ELLEN GILL

Subject Name :  Ellen Gill (b 1863 – d 1918)

Researchers :  Mike Brock and Carol Thompson

Ellen Gill was born in early 1863 to James, a labourer, and Mary Gill (1).  She was baptised at St. John’s Church, Farncombe on 28 June 1863 with the handwritten record indicating the family lived in Calshall, although this is probably an error and is more likely to be Catteshall, then part of Farncombe, both of which now come under Godalming (2).

Baptism records of Ellen and her six siblings from 1851 to 1866 (2, 3), plus 1861 and 1871 census records (4,5), indicate that the family was not settled in one location, with many different addresses mainly around the Godalming area.

The Guildford Union Poor Law accounts 1864 to 1871 tell us that the family were seriously struggling. 

James and Mary, along with four of their children – Thomas (age 11), Mary Ann (age 10), William (age 7) and Ellen (age 3) – spent nine days in the Guildford Union Workhouse sometime between Michaelmas Day (29 September) 1866 and Lady Day (March 25) 1867 (6).  

Over the next four years, various members of the family including Ellen went into the Workhouse two more times (7, 8). 

It’s likely that Ellen’s father James, as a labourer, would have been moving around to find work, and would be poorly paid.  However, newspaper articles and the Poor Law Accounts tell us that poverty was not the only reason for the family’s difficulties. 

It appears that Ellen’s father was handy with his fists, and liked his drink, a dangerous combination.  In 1857 he was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm on a policeman when drunk and sentenced to 12 months hard labour at Wandsworth prison (9). 

In 1865 he was charged with assaulting his wife.  Mary did not press charges, but wanted to “protect herself from him, as he was very often the worse for beer” (10).  On four occasions between 1864 and 1871 Ellen’s mother Mary received outdoor relief in money and in kind from the Guildford Union because Ellen’s father James was in prison (11).   

Ellen’s mother Mary herself seems to have been quite feisty too.  In 1870 she was found guilty of throwing a bucket of water over a Meadrow (Godalming) neighbour.  The court thought the complainant brought it on herself but did charge Mary who retorted “I have quite enough to put up with my husband without her”, causing laughter in court! (12)

Perhaps it is just as well that there are no workhouse records existing between 1871 and 1881, but it seems highly likely that the family remained in dire straits.  We are not sure what happened to Ellen’s father James.  He is not on the 1871 census with Mary, but instead is lodging perhaps appropriately at the Great George Inn, Godalming (13), so it is hard not to think that James had either left the family or more likely been thrown out.

Although there are no records of Ellen’s health in her childhood, the 1881 Census shows the 18-year-old living at the Guildford Union Workhouse, bluntly describing her as an “idiot from birth” (14).  In the same census, Ellen’s mother Mary Gill is aged 51, a widow, living as a housekeeper in Crownpits, Godalming (15).  We know from later Brookwood Asylum records that Ellen’s mother Mary had managed to care for her daughter at home until about 1880, shortly before this census (16).

Ellen remained at the Workhouse until 12 September 1887 when, aged 25, she was moved to nearby Brookwood Asylum (16, 17). 

Ellen’s initial admission report at Brookwood noted that, in the Workhouse nine days earlier, Ellen had been “very violent and had to be restrained” (17).  More worrying still, the report went on to say that she had “concealed a knife up her sleeve and also secreted a stone with which to injure herself and others”.  It also said that she was “unable to answer questions” nor “to do anything for herself”.  Further reports from Brookwood over the years stated that Ellen was “very obstinate and at times dangerous” and was “too demented to be employed”, but fortunately, there is no record of her causing harm to others (17, 18,19).

It’s good to see that Ellen’s mother’s details are on the Brookwood records as the (nearest) relative.  It would be nice to think that she did manage to travel the five miles to Guildford Workhouse to see her daughter between 1880 and 1887, and then about double that distance to the Brookwood Asylum in Woking, until her own death in the Guildford Workhouse age 62 in 1893 (20).

On 7 December 1899, after more than 12 years in the Brookwood Asylum, Ellen was transferred with five other patients to the Gloucester County Asylum in Wotton because Brookwood had become overcrowded (18, 21).  Wotton is some 90 miles from Woking, so they most probably were transferred by train, quite a journey to take seriously mentally impaired patients. Ellen was then transferred again to the Bristol Asylum on 28 August 1901 (22), even further away, before being returned to Brookwood on 28 May 1903 (18, 23).  Martha Hogsflesh, who was in the workhouse with Ellen from at least 1881, was one of the five other patients to undertake these moves with Ellen.

Ellen’s condition on re-admission was now classified as “amentia”, also noting that she was “unable to sustain a conversation” (19).  Amentia is these days defined as severe mental retardation from early in life, often congenital.

Fifteen years passed with little or no change until in 1918, Ellen’s physical health declined, with a report from 25 February saying that she was suffering from cellulitis of the right thigh and hip which was spreading. She rapidly deteriorated, and at 7.45pm on 11 March, 1918, Ellen passed away aged 56 (19).

October 2020, updated January 2024

 

References

  1. Ellen Gill Birth 1st Quarter 1863. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915, Surrey, Guildford, volume 2a, page 65.  Ancestry.co.uk
  2. Ellen Gill Baptism 28 June 1863. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, St John Farncombe 1849-1917, Reference: FNC/1/1, page 84.  Ancestry.co.uk
  3. Eliza Thayers Baptism 28 December 1851. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, St Nicholas Alfold 1850-1876, Reference: Al/3/2, page 5. Ancestry.co.uk
    George Henry Gill Baptism 9 April 1854.  Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, St Peter Hascombe 1813-1869, Reference: HAS/3/1, page 72.  Ancestry.co.uk
    Thomas Gill Baptism 3 June 1855.  Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, St Peter Hascombe 1813-1869, Reference: HAS/3/1, page 74.  Ancestry.co.uk
    Mary Ann Gill Baptism 24 January 1858.  Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, St Peter and St Paul Godalming 1833-1877, Reference: GOD/4/2, page 40.  Ancestry.co.uk
    William Gill Baptism 24 June 1860.  Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, Holy Trinity Guildford 1860-1874, Reference: GUHT/4/2, page 4.  Ancestry.co.uk
    George Gill Baptism 28 January 1866.  Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, St Peter and St Paul, Godalming 1833-1877, Reference: GOD/4/2, page 125.  Ancestry.co.uk
  4. James & Mary, Eliza, Thomas, Mary Ann, William Gill 1861 England Census, London Road, Godalming, Guildford, Surrey.  Reference RG9; Piece: 429; Folio: 58; Page: 67.Ancestry.co.uk
  5. Mary, William, Ellen Gill 1871 England Census, Ockford Road, Godalming, Guildford, Surrey.  Reference RG10; Piece: 814; Folio: 109; Page: 70. Ancestry.co.uk
  6. James, Mary, Thomas, Mary Ann, William, Ellen Gill of Godalming, 9 days relief. Guildford Poor Law Half Yearly Accounts, Half Year Ended Lady Day 1867, page 10, BG6/33/1. Surrey History Centre, Woking
  7. James, Mary Ann, Eliza, Mary, William, Ellen Gill of Godalming, 10 days relief. Guildford Poor Law Half Yearly Accounts, Half Year Ended Michaelmas 1867, page 20, BG6/33/1.  Surrey History Centre, Woking
  8. James (29 days relief), Mary Ann (8 days of relief), William and Ellen (45 days of relief) Gill of Godalming. Guildford Poor Law Half Yearly Accounts, Half Year Ended Lady Day 1871, page 9, BG6/33/1.  Surrey History Centre, Woking
  9. James Gill West Surrey Times, 26 December 1857, page 3, “Violent Assault upon a Policeman”, and 9 January 1858, page 3, “Trial of Prisoners”. FindMyPast.co.uk / British Newspaper Archives
    James Gill 5 January 1858, England & Wales Criminal Registers 1791-1892; class HO 27; Piece 121; page 97.  Ancestry.co.uk
  10. James Gill The Surrey Advertiser, 17 June 1865, page 3, “”Training” in the Militia”. FindMyPast.co.uk / British Newspaper Archives
  11. James Gill & wife, of Mill Lane, Godalming. Guildford Poor Law Half Yearly Accounts, Half Year Ended Michaelmas 1867, page 20, BG6/33/1.
    Mary Gill, of Lynch Cottages, Godalming.  Guildford Poor Law Half Yearly Accounts, Half Year Ended Lady Day 1868, page 20, BG6/33/1.
    Mary Gill, of Meadrow, Godalming.  Guildford Poor Law Half Yearly Accounts, Half Year Ended Michaelmas 1870, page 21, BG6/33/1.
    James Gill & wife, of Meadrow, Godalming.  Guildford Poor Law Half Yearly Accounts, Half Year Ended Lady Day 1871, page 17, BG6/33/1.
    Surrey History Centre, Woking
  12. Mary Gill Surrey Advertiser, 25 June 1870, page 5, “A new version of the Pail of Water”. FindMyPast.co.uk / British Newspaper Archives
  13. George Gill 1871 England Census, Godalming, Guildford, Surrey. Reference RG10; Piece: 814; Folio: 88; Page: 27.  Ancestry.co.uk
  14. Ellen Gill 1881 England Census, Guildford Union Workhouse, Surrey. Reference RG11; Piece: 778; Folio: 91; Page: 4. Ancestry.co.uk
  15. Mary Gill 1881 England Census, Godalming, Guildford, Surrey. Reference RG11; Piece: 780; Folio: 53; Page: 23.  Ancestry.co.uk
  16. Ellen Gill 27 September 1887 Admission to Brookwood Asylum. Surrey History Centre, Mental Health Admissions, Brookwood Asylum, Woking, 1884-1888, Register Number 5, Admission Number 5968, Reference 3043/5/1/1/5.  Ancestry.co.uk
  17. Ellen Gill 1887-1895 Brookwood Hospital Woking, Female Case Books 1867-1900, Chronic Case Book 3043/5/9/2/19 page 100. Surrey History Centre, Woking
  18. Ellen Gill 1895-1915 Brookwood Hospital Woking, Female Case Books 1867-1900, Chronic Case Book 2 3043/5/9/3/4 page 167. Surrey History Centre, Woking
  19. Ellen Gill 1915 to death 11 March 1918. Brookwood Hospital Woking, Female Case Books 1867-1900, Chronic Case Book 4 3043/5/9/3/6 page 48. Surrey History Centre, Woking
  20. Mary Gill Death 2nd quarter 1893. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915, Surrey, Guildford, volume 2a, page 57.  Ancestry.co.uk
    Mary Gill Death 20 June 1893.  Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Guildford Workhouse deaths 1887-1914; Reference:  BG6/31/1, page 36.  Surreycc.gov.uk
  21. Ellen Gill transfer to Gloucester 16 December 1899. Guildford Poor Law Union Minute Book, BG6/11/28, page 436. Surrey History Centre, Woking
  22. Ellen Gill transfer to Bristol 28 August 1901. Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, 1846-1912, Class: MH 94, Piece:   Ancestry.co.uk
  23. Ellen Gill transfer to Brookwood 28 May 1903. Guildford Poor Law Union Minute Book, BG6/11/30, page 449. Surrey History Centre, Woking