ELIZABETH HILL
Subject Name: Elizabeth Hill (b 1840 – d 1904)
The birth of Elizabeth Hill is somewhat shrouded in mystery, as no official General Register Office record has been found for a person of that name born at that time that matches all the criteria. There is, however, a baptism record in Bramley dated 9 February 1840 for Elizabeth Hill, the daughter of James and Mary Hill of nearby Shalford, which is the only one that correctly matches with all later references (1). There are a number of reasons no official record can be found, but as Elizabeth was their first child since the introduction of the GRO records in 1837, it could simply be that they just failed to get the birth registration done.
Whatever the reason for the missing birth record, the 1841 Census shows one-year old Elizabeth living in Gosden Green, Shalford with father James, 30, an agricultural labourer, mother Mary, age 25, and James’ unmarried sister, also named Elizabeth, aged 27 (2).
Child mortality at this time was a major problem for many families, with the Hills suffering badly. James and Mary lost five infant children (3), with only Elizabeth and her younger brothers George and John reaching adulthood (4).
In the 1851 Census, Elizabeth’s widowed grandfather George Hill was part of the family household living at Hunsted Lower Farm, near Shalford (5). George, like his son James, was a farm worker.
The family were living in Upper Unstead in 1861, with 21-year old Elizabeth noted as a dressmaker (6). The Census appears to say that she was a daughter-in-law of her grandfather George. The use of that term in the 19th century sometimes had different meanings to now, and could also be used to indicate a step child. It does not necessarily mean Elizabeth was not the daughter of both James and Mary, but could be tied in with not being able to find an official birth record. However, Elizabeth was clearly brought up as a daughter of James and Mary, and as noted earlier, she was baptised as such. Elizabeth’s brothers George (already an agricultural labourer at the age of 14) and John (age 7, a scholar) completed the household.
Everything soon changed for the worse, with Elizabeth’s mother Mary dying age 46 early in 1862 (7) and grandfather George 18 months later age 77 (8). This left Elizabeth as the only female in the house. She would no doubt have been expected to look after her younger brother John, who was approaching ten, and take care of the domestic duties while her father and brother George were working on the land.
George married Sarah Lillywhite in 1868, with whom he went on to father 16 children (9). The 1871 Census showed Elizabeth, age 31, living at Catteshall Hatch, Godalming with just her father James (age 59) and brother John (age 17). Elizabeth is not shown as having an occupation, so it seems that she was still running the household (10).
Whether Elizabeth was happy with her domestic situation will remain unknown, but what is known is that in the following year she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Henry, on 21 November 1872 in the Guildford Union Workhouse (11). Henry’s baptism on 8 February 1873 was at the Workhouse so it seems likely that they had remained there during that time and possibly beyond that.
Elizabeth’s father died in August 1874 of tetanus age 64 in Meadrow, Godalming (12). The death certificate noted that the witness to his death was a neighbour rather than daughter Elizabeth or son John, which is quite unusual. With no admission or discharge records for the Guildford Union Workhouse existing for that time, it could be that Elizabeth and John were both in the Guildford Union, and therefore not in a position to witness their father’s death.
The next record, the 1881 Census, did note that Elizabeth, Henry and John were in the Workhouse (13). John was to spend the rest of his life there, meaning perhaps that he was unable to care for himself. An article in the West Surrey Times noting his death in 1908 said that he had been a resident of the Union for “40 years”, so it seems very likely he had been there since just after the time of the 1871 Census (14).
Fortunately, circumstances improved for Elizabeth and Henry in the next few years, and they did leave the Workhouse. Elizabeth had been noted as a domestic servant in the 1881 Census (13), but the first confirmed record of her in that role was in the 1891 Census, when she was working as a live-in domestic servant for agricultural labourer David Bookham and his wife Mary at Enton Green Cottage, Busbridge, Godalming (15). Mary Bookham had been bedridden since about 1875, which could explain why an agricultural labourer would employ a domestic servant, and which would have also given Elizabeth a roof over her head (16). Henry, now 16, was also in employment, working as a labourer in a paper mill, and lodging in Mead Row, Godalming (17).
Elizabeth was still with the Bookhams ten years later, having moved with them to Compton (18). By 1904, however, she was back in the Guildford Union Workhouse, passing away there on 29 November, age 64. She had been suffering from a number of complaints over some years, with her death certificate noting cause of death as general debility, chronic ulcer of the right leg, acute eczema, and “exhaustion” (19). She was buried at Eashing Cemetery (20). Interestingly, the Cemetery record has Elizabeth down as a needlewoman, thus harking back to her earlier more carefree days when she was recorded as being a dressmaker in the 1861 Census.
Like many single mothers of that time, the Guildford Union had been there for Elizabeth and her son. It was also there for Elizabeth at the end of her life. It’s good to note that in between she was able to find long term employment, which must have given her stability, some satisfaction and her pride back.
November 2020
References
1. Elizabeth Hill Baptism 9 February 1840. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, Holy Trinity, Bramley 1813-1841, Reference: BRAM/1/3, page 110. Ancestry.co.uk
2. James, Mary, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Hill. 1841 England Census, Shalford, Hambledon, Surrey. Reference HO107; Piece: 1045; Book 6; Folio: 6; Page: 4. Ancestry.co.uk
3. Ann Hill Burial 24 November 1837, age 16 months. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary The Virgin, Shalford 1835-1908, Reference: SHD/4/2, page 8. Ancestry.co.uk
Mary Hill Burial 8 December 1847, age 2. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary The Virgin, Shalford 1835-1908, Reference: SHD/4/2, page 33. Ancestry.co.uk
Sarah Hill Burial 27 July 1851, age 1 week. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary The Virgin, Shalford 1835-1908, Reference: SHD/4/2, page 44. Ancestry.co.uk
Thomas Hill Burial 1 June 1853, age 4. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary The Virgin, Shalford 1835-1908, Reference: SHD/4/2, page 51. Ancestry.co.uk
Harriett Hill Burial 19 February 1857, age 2 weeks. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary The Virgin, Shalford 1835-1908, Reference: SHD/4/2, page 61. Ancestry.co.uk
4. George Hill Baptism 1 August 1847. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, Holy Trinity, Bramley 1842-1880, Reference: BRAM/1/4, page 28. Ancestry.co.uk
John Hill Baptism 11 December 1853. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, St Mary The Virgin, Shalford 1835-1880, Reference: SHD/3/2, page 76. Ancestry.co.uk
5. James, Mary, Elizabeth, George, Thomas, George Hill. 1851 England Census, Shalford, Hambledon, Surrey. Reference HO107; Piece: 1597; Folio: 345; Page: 28. Ancestry.co.uk
6. George, James, Mary, Elizabeth, George, John Hill. 1861 England Census, Shalford, Hambledon, Surrey. Reference RG 9; Piece: 438; Folio: 171; Page: 16. Ancestry.co.uk
7. Mary Hill Burial 26 February 1863, age 48. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary The Virgin, Shalford 1835-1908, Reference: SHD/4/2, page 75. Ancestry.co.uk
8. George Hill Burial 18 August 1863, age 77. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary The Virgin, Shalford 1835-1908, Reference: SHD/4/2, page 78. Ancestry.co.uk
9. George & Sarah Hill. 1911 England Census, Godalming Rural, Surrey. Reference RG14; Piece: 3094; Schedule No 135. Ancestry.co.uk
10. James, Elizabeth, John Hill. 1871 England Census, Catteshall Hatch, Farncombe, Godalming, Surrey. Reference RG10; Piece: 814; Folio: 66; Page: 66. Ancestry.co.uk
11. Henry Hill Birth 21 November 1872, Baptism 9 February 1873. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Guildford Workhouse Births 1866-1936. Reference: BG6/37/1, page 14. Ancestry.co.uk
12. James Hill Death September Quarter 1874, Guildford Vol 2a Page 48, England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915. Ancestry.co.uk Full death certificate available from General Register Office gro.gov.uk.
13. Elizabeth & Henry Hill. John Hill. 1881 England Census, Guildford Union Workhouse, Guildford, Surrey. Reference RG11; Piece: 778; Folio: 90; Pages: 4 & 2. Ancestry.co.uk
14. John Hill “Guildford Board of Guardians …. 40 Years in the Workhouse”. West Surrey Times, 31 October 1908, page 6. Findmypast.co.uk / Britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
15. Elizabeth Hill. 1891 England Census, Busbridge, Godalming, Guildford, Surrey. Reference RG12; Piece: 562; Folio: 46; Page: 15. Ancestry.co.uk
16. Mary Bookham “Death of Mrs David Bookham”. Surrey Advertiser and County Times,
20 March 1915, page 10. Findmypast.co.uk / Britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
17. Henry Hill. 1891 England Census, Farncombe, Godalming, Guildford, Surrey. Reference RG12; Piece: 561; Folio: 64; Page: 20. Ancestry.co.uk
18. Elizabeth Hill. 1901 England Census, Compton, Godalming, Guildford, Surrey. Reference RG13; Piece: 607; Folio: 51; Page: 18. Ancestry.co.uk
19. Elizabeth Hill Death 29 November 1904. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Guildford Union Workhouse Deaths 1887-1914, Reference: BG6/38/2, page 969. Available at Surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/history-centre/researchers/guides/poor-law-records/guildford
Elizabeth Hill Death December Quarter 1904, Guildford Vol 2a Page 72, England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915. Ancestry.co.uk Full death certificate available from General Register Office gro.gov.uk.
20. Elizabeth Hill Burial 2 December 1904, Eashing Cemetery record book E5/0144, page 69. Available at godalming-tc.gov.uk/burial-records .