Ampthill, Bedfordshire, Record 6: The Brown Household

Record 5: The Brown Household 

Record six is recorded in the first of three larger houses on Dunstable Street, Maydencroft.

Head: Maria Brown

Maria Brown was born into a quaker family in Baldock, Hertfordshire, in 1848. Her father, Crowther Brown (1798-1863) was a chemist and grocer, and married Maria Deane (1802-1889) in 1836. Maria had three siblings, Mary (1839-1904), James (1842-1908), and Sylvanus (1843-1899). Although she was born in Baldock, Maria's family moved to Colchester, Essex at an early age, and then around 1860 moved to Dunstable Street, Ampthill, where Crowther ran a chemists shop in the village centre.

Former Quaker Meeting House, Dunstable Street
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Even after her father died, Maria, along with her siblings James and Mary, continued to live with her elderly mother. During this time James and Mary both worked while Maria was a member of the local quaker group and co-founded the Ampthill YMCA along with possibly looking after her mother. Even after her mother passed away in 1889, the three siblings continued to live together in the house. By 1901, only James continued to work, as Mary had retired.

However, Mary passed away on the 19th of March 1904, aged 65, and James passed away four years later, aged 66. Despite this, Maria continued to live in the old family home. By 1911 she was hiring a domestic servant to look after the house.

Maria was last seen alive on the 12th of May 1912. Just under a month later on the 6th of June, Maria was found dead in the house. She was 64, and was buried in the burial ground behind the Quakers hall. Following her funeral, the Luton Times and Advertiser published this obituary;

Graveyard and garden behind the Meeting House, 1969

" The funeral took place on Wednesday of the late Miss Maria Brown of Maydencroft, Dunstable Street, who passed away at the age of 64. She was highly esteemed by a large circle of friends, having taken an active part in Christian work, more especially in connection with the YMCA, of which she was president and founder. With her late sister, Miss Mary Brown, she was also associated with the Blue Ribbon movement. Miss Brown was the youngest daughter of the late Mr and Mrs Crowther Brown, and the only surviving member of that family, so well known for their connection with the Society Friends, and her death means that the last of the old members of the Friends meeting has passed away, and the society has now no representatives in the town. Mr Edward Brown conducted the funeral service, and Mr Percy Brown read a portion of scripture at the graveside in the quiet little burial ground behind the Friend's meeting house."



Servant : Elizabeth Fanny Flowers Sibley 

Elizabeth Fanny Flowers Sibley was born on the 15th of September 1873 in Ampthill to miner James Sibley (1833-1888) and his wife Fanny (1834-1912), whose maiden name (Flowers) contributed to Elizabeth's middle names. Although she was born in Ampthill, Elizabeth and her family moved to Guisbrough in Yorkshire when she was a child. This wasn't, however, to last as her father passed away in 1888 while in London, leading to Elizabeth and her mother moving back to Ampthill, where Fanny's family lived.

Without a husband to support them, both Elizabeth and Fanny took up work. Elizabeth became a domestic servant, while Fanny took up work as a seamstress. By 1911, Elizabeth was the servant for spinster Maria Brown and may have continued to be until Maria's death a year later. Elizabeth spent the rest of her life working around Ampthill as a servant, mainly for elderly spinsters, until she passed away, an elderly spinster in 1941, aged 68.