guides would turn up to take them back to their lodgings (11).
Brighton was a significant place of importance for the blind as it was the home of Dr William Moon, 1818-1894. Moon lost the sight in one eye at the age of four and by the age of twenty one, despite many surgical operations he became blind. He learnt the various systems of reading for the blind and began to teach blind people at their homes and later formed a class which developed into the Asylum for the Blind at 181 Eastern Road, Brighton (12).
In 1845 Moon eventually devised a new system for the blind to use when reading which was known as "Moon's system for teaching the Blind to read." The Moon alphabet is made up of 14 characters used at various angles and was easier to use than the more complex Braille system. Moon used a wooden printing press and began printing passages of scripture in his embossed simplified lettering. In the 1850's Moon, his wife Mary Ann and children Robert and Adelaide had moved to 104 Queens Road, Brighton and he had his own printing house next door. With Moon's ambition to train in the nonconformist ministry having been thwarted by blindness he embarked on producing the English Bible in Moon with 5,000 pages and sixty volumes over a ten year period. He originated the idea of the Home Teaching Society (13).
William's daughter Adelaide Moon went on to invent the Moon writer in 1908 (14).
Looking on a modern map shows that Lillian's home in West Hill Road was one mile from where she worked in Wellington Road and 1.7 miles from William Moon's premises at 181 Eastern Road. Lillian was only 13 when Moon died in 1894.
Her Life in Derby
By 1911 Lillian's life has completely changed as she was to be found working in Derby as a girls seamstress at the The Railway Servants' Orphanage at Ashbourne Road. The orphanage consisted of 52 rooms and a orphanage sanitorium with ten further rooms. There were 291 individuals at the orphanage made up of pupils and staff with 164 boy pupils at the orphanage and a further six in the orphanage sanitorium. There were 92 girl pupils at the orphanage and another four in the orphanage sanitorium. The orphanage had 25 members of staff who were all female. Boys and girls had a separate matron, matron assistant and seamstress. There was also a nurse, cook, housemaid, laundress and under laundress (15)
The Railway Servants' Orphanage was founded on the 5th August 1874 at a meeting in Derby's Grand Jury Room by Mr S. Wills of Hull. The idea begun with the Railway Servants' Society with hundreds of railway servants that died each year whilst in the employment of the railways and their families ended up in the workhouse. Derby was chosen because of its central location. In 1877 the home transferred from London Road to 55 Ashbourne Road with initially room to accommodate 36 children. Substantial alterations and expansion was required and by 1887, 300 children could be accommodated.
Age of entry was between the ages of six and twelve and they left at fifteen. Children attended local schools. From the age of thirteen girls were kept at the home and given training in domestic work. By the time they left they were expected to know how make their own dresses and other clothing, wash, iron, knit and to make a plain dinner. The children were taught singing, scripture knowledge, physical instruction in the gymnasium and swimming. Boys were taught either carpentry, shoe mending or kitchen gardening. Most of the boys went on to enter the railway service, while the girls became domestic servants, dressmakers, shop assistants or teachers (16).
In 1921 Lillian was still working at the Railway Servants' Orphanage as a seamstress. As well as the chief matron there were eight matron assistants, another seamstress, a nurse, a laundress, two laundry maids, five domestics and 265 children at the orphanage (17)
By September 1939 Lillian was living at 13 St. John's Square, Wakefield and her occupation was recorded as a home teacher of the blind. Number 13 was split into flats with occupants on each of the four floors. The other occupants were Sydney Thackray, a printers traveller, Alice Thackray and Kathleen Roberts, a bank clerk; a couple, John Lillford, a teacher and Constance Lillford and living on her own was Olive Burton, a clinic nurse in public health. This change in occupancy would suggest that any home teaching would be on a fairly small scale due to the lack of space (18).
Arrival at 13 St. John's Square, Wakefield
There was no confirmation as to when Lillian arrived in St. John's Square, Wakefield but a letter from the Sheffield Daily Telegraph from 27th April 1932 confirms Mrs Jessie Furbisher was living at 13 St. John's Square. Intriguingly the newspaper headline was created because Jessie entered a word building competition run by for the School for the Blind, Swiss Cottage, London. In the competition the entrants had to build words using the letter from "For The Blind". Jessie came in second place with 541 correct words out of a possible 552 and won £25. It seems more than a coincidence that another occupant of 13 St. John's Square had a connection to the blind. It is possible that Jessie knew Lillian or was involved with working for the blind and helped her obtain a job or recruit her to come to Wakefield? (19).
The 1939 Register shows a Jessie Furbisher living with John W. Furbisher at 8 South Parade, Wakefield. John was a local government clerk, so this raises the question with Jessie's interest in the School for the Blind were they involved in the recruitment of Lillian to Wakefield and did they have a housing arrangement for her to move into 13 St John's Square whilst they moved to South Parade which is a similar type of property. The Furbisher's had been living at 13 St. John's Square as far back as June 1921 (20 & 21).
An article from the Yorkshire Post, 3rd September 1931 was an advertisement for a house teacher of the blind, fully sighted. Applications were to be made to Miss Robinson of Penny Bank Chambers, Westgate, Wakefield. There was a possibility that Lillian applied for this position (22).
Lillian died age 64 on 6th July 1945 at Clayton Hospital, Wakefield. Her death certificate confirms she was still living at St. John's Square but had no occupation. Her cause of death was broncho pneumonia, cerebral thrombosis and exfoliating dermatitis. Her brother Henry Hewitt of 37b Longlands Road, Sidcup, Kent was the informant (23).
Lillian was buried at Plot M, 532, an unconsecrated grave at Wakefield Cemetery on 10th July 1945 (24).
Although Lillian's life was not so well documented as other residents researched who lived at St. John's Square she appears to have had a social conscience working with blind people and those without parents. There is also a personal connection to this story as my grandfather went blind when he was in his forties and as a child i can vividly remember going on long walks with him and his guide dogs Zac and later Greg and experiencing the difficulties a blind person has to overcome when they enter the outside world and all the hazards that present themselves.
Lillian Jane Hewitt Birth, Apr-Jun 1881. General Register Office. Brighton, Vol 2b, Page 278. www.gro.gov.uk
My Brighton and Hove, West Hill Road. West Hill Road | West Hill Street | My Brighton and Hove
Henry Hewitt & Jane Wickens Marriage, Parish Marriage Register, St. Peter, Preston, 1881, Page 201. East Sussex Church of England Marriages and Banns, digital image, Ancestry. Original held by East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Office - The Keep. East Sussex, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1936 - Ancestry.co.uk
Boot Closer, A Dictionary of Old Trades , Titles and Occupations, Colin Waters, 1999. Published by Countryside Books, page 40.
Lilian Jane Hewitt Baptism, Parish Baptism Register, St. Like, Prestonville, 1881, Page 12. East Sussex Church of England Marriages and Banns, digital image, Ancestry. Original held by East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Office - The Keep. East Sussex, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1920 - Ancestry.co.uk
Henry Hewitt Death, Jan-Mar 1884, General Register Office. Brighton, Vol 2b, Page 160.
Lillian Jane Hewitt, School Enrolment Records, 1883-1898 & 1894-1908, digital image, Family Search, #004427485, Item 1, page 9 Brighton. School Enrollment Records 1883–1898, 1894–1908
Tracing Your Ancestors Using The UK Historical Timeline, Published by Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 1921, Angela Smith & Neil Bertram, pages 110 & 113
Lillian Jane Hewitt, 1891 England Census. Archive reference: RG12; RD Brighton; Sub district St. Peter; ED42; Piece No. 811; Folio 37; Page 15; Schedule 130, digital image, Ancestry. England, Wales & Scotland Census. Original held by The National Archives, Kew, London. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/6598/records/11199500?tid=&pid=&queryId=4bff321b-3449-43e2-b30e-679252aa1bf2&_phsrc=Poz6904&_phstart=successSource
Lily Hewitt, 1901 England Census. Archive reference: RG13; RD Brighton; Sub district East Brighton; ED27; Piece No. 925; Folio 60; Page 6; Schedule 32, digital image, Ancestry. England, Wales & Scotland Census. Original held by The National Archives, Kew, London. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/7814/records/6388722?tid=&pid=&queryId=b729ac81-67ea-47c4-846f-c027dfe457db&_phsrc=Poz6902&_phstart=successSource
Hove in the Past, Brighton- Moon, Matches and Microchips, Judy Middleton(1988 revised 2024) Hove in the Past: Brighton - Moon, Matches and Microchips
History of the Education of the Blind, W. H. Illingworth, F.C.T.B., Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd, 1910, page 34 & 35. History of the education of the blind
A-Z to Deafblindness Dr-Moon-Page.pdf
Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind. Typewriter : 1992.359
Lillian Jane Hewitt, 1911 England Census. Archive reference: RG14; RD435; Sub district 2; ED77; Piece No. 20943; Schedule 9999, digital image, Ancestry. England, Wales & Scotland Census. Original held by The National Archives, Kew, London. 1911 England Census - Ancestry.co.uk
Children's Homes, Railway Servants Orphanage/St. Christopher's Home, Derby, Derbyshire, Peter Higginbotham. Railway Servants' Orphanage, Derby, Derbyshire
Lillian Jane Hewitt, 1921 England Census. Archive reference: RG15; RD435; Sub district 3; ED48; Page 2, digital image, Ancestry. England, Wales & Scotland Census. Original held by The National Archives, Kew, London. 1921 England Census - Ancestry.co.uk
Lillian Jane Hewitt, 1939 Register, Archive Ref: RG101; ED: KJAA; Schedule 68, Schedule sub number 1; Piece no. 3571A; Item No. 19; Line No. 5. 1939 England and Wales Register - Ancestry.co.uk
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 27th April 1932, page 3. British Newspaper Archive, digital image, Find My Past. Originals at British Library National Newspaper Building at Boston Spa, West Yorkshire. Sheffield Daily Telegraph 27 April 1932 Page 3 | findmypast.co.uk
John W. Furbisher, 1939 Register, Archive Ref: RG101; ED: KJAV; Schedule 142, Schedule sub number 2; Piece no. 3573I; Item No. 11; Line No. 22.1939 England and Wales Register - Ancestry.co.uk
John W. Furbisher,1921 England Census. Archive reference: RG15; RD504; Sub district 4; ED77; Piece No. 22480; Schedule 288, digital image, Ancestry. England, Wales & Scotland Census. Original held by The National Archives, Kew, London. Record Transcription: 1921 Census Of England & Wales | findmypast.co.uk
Yorkshire Post, 3rd September 1931. page 2. British Newspaper Archive, digital image, Find My Past. Originals at British Library National Newspaper Building at Boston Spa, West Yorkshire. Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 03 September 1931 Page 2 | findmypast.co.uk
Lillian Jane Hewitt Death, Jul-Sep 1945, General Register Office. Brighton, Vol 9c, Page 5.
Lillian Jane Hewitt, Burial, 1945. Memorial ID 255201986, Plot M, 532, (Unconsecrated). Lilian Jane Hewitt (1881-1945) - Find a Grave Memorial
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