Introduction
Cicely Nightingale led a remarkable life that took her through Guernsey, London, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Somerset. In her thirties, she was compelled by necessity to break social conventions. However, she later achieved a greater sense of security and was able to live on her own private means.
Early life
Cicely Winter was born on 28 October 1874 at St Peter Port, Guernsey.[1] She later moved to London, where she married Charles Douglas Bradley, a carpenter from Durham, at Lambeth in 1895.[2] The 1901 census recorded them living in one room at 19 Holford Square, Clerkenwell.[3] Nearby, at 27 Northampton Square, lived Lewis Richard Nightingale, a widower whose wife had died in 1900, leaving him to care for his six children, ranging in age from sixteen to one year.[4] At that time, Lewis was a confectioner’s foreman, but he had previously worked in his father’s watch repair business. The stress of losing his wife may have contributed to Lewis breaking the law, as in 1904, he was convicted of receiving stolen jewellery and sentenced to three months’ hard labour at Wormwood Scrubs.[5] Around this time, Cicely appears to have left her husband and moved in with Lewis.
Shepherd’s Bush
After serving his prison sentence, Lewis moved to 5 Coningham Road, Shepherd’s Bush, which was near his parents. The 1911 census recorded him as a Life Assurance Agent and stated that he and Cicely had been married seven years.[6] However, they did not marry until late 1913 or early 1914.[7]
Lewis’s father died in 1914, leaving an estate valued at £1,231 3s 1d, and his mother died in 1918, leaving an estate valued at £2,420 15s 7d.[8] As Lewis was their only child, he likely inherited a substantial sum, including their house at 109 Coningham Road. In July 1919, Lewis made a will, leaving everything to Cicely.[9]
Cambridgeshire and Suffolk
With his inheritance, Lewis and Cicely moved out of London. In 1921, they were living at Hail Weston, a village in Cambridgeshire, where Lewis worked as a scientific instrument maker.[10] By 1931, they had settled at 67 London Road, Brandon in Suffolk. Lewis died on 10 March 1931 at the age of 69, leaving an estate valued at £403 17s 1d.[11]
After Lewis’s death, Cicely moved to the West Country and took up residence with Fred and Margaret Burt, who lived in or near South Perrott. How this arrangement came about is unclear, as she had no known previous connection with them. On 19 December 1935, she accompanied them to the funeral of a local farmer and sent a wreath in her own right.[12] When they moved to Romsey Farm, Hardington, in 1936, she went with them, and she was still at the farm in September 1939.[13] The 1939 Register recorded her as a widow living on “Private Means.” The shift from inner London to this remote farmhouse marked a striking change in her surroundings.
Cicely remained in the Yeovil area, where she died in late 1960 or early 1961 at the age of 86.[14]
Conclusion
Cicely Nightingale’s life reveals a gradual movement from a precarious existence towards modest independence. Following a failed marriage, she entered a second relationship that did not culminate in marriage for ten years. Ultimately, she found security through inheritance and her partner’s provision.
References
[1] 1939 Register.
[2] Civil Registration Marriage Index.
[3] RG13, piece 252, folio 179, p.49.
[4] RG13, piece 255, folio 50, p.26.
[5] Proceedings of the Old Bailey; After-Trial Calendar of Prisoners, 1855-1931
[6] RG14, piece 199.
[7] Marriage registered Paddington Q1, 1914. Cicely used the name Winter.
[8] National Probate Calendar.
[9] The will of Lewis Richard Nightingale, dated 29 July 1919, proved at Norwich, 24 April 1931.
[10] RG15, St Neot’s, enumeration district 6, schedule 46.
[11] The will of Lewis Richard Nightingale, dated 29 July 1919, proved at Norwich, 24 April 1931.
[12] Western Gazette, 27 December 1935, p.8.
[13] Western Gazette, 13 March 1936, p.2, 1939 Register.
[14] Death registered Yeovil Q1, 1961.
