Mary Gibbs was born in 1832 at St Blazey in Cornwall, the daughter of Philip Gibbs, an agricultural labourer. On 20 September 1862 she was married at Tywardreath, Cornwall to William Pearce. Their first child Joseph Henry Pearce (1865-1950) was born in Truro on 26 September 1865, a second son Frederick Gibbs Pearce (1867-1888) was … Read more
Daphne Blake Oram was born at Devizes in Wiltshire on 31 December 1925, the youngest child and only daughter of James Oram MBE (1890-1964) and Ida Murton Oram (née Talbot) (1887-1972), of Belle Vue House, Devizes. Daphne’s middle name was the maiden name of her grandmother Alice Blake (1851-1941). Daphne’s father was a town councillor … Read more
The church of All Hallows was built in the 14th-century against the west end of Sherborne Abbey and, from 1437 until 1539, it served as the town’s parish church. All Hallows was demolished in about 1540 after the town acquired the adjoining Abbey church for its parish church, although the remains of the north wall … Read more
During her short life Elizabeth Myers wrote numerous short stories and three novels, A Well Full of Leaves (1943), The Basilisk of St James’s (1945), and Mrs Christopher (1946). Elizabeth Myers was born on 23 December 1912 at 3, Apollo Street, Manchester. Her parents, George William Myers, a Manchester warehouseman [a wholesaler of linen and cloth made in the factories surrounding … Read more
In 1899, Beatrice Mulliner was appointed the first Headmistress of Sherborne School for Girls, a post she held for thirty years. Beatrice oversaw the growth of the school from 14 pupils when it first opened on 20 September 1899 at Ramsam House to 287 pupils when she left in 1929. From 1929 until her death in 1940, Beatrice … Read more
‘Send party to cottage Newland opposite cinema. I trapped’ – this message was relayed to the local emergency services at 17:19 on 30 September 1940 by Maude Steele (1901-1997), the supervising telephonist at Sherborne Telephone Exchange who was later awarded the George Medal for her bravery that day when she refused to leave her post … Read more
Mary Kilsbey (also known as Kelsbey, Kelsby or Kilsby) of Sherborne was from the age of five brought up by her relative John Derbie of Sherborne, a wealthy mercer. ‘By a great pain in the head’ Mary lost her sight when she was nine-years-old. In his will, John Derbie (died 1 May 1713) left to … Read more
Ada Elizabeth Kearvell was born on 24 October 1871 at Warfield, Berkshire, daughter of Francis Kearvell and Charlotte (née Sparkes). She trained as a nurse at the Royal Devonport Hospital. In 1901 she was appointed staff nurse at the Yeatman Hospital in Sherborne and in 1908 she succeeded Miss Clarke as matron, a position she … Read more
Princess Amrit Kaur was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1889, the daughter of Prince Harnam Singh, son of Sikh Maharajah of Kapurthala. In September 1902, Amrit’s father sent her to Sherborne School for Girls where she was a member of Headmistress Beatrice Mulliner’s house. Amrit remained at Sherborne Girls’ until July 1905, becoming Head Girl … Read more
Monica Mary Scott was born in Cardiff on 3 July 1917, daughter of John Lawlor Scott and Elizabeth (née Mills). In 1927, her family left Cardiff, moving to Warminster in Wiltshire and later to London, where Monica attended a number of schools including Trowbridge High School, Camden School for Girls, and a school in Chard, … Read more
Dame Margaret Gough, also spelt Gogh and Goffe, was the daughter of Sir Stephen Derby and his wife Avice Gulden (c.1348-1420). Sir Stephen was member of Parliament for Dorset 1379-1386, and also served as Receiver of the Clare estates in Wales and the marches 1360-c.1368, Steward of the estates of Lionel, duke of Clarence, 1365-1368, … Read more
Rachel Bosher was born in about 1721, the daughter of Charles Bosher, a Bristol merchant tailor, and his wife Rachel. On 4 February 1748 Rachel Bosher was married at St Mary’s church, Bathwick, to Robert Goadby (1720–1778), formerly a Bath bookseller who in 1744 became proprietor of the Western Flying Post, or Yeovil Mercury. Robert and … Read more
Ruth Streatfeild was born on 13 August 1894 at Frant in Sussex, daughter of the Rt. Rev. William Champion Streatfeild (1865-1929) and Janet Mary (née Venn) (1872-1952), daughter of Rev. Henry Venn and niece of John Venn the mathematician who invented Venn diagrams. Ruth’s father, who was educated at Marlborough and Pembroke College Cambridge, was … Read more
On 14 October 1895, the annual Pack Monday Fair was held in Sherborne, Dorset, and the Rowland family were in town with their travelling show which they pitched in the Fair Field in Digby Road (now the Pageant Gardens). Thomas Rowland (1856-1926), a travelling showman, and his wife Betsy (née Smith) (1854-1923) had nine children, … Read more
‘Miss Gartell. Believed buried in wreckage. 20 troops digging. Ambulance standing by’ – this message was relayed to the local emergency services at 19:25 on 30 September 1940 by Maude Steele (1901-1997), the supervising telephonist at Sherborne Telephone Exchange who was later awarded the George Medal for her bravery that day when she refused to … Read more