19th June 1921 at 61 Beverley Crescent Bedford - what looks to be a nice residence and which the enumerator has shown as having 8 rooms - lives a widow Mrs Gertrude Jane Clarke age 45 years 6 months. She was born Bayswater, London. There are no children under 15 indicated on the form. Her occupation is home duties.
She has a live in domestic servant, Violet Edith Whitlock, my grandmother, which is why I've come across Gertrude Jane as I paid for the actual census page not the transcript.
The other occupant that night was a visitor Susan Ellen Tarry whose occupation is shown as home duties at the Victoria Hotel in Wolverton, Bucks. Ms Tarry is aged 55 years and 1 month and single. She is the sister of William Henry Tarry, born Bugbrooke, Northants which is also where Susan was born, who ran the Victoria Hotel.
Ms Tarry who had come to the Vic "from a scholastic position in Nottingham" and also appears to have worked as a school mistress in nearby Newport Pagnell marries a Mr Henry Patman in 1924, he being retired from Lloyds Bank in nearby Stony Stratford, and dies not long afterwards in July 1925. Mrs G. Clarke "a great friend from Bedford" was with her when she died. (Information taken from a biography of Mr WH Tarry)
Working initially on the theory that Gertrude was a war widow I've tried to work out who she is - just out of interest, she's nothing to do with my family but the mention of the Victoria in Wolverton sparked my interest - but I've not managed to work it out yet so if someone would like a challenge to look her with new eyes I'm interested in what you come up with.
She can afford a live in domestic servant but we don't have the familiar "living on own means" mentioned on this census.
