Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

Rose Louisa Goss (833)

1867 –13/05/1927

Domestic servant at age 13 and later launderess before her marriage to postman Edward Goss

Relatives

Edward Goss — husband

• Melanie Hilton

ROSE LOUISA GOSS; 1868 – 1927

Rose was born in the second quarter of 1868 although she wasn’t baptised until June 1872 by which time she was four years old. She was one of ten children[1] born to William and Matilda Cooley. The family lived in Potten End and her father’s occupation as recorded in the 1871 census was shoe maker and marine store dealer, the latter a somewhat unusual occupation for someone living in Potten End given the distance from the village to the sea. Rose’s mother, worked as a straw plaiter, producing plaited straw for sale to the hatmakers of Luton.[2]

Rose began work at an early age. By the date of 1881 census she had left home and was living in Frithsden in the home of George Seymour, an 80 year old farmer, where she worked as a domestic servant. Her age in the census return was noted as being 14, but in fact in April 1881 she would have barely turned thirteen.[3]

As standards of social decorum increased in later Victorian times, so too did the need for servants increase and domestic service was a common occupation for working class women and girls. In 1851, 31.2% of the women in Berkhamsted who were working were domestic servants and 12. 3% of men[4].  By the time of the 1891 census 1.3 million women and girls were working as domestic servants nationally.  That is one in three women between the ages of 15 and 20. They were usually recruited between the ages of 10 and 13. There was a tax on indoor male servants whose pay was also greater. Women were cheaper and more easily dominated and kept in their place. A servant working for a middleclass family would usually live in the family’s house. Hours were long and the pay was poor, £6 -£12 per annum. Servants were under the constant scrutiny and whilst living closely with the family were kept rigidly apart from it. Most employers felt they had a right to look through their servant’s belongings and it was not until 1860 that it became illegal to beat a servant. It was legal for employers to order servants to accompany them to church, but the servants had to sit at the back in a segregated section. There was no job security if a servant fell ill or committed some misdemeanour. Being a servant did have some advantages; a servant probably lived in better surroundings than her original home and some families were very good to their servants. 

 A further ten years later Rose had given up service; she had moved to Northchurch and was living in the home of Joseph and Eliza Sawyer. Eliza was a launderess and Rose must have worked for Eliza, as in the 1891 Rose’s occupation is also that of launderess.[5]

Rose married in 1893. Her husband was town postman Edward Goss. The couple had three children: William Victor, born 1896; Ethel Rose Elvina, born 1899 and Wilfred Eric, 1903. Following their marriage, the couple set up home at 20 Kitsbury Road but by 1911 had moved to 11 Kings Road.

Rose died in 1927 and was buried in Rectory Lane Cemetery on 16^th May. She was 58 years old. She and Edward had moved from Kings Road as her address at the time of her death was 5 Elm Grove[6].

Edward Goss

15/08/1867 –21/03/1952

Town postman for many years

Relatives

Rose Louisa Goss (833) — wife

• Christopher Dolton

EDWARD GOSS; 1867 – 1952

Edward was born on 15^th August 1867.[1] He was the fifth of ten children[2] born to William and Sarah Goss. In 1871 the family were living in Park Street. Edward’s father, William, had been a stonemason, but by 1871 was working as a wheel wright. His mother, Sarah, was a dressmaker.[3]

Edwards father died in 1880 at the age of 50 years when Edward was only 13 years old. With the death of his father, there must have been pressure on the older children of the family to work and produce an income and by 1881, Edward, 14 years old, was working as Telegraph Messenger,[4] employed by the Post Office to deliver telegrams. At that time the Post Office was on the High Street near to the corner of Prince Edward Street.[5] In some respects, the life of a telegram boy was similar to military service. They wore a uniform and were required to complete a daily drill. From 1915 to 1921 morning exercise was added to these requirements.

Ten years later in 1891 Edward was still living with his mother and those of his siblings who had not by then left home. The family had moved a short distance from Park Street and were living in St John’s Well Lane. Edward had moved on from being a telegraph messenger to become a postman and he remained in that job until retirement.

In 1893 Edward married. His bride was Rose Louisa Cooley. Her family were from Potten End and prior to the marriage she had been lodging in Northchurch and working as a launderess. Edward and Rose had three children: William Victor, born in 1896; Ethel Rose Elvina, born 1899 and Wilfred Eric, born 1903.

In 1901 Edward and his family were living at 20 Kitsbury Road and by 1911 they were living in Kings Road. [6]

Edward’s wife Rose died in 1927. By 1939 Edward was lodging in Doctor’s Commons Road and had by then, age 72 years, retired from his job as the town postman.

At some point after 1939 he moved to Luton (possibly to live with one of his children). He died at the age of 84 in March 1952 at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital and was buried with Rose in Rectory Lane Cemetery.