Person

Anne was born in 1901. By 1911 she was living with her grandmother since her parents had died and there were no other relatives. At this time Anne was described by her teachers as well behaved, clean and well cared for, but she was also described as mentally slow and even “mentally backward”. From 1911 to 1915, when she left school at the age of 14, Anne ‘s progress at school was very limited.

The visitor reports indicate that Anne was well cared for by her grandmother though she was not a strong girl. In January 1914 she was suffering from scarlet fever and the house had to be disinfected before she could return to school. When Anne finally left school in 1915 her visitor, Amy Walker Black, suggested in her report that Anne should work as a nursemaid once such a situation was found for her. One year later, Anne was still without work and Amy now proposed that Ann should go to a home for training domestic servants. She pointed out that Anne’s grandmother was over 70 and very worried about her grand-daughter’s future; Anne had no other relatives and would not be able to support herself given her limited ability. It is heartening to see how Amy Walker Black worked hard to find suitable establishments where Anne could learn some basic domestic skills and so support herself.

Civil Parish: Chester le Street

Birth date: 1901

Armed force/civilian: Civilian

Gender: Female

Contributed by Mel Brown, Durham