Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

Maria M. Parsons

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MARIA MORTON PARSONS; 1866– 1936

Maria was born in 1866. Her father, Alfred Charlton, was a commercial traveller for a soap manufacturer[1] and was sufficiently well off to employ a domestic servant. Alfred was first married to Rosetta Alexander and the couple had eight children[2] before Rosetta died in 1861. Following Rosetta’s death, Alfred remarried. His second wife was Emma Dry. Emma had at least one child of her own, Salem Cross. Salem, was a salesman for T. B. Rowe & Co, which traded as the Thames Soap Works in Brentford and this was probably the same business for which Alfred was a commercial traveller.[3]

Following their marriage, Alfred and Emma had four more children, of whom Maria was one.[4] According to family history, Emma was reputed to be something of a wicked step-mother who was horrible to Alfred’s first children and as a result, Alfred’s son Richard left home to work on a plantation in the South Seas before ending up in Australia[5].

In 1871 Maria was five years old and was attending school, being noted in the census taken that year as a “scholar.” Ten years later at the age of 15, no occupation is noted against Maria’s name; she had evidently left school but the family circumstances were such that she did not need to work.[6]

Maria married schoolmaster James Parsons on 16^th February 1889. The marriage was celebrated at St Paul’s church, Brentford. James had been appointed as a master at King Edward VI’s Grammar School, Berkhamsted in 1888. Following the death of his father, James had lived with his uncle in London and had been a pupil teacher at St Mark’s College School in Brentford before gaining his teacher’s certificate from London University. It must have been during his time in London that he and Maria first met. The wedding was conducted by the Rev. C. S. Dawe, James’ former headmaster at St Marks.[7] 

Following the marriage, Maria moved to Berkhamsted with her new husband where she began life as schoolmaster’s wife. Although a later headmaster described James as being a of little academic distinction and a “frankly inefficient teacher,” James was nevertheless an “excellent man of business” and soon became the right hand of the Headmaster, Dr Fry, in all matters relating to finance and business.[8] In 1896 James opened a “waiting house”, Broomfield in Boxwell Road and in 1898 he built at his own expense Incents, a new boarding house on Chesham Road, to which he transferred the boys from Broomfield. Incents was administered by James for twenty years, but not without the help of Maria who evidently ran the domestic side of the boarding house, including recruiting necessary staff. There are numerous job vacancies advertised in contemporary newspapers in which Maria sought domestic staff, such as this from 1918;

“WANTED, 2 Strong Willing MAIDS in

School Boarding House – one as a

DORMITORY MAID, the other KITCHEN MAID;

good wages- Write, full particulars to Mrs Parsons,

Incents, Berkhamsted.”[9]

Maria and James had two children. The first, a son, Christopher James Parsons, was born in 1890 and second a daughter, Hester Constance Parsons, who was born in 1893. Christopher joined the army in September 1914 following the outbreak of the war. He landed in France in 1915 and served on the Western Front. He was fortunate to survive the war. Hester became the Director of the College of Nursing and was herself awarded an O.B.E. for her work in founding a nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital.[10]

In the early years of her married life, Maria took a keen interest in local affairs, particularly concerning organisations for girls and women.[11]

Maria died on 16^th August 1936.

“The sympathy of all in the towns been accorded this week to Major James parsons, his son and daughter, in the great loss they have sustained by the death of Mr[s] James Parsons which occurred early on Sunday morning, after a brief illness at Hastings. She was 71 years of age and had been in failing health for the past few years, but following a serious illness in February last there had been such definite signs of improvement that it was hoped she would continue in good health for many years.”[12]

She was buried in Rectory Lane Cemetery and a service was held in the School Chapel.