Diary of Beatrice Welch

The diary of Beatrice Welch covers the period 23 December 1899 to 15 May 1900 with occasional additions made at later dates. During this time Beatrice worked for the London drapers 'Robinson and Cleaver' in Regent Street. Each page is numbered and the diary concludes with 'books I have read since 1 May 1900'.

The diary provides a glimpse into everyday London life at the opening of the twentieth century. National events are mentioned including the relief of Ladysmith in February 1900 and a visit of Queen Victoria to London in March 1900. The diary also provides an insight into late Victorian social life as well as life in London at the turn of the twentieth century.

Beatrice Welch was born in Chertsey, Surrey on 21 December 1881. The sixth child of Charles Welch (1848-1905) and Eliza Fielder Saunders (1848-1914) who were married on the Isle of Wight on 4 November 1871. Charles Welch was an architect and surveyor. Beatrice's siblings included Robert William (1873-1936), Lilian Christian (b 1874), Charles Henry (b 1876), Ethel May (1877-1910), Harold Alfred (1878-1915, killed in action in France during the First World War), and Amy Louis (b 1882).

Beatrice's sister, Lilian, who features in the diary married Sidney Metcalf in June 1900. In the 1901 census Beatrice was living with Lilian and Sidney in their house in North Wimbledon. She is listed as a 'draper's clerk'. Beatrice married Harry William Wakeman in 1905 at Wandsworth. She died, aged 49, in Islington in 1931.

Sources: 1881 census, 1901 census and 1911 census available at www.findmypast.com, accessed August 2009.

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

Purchased May 2004.

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Papers arranged and described by Mark Eccleston, August 2009.

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material

Papers of Robert William Welch, reference: MS682