Isabel’s Diary: The First 6 Months

Today marks six months since we started publishing Aunt Isabel’s Diary. I’ve transcribed most of the diary entries and Rosaleen has produced all the excellent photographic posts. It’s been a fun and interesting task, and not as time consuming as I feared – a few minutes a day unless Isabel introduces a character whom I need to research.

I’ve reproduced the diary faithfully, with the original punctuation i.e. all commas and few full stops. As the reader will have noticed, it is more of a log than a diary with an obsession with train times and almost nothing about feelings. Nevertheless I hope it gives an insight into the life of a relatively wealthy young lady of the time. The family ties are obviously strong – sister Nell living down the road and coming to dinner on a regular basis, and the on-going saga of Aunt Betsy and her ill health. The Lees obviously had a carefree lifestyle with plenty of travel, theatre, golf and tennis – the events of 1914 must have come as a major shock.

Although Isabel seems perfectly comfortable in the company of men, there is no sign of any romantic interest. Isabel is 27 in 1913, above the average age of marriage in those times, but didn’t actually take that  step until 33 years later, when she married Don Brown at the age of 60.

I hope our few readers stay with us as we reveal Isabel’s doings for the rest of this 5 year diary.

Robert Lee

Isabel’s Diary: 30 June 1913

Glorious day, busy morning, went to town on 12-56, tea with Sandy, home on 6-28, Sid came home for the night.

Isabel’s Diary: 29 June 1913

Sunday

Ada & I went for a long walk, Sandy & Mr Cockle came for tea also Roger, went for a run* after, S & Mr C came for supper.

*In the car – I don’t think Isabel was into jogging..

Isabel’s Diary: 28 June 1913

Saturday

Busy morning, M & I went to the tennis at the Radfords, RM & Hughes there. Ada* came and stayed the weekend.

*Probably Isabel’s cousin Ada Gertrude Whitlow, daughter of Aunt Lizzie Whitlow who came to lunch on 10th June. Ada was aged 40 (born 1873) and remained single at least till the death of her mother in 1918,  as she is described as a spinster in the probate record. But I can find no record of her in the 1911 census, nor any of her marriage, emigration or death. Perhaps she changed her name!

Isabel’s Diary: 27 June 1913

Friday

A.B. in bed, went to Hip with Bert, Dorothy Cooper and Mary, went to Midland after supper with Sandy, home on 11-10.

Isabel’s Diary: 26 June 1913

Thursday

Lovely day, went into town on 12-56, up to Crumpsall, played tennis with Win, D. Rust & Warren Clegg

Isabel’s Diary: 25 June 1913

Wednesday

Mother went out for the day, A.B.in bed, not so well. Nell came down in the afternoon.

Isabel’s Diary: 24 June 1913

Tuesday

Went to town on 10-38, met Win & had some lunch after a Turkish bath. M went to Bolton to stay with Hil. Very wet day

 

Babbacombe Hall

Arch was not at home in Wheatfield, Hawthorn Lane, Wilmslow on the night of the 1911 census but staying here as a boarder at Babbacombe Hall, in the St Mary Church district of Torquay, Devon.  We don’t know why but we do know that the co-proprietor of the boarding house was Mary Woodhead Edmondson, the older sister of his wife’s sister in law, Fanny, my great grandmother.

4 Park Gate Avenue, Withington

 

This is where Arch and Nell were living two years into their marriage at the time of the 1901 census. They had made the pioneering move to the south of Manchester from Crumpsall, north of the city.  29 year old Arch is working as a cashier and 24 year old Nell is looking after their six month old son Geoffrey with the help of Mary Burgess, their domestic servant from Wolverhampton and Eliza Bailey their nursery nurse from Manchester. By the time of the 1911 census, Arch and Nell would have had two daughters, Marjorie and Dorothy to add to their family and have moved to the more upmarket suburb of Wilmslow to live in Hawthorn Lane in a house just along the road from where Isabel’s diary was written.