Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

Lydia Keen

28/09/1824 –08/04/1914

Born in Cholesbury; a straw plaiter who later became a nurse.

• Jackie Jones

LYDIA KEEN: 1824 – 1914

 Lydia Keen, née Thorn, was born on 28^th September 1824 in Cholesbury, Buckinghamshire, to Mary, 42, and William Thorn, 45. She was christened on 26^th June 1825 in Cholesbury. She had 4 siblings, John, Ann, Alfred and Frederick. The family were farm workers.

 Lydia married Joseph Keen in Aylesbury in April 1845. In 1851 they were living in Hawridge, Buckinghamshire and had two children, Amelia and Emma. Joseph was probably working for William Wright who had a farm in Hawridge. In 1861 Lydia was a straw plaiter and they had two more daughters, Lydia and Julia Ann after 10 years although others may have been born and died in the 10 years between the two censuses as many children then died in infancy.

 In 1876 Lydia was living in Wigginton, Hertfordshire when her husband died after 31 years of marriage. In 1881 Lydia was a nurse living in Bell Lane, Northchurch with the Woods family. There are a number of ‘Lydia Thornes’ registered in several parts of London so she possibly nursed around the capital of London.

 In 1901 she was living at 36 Cross Oak Rd Berkhamsted with her married daughter Julia Ann who had five children, so Lydia was probably helping with the family. In 1911 Lydia was still living with Julia, whose own daughter Rosa, Lydia’s granddaughter, had married and given birth to a 3 year old son. The family all lived together in Cross Oak Road.

 On 8^th April 1914 Lydia died, aged 89 years in the infirmary of the Berkhamsted Union Workhouse Berkhamsted. Originally workhouse infirmaries were intended solely for the care of residents in the workhouse, but towards the latter part of the 19^th century the standard of care provided improved and from the 1880’s admission to workhouse infirmaries was increasingly permitted to those who although poor, were not sufficiently destitute to require admission to the workhouse. Like all recipients of union relief, they first needed to have their means assessed and might be required to contribute towards their care.

 Lydia was buried in Rectory Lane Cemetery.