Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

Eva Lilly Andrews

d.03/09/1922

Born Eva Lilly Rodwell, raised in Apsley, first wife of William Andrews, no children born alive.

Relatives

William Thomas Andrews — husband

• Karen Evans

Eva Lilly Andrews was born Eva Lilly Rodwell in 1868. She was raised in Apsley, which at that time was part of the Parish of Kings Langley and her father, Thomas Newton Rodwell was a millwright from Colney Heath near St Albans.

Thomas was originally a blacksmith, as was his father, James, before him. In 1851 he was living in the village of Hunton Bridge. He married Emma Butler at St Mary’s Church in Watford on 12th July 1851. The family then appear to have moved around throughout the 1850’s before finally settling briefly in Boxmoor, near to where Eva was raised. Their children were: Emma born circa 1853, Watford; Thomas born circa 1857, Watford; Walter James born circa 1861, Maidstone, Kent; Arthur George born circa 1862, Hemel Hempstead.   These four children were baptised together at the parish church of St John’s, Boxmoor on 24th June 1863. The parish registers gave Thomas’ occupation as being a labourer.

The parish of Hemel Hempstead had originally covered over 12,000 acres but population growth through the 19th century lead to the creation of a number of chapelries which then broke away to form their own parishes. The first church at Boxmoor, which was founded in 1830 as a chapel of ease to Hemel Hempstead, soon became too small to serve the growing congregation, so that a new church, the St John’s that we see today, was built in 1873. The growing population in the area, probably influenced by the presence of the railway station, meant that St John’s Boxmoor was made into a separate parish in 1884.

Thomas and Emma’s family continued to grow with: Rosa Ellen, baptised 9th December 1868 at Kings Langley; Lucy,  baptised 21st February 1869 at Kings Langley. (She went on to marry Henry Arnold Sheppard of Bournemouth on 9th October 1880 at St Mary’s, Apsley End); Herbert William, born 8th April 1880 at Maidstone in Kent, baptised on 10th October 1881 at St Mary’s, Apsley End.

The Church of St Mary at Apsley End was opened for public worship in 1871. It was consecrated at a ceremony on 31st August 1871, by the Bishop of Rochester. The parish it served was formed out of the parishes of Hemel Hempstead, Abbots Langley and Kings Langley. The Church of St Mary owes its life more to Charles Longman than anyone else. It was he who, on the death of his wife in 1860, declared his ambition to build a church in her memory to serve “the people of Two Waters and Nash Mills”.

Having been recorded as being a labourer in 1863, Thomas afterwards resumed stating his trade as “blacksmith” until 1871, then between 1871 and 1881 Thomas changed his trade from Blacksmith to millwright.

By 1891 Eva’s parents had moved to 15 Cowper Road, Hemel Hempstead.
Although Eva’s sibling all appear to have been baptised in the West Hertfordshire area as children, Eva wasn’t. She was baptised as an adult on 11th June 1884 at Christchurch, East Sheen in the Parish of Mortlake, Surrey

On 17th July 1890, Eva Lilley Rodwell married William Thomas Andrews by licence at St Bartholomew’s Church, Waltham in Kent, which is only seven miles from Canterbury. Despite the distance from home, her parents were the witnesses recorded in the parish register. At the time of their marriage, William stated that he was a Grocer. The census of 1891 confirms his occupation as being a grocer and lists Eva and William as living at 78, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead.

On 27th June 1891 The Hemel Hempstead Gazette and West Herts Advertiser reported that the Partnership hereforeto subsisting between us the undersigned William Thomas Andrews and William Field, carrying on business as grocer and provision merchants at 78, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead in the County of Hertford, under the style or Form of “ANDREWS and FIELD”, has been dissolved by mutual consent as and from the fifteenth day of June 1891. All debts due to and owing by the said late firm will be received and paid by William Thomas Andrews.

The 19th and early 20th centuries were a period of change in local government as towns had to cope with the demands placed on them by population growth. Berkhamsted Poor Law Union was formed on 12th June 1835 and its operation was overseen by an elected Board of Guardians who represented its 10 constituent parishes. The Union was made up of the parishes of St Peter’s Berkhamsted, St Mary’s Northchurch, Little Gaddesden, Aldbury, Puttenham, Tring, Wigginton, Marsworth, Nettleden and Pitstone. As part of its responsibilities The Berkhamsted Union took over the Berkhamsted parish workhouse, renaming it the Poor Law Institution.

In 1872 the Rural Sanitary Authority was created to try and deal with matters of public health. One of their earliest achievements was the building of an isolation hospital at Aldbury. This hospital was necessary to try and prevent the spread of infectious diseases throughout the town, as sanitary conditions were less than ideal. The Rural Sanitary Authority met every fortnight at 11am at the Workhouse.
Public health was a major issue and various institutions and bodies sprung up to deal with the issues. In 1876 the Berkhamsted Nursing Association was created under the auspices of St Peter’s Church. In 1877 the West Herts Infirmary was opened in Hemel Hempstead and in March 1880 the first nursing home in Berkhamsted was opened.

In 1894 the Local Government Act (56 & 57 Vict. C.73) resulted in the creation of urban and rural district councils and reformed the board of guardians of poor law unions. The Rural Sanitary Authority became the Rural District Council, but the Berkhamsted Urban District Council did not take up office until 15th April 1898
One of the Rural Sanitary Authority last acts was to try and create a much-needed mains drainage system for the town. Unfortunately, much of the work on the system was faulty, so that in its first year Berkhamsted Urban District Council was forced to spend a further £8,645 on remedial works. In 1902 bacterial beds were constructed and septic tanks built at the considerable cost of about £40,000.

These changes in local government would have necessitated the employment of educated men to run the administration. William Thomas Andrews was one of those who moved into local government employment. William does not appear in the Kelly’s Directory of 1895 as either trading in Hemel Hempstead or holding public office in Berkhamsted, but by 1901 William had Hemel Hempstead and taken up a position as a clerk in the Poor Law Office. Eva and William were living in Berkhamsted at 12 Herbert Street.

In 1911 the couple had moved to 202 High Street, Berkhamsted, which is where they remained. The 1911 census sadly records that William and Eva never had any children born alive. William’s occupation was now given as Managing Clerk to the Guardians and Rural District Council.

Kelly’s Directory of 1914 has William listed as under the Urban District Council as the “Rate Collector” and also listed separately as a public officer – “Collector of Poor’s Rates”. The administration for those in office would have been considerable. Meetings of the Urban District Council were held on the third Wednesday of the month at 135 High Street. Both the Rural and Urban District Councils had sub-committees responsible for education. The Urban District controlled the Council School and Bourne’s School, whilst the Rural District controlled the schools at Aldbury, Little Gaddesden, Long Marston, Northchurch (boys, girls and infants), Potten End, Wigginton and Wilstone.

Eva died on 3rd September 1922 in Berkhamsted. Just 13 months after her death William married Mary Jane Woods at St Peter’s Berkhamsted on 21st October 1923. Despite remarrying William was buried four years later with Eva, his wife of 32 years.

William Thomas Andrews

12/11/1864 –08/08/1926

Islington grocer, clerk in Berkhamsted's Poor Law Office, widowed, remarried, buried with first wife

Relatives

Eva Lilly Andrews — wife

• Karen Evans

William Thomas Andrews was not a native of Berkhamsted, but was born in Islington, North London, the son of Jesse Andrews, a printer. However he does not appear in any census in Islington, and the only registered birth of a William Thomas Andrews in 1864 took place in Kensigton.

On 17th July 1890, William Thomas Andrews married Eva Lilley Rodwell by licence at St Bartholomew’s Church, Waltham in Kent, which is only seven miles from Canterbury. Eva Lilley’s parents were the witnesses recorded in the parish register despite the distance from their home in Boxmoor. At the time of their marriage, William stated that he was a Grocer. William was listed as being a grocer of 78 Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead in Kelly’s Directory of 1890.

In March 1891 William and Eva were living at 78 Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead.
On 27th June 1891 The Hemel Hempstead Gazette and West Herts Advertiser reported that the Partnership hereforeto subsisting between us the undersigned William Thomas Andrews and William Field, carrying on business as grocer and provision merchants at 78, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead in the County of Hertford, under the style or Form of “ANDREWS and FIELD”, has been dissolved by mutual consent as and from the fifteenth day of June 1891. All debts due to and owing by the said late firm will be received and paid by William Thomas Andrews.

William Thomas’ business partner, William Field, who lived in the Cotterells, was even younger than himself, being only 20 at the time their business was dissolved.

The 19th and early 20th centuries were a period of change in local government as towns had to cope with the demands placed on them by population growth. Berkhamsted Poor Law Union was formed on 12th June 1835 and its operation was overseen by an elected Board of Guardians who represented its 10 constituent parishes. The Union was made up of the parishes of St Peter’s Berkhamsted, St Mary’s Northchurch, Little Gaddesden, Aldbury, Puttenham, Tring, Wigginton, Marsworth, Nettleden and Pitstone. As part of its responsibilities The Berkhamsted Union took over the Berkhamsted parish workhouse, renaming it the Poor Law Institution.

In 1872 the Rural Sanitary Authority was created to try and deal with matters of public health. One of their earliest achievements was the building of an isolation hospital at Aldbury. This hospital was necessary to try and prevent the spread of infectious diseases throughout the town, as sanitary conditions were less than ideal. The Rural Sanitary Authority met every fortnight at 11am at the Workhouse.
Public health was a major concern and various institutions and bodies sprung up to deal with the issues. In 1876 the Berkhamsted Nursing Association was created under the auspices of St Peter’s Church. In 1877 the West Herts Infirmary was opened in Hemel Hempstead and in March 1880 the first nursing home in Berkhamsted was opened.

In 1894 the Local Government Act (56 & 57 Vict. C.73) resulted in the creation of urban and rural district councils and reformed the board of guardians of poor law unions. The Rural Sanitary Authority became the Rural District Council, but the Berkhamsted Urban District Council did not take up office until 15th April 1898.
One of the Rural Sanitary Authority’s last acts was to try and create a much-needed mains drainage system for the town. Unfortunately, much of the work on the system was faulty, so that in its first year Berkhamsted Urban District Council was forced to spend a further £8,645 on remedial works. In 1902 bacterial beds were constructed and septic tanks built at the considerable cost of about £40,000.

These changes in local government would have necessitated the employment of educated men to run the administration. William Thomas Andrews was one of those who moved into local government employment. William does not appear in the Kelly’s Directory of 1895 as either trading in Hemel Hempstead or holding public office in Berkhamsted, but by 1901 William had left Hemel Hempstead and taken up a position as a clerk in the Poor Law Office. Eva and William were living in Berkhamsted at 12 Herbert Street.

In 1911 the couple had moved to 202 High Street, Berkhamsted, which is where they remained. The 1911 census sadly records that William and Eva never had any children born alive. William’s occupation was now given as Managing Clerk to the Guardians and Rural District Council.

Kelly’s Directory of 1914 has William listed as under the Urban District Council as the “Rate Collector” and also listed separately as a public officer – “Collector of Poor’s Rates”. The administration for those in office would have been considerable. Meetings of the Urban District Council were held on the third Wednesday of the month at 135 High Street. Both the Rural and Urban District Councils had sub-committees responsible for education. The Urban District controlled the Council School and Bourne’s School, whilst the Rural District controlled the schools at Aldbury, Little Gaddesden, Long Marston, Northchurch (boys, girls and infants), Potten End, Wigginton and Wilstone.

Eva died on 3rd September 1922 in Berkhamsted. Just 13 months after her death William married again, this time to Mary Jane Woods at St Peter’s Berkhamsted on 21st October 1923. William’s new wife was 17 years his junior having been born on 27th March 1881 at Bell Lane, Northchurch. William died aged 62 on 8th August 1926 less than three years after he remarried.

William’s will is very short and to the point as follows:-
I WILLIAM THOMAS ANDREWS of No 207 High Street Berkhamsted in the County of Hertford Rate Collector and Assistant Overseer hereby revoke all former wills and declare this to be my last Will and Testament.
1.    I appoint my wife Mary Jane Andrews and Frank Welland of The Estate Office Peper Harow in the County of Surrey Estate Steward to be the Executrix and Executor of this my Will
2.    I give devise and bequeath all property both real and personal of which I shall at the time of my death have power to dispose by Will unto my said wife Mary Jane Andrews for her own use and benefit absolutely 
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand this thirty first day of October one thousand nine hundred and twenty three – WILLIAM THOMAS ANDREWS – SIGNED by the said testator in our presence and by us in his –
ALBERT WOODS Bayford Herts schoolmaster
WALTER WOODS 76 Wellington Road Wealdstone Harrow Lithographer

On 27th September 1926 Probate of this will was granted to Mary Jane Andrews and Frank Welland, the executors. Mary Jane’s sister, Bertha Woods, had married Frank Welland at Northchurch in 1900. This seems to indicate that in the last years of his life William had turned very much to his new in-laws for support. Despite this he was still laid to rest with his first wife of 32 years, Eva Lilly.

William’s widow, Mary Jane Andrews, was still living at 207 High Street in 1939. In 1939 she was living with a retired nurse, Annie Meachin and her sister Bertha Welland. Mary Jane died in Berkhamsted in 1966.