Pluckley, Kent England |
Hannah was born in 1805 in the little hamlet of Pluckley in Kent England to John & Susanna Philpot.
Pluckley is said to be the most haunted village in England. At age 18, Hannah left Pluckley for Lenham, a nearby small town. There she married Edward Golding and over the next 14 years the couple had 6 children. When their youngest was 9 months old Edward died and Hannah was left a widow at the age of 28.
Church in Lenham |
It took a few years to find out who had fathered Georgiana but eventually I had the proof that it was Hannah's next door neighbour, George Norris. Hannah went on to have another child after Georgiana, and Georgiana named George as her father at her marriage to Charles Simpson, so obviously this was not a secret in the village.
Hannah never remarried after Edward's death and George Norris remained single his entire life. I've always wondered what their relationship was. They never lived together so were they an early example of "friends with benefits"? Was it a casual but consensual relationship? Or was it a long-lasting love that carried on over the years. I suspect I will never know.
Kent County Insane Asylum |
As for George Norris he disappears after the 1861 census where he is found as a 50 year old single man living with his mother in Lenham.
1 comment:
Very interesting! Seems like Georgiana may even have been named after her father, so it really may not have been a secret. Thanks for sharing!
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