Person:Mary Rice (99)

Childhood in Scotland

Mary Phippen was born at Sheddock in the parish of Whithorn, Wigtownshire on 7th June 1860. She was the fourth of six children of a ploughman named James Rice and his wife Jane Lemon, both of whom were originally from Ireland but had moved to Scotland before their marriage in 1850.

Mary grew up in Wigtownshire, living with her parents and siblings. By 1881 she had left home, but was still in Wigtownshire working as a nurse at a big house in Mochrum for a retired lieutenant-colonel and Justice of the Peace for the county.

Move to England and marriage

Mary's next sighting comes in 1889, over 400 miles away in Kent, when she married Robert George Phippen, a coachman and groom. He had been married before but his first wife, Clara, had died the previous year, aged 28. By Clara, Robert had a daughter, Edith Somers Phippen, to whom Mary became stepmother.

The 1891 census finds Robert, Mary, Edith and an as yet unnamed five day old daughter, along with the midwife staying with the family. At the time it was fairly common to have a midwife live in with the family for a period after the baby's birth. The baby was later named Marguerite Jeanne Phippen, but she died before the year was out. Robert and Mary did not have any other children - Robert himself died the following year, aged 33, leaving Mary a widow at the age of 32.

London

Mary and her stepdaughter Edith moved into London, where several of Mary's other siblings had already settled. The 1901 census finds Mary working at 11 Hyde Park Street as a cook, whilst her stepdaughter Edith was a servant at 87 Sutherland Avenue. Edith died in 1905, aged 21. In a curious change of occupancy, Mary herself was living at 87 Sutherland Avenue by 1911 - but not as a servant. The head of the household was Mary's sister, Margaret. How did the house pass from the O'Connor family in 1901 to their late servant's stepmother's sister?

Mary appears to have lived with her sister Margaret for the rest of her life, moving out of 87 Sutherland Avenue to 5 Peploe Road, Kensal Rise, Willesden some time between 1911 and the mid 1920s. Mary died in 1926 at the railway station in Ramsgate, but was described as being 'of 5 Peploe Road'. She was 66.

After her death, her brother Joseph secured a grant of adminstration for her estate, which was valued at £240 13s. 6d.

Mary (standing) with brother Joseph and sister Margaret, probably early 1920s.

1. ↑ Birth certificate, in General Register Office for Scotland. Civil Registration, Primary quality.

   1860. BIRTHS in the District of Whithorn in the County of Wigtown
   No.39
   Name: Rice, Mary
   When and where born: 1860 June Seventh, 3h AM, Shaddock
   Sex: F
   Father: James Rice, Farm Labourer
   Mother: Jane Rice, maiden name Leeming
   Informant: James Rice, His X mark, Father
   Registered: 1860 June 23d at Whithorn, Robert Anderson, Registrar

2. ↑ General Register Office for Scotland. 1861 Scotland Census. (Edinburgh), 900/00 002/00 002, 7 Apr 1861, Primary quality.

   Address: Shadock Cothouse, Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   1 room with windows
   James Rice, head, married, 30 [1830/1], Ploughman, b. Ireland
   Jane Rice, wife, married, female, 34 [1826/7], Ploughmans Wife, b. Ireland
   Margret Rice, daughter, unmarried, female, 8 [1852/3], Ploughmans Daur, b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   Peter Rice, son, unmarried, male, 6 [1854/5], Ploughmans Son, b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   James Rice, son, unmarried, male, 3 [1857/8], Ploughmans Son, b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   Mary Rice, daughter, unmarried, female, 9 months [1860], Ploughmans Daur, b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire

3. ↑ General Register Office for Scotland. 1871 Scotland Census. (Edinburgh), 900/00 002/00 003, 2 Apr 1871, Primary quality.

   Address: Sheddock Cottages No.1, Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   1 room with windows
   James Rice, head, married, male, 42 [1828/9], Ag lab, b. Armagh, Ireland
   Jane Rice, wife, married, female, 44 [1826/7], b. Tyrone, Ireland
   Peter Rice, son, unmarried, male, 16 [1854/5], Farm Servant, b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   James Rice, son, male, 13 [1857/8], Scholar, b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   Mary Rice, daughter, female, 10 [1860/1], Scholar, b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   Joseph Rice, son, male, 8 [1862/3], Scholar, b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   John Rice, son, male, 5 [1865/6], Scholar, b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire

4. ↑ General Register Office for Scotland. 1881 Scotland Census. (Edinburgh), 892/00 001/00 001, 3 Apr 1881, Primary quality.

   Address: The Airlour, Mochrum, Wigtownshire
   17 rooms with windows
   John C. Wadling, head, married, male, 46 [1834/5], Justice of the Peace of Wigtownshire, Lieut. Col. Late 5n. foot, Retired on pension, b. Wales
   Alice C. Wadling, wife, married, female, 37 [1843/4], ditto wife, b. Govan, Lanarkshire
   Alice E.W. Wadling, daughter, female, 8 [1872/3], b. Ireland
   Daisy M.C. Wadling, daughter, female, 5 [1875/6], b. England
   Ellen C.C. Wadling, daughter, female, 4 [1876/7], b. England
   John W.C. Wadling, son, male, 2 [1878/9], b. England
   Sarah M Nee, servant, unmarried, female, 38 [1842/3], Cook Domestic Serv., b. Glenluce, Wigtownshire
   Maggie M Lauchlin, servant, unmarried, female, 26 [1854/5], Laundry Maid (Domestic Serv), b. Kirkinner, Wigtownshire
   Mary Rice, servant, unmarried, female, 20 [1860/1], Nurse (Domestic Serv), b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   Janet Steel, servant, unmarried, female, 23 [1857/8], House Maid (Domestic Serv), b. Glasgow, Lanarkshire
   James Black, servant, unmarried, male, 18 [1862/3], Groom (Domestic Serv), b. Mochrum, Wigtownshire

5. ↑ General Register Office. The National Archives (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO) RG 12 General Register Office: 1891 Census Schedules, RG12/682/106/23, 5 Apr 1891, Primary quality.

   Address: North Frith, Hadlow, Kent
   5 or more rooms occupied
   Robert G. Phippin, head, married, male, 32 [1858/9], Coachman (Domestic Serv), employed, b. Shepton Mallet, Somerset
   Mary Phippin, wife, married, female, 30 [1860/1], b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire, Scotland
   Edith S. Phippin, daughter, female, 7 [1883/4], b. Edenbridge, Kent
   New Born Child Phippin, daughter, female, 5 days [1891], b. Hadlow, Kent
   Eliza Caddel, visitor, married, female, 46 [1854/5], Midwife, b. Elstead, Sussex

6. ↑ General Register Office. The National Archives (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO) RG 13 General Register Office: 1901 Census Schedules, RG13/14/38/18, 31 Mar 1901, Primary quality.

   Address: 11 Hyde Park Street, Paddington, London
   5 or more rooms occupied
   Mary Phippen, servant, widow, female, 37 [1863/4], Cook domestic, b. Scotland
   Ellen E. Dudman, servant, single, female, 31 [1869/70], Maid domestic, b. Netley, Hampshire
   Emma E. Cudling, servant, single, female, 31 [1869/70], Maid domestic, b. Whitleford, Cambridgeshire
   Emma E. Terry, servant, single, female, 26 [1874/5], Maid domestic, b. London
   Mary Johnson, servant, single, female, 19 [1881/2], Maid domestic, b. Marryley, Cambridgeshire

   Household has no 'head' listed - presumably the family was away, but the servants were still in residence on census night.

7. ↑ General Register Office. The National Archives (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO) RG 14 General Register Office: 1911 Census Schedules, RG14PN36 RG78PN1 RD1 SD1 ED36 SN87, 2 Apr 1911, Primary quality.

   Address: 87 Sutherland Avenue, Paddington, London
   10 rooms occupied
   Margaret Sweeney, head, female, 58 [1852/3], widow, Boarding house keeper, employer, b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   Mary Sweeney, daughter, female, 28 [1882/3], single, Assistant to above, b. Brixton, London
   Margaret Sweeney, son, male, 23 [1887/8], Assistant to above, b. Paddington, London
   Stephen Sweeney, son, male, 21 [1889/90], single, Railway Clerk, worker, b. Paddington, London
   Bride Connolly, boarder, female, 30 [1880/1], single, Elementary school teacher - L.C.C., worker, b. Mohel, Roscommon
   Dora Higgins, boarder, female, 22 [1888/9], single, Elementary school teacher - L.C.C., worker, b. Walthamstow, London
   Bryan G. O'Donnell, boarder, male, 21 [1889/90], Insurance clerk, worker, b. Kilmallock, Limerick
   Mary Phippen, visitor, 50 [1860/1], widow, Housekeeper (domestic), b. Whithorn, Wigtownshire
   [second household at same address - schedule 88]
   3 rooms occupied
   John Dick (brother), lodger, male, 69 [1841/2], married, Private Means, b. Mauritius, Scotch
   Rose L. Dick (sister), lodger, female, 66 [1844/5], single, Private Means, b. Mauritius, Scotch

8. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office), Primary quality.

   d. Mary PHIPPEN, September Quarter 1926, Thanet Registration District, Vol. 2a, page 1044, aged 65 [1860/1]

9. ↑ ^9.0 9.1 England and Wales. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1858 onwards, Primary quality.

   1926
   PHIPPEN Mary of 5 Peploe-road Kensal Rise Middlesex widow died 7 August 1926 at the Railway Station Ramsgate Administration London 21 December to Joseph Rice police constable. Effects £240 13s. 6d.