Elizabeth Stillman (1786 – 1888)

 Elizabeth Clayton was born 14 April 1786 in Newbury the daughter of Thomas Clayton and Jane Read, who had married 5 April 1775 in Newbury.

Elizabeth married William Stillman on 25 November 1816 at St Nicolas in Newbury. William was born circa 1774 in Newbury and was a widower as he had previously married Sarah Challis on 19 May 1805 at St Mary in Hamstead Marshall. Sarah died October 1815 aged 37 and was buried 18 October 1815 at St Nicolas in Newbury.

In the 1841 census William and Elizabeth were living with in Bartholomew Street in Newbury with daughters Martha and Sarah.

William died May 1849 and was buried 9 May 1849 at St Nicolas in Newbury.

Two years later in the 1851 census Elizabeth was recorded visiting her step daughter Sarah Pendle and her husband in Draycott Terrace in Chelsea in London.

Elizabeth was recorded living with her unmarried step daughter Martha in Wash Road in Newbury in the 1861 census. Ten years later in 1871 Elizabeth and Martha were still living in Wash Road. Elizabeth and Martha were still living in Wash Road in 1881 along with another of Elizabeth’s step daughters Sarah Pendle. Elizabeth was recorded as an annuitant and both Martha and Sarah had their employment recorded as “no occupation”.

Elizabeth’s 100^th birthday was reported in an article in The Newbury Weekly News dated 15 April 1886. It was reported she was quite well and healthy and had never been out of Newbury in her life. Her husband William had died in 1849 and had left a certain sum of money, with which the children purchased an annuity for their mother. The old lady having attained such great age she had undoubtedly got the best of the bargain, it being calculated that she must have received quite three times the outlay.

It was reported in a short article in The Newbury Weekly News edition of 12 January 1888 the death of Martha on Sunday (8 January) and Sarah on Tuesday (10 January) and that Elizabeth was still alive and would celebrate her 102^nd birthday in April. Martha and Sarah were both buried at Newtown Road Cemetery on 14 January 1888.

The Newbury Weekly News edition of 2 February 1888 reported in a short article the death of Elizabeth Stillman, just a few weeks after the death of her two step daughters, which must have been a shock to her. She had been in possession of al her mental faculties but was in a delicate state of health. Her father Thomas had died aged 104 in King John’s Almshouses in 1846. She left three surviving grandsons and one granddaughter. Elizabeth was buried at Newtown Road Cemetery on 4 February 1888.

Sources: as above