Add New Content


Please log in or register to add new content.

Login

Report Inaccuracies


Madge Turner (1901-1988)


Willington girl attended Bishop Auckland Grammar School


From a member of the family:

Madge was born on 3 March 1901 at 27 Wear Street, Brancepeth Colliery. This was a group of terraces called Brancepeth Rows, which are shown on the 1861 Ordnance Survey map near the railway line in Willington. These were very basic terraced cottages with a row of shared earth-closets in the back-lanes between the streets.

Madge was the first child of James Turner, a coal hewer, and Margaret Ann (nee Charlton). In the 1911 Census the family are at 29 Catherine Street and she has a sister and two brothers, with another sister born in 1914 and a brother in 1919. As the eldest girl she spent a lot of time looking after the younger children. The man in the doorway (picture 1) is her father’s brother, Thomas, and in later life she wrote on the back of this photograph ‘servant Madge’.

Nevertheless, Madge won a scholarship to Bishop Auckland County School (later the Girls’ Grammar School). From 1915-1916 she was corresponding with her Uncle William Turner of the Kings Own Scottish Borderers. In his letter of 14th August 1915, when he was at Gallipoli, he refers to her mention of her teacher explaining how good it would be to take Constantinople [now Istanbul] but that it would be a ‘bit yet before it is taken’. He also mentions her contribution to the War Loan along with her school friends.

Madge is in the centre of picture 2. The girl on the right is Florrie Towers but the name of the girl on the left is not known.

In 1917 Madge received her Senior Local Examination Certificate and in 1918 her full Secondary School Certificate (scroll to bottom of page for link to collection of Madge’s Grammar School documents). Her ambition was to go to Teacher Training College, but this was sadly thwarted because her family could not afford to support her. Furthermore, her father died in late 1918, age 39. Madge became a pupil teacher, perhaps at the Church of England school, which would have brought her a small income.

Madge was active at Saint Stephen’s Church all her life. Picture 3 probably a church women’s group in the early 1920s and she is seated on the far right. She served many years as Secretary of the Mothers’ Union.

14 October 1922 at Saint Stephen’s Church, Madge married Thomas Harrison a miner originally from Newfield. In picture 4 the couple are seated at the front of Madge’s home in Wear Street. Best man was Thomas Dargue, standing behind Madge, and his wife, Fan, was bridesmaid. Behind Thomas is probably his older brother, David. The child on the left is Margaret, the young sister of Thomas. In the centre is Michael, Madge’s youngest brother and on the right, Doris, Madge’s younger sister.

The couple’s first daughter Margaret Ann, was born in 1923, but Madge’s mother died in the same summer and Thomas and Madge had to take on the added responsibility of Madge’s orphaned two young brothers and a sister. Their next daughter, Ena, was born in 1925 and Doreen in 1929.

Madge was an excellent needlewoman attending classes in embroidery, quilting and dressmaking. She made her own clothes and those of her children and eventually some of her grandchildren’s dresses and coats.

Madge was never able to pursue her ambitions to be a fully qualified teacher. However, her younger daughter, Doreen, also won a scholarship to Bishop Auckland Girl’s Grammar School and her mother kept the programme from the 1946 Speech Day (scroll down to bottom of page for link to collection of documents). Doreen went to Teacher Training College in Leeds and for a time taught at Page Bank School.

I am the daughter of Ena and I too became a teacher after university. I think that my grandmother was very proud that there were teachers in the family after her very difficult early years.

Civil Parish: Willington

Birth date: 03-Mar-1901

Death date: 1988

Armed force/civilian: Civilian

Gender: Female

Contributed by June Parkin

Supporting Material


Comments on this story


Comment

There are no comments on this story yet.