Heritage Open Days: Everyday Histories #6: Elizabeth Tilley, Governess at Middleton Hall
There have been many governesses at Middleton Hall over the centuries. This post will focus on one: Elizabeth Tilley. She is known to have been a governess at Middleton Hall during the early part of the tenancy of the de Hamels.
Governesses in the Victorian era normally came from a middle-class background, were educated and unmarried. However, they would also lack the financial means to be able to live independently. Thus, this form of paid work was viewed as a way of providing these women with a residence and a respectable living. However, the status of the governess within the household was challenging. A governess was neither one of the domestic servants nor part of the host family. This meant the occupation of governess could be very isolating. They would often eat alone and spend most of their time away from other servants and the family.
Governesses would look after young children and teach the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. The boys would then normally be sent away for further education but the governess would continue to teach the girls social etiquette and other admired skills such as music and art. At the time Elizabeth was at Middleton Hall, her main charge would have been the eldest daughter Kathleen, who was 7 years old in 1891. The other de Hamel children Lilian, Egbert Alexander and Ernestine Sylvia, were only 2, 1 and 0 years old respectively and cared for by nursemaids.
Elizabeth was born in 1853 in Berkswell in Warwickshire. Her father was Richard Tilley who had been a farmer and had died in 1869. The death of her father when she was only 16 years old provides a possible explanation of why she would have had to enter service.
On 21st April 1891, Elizabeth married Henry Tidy at Middleton Church. The Tidys were a well-established family in Middleton operating many of the farms on the Estate. Henry Tidy was the tenant of Cross Green Farm and is known to have been a highly respected pillar of the Middleton community. He was born in Middleton in 1847; his father having been a tenant farmer at Stoke End Farm who was also born in Middleton. Henry had been sent away to school, being educated at “The Anchorage” in Sutton Coldfield. Thus, he and Elizabeth had similar familial backgrounds and were both educated.
Elizabeth was Henry’s second wife. In 1877, he had married Susanna and they had three children: Florence; Henry Harold; and Albert. Susanna died in 1889. Elizabeth’s husband Henry died on 7th October 1931 and she died shortly afterwards on 26th December. They were both buried at Middleton Church.
After Elizabeth had got married and left service, she was presented with the print picture of Ruth and Naomi that had hung at Middleton Hall. The provenance card with the picture stated that it was given to Mrs Henry Tidy née Elizabeth Tilley of Cross Green Middleton in memory of Miss Anne Peel who was drowned in the Solent in an incident with Queen Victoria's yacht in 1875. The picture passed through her descendants until Jean Harrison (née Tidy), adopted daughter of Henry Harold Tidy, donated it to Middleton Hall Trust. It is now on display at the Hall.
Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.
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