Mrs Effield Bogle breathed her last at the Old Bank House, Long Street, Sherborne, on 28 May 1905. A few days later the following obituary appeared in the Western Chronicle: ‘The death is recorded of Mrs Bogle, widow of the late Major Bogle, V.C., a very old resident of the town, who passed away at … Read more
Margaret Millicent Billinger (1883-1942) was born on 30 June 1883 at 18, Cardiff Street, Aberdare, Glamorgan, daughter of James Fussell Billinger (1858-1928), a newsagent and railway bookstall manager, and Margaret Jane (née Thomas) (1857-1928). By 1891, Margaret and her family were living at 11, Alfred Street, Neath, and by 1901 they were living at 11, … 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 22 May 1686, Lady Jane Noel (1664-1733), daughter of Edward Noel, 1st Earl of Gainsborough (1641-1689) and Lady Elizabeth Wriothesley (d.1680), married William Digby, 5th Baron Digby (1661-1752), commonly called ‘the good Lord Digby’. They had four sons and eight daughters. Lady Jane died at Sherborne on 10 September 1733, aged 69, and was … Read more
Harriet Clarke was born in Cheltenham in 1846, the daughter of Joseph Clarke, a tailor, and Maria Clarke. On 10 March 1885 Harriet was appointed headmistress of Lord Digby’s School in Sherborne. The school was then located at Foundation House in Westbury (now the Britannia Inn), but Harriet’s twenty years as headmistress of Lord Digby’s … Read more
Catherine ‘Kitty’ Frances Atkins was born in Scotland on 11 November 1806, the daughter of Charles Atkins, a scene painter. Catherine first met the actor and theatre manager William Charles Macready (1793-1873) in Glasgow when she was 9-years-old when he scolded her for not knowing her lines. They met again in the summer of 1820 … Read more
In the Commonwealth War Grave section of Sherborne Cemetery can be found the only war grave in Sherborne to commemorate a woman who died on service during the Second World War. The grave belongs to Margaret Hayter (1923-1943), and the inscription on her headstone reads: 2069687 CORPORAL M.F. HAYTER WOMEN’S AUXILIARY AIR FORCE 24TH JULY 1943 … Read more
Louisa Barnes was born at 8 Garden Terrace, Harlow, Essex on 16 August 1905, the eldest daughter of John William Barnes (b.1875) and Mary Ann Barnes (née Fielder) (1879-1942). By April 1911 the family were living at Lower Zeals in Wiltshire, where John Barnes was employed as a groom. Their second daughter Olga Mary Barnes … Read more