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In actual fact, the implementation of nurses in rural communities was a national scheme.

Before the mid-19th Century, nursing was not seen as a respectable job. It was practiced by the poorest women and society associated it with slovenliness, bad character, and drunkenness. That changed in the Crimean War (1853-56) through the efforts of women such as #FlorenceNightingale and #MarySeacole. The second half of the century saw the beginning of nurse training and the recognition of it as a profession.

Queen Victoria took a great interest in this. In 1887, for her Golden Jubilee, Women's Institutes all over the country raised the vast sum of £70,000 and presented it to the queen. Victoria decreed that it should be used to provide training and support for a new scheme: District Nursing. This was the start of the community nursing we still benefit from in the UK today.

Hence the Jubilee Cottage for the Jubilee Institute Nurse.

But who was Veronica Badgery? And what about her absent husband?

A bit more digging gave me some fascinating answers.

In Marylebone in 1896, Annie Veronica Huntley, daughter of Richard Herbert Maxwell Huntley ('gentleman') married Thomas William Badgery, a leather dresser from Worcester.

In 1898, their son, Thomas Maxwell Badgery, was born.

In 1902, Anne Veronica filed for divorce.

#LocalHistory #Northumberland #WomensHistory #HealthcareHistory #NursingHistory #19thCentury