Embroidery Pupils

There are some people linked with the Community, whose names we shall never know; others will be names in a census, whom I may be able to find out more about; other names resonate, with a vague memory, or are more well-known. Nora Kirkbride was one of these, as was Marguerite Miller. Both appear in the 1911 Census as Embroidery pupils at the Community House; their fellow pupil, Gertrude Creed, I have never heard of. I am fairly sure that Marguerite Miller appears on a photo, somewhere, as ‘Miss Miller’, and I associated her with the Embroidery room before finding her in that census. Nora Kirkbride I may have associated with the Embroidery room, but she is also buried in Ditchingham Cemetery, where the plaque states that she was a Sister Associate of All Hallows Convent. I think it possible that she may be buried in, or near, the Community section of the cemetery, although we had our own cemetery by the time of her death in 1957.

Born in Cork, Ireland in 1883, Nora was the middle daughter of Thomas Warcup Kirkbride and his second wife, Elizabeth Mary Kirkbride. Thomas, who was born in Cheshire, was an officer in the Coast Brigade of the Royal Artillery, and married Christina Wilkinson in 1865 in Devon. As far as I can work out, they had four children: Thomas, Frederick, Arthur and Sarah. Sadly, both Christina and Frederick died in 1877, in Fort George in Scotland. I have not yet traced Thomas’ second marriage, but Elizabeth is in the 1881 census as Thomas’ wife. There is a 19 year age gap between the two. Only Thomas, Arthur and Sarah are registered with them in this census. Thomas (father) died in Cork in 1885, and by 1901, Elizabeth is living in Brentford, Middlesex with Sarah, a hospital nurse; Elizabeth (age 19) and Nora (age 17), both students. Thomas and Elizabeth’s youngest daughter, Kathleen, was away at school. Thomas (son) and Arthur both joined the Army, where Arthur died of enteric in 1900 during the Boer War. Sarah married in 1926, and died in the 1950s. In 1911, Elizabeth and Kathleen were still living with their mother, both working as secretaries; Elizabeth later joined the Civil Service. Their mother, the older Elizabeth, died in 1919. 

banner in the Convent Chapel

We do have records about the Embroidery Room, but I do not have specific details noted. I know that Embroidery Pupils were taken for a charge, but I do not know when we started Embroidery work. It may have been fairly early on; I also know that we did paid work for churches, as well as work for ourselves. Some of the embroidery we did for the Convent Chapel survives, and we were privileged to use it, and marvel at the detail. So the Embroidery pupils had good training, and would presumably have needed a certain level of expertise before coming. I have no idea whether there was any specific length of stay, or whether it depended on the individual, or the type of tuition wanted. The training was specifically in Church Embroidery, so would have needed explanation of the different uses. Some may have been fairly simple, embroidering a cross on the linens used in the Eucharist, for example. Others may have been much more detailed, for a chasuble (worn by the Priest) or an altar frontal.

We know that Nora thrived in her training, as this was to become her career. In 1921, she is registered at the Community House as an Embroideress. It is possible she was living with us, and working full time in the Embroidery room, but she is listed as a visitor, although I note that all three Embroidery Pupils are down as visitors in 1911. What I do know is that Nora Kirkbride was admitted as an Associate of the 1^st order [Sister Associate] in 1911, with no address was noted, implying that she was living at Ditchingham. Her address is later stated as London Address Hazelwood House, Hounslow. The way I have noted this implies that this was the address she used when in London, but would have been at Ditchingham some of the time. The London address was where her mother and sisters were registered in 1911.

However, the electoral registers support my assumption that Nora lived at the Community House for many years. She is shown there between 1918 and 1929; I think the registers I saw started in 1918, so we can safely assume that she was there from whenever she first became an embroidery pupil. Sometime in 1929 to 1930, she moved to Brancaster Staithe, which is on the Norfolk coast, quite a distance from Ditchingham. She is found there in 1939, her occupation given as Church Embroidery Worker, own account. Also registered at the same address are Edward Tenant, a general labourer, and his wife Florence, shown as Housekeeper, unpaid domestic duties. The 1939 register does not give a relationship to head of household, so I do not know quite what the link was. Nora died in early January 1957 at All Hallows Hospital, which was run by the Community in the village of Ditchingham. She was still living in Brancaster Staithe at the time, but it seems appropriate that, at her death, she was cared for by the Community to which she dedicated so much of her life. Nora was one of countless numbers of people who spent their lives beautifying our churches and our worship. Many of them are unknown, but it is appropriate to pause and give thanks for them, and for their work which continues to give glory to God.