Honour Bridges

Born around 1820, died 1911
Nurse at Mitford and Launditch Union Workhouse, 1856-57
Researched by Stephen Pope

Honour Bridges (née Hazell) was born around 1820 in the village of Mundham, southeast of Norwich, to parents Charles and Elizabeth Hazell.

The first reference to her professionally is in the 1851 census (around the age of 31) where she is listed as a General Servant in the Bethel Hospital, Norwich. The Bethel had been erected in 1713 to house poor ‘lunatics’ (as they were referred to at the time) who could ‘possibly be cured’. Also listed at the Bethel is a 22-year-old Plasterer, James Bridges who was a patient at the hospital. Three years later. On the 2 July 1854, Honour and James are married. From this it could be assumed that James recovered enough to leave the hospital, and the couple were able to be married.

In the mid-1850s the Guardians at the Mitford and Launditch Union Workhouse at Gressenhall were finding it difficult to obtain the services of a Nurse. In January 1856, Margaret Crisp Thurlow had resigned from her post less than a month’s service. Despite advertisements locally and further afield, duties being carried out temporarily by Ann Sewell and Mary Howard, two workhouse Inmates who were assisting in the Infirmary, for which they were paid a gratuity of 5s each.

On the 12 May 1856 the Guardians received an application from Mrs Honour Bridges for the post of  Nurse at the Mitford and Launditch Union Workhouse. The application was the only one received and after a trial of one month she was fully installed as the Nurse.  Her appointment form shows that she was 36 years old and had been a Nurse and Cook at the Infirmary in Norwich, also called The Bethel Hospital. Her salary had been £15 per annum at Bethel which increased to £20 per annum at  Gressenhall.  On the appointment form she is described as being married with one daughter.

The Poor Law Board in London were concerned as to where her husband and daughter were to reside whilst she was at Gressenhall. In reply the workhouse Clerk informed them that the Husband and seven year old daughter resided in Norwich under the care of the girl’s grandmother. The Husband is reported as occasionally being employed as Porter at the Infirmary. This would seem to confirm that James Bridges and Honour Hazell after their marriage continued to work at the Bethel Hospital.

Soon after Honour arrived at Gressenhall she would have been involved in a difficult case. The Workhouse Infirmary often acted as a maternity hospital for poor women who would have no one to look after them or their other children after giving birth at home. A woman called Lucy Bridges (no relation to Honour) was transported to the Gressenhall Workhouse Infirmary on the 16 June 1856 under an order from George Philo, the Assistant Overseer in East Dereham. Unfortunately Lucy was in an advance stage of her pregnancy and went into labour whilst still in the carriage to Gressenhall. The child and mother did not survive the birth. Although the Workhouse would normally hire a Midwife from Dereham, Honour would have been involved in looking after Lucy until she died on the 23 June 1856. The Guardians considered that the removal of Lucy to the Workhouse without being looked at by a Medical Officer an improper step and that Mr Philo was “…guilty of great neglect in his duty as a public officer”.

Honour would also have been involved in looking after 14 cases of scarlet fever in the workhouse in February 1857. These cases would have been accommodated in a large room on the top floor of the east wing.

On 2 March 1857 Honour resigns as Nurse at Gressenhall and returns to her family in Norwich. The post is given to Mrs Mary Howard one of the inmates that had assisted in the Infirmary before Honour had been appointed. No indication is given as to why Honour resigned although it could be inferred that she wished to return to her husband and daughter.

James and Honour Bridges continued to live in Norwich until James Bridges died in 1882 age 53. During these years Honour does not seem to have returned to Nursing but stayed as a wife and mother, whilst James reverted to his trade of Plasterer. Honour lived in Norwich as a widow until by 1901 when she is listed as an inmate of Doughty Hospital at the age of 76, she died in March 1911 age 85.