Sr. Mary Martin

Mary Martin’s father, Edward, was a coal and stone merchant, according to the 1851 census, when the family lived in St Pancras. By 1861, her mother (also Mary) was working as a dressmaker, lodging with her youngest daughter Caroline (a pupil teacher) in Marylebone. I cannot find Edward after 1851, although Mary was married in 1861, so he was still alive. In 1861, Mary (the daughter) is working as a milliner, living with her maternal aunt, Caroline Hartley, in Litchfield. Caroline is described as head of household, and was also working as a milliner, so it seems likely that Mary was working for her, and had probably been trained by her.  I cannot find the youngest child, William Lockwood Martin, in 1861, but he was ordained in 1871. The changes between 1851 and 1861 do imply a change of fortune in those ten years, but I have no idea what or how significant. I would assume that whatever happened in the 1850s led to Caroline Hartley offering to train Mary. It is interesting that William was ordained in Litchfield, suggesting that she may also have helped her nephew. By 1881 William was Vicar of Bettisfield, Flint, Wales, and his mother Mary, now widowed, is living with him. I have not got the data for the younger Mary in 1871 or 1881.

At some point in the mid-1880s, Mary Martin, the daughter, joined the Community of All Hallows. She is mentioned in M. Lavinia’s letters: ‘Miss Martin is here & Harriet Rose, both waiting to be received as Postulants – no Priest yet.’ A mention of two postulants in a subsequent letter dated Nov. 24th implies that both had been received by then. I’m not sure who Harriet Rose was, so it is likely that she did not stay, but Mary is almost certainly Miss Martin, and was clothed as a Novice sometime in 1886. She was professed on the feast day of St Simon and St Jude, probably in 1888, although we have not got a record of the year. Born in 1842, this would mean she was in her mid-40s when she joined the Community. What happened in between 1861, when she is working as a milliner with her aunt, and 1886? Unless I can find her in either the 1871 or 1881 census, I have no idea. I assume she supported herself by her work, until she came to Ditchingham. What led her here, I also do not know. But it seems that she was one of those Sisters who lived out her life at Ditchingham, rather than in one of the branch houses.

In 1891, she was working in the Orphanage, one of only two Sisters there. She was also responsible for the subscriptions to East and West, the magazine published by the Community at the time. She sent out collecting cards as well, and sold photos taken of the Community and our houses. In 1893, Sr Adeline was responsible for the work for East and West and by 1901, Sr Mary was at the Community House, as she was in 1911. This is slightly frustrating as it gives us no idea as to the type of work being done. In 1911, there were 16 Sisters resident at the Community House, with 7 Third Order Sisters and 4 visitors. Three of these were working in the Embroidery room, or pupils there; the fourth was a domestic servant, although definitely at Ditchingham as a visitor. By 1911, Sr Mary was the oldest Sister in the Community and one of four in their 60s, three of whom were also at the Community House, including M. Mary Rose, aged 65, who was the Reverend Mother. Sr Mary died in 1914, aged 71. Whether her last years involved ill-health or not, I again do not know. Once the Community Diary starts, in the early 1920s, this is often stated and, sometimes, there will be a comment on the Sister, giving an insight as to who she was beyond the bare facts left in official documents. But Sr Mary died before this, and we only have those facts; occasionally, there is something in East and West about a Sister, although this is rare.

What strikes me about Sr Mary’s story is how little we know. Yes, there may be more out there to discover and I might, if I wanted, be able to trace William’s career through church announcements. But even if we were to discover more facts that would not give us the story. We might possibly be able to discover where Edward Martin was after the 1851 census until his death, and we may be able to use what data we have to see how that impacted his family. But it would not tell us about how any of them felt, or how it affected the way they related to each other. We may discover where Sr Mary was in the years before she joined the Community, but it will not tell us about the details of her life, or her faith. Sometimes those stories are out there: there may be a memoir, or a diary or a newspaper article that will give us more insight. But often, there is not, and when there is, we have to find it, and trust the writer for accuracy. Even those comments in the Community Diary are written from the point of view of whichever Sister is writing it.

There are facts about all of our lives, but there are also stories behind the facts. Missing from what I know of the Martin family life includes some facts, but also the stories, the details. It can be so easy to assume we know, or think we know, what happened. I assume that William’s mother, Mary, moved to Wales to live with him when she could no longer live independently; or, possibly, while he was still single, to run his house, or … But there could be many reasons why they are together in 1881, and I do not know the reason. It can be very easy to assume we know what lies behind the facts of someone else’s life, but we should always remember that we may be wrong.

[Picture: Sr Mary is at the back, I think]