Sarah Pye

Born 1804, died 1885
Pauper Nurse at Mitford and Launditch Union Workhouse 1842-1844
Researched by Dauna Coppin

Sarah was born near Reepham, Norfolk on 11th April 1804 and baptised four days later in Hackford with Whitwell. Her parents were James Wilson and Sarah Harwood. When she was 20 years old, Sarah married William Rix, also known as William Pye, from the parish of Elsing.

Sarah and William had a child, Marianne born in 1825 but she, sadly, died aged 3 months old. However, they went on to have five more children, Sarah Anne, Ellen, William, James, and Jane. The youngest, who was baptised in 1835.

William, who was a farm labourer, often got himself into trouble.  In April 1838, there was a report in the Norfolk Chronicle, “William Pye was charged with having, on the 3rd December, stolen two sheep, the property of Mr James Rump of Swanton Morley”  William was found guilty on 29th March 1838 at Norwich Assizes and sentenced to be deported to Australia for ten years. It was not his first offence as he had also been found guilty of larceny in 1831, when he served 12 months in prison.

Subsequently, and probably as a result of losing her husband’s income, Sarah found herself and her five children in the Mitford and Launditch Union Workhouse. She appears in the Census there in 1841 and was described as a 35-year-old Pauper. However, Sarah behaved well and was duly rewarded. The Guardian’s minutes of 28th February 1842 recorded that it was  “Resolved that the sum of £1 each as a reward for good conduct and for their services be given to Sarah Pye [and others].” Later that year, in July 1842, she was given paid employment within the Workhouse: The minutes of the 18th July state that  “…Sarah Pye be employed as laundry Maid and Nurse in the Old Men’s Ward at the wages of £5.” Two years later, on 29th January 1844, the Workhouse Guardian’s Minutes showed that Sarah had made sufficient progress to be able to apply for another position: “…permission be given to Mrs Pye to apply for the situation of Nurse in the Bury Union House…five pounds annually for the maintenance of the children she leaves behind.”

It is not known if she gained that particular employment, however, she was working somewhere for the next few years, as she was able to pay maintenance on a regular basis for the children, who remained behind in the Workhouse.

On 10th June 1845, Sarah’s husband, William, still on the Australian continent,  had been given his certificate of freedom and a ticket of leave for good conduct. He must have made his way home because, in 1849, when she was aged 45, Sarah and William, with their children, emigrated to Australia, under the surname of Rix. They arrived on the ship, ‘James Gibb’ on 9th June 1849.

Nothing further is known of Sarah’s life except that she spent it in the Goulburn area of New South Wales where she died, aged 80 years on 17th March 1885 and was buried in St Saviour's Anglican Cemetery, Marulan, Goulburn Mulwaree Council. She was buried next to her husband, William, who had died on 9th September 1879.