In 1891, Louisa Giles was a twenty-five-year-old domestic servant at Hardington Rectory.

Introduction

The life of Louisa Giles offers insight into women’s individual experiences in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and serves as a microcosm of the societal changes during that time.

Early life

Born on October 18 1864, in East Coker, Louisa was the second of ten children born to Rupert Giles, a farm labourer, and his wife, Mary Anna (née Sherstone).

Louisa’s upbringing was characterised by migration; in about 1868, the family relocated from East Coker to Chaldon Herring before moving inland to Wootton Glanville and ultimately to St. Donats on the South Wales coast, where they stayed for about five years.

By April 1881, the Giles had returned to Dorset, where they devised a strategy to sustain themselves. While Mary Anna and the children lived at Fortuneswell in Portland, Rupert and the oldest son sought work further afield. The 1881 census shows them boarding forty miles away at Tollard Farnham.

By April 1891, the Giles family had established a temporary residence in Townsend, Tintinhull, preceding yet another relocation to Curry Rivel.

Employment at Hardington Rectory

By April 1891, Louisa was employed as a domestic servant at Hardington Rectory, where her responsibilities included the decoration of the church for significant festivals In September 1892, she adorned the font with moss, asters, fruit and vegetables for the Harvest Festival celebrations.[1] A few months later at Christmas, she helped decorate the church’s interior with “evergreens, holly, pot plants, everlasting flowers and chrysanthemums.”[2]

Married life

In 1893, Louisa married Samuel Mear in the Taunton area. Their first child, Wilhelmina, was born on 31 March 1894 at Ilchester. By May 1894, they lived at Wilton, where Samuel was employed as a gardener.

By February 1896, they had settled in Taunton, living initially in Alfred Street and subsequently, from 1898 or a little earlier, at 5 Roseberry Terrace. The census of 1901 and 1911 recorded Samuel’s occupation as a brewer’s drayman.

Samuel’s military service in the First World War marked a profound period in their lives, culminating in his death in November 1918 at the age of 48, potentially as a result of war-related injuries. In the wake of her husband’s death, Louisa assumed the responsibility of supporting her two sons and three daughters who remained at home.

Later years and death

At the start of the Second World War, Louisa was living in the home of her daughter, Wilhelmina, at the Police Station at Seven Ash, Taunton. Soon after the war ended, Louisa passed away, aged 81.

Children

Samuel and Louisa had five sons and three daughters.

References

[1] Western Gazette, 30 September 1892 p. 6.

[2] Western Gazette, 30 December 1892 p. 5.