Workhouse Girl

After the death of James John Davis in 1883, Catherine Davis (nee Handely) needed to remarry as she had no money coming into the house and needed to support her family. In those days the only support was the poor relief chest and that didn't go very far, the last resort was the Workhouse a place no one ever wanted to go. There is a good chance that some of Catherine’s friends may have already been in the workhouse and told her of the horrors of being in there. So Catherine married John Pullen in 1884 in Battersea, together they had two daughters; Mary and Agnes.

When Agnes was 7 her mother Catherine sadly died of what I’m not sure yet as her death certificate proving hard to find. John with the rest of the family where forced into the Workhouse sometime after. Mary and Agnes were sent to the North Surrey District School while John was sent the Clapham Workhouse.

© www.workhouses.org.uk - Read more on workhouses

The only possessions you had in workhouse were you uniform and bed. John’s bed would either been made of wood or iron-frame, in many cases these where only two feet across.   John died not long after being the Workhouse. In the workhouse, when children became of an age, they would become “of use” to someone and would be sent to place of work. Mary was a few years older than Agnes so she was sent to work first. Mary was sent into “service” as a housemaid for a Mrs Nield who lived in Lewisham. Agnes stayed at the school without her sister. Agnes was sent to work Mrs Cheesewright who lived in Bromley Kent.

Mary was adopted by James John Davis' older brother; Charles Thomas Valentine Davis. He as his wife lived in Eastbourne, East Sussex where Charles was a Bath Chair Maker.  Agnes soon followed perhaps she was told of this estranged family member by Mary or maybe she just wanted to be with her Sister. Agnes married Montague Blake and had several children. Agnes never moved from Eastbourne and died in 19??.