Peter Brown Family History

Elsie Brown

Elsie Brown was born in Frogit Heath, Surrey, now known as Newchapel. Birth Certificate shows her as born at Froggatt Heath, Horne. (1873 map shows it as "Frogit Heath") and her name shown as “Elsey”. However she was referred to as Elsie on all Census and other documents. It is thought that she lived initially in a small dwelling next to Lowlands but later moved into Lowlands. (Note: actual name is Lowland Cottages). Her basic education appears to have been good (Lingfield school possibly?)

Elsie was the fourth child of a large family of 8 brothers and sisters. In her teenage years she was not a well child and did not work until she was aged 21. During this time she looked after her younger sister Edith. She suffered from ‘Billious attacks’.
Elsie went into household service and was a "Housemaid Domestic" for a Mr Francis Lloyd at 67 Christchurch Road, Streatham Hill, London, SW2 in April 1901. This role is believed to have been a ‘Parlour Maid’ waiting on tables. Up to about late 1911 she worked in Boscombe, Bournemouth, in two houses ‘Camelot’ and ‘FairLight’ as a “Ladies Maid”. In one of them she looked after a woman who was ill. As a Lady’s Maid she would chaperone the young women at parties/dances etc as well as deal with their clothes and hair etc. She probably was given a number of dresses. This is confirmed by the 1911 census (see Elsie Brown 1911 census entry in her details) that shows Marianne Miles at Camelot with Elsie Brown as House Parlour Maid (Domestic).

She had a son, but the father is unknown, but presumed linked to Boscombe. She met John Smith (who was living then in Bartley in the New Forest), whilst in Boscombe and married him on 25^th June 1916. (This meeting John in Boscombe may not be correct as it appears that coincidentally her cousin Ethel May Shirley, daughter of Richard, married a James Smith in Godstone at that time (same quarter). Was John & James related?).

She had a daughter, Florrie, but also later had a miscarriage following from which she was very ill.

Her husband, John, was in the navy and away from home for long periods (mostly in the Mediterranean) until he retired after 22 years from the Royal Navy in 1926 at the rank of Chief Stoker Petty Officer. He served at some time on the HMS Lurcher- see photo. (HMS Lurcher was a modified Acheron class destroyer, named after the lurcher-type dog, and the fifth ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name; when new in 1912 she was the fastest ship in the Royal Navy-35 knots. At the start of World War One Lurcher was assigned to the Eighth Submarine Flotilla, and was based at Parkeston Quay, Harwich, employed in escorting, towing and exercising with submarines of the flotilla. Lurcher survived the war and was sold for breaking in June 1921.) John did receive a pension from the navy, but this was not enough to live on, so he worked for Walter Wallis, a local builder, as a bricklayer.

Elsie played the violin. She was taught, presumably before she started work in 1901, by David Noble, the husband of her Mother’s sister. This was presumably Mary Shirley (but not sure why she was called Poly). David Noble worked as a builder at Wallis’s and he and Polly later lived at Sidlow, Horley, and had two children). David also played the organ.  Elsie was reasonably accomplished on the violin and she and Percy used to play together in the evenings in the early/mid 1920’s. Her husband, John gave her a new violin which she gave away when she moved later to West Hoathley.

From 1912 she lived with her parents at Lowlands, Newchapel. There were in fact two cottages making up Lowlands, each of two bedrooms, living room and scullery. In addition there was a thatched annex with two rooms and there was also a dairy attached. Her parents lived in one cottage until their deaths (father died in 1924 and mother in 1936) and from 1926 Elsie, John and the children lived in the other cottage. Up to then, Elsie lived in the annex with Florrie and Percy actually slept in the parents cottage. At this time Matilda’s sister Polly had lived in the other cottage up to about 1925. After 1926 the annex was not used for sleeping in. Elsie continued managing the small holding, though now reduced to a cow and chickens, including selling eggs every week at Godstone, until about 1936 but did not do other work in this period. She was also very ill in 1935/36 after she had appendicitis with complications.
Lowlands was part of the West Park Estate, of 2300 acres, that was owned by Mr Alfred Palmer of Huntley & Palmer biscuits in Reading. On the death of Mr Palmer the estate was sold in September 1936 and the family had to move from the rented cottages- (Matilda had been the tenant but had also died in 1936).

At this time Elsie came into some money, (see Tracing Percy's father below), which she used to get a house built for Percy and to buy two adjacent semi detached houses in 17/19 Hamsey Road, Sharpethorne, West Hoathly, Sussex. (4 houses up from Sharpethorne station!). These two houses were named ‘Fairlight’ and ‘Lowlands’ respectively.. She actually bought the houses in 1935/36 and lived in 19, the house requiring full redecoration and bathroom to be installed. Number 17 initially had tenants. William Wickham, the husband of Elsie’s sister Alice who had actually lived in the same house prior to this period and her earlier death. (It is thought that Elsie bought the house to avoid William Wickham having to move out). Wickham stayed until his death in about 1941. There was also an old lady who stayed there until she died later in about 1944.
Elsie and husband John lived with her daughter Florrie in West Hoathly from September 1937 to about 1950. After 1945, Florrie and Lawrence lived in number 17 and Elsie and John in the other.
John Smith at this time was working as a gardener and continued working during the war for Colonel Clarke at Borde Hill Estate???, Haywards Heath. He worked until he was 70.

In 1950 Elsie and John moved with Florrie & Lawrence to ‘Fember’, Mill Road, Three Bridges, Sussex and then in 1955 to Burwash and in 1956 to 1 Meadow way, Littlehampton, Sussex.

Elsie is remembered as a very considerate person, who dressed well and had a reasonable fun time in her twenties. She maintained close control over the family finances.

Elsie died in 1957 at home in Littlehampton and is buried in Littlehampton cemetery. After her death , her husband John continued to live with Florrie and Lawrence in Littlehampton, until his death at home in 1968. He is also buried in Littlehampton cemetery.

Tracing Percy's Father' A detailed analyis has also been produced on 'tracing Percy's father'. This also covers a lot more background on Elsie and where she worked.

Florence Lindfield (Smith)

Florence May Smith was born on 21^st  March 1917, the daughter of John Smith and Elsie Brown, in Lowlands, Frogit Heath, Surrey, now known as Newchapel, about 2 miles from Horne. She had an elder step brother, Percy Brown. Her father was in the navy and away from home for long periods until 1926. Her grandparents also lived in the same house.
She went to the Frogit Heath school, that was nearly opposite her house, and once a week by bus to Lingfield school for cookery. There were few local children to play with.

At age 14 (1931) she worked as a Kitchen Maid for Mr Privatee at Osney Lodge, Byers Lane, Blindley Heath for 14 months. In  mid 1932 she worked for Lady Bell in the adjacent Hook Style House for 11 months also as a Kitchen Maid. (Kitchen maids did cooking for the staff plus some cleaning/scrubbing steps- long hours from 06.00-22.00 and only five days off per month). She then worked until late 1935 at ‘Sunhill’ in South Godstone as a cook. She left Sunhill as she had to look after her mother Elsie who was ill following appendicitis. Florrie lived in the houses, but biked home most days to see her mother. She was paid initially £24 per year which grew to £36 a year. 

She married Lawrence Lindfield on 11th June 1938 at Horne Church and they lived in West Hoathly (19 Hamsey Road, Sharpethorne, West Hoathley, Sussex.) with her parents.  From Xmas 1939 Lawrence was in the army in Egypt and Florrie did not see him again until summer 1945. From 1940-1945 Florrie worked in tomato houses in the Fern Hill Nurseries, Balcombe road, Horley. Florrie stayed with Percy & Annie at Camelot during the week, (closer to work), and went home at weekends. She earned 28 shillings a week.

In 1945 Florrie and Lawrence moved into the adjacent house, 17 Hamsey Road, after complete redecoration . They had one son, Jasper, in 1947.
Lawrence before the war worked in grocery shops (Sainsbury’s in Caterham and Stapelys in Horley). After the war he returned to Stapelys as they held the job open and later he also worked in Croydon and Tylers in Three Bridges

In 1950 the whole family  with parents moved to ‘Fember’, Mill Road, Three Bridges, Sussex and then in 1955 to Burwash where Florrie and Lawrence had bought a shop (clothes & food). They stayed there only seven months, (both Lawrence and Elsie being ill- and the house possibly being haunted- bricks lifting off floor!) and then moved in 1956 to 1 Meadow way, Littlehampton, Sussex.  In Littlehampton Florrie ran a guest house with someone for about a year until they sold it as flats. In 1958 Florrie and Lawrence ran a mobile shop for about 10 years. Initially this was a converted coach then they had a more specialised van built. The shop involved long days with the travelling and restocking

Florrie and Lawrence moved in 1970 to Seaspray, Worthing, Sussex where they ran a guest house.This also involved a lot of cooking for guests so one got tied to the house. However at this time they went on a number of holidays (especially cruises) and also with Percy and Annie (including to Canada with cousin Minnie).

Lawrence died on 6^th November 1999 and was cremated at Worthing.
Following the death of her husband, Florrie then moved to Rustington, 105 Ash lane.