Millicent Simpson

Millicent was born near Odiham in the 1860s to George and Lucy Simpson. In 1881 she was employed as children's nurse at the home of Frank Squire, Piano Maker, at 16 Sandringham Gardens, Uxbridge Road, Ealing. By 1890 she was married to Samuel Wiltshire, and they has at least three children.

Millicent in about 1890		Millicent (r) with her second husband Tommy Beard and her daughter Winifred.

For many years Millicent lived with her husband Samuel at 74 The Grove, in Ealing. This was also home to her son Phillip and his family, though his career in the navy meant he spent little time there. Samuel died about 1927, and in 1933 Phillip and his family moved to a home of their own. Millicent sold her house at The Grove, was married to Tommy Beard, and moved with him to Chinnor in Oxfordshire. When he in turn died, she moved back to Ealing until her own death in 1949.

Millicent is remembered as a dominant lady with a commanding voice. Another family member described her as "a strong, determined woman married to a feckless man". She had a good singing voice and had a good knowledge of music, probably as a reslt of her time spent serving in the home of a piano maker. She was a member of a church or chapel group, and often quoted passages from the bible.

Sources: Census 1881, 1901; family memories

Updated 25-03-04