Mary Ellen Pryce

Born 1866, died 1959
Superintendent Nurse at Mitford and Launditch Union Workhouse 1900-1905
Researched by Dauna Coppin

Mary Ellen Pryce was born in Kensington, London in the early months of 1866. Her baptism took place on 21st April that year in the Holy Trinity Church, Paddington and her home address was 101 Cirencester Street. Her parents were Thomas and Ellen (née Evans). Thomas’ occupation was a bookkeeper.

The 1871 census showed the family living at 8 Stephenson Terrace, Shakespeare Road, Acton, Middlesex, where 5-year-old Mary had three younger siblings; John, Sarah and Thomas.

Mary’s whereabouts in 1881 is not known, but the 1891 census shows she was living with the family near Bradford, Yorkshire. Mary was not shown as working at the time of the census but, four years later she had started her training as a Probationer nurse at Brownhill Infirmary, Liverpool on 14th July 1896, aged 30. It was here that she achieved her Certificate of Nursing. She progressed to the role of Charge Nurse and left for a better position on 18th September 1899.

Her next employment was from 8th December 1899 until 25th April 1900 at the Western Fever Hospital , Seagrove Road, Fulham, London as a Charge Nurse.  She left there because they were reducing their staff numbers. However, Mary immediately secured a position as Head Nurse at the Mitford and Launditch Union Workhouse Infirmary at Gressenhall, on 30th April 1900.  A reference from the Clerk to the Board of Metropolitan Asylums, regarding her employment at the Western Fever Hospital in Fulham said, “I beg to state that during the time Mary Ellen Pryce held the Office of Charge Nurse at the Western Hospital her general conduct was good and she performed her duties satisfactorily”, resulting in the Workhouse Guardian’s appointing Mary first as Head Nurse and then officially as Superintendent. This followed a Workhouse Inspectors report of his visit on 16th July: “I have put down under the nursing arrangements a ‘Superintendent and three assistant nurses’, though, at the moment of my inspection, this was not so. There are a Nurse and two Ward Attendants, but I found the Ward Attendants were doing nurses work, and were practically Assistant Nurses under a Head Nurse, who is fully qualified for the post of Superintendent. The Guardians have agreed to appoint this nurse (Pryce) Superintendent.” Thus, she was appointed at a salary of £40 per annum.

On the 1901 census, Mary is registered at the Gressenhall Workhouse as a 35 year old hospital nurse.

In May 1902, Mary appeared in The Norwich Mercury which gave a report of an inquest. Mary had been a witness, as she had discovered the body of 34-year-old workhouse inmate George Dunthorne who, sadly, had taken his own life. Mary stated that she had seen him in the day room that morning and saw nothing wrong, but noticed later that he was in a bad temper in the garden. Mary had to reprimand him for pulling the beds about in the sleeping room and said that, if he continued to misbehave, he would not see his brother on Sunday. She had not been asked to watch him all the time, so left him alone. Later in the afternoon, on discovering his body, Mary called for help, but it was too late. She told the inquest that Mr Dunthorne had previously threatened to commit suicide and that she had sent a nurse to take a knife away from him the previous week. According to the report, George was disabled and could not “get about without a chair on wheels”. It is not clear that George was received any specific care for mental health difficulties.

Mary continued to work at Gressenhall Workhouse until February 1905, when she left, but gave no reason. The annual Midwive’ Roll of 1905, showed that she had enrolled as a Midwife at Gressenhall in October 1904 where she had been in practice there, as a midwife, since July 1901. She passed the Central Midwives Board Examination on 2nd November 1908.

On June 4th 1910, the British Journal of Nursing reported that Mary  had been appointed as Superintendent Nurse at the Workhouse Infirmary, Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire. This report also mentioned that Mary, as well as being a Certified Midwife, had been employed as a Sister at the Bethnal Green Infirmary, London. However, the Midwives Roll  in 1910 also shows she was back in Yorkshire living at Highfield, Queensbury, presumably at home with her family. The reason for returning home may have been that she was unwell. On the 1911 census, Mary was a patient in Leeds Infirmary. 

During The First World War, Mary continued to work. She was engaged on 4th October 1915 as a volunteer for the Red Cross as a trained Nurse. Her address at the time of registration was 3 Crooms Hill Grove, Greenwich Park in London. She moved around quite a lot at this time. Her service ended on 11th January 1918. In 1917, Mary was registered the UK and Ireland Nursing Registers as number 2601 and recorded as living at The Auxiliary Hospital Dinas Powys, Glamorgan, South Wales in 1919. This may have been a Red Cross Hospital.

The Midwives’ Roll of 1915 and 1920 shows that she was living at 40 Canonbury Square in the Islington area of London.

The 1921 census shows that she was a visitor living at 40 Charlotte Street, Bermondsey. She was aged 55 and working at Newark Infirmary, although it states that she was out of work at the time of the census. Her occupation was listed as a trained medical and surgical nurse, and a certified midwife. Her primary address from 1921 to 1928  was with Mrs Palmer, 27 Minet Avenue, Harlesden, London.

It has not been possible to locate Mary after 1928 but it is believed that she died in Halifax, in the December Quarter 1959, aged 91 years old.