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| Folios 426-431. Letter from J Rees-Mogg [John Rees-Mogg] and W Rees-Mogg [William Rees-Mogg], Clerks to the Guardians of the Clutton Poor Law Union, to the Poor Law Commission, acknowledging their letter of 22 March 1847 concerning the case of Joyce Bryant and enclosing witness statements as requested; the guardians have no comments. Statement from Mary Price, widow, the letter carrier from St Thomas, Pensford: she knew and lived near Joyce Bryant, also a widow, when she rented a house from Mrs Phoebe Howard. She describes Joyce Bryant's various attempts to get relief first from Compton Dando, where the baker, James Bennet, was bringing her 2s 6d a week, then, after trips to Bristol and Nailsea to visit her daughters, from Mr Dudden at Pensford when she returned there to another daughter, Maria Bryant, a single woman with three children, and thirdly at Compton Dando, where she lodged with Hannah Fry, where Mr Flower, the relieving officer, gave her two loaves, one of which she exchanged with Mrs Nurse for tea and lard. She finally went to Keynsham, in the deepest snow of the winter, and was given 2s 6d a week there before returning very ill to her daughter in Publow, whence another daughter in Bristol sent her 3s through Richard Carter, a baker. She was an active woman although prone to asthma, sometimes much worse than others. She died the following Wednesday. Price firmly believes that death was caused by exposure to the very bad weather on the day she went to Keynsham. Statement from Jane Franks, of Publow: she had lived with Maria Bryant since leaving the workhouse twelve months previously; they had been in St Thomas, Pensford, but after the house fell down they all moved to Publow. She described Joyce Bryant's movements between Publow, Bristol, Nailsea and Compton Dando and her attempts in those places to get relief from Mr Dudden at Publow and Mr Flower at Compton Dando, before setting off for Keynsham Union in the coldest weather of the winter. On her return she was very ill; the witness had attended her in her final days, when she had all the basics she needed, and laid her out when she died, when she found a shilling in her pocket and some small change, and has no doubt that her death was caused by her exposure on the journey to Keynsham. Statement from John Dudden, relieving officer: Joyce Bryant had first asked him for relief on 24 November 1846, when he had given her 12lbs of bread but she then and later had refused his suggestion of going to the workhouse. She went away for about eight weeks and then re-appeared and asked for relief, which he refused. He later heard that she was getting relief from Compton Dando; he knew she was living with her daughter and at no time when he saw her did he think she looked ill: the first he heard of illness was when her daughter asked for a medical order the day before she died. Paper Number: 5344/B/1847. Poor Law Union Number 374. Counties: Somerset. |
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