52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 44. Voting. Dorothy Mary Jay

 DOROTHY MARY JAY 1884-1959

with kind permission of the owner of this image. O.D. (Ancestry)

Dorothy Mary Jay was the eldest daughter and child of the Reverend William (Willie) Parkinson Jay and his wife Priscilla Amelia nee Sterry born on the 27th June 1884.

cropped from image above.

The Reverend Willie Parkinson Jay was the brother of the Rev Arthur Osborne Montgomery Jay, who I have previously written about. Unlike his more flamboyant brother the Reverend Willie P Jay was less controversial in his ministry, although he and his wife were both innovative in their ministry at Christ Church, Watney Street in the East End of London. It was at this church that the Rev Jay baptised his own daughter in 1884 on Aug 6th.

                                                                       crown copyright

Over the next couple of years, Dorothy's sisters Gladys and Hilda and Olive were born, but in 1888 tragedy struck the youngest sibling, Olive who died aged approx 7 months. Whilst the Rev Jay had again baptised his daughter, Olive, it was his brother Rev Arthur Osborne Montgomery Jay who officiated at her burial.

The following year in 1889, the Rev Willie Jay left the parish of Christ Church in Tower Hamlets, to live in the village of Toppesfield in Essex, a valuable crown living.

In an interview with an Eastbourne reporter in 1929, the Rev W P Jay stated that his decision to move was for his family. 'His children being young and delicate and his vicarage being situated in one of the noisiest streets in East London, he was glad to go to the country for a time.'

The 1891 census shows that since the move, 2 boys had been born,  Charles and Gerald. Sadly, however despite the move to a healthier environment, Gerald died in infancy. Whilst Dorothy and her siblings spent a few more years of their childhood in the rural village, but Rev Jay and his wife missed the more active parish duties and sought a  living in a town again. In 1894 the family moved to Eastbourne, on the Sussex coast and the living of St Anne's in the Upperton area of the town.

The 1901 census shows a 16 year old Dorothy and her family living in St Anne's Vicarage in Upperton Gardens Eastbourne. However the family now employ a cook, a parlourmaid and a housemaid. Whilst her brother, Charles, was away, a pupil, at Farnborough School the girls are all at home. Whilst their father was the vicar of the parish, their mother was very much involved with parish matters.

In 1911, she is still living at the Vicarage with her parents, her youngest sister, Hilda and her brother Charles is at home, a student in Divinity. There are still a staff of 3 maintaining the 16 roomed Vicarage. Whilst her father was the parish vicar, Dorothy's mother was an active member of the community offerring pastoral care and social help alongside her husband. Dorothy appears to have followed in her mother's shoes and it appears that she became a member of the Board of Guardians during the first world war:- from a later article.

In 1921, Dorothy stood for council in the Municipal Elections, standing as an Independent candidate for her home ward. She was unsuccessful in the vote.

Eastbourne Chronicle 5 Nov 1921

Under the 'Qualificarion of Women (County and Borough Councils) Act 1907, certain women ratepayers were entitled to be elected to County and Borough Councils in England and Wales. It also entitled widows and unmarried women to stand anywhere in Local Government.

It would appear, however, that Dorothy continued with her committee work, she remained on the Board of Guardians and more especially the Eastbourne Children's Home. A letter to the editor of the Eastbourne Chronicle on the 18th December 1926, show her to have been Chairman, Childrens Committee, Eastbourne Board of Guardians.

However Social Care as such was in the process of change, the powers and duties of the Poor Law Authority of the Guardians were being transferred to the Town Council. To continue her role in this work Dorothy announced that she intended to stand as an Independent candidate to the Town Council. This article appearred in the same issue of the Eastbourne Chronicle as Dorothy's letter.

Meanwhile Dorothy continued to be involved with various committees and in 1928 it was reported that she seconded a motion to appoint a female medical officer for the relief distict of Eastbourne, by the Board of Guardians, citing that a woman should have the right to call upon a woman doctor, with Councillor Geo West commenting that ' it was a fact that women were exercising their rights and it was only fair that they should have the right to see a woman doctor.'

Eastbourne Chronicle 4 Aug 1928.

The Chairman asserted that he was surprised by this comment and whilst a man had been appointed as the new medical officer, Dr Ethel Downing had been employed as his deputy.

In 1929, Dorothy announced her intention to stand in the upcoming elections for town council.

Eastbourne Chronicle 12 October 1929

On standing as an Independent candidate, Dorothy remarked:-

However she also stated that the fact that she was a woman, very much impacted on how she was viewed by some of the electorate.

One of her opponents at a campaign meeting remarked:- 'He did not like women in politics because it was difficult to attack them.'

The 3 previous quotes are from:- County Borough Elections in England and Wales, 1919-1938: Chester-East Ham By Sam Davies, R. E. Morley · 1999

The Eastbourne Chronicle announced the result in their 2nd November edition. Dorothy again missed out in the vote.

The 13th of November 1929 edition of the same paper indicates that whilst Dorothy had initially voiced an intention to stand in an upcoming election for the Redoubt Ward, due to the then present councillor being promoted to Alderman, she had decided not to stand. However there were 2 other female candidates standing.

This appears to be the end of Dorothy's attempts to enter council politics, even when an article in the 14th December edition of the Eastbourne Chronicle indicated that there were discrepencies in the election expenditure returns of the successful candidate, Councillor H U Gilbert, however neither Dorothy or the other unsuccessful candidate raised objections to a High Court Appeal by Mr Gilbert.

From this quite active time for Dorothy the next few years are quite a bit quieter, although every so often there is a newspaper article, including her within some charitable event or show in the early 1930's.  However in 1934 a newspaper report, shows a completely different side to Dorothy that may not have been expected.

Daily News (London) 15th Sept 1934:

“IT WILL BREAK FATHERS HEART”

Miss Dorothy Jay, aged 50, daughter of the Vicar of St Anne’s Eastbourne, was bound over for 12 months in the sum of £50 at Eastbourne yesterday when charged with stealing £45 the money of Helen Rhoda Harrison.

Mr H Busby said that Miss Harrison cashed a cheque for £45 and received three £5 notes and the rest in £1 and 10s notes. She placed the money in a drawer in her dining-room.

She was visited by Miss Jay and next day missed the money.

THE NOTES TRACED

Miss Jay, he said, stayed in an hotel in Exeter from July 13^th-19^th and there cashed two £5 notes, the numbers which were identical to those missing. When told by a detective that he should arrest her she said:-          

“Please don’t. It will break father’s heart. Let me plead with Miss Harrison. I did not take it from the desk. She met me in Upperton Gardens and gave me an envelope saying, ‘Here is the money for the flowers for the church.’ She gave it to me by mistake.”

Mr Busby said that Miss Harrison did not meet anyone on her way to the bank. Whilst in custody, he added, Miss Jay said: ‘To tell you the truth it was a sudden temptation.’ The Deputy Chief Constable said that Miss Jay was previously a member of the Board of Guardians.

MORAL INSANITY

Mr G Lawrence defending, said that unfortunately Miss Jay was one of those women who suffered from a certain morbid condition of mind in which in moments of temporary stress she gave way to theft. It had been known to her family for some time that occasionally under stress of mind she had yielded to temptation and had taken little things for no reason. It was proposed that she would enter a nursing home and then go as a private patient to a mental hospital. Restitution would be made.

The Mayor said that due to Miss Jay’s previous good character and the assurance that she would receive medical treatment, the Bench had decided to deal leniently with her.

The Shields Daily News 15^th September 1934 had the added information that the stress that Dorothy was suffering at the time of the theft was that her sister, who lived in Exeter, was suffering from typhoid.

I believe that the sister in question was Hilda, who had married Frederick Guy Meakin, who was an educationalist and worked at a preparatory school in Exeter.

Dorothy's mother Priscilla Jay died on 5th January 1937, however in a newspaper report  regarding her funeral, Dorothy is not listed as a mourner at the service.

The 1939 register indicates that Dorothy was living in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. She gives an occupation of LCC Evacuee Helper.

The following year, her father, Rev W P Jay died on 12th Dec 1940. The will was proved in 1941 and despite a codocil including a bequest to his wife. The majority of  his £4000 estate went into trust for Dorothy.

3. Subject to the payment therout by my Executors of my just debts and funeral and testementary  expenses and the legacies hereby bequethed, I give all rest, residue and remainder of my Estate to my Trustees upon Trust to pay the income therefrom to or permit the same to be received by my daughter Dorothy Mary during her life and after her death then to divide the capital of my said Estate equally to my son Charles Douglas Jay and my two daughters Hilda Priscilla Meakin and Gladys Monica Goodyer and their respective administrators and assigns.

Again Dorothy did not attend her father's funeral, citing war work as the reason for her absence. Four years later Dorothy received a far larger bequest following the death of her Uncle, Rev Arthur Osborne Montgomery Jay, of approx £7500.

There is one more newspaper article about a dispute related to the will of Miss Ethel Mary William Hovell that Dorothy had witnessed.

Daily News (London) 2 May 1951

 'Miss Dorothy Mary Jay of Holcombe Street, Kings Lynn, said that Miss Hovell had asked her to go to the house "to sign a paper".

Counsel:- You get nothing under the will? - Nothing, except a lot of bother and trouble.

On 23rd May 1959 Dorothy Mary Jay of Cozens Hotel, Kings Lynn died at Gaywood Hall Nursing Home, Kings Lynn, aged 74. Dorothy had not frittered away her inheritances as she left just under £12000 in her will.

Dorothy is one of those ladies I would love to have had a chat with, I love her comment in relation to her witnessing Miss Hovell's will, it is something I would have probably said too. It is also interesting that at the age of 50, Dorothy was found guilty of theft and other incidents of similar behaviour were also identified. Today there are suggestions that this sort of behaviour can be attributed to hormonal changes asscociated with the Menopause, but studies are sketchy. Unfortunately, no matter how we research our ancestors, we are only able to scratch the surface of who they were, with little vignettes in certain periods of time, to base our ideas about them.