JANE GUNNER

Subject Name :  Jane Gunner (b 1827 – d 1882)

Researchers :  Mike Brock and Carol Thompson

Jane Gunner was born with mental disabilities, but thanks to her loving family, she spent almost her entire life of 55 years in the care of her parents, remaining out of institutions until her final few years. 

Jane was born in 1827 in the village of Wood Street, just to the west of Guildford, the first child of labourer George Gunner and his wife Mary 1.  George had married Mary Glazier when they were both about 20 years old in Godalming on 19 October 1826 2.  Mary was already pregnant with Jane, with her baptism taking place at Worplesdon’s St Mary’s Church on 11 February 1827.

The 1841 Census showed 35-year-old agricultural labourer George, and Mary, also 35, to be living in Perry Hill, Worplesdon, with Jane, age 14, and no less than six siblings – James 13, Elizah 11, Elizabeth 9, Ann 7, George 2 and John 10 months 3.  A seventh, Henry, had died in 1839 age 3 4.

Ten years later, in 1851, the family was living at Blanket Mill House, Perry Hill, Worplesdon which was almost certainly where they were in 1841 5.  The earlier Census had provided less detail about their address, but William Harwood and family, who also lived at Blanket Mill House in 1851, were neighbours of the Gunners in 1841, so it seems a fair assumption that they had all remained at the same place 6.

By 1851, the Gunner family had expanded even further, with the addition of Mary age 8, Isaac 5 and Emma 2.  A twelfth child, Richard, had died in 1847 age just 15 days 7.  Jane was now 24, with her disability being noted for the first time on a public record – in the direct language of the Victorian era, she was termed an ‘idiot’. 

 

Jane’s father George, 45, continued as an agricultural labourer with her 12-year-old brother George already similarly employed, giving her mother Mary, 44, two wages to help feed and clothe the family.  John, 10, and Mary, 8, were at school, and Isaac, 7, and Emma, 2, at home. 

Jane’s four older siblings had left home, but all lived close by.  James was an agricultural labourer in Ash 8; Eliza had married Thomas Heather in 1848, had started a family of her own and was living in Goose Rye 9, 10; while Elizabeth and Ann were live-in servants in Stoke-next-Guildford and Worplesdon respectively 11,12.

Around the time of the 1861 Census the Gunner family suffered a double tragedy as diphtheria took the lives of Jane’s brothers Isaac, age 16, in March, and 20-year-old John less than four weeks later 13,14.  Although both had been at the family home in Blanket Mill, it appears that the highly contagious infection did not affect the Gunners further, despite six other family members being under the same roof 15.  George, 55, and Mary, 54 were still caring for 34-year-old Jane (‘imbecile’), with her siblings George, 22, and Emma, 12.  Poignantly, John was noted on the Census, just 17 days before he passed away.  The other entry for the household was 6-year-old Ellen, the illegitimate daughter of Jane’s sister Ann 16.

Jane’s parents were given some help to look after her through ‘outdoor relief’ in the form of money, food, clothing and/or goods.  The first surviving official record of the Guildford Poor Law half-yearly accounts shows that in 1864 George and Mary were receiving one pound 19 shillings for each half-year (equating to 7.5 pence per week in today’s money), plus donations ‘in kind’ of a slightly lower value, specifically for Jane 17.  To put this into context, a 4-pound (1.8kg) loaf cost in the region of 6d (2.5 pence) 18.  Agricultural labourers about this time were earning on average 11-12 shillings (55-60 pence) a week 19, so an extra 2-3 shillings (10-15 pence) per week would have made an appreciable difference for Jane’s needs.

The Guildford half-yearly accounts exist until 1871, and show that Jane received relief throughout this time.  The Census for that year noted Jane, 44, still living with her parents George, 65 and Mary, 64 but they were now the only three remaining in the household 20.  Jane’s youngest sister Emma had died the previous year age 20 21, while brother George had passed away in 1865, age 26 22.  Jane’s niece Ellen had also died, just 14, in 1869 23.

Jane’s mother Mary succumbed to heart disease on 18 March 1874, age 66 24. The death certificate said she had been suffering with this problem for ‘some years’.  This meant that Jane’s father George, now 68, would have been her sole carer which would have almost certainly been impossible for him if he needed to continue working.  There are no records of Guildford Union Workhouse admissions, but it would seem likely that Jane would have been moved there around this time.

There was a bright moment amidst the gloom when George at the age of 70 married widow Elizabeth Mary Wise, age 74, in October 1875 at Worplesdon’s St Mary’s Church 25.  Although the Surrey Advertiser and County Times report on the occasion unfortunately misnamed George’s new bride, it was clear that the wedding was a great celebration in the village 26.  George even managed to ring the church bells at the end of the ceremony, as he was a regular bell-ringer at St Mary’s.  He did not stop there, as he is mentioned again in the Surrey Times in August 1884 :  ‘this worthy old man is in his 79th year, and rings like a veteran’ 27.

The 1881 Census confirmed that Jane (‘idiot from birth’) was living in the Guildford Union Workhouse 28.  She remained there until she passed away on 16 June 1882, age 55 29.  Her death certificate notes her as having been a ‘domestic servant of Worplesdon’, so it may well be that she had been able to perform some tasks under supervision, and perhaps gives a reason as to why she was able to be cared for at home for so long, and then in the local workhouse rather than an asylum.

Jane was laid to rest on 20 June 1882 at St Mary’s Church, Worplesdon, alongside family members 30,  4, 7, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23, 24.  Her father George would have been amongst the mourners and perhaps would have tolled the bell to mark the passing of his much-loved daughter. He was buried in the same church in 1888 31.

December 2021, updated October 2023

 

References

  1. Jane Gunner Baptism 11 Feb 1827. Surrey History Centre; Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, St Mary Worplesdon 1813-1854, Reference: WOR/4/1; Page 60. Ancestry.co.uk
  2. George Gunner and Mary Glazier Marriage 19 Oct 1826. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Marriages, St Peter & St Paul, Godalming, 1813-1837; Reference GOD/2/3; Page 120.  Ancestry.co.uk
  3. George, Mary, Jane, James, Elizah, Elizabeth, Ann, George, John Gunner 1841 England Census, Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey.  Reference HO107; Piece: 1080; Book: 8; Folio: 4; Page: 1. co.uk
  4. Henry Gunner Baptism 1 Nov 1835. Surrey History Centre; Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, St Mary Worplesdon 1813-1854, Reference: WOR/4/1; Page 105.  Ancestry.co.uk
    Henry Gunner Burial 7 Apr 1839.  Surrey History Centre; Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary Worplesdon 1813-1878, Reference: WOR/5/1; Page 78.  Ancestry.co.uk
  5. George, Mary, Jane, George, John, Mary, Isaac, Emma Gunner 1851 England Census Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey.  Reference HO107; Piece: 1594; Folio: 134; Page:  Ancestry.co.uk
  6. William, Sarah, Jane, Jemima, Elizah Harwood 1841 England Census, Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey.  Reference HO107; Piece: 1080; Book: 8; Folio: 4; Page: 1.Ancestry.co.uk
    William, Sarah, Eliza, John, Hannah Harwood 1851 England Census Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey.  Reference HO107; Piece: 1594; Folio: 134; Page: 8. Ancestry.co.uk
  7. Richard Gunner Baptism 1 Jun 1847. Surrey History Centre; Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, St Mary Worplesdon 1813-1854, Reference: WOR/4/1; Page 163. Ancestry.co.uk
    Richard Gunner Burial 23 Jun 1847.  Surrey History Centre; Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary Worplesdon 1813-1878, Reference: WOR/5/1; Page 101. Ancestry.co.uk
  8. James Gunner 1851 England Census Ash, Farnborough, Surrey.  Reference HO107; Piece: 1596; Folio: 59; Page:  Ancestry.co.uk
  9. Eliza Gunner and Thomas Heather Marriage 2 Nov 1848. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Marriages, St Mary, Worplesdon, 1837-1893; Reference WOR/2/4; Page 49. Ancestry.co.uk
  10. Thomas, Eliza, Hannah Heather 1851 England Census Goose Rye, Perry Hill, Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey.  Reference HO107; Piece: 1594; Folio: 135; Page: 10. Ancestry.co.uk
  11. Elizth Gunner 1851 England Census Stoke next Guildford, Guildford, Surrey.  Reference HO107; Piece: 1594; Folio: 463; Page: 71. Ancestry.co.uk
  12. Ann Gunner 1851 England Census Perry Hill, Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey.  Reference HO107; Piece: 1594; Folio: 131; Page: 2. Ancestry.co.uk
  13. Isaac Gunner Burial 31 Mar 1861. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary, Worplesdon, 1813-1878; Reference WOR/5/1; Page 144.  Ancestry.co.uk
    Isaac Gunner Death March Quarter 1861, Guildford Vol 2a Page 31, England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915. Ancestry.co.uk
    Copy of death certificate available from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  14. John Gunner Burial 28 Apr 1861. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary, Worplesdon, 1813-1878; Reference WOR/5/1; Page 144.  Ancestry.co.uk
    John Gunner Death June Quarter 1861, Guildford Vol 2a Page 21, England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915.  Ancestry.co.uk
    Copy of death certificate available from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  15. George, Mary, Jane, George, John, Mary, Ellen Gunner 1861 England Census Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey.  Reference Class RG9; Piece: 424; Folio: 58; Page: 8/9. Ancestry.co.uk
  16. Ellen Gunner Baptism 22 Apr 1855. Surrey History Centre; Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Baptisms, St Mary Worplesdon 1854-1895, Reference: WOR/4/2; Page 3.  Ancestry.co.uk
  17. Jane Gunner of Perry Hill, Worplesdon, imbecile. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Guildford Poor Law Half Yearly Accounts, 1864-1871, BG6/33/1.
  18. Prices of Bread in London Surrey Advertiser, 26 Nov 1864, page 3. British Newspaper Archive / FindMyPast.co.uk
  19. On the Earnings of Agricultural Labourers in England and Wales 1860, Rate of Earnings 1860, South Eastern Division, Journal of the Statistical Society of London, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Sep 1861), p332. DOI.org/10.2307/2338485.
  20. George, Mary, Jane Gunner 1871 England Census, Perry Hill, Worplesdon, Guildford. RG10; Piece: 808; Folio: 23; Page: 11.  Ancestry.co.uk
  21. Emma Gunner Burial 13 Apr 1870. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary, Worplesdon, 1813-1878; Reference WOR/5/1; Page 171.  Ancestry.co.uk
  22. George Gunner Burial 27 Sep 1865. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary, Worplesdon, 1813-1878; Reference WOR/5/1; Page 157.  Ancestry.co.uk
  23. Ellen Gunner Burial 13 May 1869. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary, Worplesdon, 1813-1878; Reference WOR/5/1; Page 166.  Ancestry.co.uk
  24. Mary Gunner Burial 22 Mar 1874. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary, Worplesdon, 1813-1878; Reference WOR/5/1; Page 182.  Ancestry.co.uk
    Mary Gunner Death March Quarter 1874, Guildford Vol 2a Page 35, England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915.  Ancestry.co.uk
    Copy of death certificate available from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  25. George Gunner and Elizabeth Mary Wise Marriage 5 Oct 1875. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Marriages, St Mary, Worplesdon, 1837-1893; Reference WOR/2/4; Page 167.  Ancestry.co.uk
  26. Remarkable Wedding  Surrey Advertiser and County Times, 9 Oct 1875, page 2, British Newspaper Archive / FindMyPast.co.uk
  27. The Bishop’s Waltham and Westmeon Ringers at St Mary’s Worplesdon  Surrey Advertiser and County Times, 2 Aug 1884, page 2. British Newspaper Archive / FindMyPast.co.uk
  28. Jane Gunner 1881 England Census, Guildford Union Workhouse, Stoke Next Guildford, RG11; Piece:778; Folio: 94; Page: 10. Ancestry.co.uk
  29. Jane Gunner Death June Quarter 1882, Guildford Vol 2a Page 53, England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915. Ancestry.co.uk
    Copy of death certificate available from General Register Office GRO.gov.uk
  30. Jane Gunner Burial 20 June 1882. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary, Worplesdon, 1879-1946; Reference WOR/5/2; Page 11.  Ancestry.co.uk
  31. George Gunner Burial 17 Dec 1888. Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Parish Burials, St Mary, Worplesdon, 1879-1946; Reference WOR/5/2; Page 25.  Ancestry.co.uk