Epsom College has been honoured to receive unbroken royal patronage from a reigning monarch since 1855 when Queen Victoria became the College’s first Patron and upon its opening by HRH Prince Albert.

Whilst the College’s royal patronage is unbroken, with the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II and after Saturday’s Coronation it is hoped King Charles III will become Patron of Epsom College sometime in the future.

Queen Victoria never actually visited Epsom College. However, she did attend the Epsom Derby in 1840, having first attended it with her mother, as a twelve year old child in 1831.

Queen Victoria watched “Little Wonder”, a 50-1 outsider win the 1840 Epsom Derby and Her Majesty went on to present the jockey, the youngest and smallest in the race, with a gold whip for his victory.

Queen Victoria had been expected to return to Epsom to attend further Derbys, but sadly after 1840 she never visited Epsom again. Perhaps because of the difficulties she had experienced getting to the race track due to crowds blocking her route. This led to the construction of Tattenham Corner Train Station, that was completed after her death in 1901 and was used by succeeding British monarchs.

The entrance ticket to The Eton College Torchlight Procession at Windsor Castle, which took place in Queen Victoria’s presence during her Diamond Jubilee, was found inside a book purchased from Jo’s Household Clearances in Ewell.

An interesting book about Oxford that was given to Queen Victoria’s third daughter Helena, after she became Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, came from the same establishment a few years ago.

The book about Oxford, which bares the inscription date of1886, was given to the Princess as a Christmas present . The timing of the gift would have coincided with her eldest son, Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein, commencing his Oxford University education at Magdalen College.

If anyone knows whose initials are at the bottom of the inscription, or whether Queen Victoria’s third daughter Helena had any links with Epsom that caused her book to be discovered in Ewell, please let me know by contacting The Epsom and Ewell Times.

Surrey Police led the way in Police Dog development by offering a Metropolitan Police Officer, DC Harry Darbyshire, a transfer to the Surrey Constabulary in October 1947, where he was made a Sergeant and put in charge of the Force’s new Police Dog Section.

Top image is Sgt Darbyshire with Anna of Avondale’s son Loki

Whilst dogs had been used by British Police Forces in various limited capacities prior to the Second World War, it was not until after the war that Britain’s Police Forces began to consider the possibility of using working dogs to undertake major Police work on a daily basis.

Sergeant Darbyshire was experienced in breeding dogs and training them according to the German method. This was the method Surrey Police had researched and decided to proceed with.

Sergeant Darbyshire owned a German Shepherd dog called “Anna of Avondale” that had previously belonged to a German soldier, who had served during the war. Anna of Avondale was Surrey Police’s first operational dog and together with her son, Loki, formed the Surrey Police Dog Section that would go on to lead the way in Police dog development in Britain and abroad.

Surrey Police dogs that performed well would be included in the breeding programme, with under achieving dogs being removed from the Police Dog Section altogether.

Sir Joseph Simpson, the Chief Constable, who had recruited SergeantDarbyshire was a member of the Kennel Club and his interest in working dogs led to him sanctioning the expansion of the Police Dog Section and encouraging Surrey Police’s dog handlers to enter civilian Working Trials. This led to the Surrey Police’s Dog Section obtaining even greater recognition due to the high number of awards it won.

The Secretary of the Associated Sheep, Police and Army Dog Society (ASPADS) (also known as the Working Trials Society) has stated that, “Harry Darbyshire did more than any other person to put ASPADS, Working Trials and the Nation’s Police Dog Sections on the map”. Darbyshire was credited with training over 200 dogs in his 29 years police service. He was consulted from around the world, including Kenya and New Zealand.

I was delighted to discover that the photo album containing images of German Shepherd dogs that I had won on an online auction site, once belonged to Sgt. Darbyshire.

Surrey Police’s first Police Dog, Anna of Avondale died in August 1950, but her name lives on in The Anna of Avondale Trophy, which serving Police Dogs and their handlers compete for every year in her memory.
The images accompanying this article were taken from the photo album and show Sergeant Darbyshire, who was awarded the BEM (British Empire Medal), with some of his working dogs.

^{Sgt Darbyshire’s award of the BEM signed by the Monarch of the day.}

Another short and tragic life buried in an unmarked grave in Epsom’s abandoned Horton Cemetery is brought to life by one of the volunteer team of researchers. The full story can be read on www.hortoncemetery.org

The story of Valentine Ridley: At just 6 years old, in 1897, we find Valentine and his sister Elizabeth in the Greenwich Union Poor School. Their father George is “in house”, that is, living in the workhouse. There is no mention of Valentine’s mother or his younger sisters. Later in October Elizabeth is released ‘c/o Father’.

In May 1898 Valentine and all three of his sisters were admitted, along with their father, to the Greenwich Union Work House, their address is given as Snead Street, New Cross which is shown on Booth’s Maps as “comfortable” two storey houses, with bay windows, usually shared by two families.  Sadly, by August of that year Valentine was in the Brighton Road, School, Sutton.  His father is now shown as ‘out of house on leave’. In June of this year Valentine’s youngest sister, Florence,  was transferred to the Work House Infirmary where she died in October 1898, having lived a short sad life, so possibly George’s ‘leave’ was due to this event.

Periods of leave were granted to look for work, deal with family problems or celebrations.  Someone like Valentine’s father George, became known as an “in and out” as they spent their lives in and out of the workhouse/infirmary.

The 1901 Census, taken on 31^st March, shows all three children in the Banstead Road School, Sutton, but on 23^rd Dec 1901 Valentine, Elizabeth and Mildred are discharged from the Brighton Rd School and returned to the Workhouse again. These two schools were run by the same authority and seem almost interchangeable.

on 18th November 1909 he is admitted to the Ewell Epileptic Colony where he lived for the next 7 years. According to the 1911 Census he developed Epilepsy when he was 16 years old, just one year prior to being admitted. With no family to care for him we can assume that the Greenwich Union was happy to pass his care to the Epileptic Colony in Ewell.

Valentine died on 21^st February 1916 and was buried in the Horton Estate Cemetery on 25^th February in plot number 2014a, he was just 23yrs old.

The ‘Epsom Colony’, part of the Epsom Cluster of five mental hospitals’ had been opened in 1903 to care for “the Epileptic insane of the Metropolis”. This new approach housed patients in a collection of villas, avoiding the stigma of living in a mental asylum.  The treatment consisted of a specially regulated diet and doses of potassium bromide, the first effective treatment for controlling epilepsy.  The patients were expected to contribute to their costs by working on the hospital farm or in the kitchens, laundry or bakery, all of which supported the Epsom cluster of hospitals.

Lesley Lee

Copyright: The Friends of Horton Cemetery

March is Women’s History Month. You can discover important and inspiring stories of Surrey women in history on Surrey History Centre’s (SHC) Exploring Surrey’s Past website. Watch out for social media throughout the month too. The month also incorporates International Women’s Day on 8 March.  Both initiatives promote the achievements and contributions of women in the past and present, and the ongoing campaign for equality in all areas of life. From artists to actors, suffragettes to scientists, and gardeners to musicians,

Harriet Grote, (right in image) 19th century Radical ‘female politician’, hostess and patron. For Women’s History Month, SHC celebrates the long life of a radical writer and hostess through the recollections of the Farrer family of Abinger Hall in Surrey, whose papers SHC hold.

The ‘Influential Women’ section of case studies for SHC’s Exploring Surrey’s Past website was created by Surrey’s museums and each museum revealed stories from their collections about talented and inspiring local women. These included Margaret Robinson of Chertsey (1920-2016), (centre in image) who was an artist, a puppeteer, and a model-maker with a worldwide fan base as a result of the models she created for Hammer Film, most noticeably The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Mummy. You can read all of the stores here.

Surrey’s women played a vital role during the First World War, serving as Red Cross nurses at home and abroad, working on the Home Front in the Women’s Land Army, and being munitions workers in factories. The Surrey in the Great War website records and preserves their contribution and hosts research guides, film and fascinating stories about local women. One of the films you can watch captures a rural community caught on camera for a local newsreel, with members of the Women’s Land Army demonstrated their ploughing skills in an inter-farm competition at Cross Farm, Shackleford, in April 1917. Find out more and watch the film.

Text and photos courtesy of The Surrey History Centre.

In 1903 Winston Churchill, then the MP for Oldham, visited Epsom College and unveiled a memorial stained glass window in memory of the Old Epsomians who had died in the Boer War. The memorial stained glass window was commissioned and paid for by Old Epsomians and designed by Francis Oldaker. Oldaker was an Old Epsomian and stained glass artist, he lived locally and is buried in Epsom’s Ashley Road cemetery.

Winston Churchill was a fan of horse raising and attended the Epsom Derby on 4 June 1949 with his wife Clementine. He became Sir Winston in 1953.

I’m hoping that readers will be able throw light on a plaster bust of Churchill created by Churchill’s only female cousin, Clare Sheridan in 1943.

Clare Sheridan was a “colourful” character who established herself as a successful sculptor of portrait busts; her sitters included her then lover, the actor Charlie Chaplin together with H G Wells, Lord Asquith, Trotksy and Lenin. Her involvement with prominent Russians led to her being placed under surveillance by British intelligence much to the embarrassment of Churchill and his political colleagues who urged him to stay away from her.

Sheridan’s bronze busts of her first cousin Churchill were created during World War 2, but only after Sheridan threatened to commit suicide outside 10 Downing Street if Churchill failed to allow her to sculpt him. Examples of her bronze busts of Sir Winston Churchill can be found at Churchill’s former home, Chartwell as well as at Blenheim Palace, Harrow School and Hastings Town Hall, but the whereabouts of a smaller bust created by Clare Sheridan especially for Churchill’s wife, Clementine is not known.

References to Clare Sheridan’s bronze busts of Sir Winston Churchill can be found in quite a few of Churchill’s WW2 letters, but having studied all the relevant letters in great detail, I have not been able to find out anything about the smaller plaster bust which I purchased at a London estate sale.

Could it be that the 9-inch-high plaster bust of Sir Winston Churchill that I acquired at an estate sale is the small bust of Sir Winston Churchill that wartime letters confirm was given to Churchill’s wife, Clementine by Clare Sheridan?

Please contact The Epsom and Ewell Times if you have any information about Clare Sheridan’s small plaster bust of Sir Winston Churchill.

Surrey History Centre celebrates the February LGBTQ+ month with, among many others, the story of local born Quentin Crisp, who attended Kingswood School in Epsom. Born in Sutton and named Denis Charles Pratt in 1908, he changed his name in his twenties, had a colourful and controversial career and died in 1999.

“I started to wear make-up because it was necessary for me to live out my life getting up, going to work, buying food and going home again, so that someone could be seen to be homosexual and to be part of life.”

This quote, following the screening of his acclaimed work The Naked Civil Servant, encompasses Quentin Crisp’s attitude to his appearance and homosexuality – it was vital to his individuality, something on which he refused to compromise.

Throughout his life Crisp was a controversial figure; within the gay community he was not liked by everyone.  However, his contribution to the gradual acceptance of openly gay men is universally acknowledged.

Early Years

Born Denis Charles Pratt in 1908 in Sutton, then part of Surrey, he was the fourth child of Charles and Frances Pratt, a solicitor and a former governess.

Attending Kingswood Preparatory School in Epsom, Crisp was mercilessly teased for his effeminate behaviour. In 1922, he won a scholarship to Denstone College, near Uttoxeter, and on leaving in 1926, studied journalism at King’s College London.  Failing to graduate, he then took art classes at the Regent Street Polytechnic.

Leaving home to move to central London at the end of 1930, Crisp adopted his new name and cultivated an effeminate appearance that shocked many and provoked homophobic attacks.

Crisp attempted to join the army at the outbreak of the Second World War but was rejected and declared exempt by the medical board on the grounds that he was ‘suffering from sexual perversion’. He left his job as engineer’s tracer in 1942 to become a model in life classes in London and the Home Counties. He continued posing for artists into the 1970s. “It was like being a civil servant,” he explained in his autobiography, “except that you were naked.”

Fame, acceptance and America

Crisp became a gay icon after the publication of his memoir, The Naked Civil Servant (1968), brought his exhibitionism and refusal to remain in the closet to the attention of the general public.  In 1975, a film adaptation of The Naked Civil Servant was broadcast on British and American television making both actor John Hurt and Crisp household names.  Crisp declared himself one of the great stately homos of England.

Afterwards Crisp developed a one-man speaking show that toured Britain but he still felt like an outsider. In 1981, Crisp moved to New York where, experiencing a fuller sense of social acceptance, he continued his one-man show, An Evening with Quentin Crisp.

During his extraordinary life Crisp wrote a number of influential, controversial and provocative works, and acted in a variety of television dramas, films and stage plays, the last being the film Orlando with actress Tilda Swinton.

Just short of his 91st birthday, Quentin Crisp died in November 1999, in Manchester on the eve of a nationwide revival of his show.  With a minimum of ceremony his body was cremated and his ashes flown back to the US and scattered across his beloved Manhattan………. “

You can read more of this story and others from the Surrey History Centre HERE and use its interactive map to find out about the lives of gay figures who lived or had connections with the County of Surrey.

Courtesy Surrey History Centre

Image – painting by Ella Guru of Quentin Crisp – creative common licence

Following Epsom and Ewell Times story on George Pelham, who survived the Titanic disaster and another ship sinking, local writer and historian Martin Knight tells us the story of another Titanic double-sinking survivor, buried in our Borough:

Few will be aware of Ewell’s connection to the most famous maritime disaster of all time in which 1,514 people perished on RMS Titanic. Mary Kezia Humphries was born in Liverpool in 1870. In 1912 she was living in Nottingham with her husband David Roberts, who was the proprietor of the West Bridgford Motor Company. Mary joined the historic ship as a stewardess in 1st class and was rescued in lifeboat 11 as the boat was swallowed by the North Atlantic Ocean after colliding with an iceberg on the night of 15 April 1912.

 Her husband and children experienced a torrid few days without knowing whether Mary had survived the tragedy or not and it was only after she was deposited by the Carpathian in New York that word finally reached home. However, the experience did not deter Mary from going back to sea, and in 1914 she was working again aboard the Rohilla when that ship went down in the North Sea. Mary told her family that the rescue from the Rohilla, a ship that was built in Belfast by Harland & Wolf like the Titanic, was a far more frightening ordeal than the one two years earlier. The sea was eerily calm when the Titanic sunk and if you were lucky enough to get into a lifeboat you were relatively safe but conditions were far more treacherous with the Rohilla. Eighty-five lives were lost. Mary is thought to be the only survivor of both disasters.

 At some point Mary and David opted for a quieter life and settled in Ewell. Mary died in 1932 and her husband David was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident just a year later. They are buried together along with their daughters Daisy Bell and Kezia Nora in St Mary’s Churchyard.

Related stories

Epsom’s Titanic Ties

Epsom and Ewell Times’ History Detectorist purchased this miniature brass bible box from The Princess Alice charity shop in Epsom 2 years ago in the belief it was a piece of World War 1 trench art, but after some light cleaning he was astonished to discover the word “Titanic” engraved on it. 

Reference is also made to Douglas Woolley, who claims to own the salvage rights to the Titanic and who in the 1960s made plans to locate and raise the Titanic, a plan that involved inflating nylon balloons and attaching them to the Titanic’s hull.

Although Douglas Woolley’s dream of raising the wreck of the RMS Titanic and creating a floating museum in Liverpool was never realised, he wrote a book on the subject and continues to maintain that he owns the salvage rights to the “unsinkable” ship that sank off the coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic in the early hours of 15 April 1912 after colliding with an an iceberg.

The disaster resulted in the loss of an estimated 1,500 lives, partly due to a lack of lifeboats and 2 of Douglas Woolley’s great aunts may also have drowned had it not been for a premonition which caused them to cancel their trip on board the Titanic at the last minute and not travel with their luggage which went down with the ship.

Could it be that the miniature brass bible box had once belonged to one of Douglas Woolley’s great aunts, or perhaps one of the survivors of the Titanic?

Having wanted to raise the RMS Titanic, is it possible that Douglas Woolley was gifted the miniature brass bible box after it was salvaged from the wreck?

If the engraving on the miniature bible box was intended to deceive for the purposes of financial gain, then why was the box donated to a charity shop and why is the name “Douglas Woolley” engraved on it when the name of a member of the Titanic’s crew would have caused the box to fetch more money at auction?

Unfortunately, Douglas Woolley is now an elderly gentleman and I have not been able to make contact with him, but if any readers can tell me anything about this interesting brass object and how it came to be purchased by myself in an Epsom charity shop, The Epsom and Ewell Times and myself would be delighted to hear from you. 

George Pelham served on the Titanic as a Trimmer and survived the sinking. It is thought he survived another sinking of a ship during the First World War and these circumstances eventually led to his nervous breakdown and admission to Horton asylum in Epsom in 1935. 42 days after he was transferred to the neighbouring Longrove Hospital he died and was buried in the Horton Cemetery in Epsom on 14th October 1939.

You can read the full story on www.hortoncemetery.org and also read about the campaign to restore the Cemetery where 9000 patients of Epsom’s cluster of psychiatric hospitals were buried between 1899 and 1955 and now lay abandoned.

The suffragette movement is celebrated in the heart of Epsom with the statue of Emily Davison in Epsom’s Market Square. At our neighbouring Esher Theatre between 24th and 25th February Emily’s colleague Emmeline Pankhurst‘s life and struggle will be brought to life in a drama play by The Theatre Lab Company. “Emmeline – The Suffragette Movement, follows the journey of the inspirational leader of the Suffrage movement on her life’s mission to achieve the vote for women. Delving into the dynamics of the Pankhurst family, Emmeline explores the tensions that arose between her and her daughter Sylvia on militant tactics and social values, emblematic of the conflicts that divided the movement. Does the end justify the means?

Should the cause come first, no matter the personal cost? A story of the courage and sacrifice of the Suffragettes, their struggle and exaltation, and their undying determination that made history.

“A story to inspire the country to continue the fight for human emancipation.”

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Theatre Lab Company is a London-based international theatre company, with reputation for mesmerising theatrical imagery, physical theatre/performance and work that crosses the boundaries of culture, language and taboo.

Notable credits include commendation from Off West End (2019), an award by Global Entertainment Awards for Most Innovative International Theatre Company — UK (2018), critiques selection at Avignon Festival D’OFF, (2014)and Prague International Theatre festival (2007), nominations for a Fringe First and Total Theatre Awards,Edinburgh Festival (2007) They have produced their shows in highly acclaimed venues like RIVERSIDE STUDIOS (2010-2014), Sadler’s Wells Theatre (2016), Hoxton Hall Theatre (2017-2018) ,BT at Oxford Playhouse (2019) and National Theatre of Greece (2005).

Reviews

A thoughtful, well-researched and compelling production.” 4. STARS **** LONDON THEATRE 1

“Every element of this production was so well thought out and meticulously refined to create a cohesive masterpiece.” 4.5 STAR ****1/2 THEATRE AND OTHER THINGS LDN

“This is an important, informative and entertaining production that everyone should see.” – BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE

Tickets: https://eshertheatre-tickets.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173627634

Epsom and Ewell Times marks Holocaust Memorial Day (Friday 27th January) with an article about Surrey characters who saved Jews from persecution and we report on the work of a daughter of a Holocaust survivor, now living in Epsom, who is saving today’s refugees.

Marking Holocaust Memorial Day (27th January) Surrey History Centre highlights local characters who saved Jews from persecution. Across Britain many so-called ordinary people made extraordinary and often brave attempts to help rescue and settle people escaping Nazi oppression. Surrey was no exception: individuals and committees alike demonstrated remarkable compassion and team spirit in helping refugees during the 1930s and 1940s.

Some of these extraordinary people were themselves Jewish refugees from Europe: people like childcare specialist, Alice Goldberger (1897-1986) from Berlin, who set up a hostel for child Holocaust survivors at Weir Courtney in Lingfield in 1945; Dr Hilde Lion (1893-1970), an academic from Berlin, who established Stoatley Rough School in Haslemere in 1934; and Julius Warschauer (1907-1982) from Berlin who chaired the Mayor of Guildford’s Refugee Committee, and was helped in the pastoral care of Guildford’s Jewish refugees by his father Rabbi Malwin Warschauer (1871-1955).

Read the full story from the Surrey History Centre HERE

History repeating?

Nina Kaye, who lives in Epsom and is one of the founders of the Epsom & Ewell Refugee Network, is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. Her mother, Marianne, was born in Vienna in 1925 and had to flee when the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938. Marianne’s mother was granted a visa for Great Britain but she was not permitted to bring any dependents with her, so Marianne had to apply for a visa for the kindertransport and, at the age of 13, travelled alone from Vienna to Stockholm. Later, in 1943, she was able to rejoin her mother in London.

In 2015, Nina wanted to offer Syrian refugees a room in her house but there was no organisation that matched refugees with private families offering to host them. So she helped set up Refugees At Home (www.refugeesathome.org) , a charity that has since become one of the leading organisations to match people with a spare room to refugees and asylum seekers in need of somewhere to stay. Since then she has hosted more than 30 refugees in her home.

At the same time she was involved in setting up Epsom & Ewell Refugee Network (EERN), a local organisation whose aim is to help support refugees and asylum seekers in and around Epsom. EERN is a volunteer led local organisation with an enthusiastic support network. Before the Ukrainian crisis, EERN was helping around a dozen families and some individuals settle in to the area and make a new life for themselves, providing English lessons, offering support to find jobs, helping children settle into schools, organising events and addressing many of the issues that arise. Since the war in Ukraine started, EERN now support around 180 families, helping them integrate into the community. Host families in this area have been very kind and generous and EERN offers support to both the families and their guests.

EERN’s most pressing need is for more sponsor families and potential landlords for Ukrainian families. If anyone can help, please contact epsomrefugeenetwork@gmail.com

Frank Howard [b. 1876 – d. 1912] was about 11yrs old when his father died and following that he was in and out of various workhouses, then away to sea and the record tells that he had “no settled home”. A life that involved revolving in and out of workhouses and the merchant navy ended in Ewell’s Epileptic Colony and burial in Epsom’s asylums’ “forgotten cemetery”. His story is told in the pages of www.hortoncemetery.org with highlights reprinted here with the Charity, The Friends of Horton Cemetery’s permission. There you will find many more fascinating life stories of the 9000 buried in the Cemetery beside Hook Road/Horton Lane.

In 1889 Frank, aged 13yrs, is admitted to St Mary’s infirmary as a pauper, he appears to remain there from Dec 89 – March 1890, brought in by his mother and discharged into her care. Later hospital admission records state that Frank’s Epileptic fits began when he was about 7yrs old although on these same records and on the 1911c it says he first developed Epilepsy at 26yrs.

Between Dec 1890 and Dec 1891 Frank 14yrs and Arthur 15yrs (brother/other relative?) are in the Workhouse twice ‘on remand’ and when discharged ‘taken by police.’

In the 1891c we find a Frank Howard 14yrs is an ‘inmate’ on the Training Ship ‘Torwell’ River Thames off Purfleet, Essex could this be an attempt to give Frank the opportunity of a fresh start in life? Later hospital records show that he became an Able Seaman, Engineer and fitter, in the RN which he left aged 21yrs and went on to join the Merchant Service, so the help he received did seem to make a difference.

From 1891 when Frank was on the training ship Torwell we have one possible sighting of him in 1898 when we find a Frank Howard, Seaman, aged 20yrs in the Stepney WH with Malarial Fever.

In the 1901c we definitely find our Frank Howard in the National District Hospital, Holborn, 25yrs Engineers Assistant born in Slough, with Epilepsy.

1902 sees Frank in and out of the Liverpool Road, St Mary’s and St John’s Road WH until on 20th February he is discharged to Canes Hill Asylum, Coulsdon, Surrey where he remains until at least 20th August 1903 when the register says he is “not improved” and he is transferred to the Ewell Epileptic Colony, Epsom.

On admittance his general condition is said to be fair, but he is having frequent attacks and is unable to do anything for himself. He is diagnosed with “Epileptic insanity with dementia and emotional instability”. It is noted that he is dull, weak minded, easily excited and prone to threaten violence,” He is generally known to be an “unreasonable grumbler”.

By summer 1911 he was noted variously as ‘unmanageable, confused and falling about’ he was still working but ‘not much use’.

In Feb 1912 he deteriorated rapidly and became ‘very feeble’ needing to be tube fed. He was having multiple seizures, ’81 in the past 48 hours’ and on Feb 14th he was said to be ‘sinking fast’. Frank died at 11.15am on 14th February 1912.

His death certificate appears to give his death as Feb 14th, 1917, but all other documents including his notes state 1912, age 36yrs. His death certificate says that he died of Epilepsy with no unusual circumstances.

Frank HOWARD was buried at Horton Cemetery on 20th February 1912 in grave 1355b.

How does the daughter of a famous Government Architect, who shaped the landscape of New South Wales, Australia, end up buried in an unmarked grave in Epsom? Her UK asylum records indicate a birth date of 1865/6 which has been proven to be incorrect.

Story and images reprinted by permission of The Friends of Horton Cemetery. You can read many more fascinating accounts of the lives of those buried there at www.hortoncemetery.org

Enid Barnet was born 23rd March 1861, in Glebe, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, Australia, in the shadow of Sydney harbour.  She was the fourth child of what would become a brood of 8, born into a very influential family.

The factual link which ensures we have the right person, is an asylum visitor log entry from her brother, the Rev. Donald McKay Barnet.

Enid’s Father

Enid’s father was James Johnstone Barnet, born in 1827 in Arbroath, Scotland. On 22 July 1854 he married Amy Gosling, daughter of John and Elizabeth Gosling; they sailed for Sydney and arrived in December. In 1860 he joined the Colonial Architect’s Office; two years later he became its acting head and in 1865 colonial architect; he held the position until 1890 when the office was reorganized.

His major works include the General Post Office building in Sydney, Callan Park Lunatic Asylum, the Australian Museum, the Colonial Secretary’s building, Lands Department building, and the Anderson Stuart Building at Sydney University.

After 24 years’ continuous public service, in 1885, James was granted 12 month’s leave from his duties to embark on a trip to Europe. Barnet toured Venice with his wife and visited the continent’s major art centres. He also performed some duties in relation to his work. This included inspecting the Criminal Lunatic Asylum in Broadmoor, England. Barnet returned to Sydney just before Christmas 1885.

In 1899 he published Architectural Work in Sydney, New South Wales, 1788-1899.

Barnet died on 16 December 1904 and was buried in the Presbyterian section at Rookwood cemetery where his wife had been interred ~1890. He was survived by four daughters and three sons. There are many sites dedicated to James Barnet, if you wish to read more.

Enid’s Life?

Very little can be found beyond birth for Enid until she comes to the asylum. We know that the family lived a healthy life in Sydney, and Enid’s sister is mentioned laying the foundation stone for Macquarie lighthouse, but little else can be found.

James and Amy Barnet settled in Glebe, firstly in Christie St where their eldest child Amy was born in 1856. She was followed by four more daughters and a son born on Glebe Rd: Lilia (1858-1928), Rosa (1859- 1940), Enid (born 1861), Maud (1862–1949) and James Jnr. (1865-1932). In 1867 the family moved to Braeside, a house that John designed. Two more sons were born: Thomas (1867-1931) and Donald McKay (1869-1940). James Jnr and Thomas followed their father’s profession, while Donald became a clergyman. They had many pets including a magpie, an Italian greyhound, a Skye terrier and a kangaroo.

We know that her father visited Europe for work and pleasure and can assume that the children accompanied him on at least some of those trips, although no immigration or ships roster can be found for the family. At some point in the 1890s Enid was in England, where she was to remain living with a family friend until being admitted to an asylum.

Enter a life at the Asylum

On Thursday, 27th February 1896, Enid Barnet was admitted to the Constance Road workhouse in the Parish of St. Giles, Camberwell, “Alleged Insane”. The workhouse was a frequent halfway house where people would receive a doctor’s examination before being put to work or in Enid’s case, being discharged to Fisherton House Asylum just 7 days later (1896 was a leap year).

The records show Enid was admitted to Fisherton on 4th March 1896, where she spent 3.5 years, before being discharged “Not Improved” in October.

Further records show that Enid was received at Horton asylum on 18th October 1899, where she was to spend the rest of her life.

Her admission entry shows the 33yr old Enid admitted as a single woman with no occupation, by her friend, Mrs. Barnes (also shown on visitor book), of 10 Colwell Road, E. Dulwich. This address is listed as her previous address, so they were living together. It states that her first attack was at aged 20.

She is rambling & incoherent in her statements, full of delusions as to where she is and the identity of those about her, says “I am the Prince of Wales”, says her occupation is to grow Tea in a teapot like a Chinaman. She hears voices and answers them

Fact indicating insanity observed [on admission]

Rambling garrulous and delusional. Mutters in an incoherent manner to herself. Says she is King & Queen of England, Empress of Russia and Queen of China.

Mental State: A. Rotherham

Enid’s Manor case notes begin on Jan 14th, 1900, and note typical delusional behaviour, talking to herself, laughing and giggling, childish behaviour, and hearing voices. Each entry appears to be approx. quarterly, thus 11 years of notes only span 2 pages. In 1903 it is noted that the patient is very much worse with phthisis and was transferred to the infirmary. Most quarterly examination notes generally consist of a very brief sentence moving from a noisy, delusional, patient progressing to someone who is more vacant, dull, weak-minded and in poor health.

On 3rd December 1911 Enid suddenly collapsed and her pulse became feeble, and it is noted that her previous phthisis which became quiescent in 1906 has made a return. After becoming ever feebler on 10th December, she received 3 injections of 5 minims of Strychnine, a lethal poison used historically in small doses to strengthen muscle contractions, such as a heart and bowel stimulant and as a performance-enhancing drug. Enid died shortly after at 12:05AM.

The statement of death sent to coroner states that the cause of death is (1) Pulmonary Tuberculosis and (2) Fatty degeneration of heart. The document notes “fading bruises on forehead and under each eye, the result of an accidental fall on the 24th of Nov, Patient caught her foot in dress whilst undressing.”

The Manor Address Book Female #1 [6282-13-56] shows that Enid, case 437, did receive two visitors in January and July 1900 just after admittance. One was Mrs Emma Barnes, listed as a friend, whom she was living with at the time of being admitted. The other was her youngest sibling, the Rev. Donald McKay Barnet, visited in 1900 just after her admittance but never returned to the asylum, he also lived in Australia.

• 18.1.00, 28.1.03 – Friend, Mrs Emma Barnes, 207 Lordship Lane, E. Dulwich
• 11.7.00, 14.7.00 – Brother, Rev. Donald McKay Barnet, 10 Guildford St. Russel Sq. WC (Letter returned “Not Known”)
• 5.12.11 – The Clerk, Hammersmith Guardians, 206 Goldhawk Rd. Shepherds Bush
• 8.12.11 – Cousin, J. Barnes, The Glen, Cudham Rd., Tatsfield, Surrey.

Enid received a visit from a local cousin just two days before she died, and 3 days after a visit from the Hammersmith guardians. Did the asylum attempt to reach Enid’s brother but having the letter returned (he had returned to Australia), contact the guardians? Did they also try to contact the only other visitor she ever received, as the cousin shares the same surname. It is comforting to know that she at least had someone at the end.

Enid died on 10th December 1911 and remains buried in unmarked plot #1323a.

Author’s Thoughts

Enid appears to have suffered with her mental health from a young age. It would appear that she was left in England with a friend of the family, Emma Barnes, who may or may not be related to the J. Barnes (cousin) who visited her in her last moments. Could it be that her famous father couldn’t deal with the pressures of having a mentally ill daughter around in his influential circles.

According to Enid’s file her illness began around 1881, did this influence her father? Colonial Architect James Barnett designed the new Callan Park Lunatic Asylum, in New South Wales, to be built according to the enlightened views of the American Dr Thomas Kirkbride. The date certainly fits with Enid’s diagnosis. James worked in collaboration with Inspector of the Insane Dr Frederick Norton Manning to produce a group of some twenty neo-classical buildings, completing in 1885 and subsequently named the Kirkbride Block, offering progressive patient care.

Author: Steve Johnson