Hon Dora Shaw Mellor and RUH box scheme John Daniels March 2024
The Mothers' Union displaying their new banner in 1933 with Dora Shaw Mellor standing to the left (courtesy Eric Callaway)
Origins of the sceme
The Bath Hospital box scheme was established in 1922 by the Bath Council of Friendly Societies under the Chairmanship of my grandfather Frank Pine. The aim was to save the Royal United Hospital (RUH) from debt and to ensure continued free treatment for all. As a voluntary hospital established for the benefit of the poor, the RUH was basically running out of rich benefactors in the face of the demand for its services. The box scheme enabled working people to ensure the hospital was there when they needed it. It covered Bath and substantial parts of Wiltshire and Somerset with collecting boxes in every home and committees and stewards in every district. It quickly evolved into a contributory scheme financing members treatment in other hospitals and financing dentistry and eye tests.[1]
Promoting the scheme and the setting up of committees involved Frank Pine and his friendly society colleagues (most notably
HC Lavington) in visiting many localities for meetings, showing groups around the RUH, and speaking at major scheme meetings in Bath. They also had support from people outside the Friendly Society Movement including the Mayors of Bath (notably Cedric Chivers and Aubrey Bateman) and other local mayors and notables such as Lord Methuen and the Hon Mrs Shaw Mellor. As his descendant, I am immensely proud of what Frank Pine achieved from humble beginnings.
The box scheme became part of a huge national movement for hospital contributory schemes in the 1930s. It extended to whole families so it had a great appeal to women as only a few females were covered by National Insurance. In 1928 (prompted by Mayor Cedric Chivers) the box scheme was asked to appoint 6 members to the RUH Management Board. One of the two women appointed was the Hon Mrs Shaw Mellor. She was a Vice-Chairman of the RUH Board from 1932-37 and RUH Chairman for three years from 1937-1941. She was married to a GP, a mother of 4 daughters, and lived at Box House, Box, Wiltshire.
The Bath Hospital box scheme was established in 1922 by the Bath Council of Friendly Societies under the Chairmanship of my grandfather Frank Pine. The aim was to save the Royal United Hospital (RUH) from debt and to ensure continued free treatment for all. As a voluntary hospital established for the benefit of the poor, the RUH was basically running out of rich benefactors in the face of the demand for its services. The box scheme enabled working people to ensure the hospital was there when they needed it. It covered Bath and substantial parts of Wiltshire and Somerset with collecting boxes in every home and committees and stewards in every district. It quickly evolved into a contributory scheme financing members treatment in other hospitals and financing dentistry and eye tests.[1]
Promoting the scheme and the setting up of committees involved Frank Pine and his friendly society colleagues (most notably
HC Lavington) in visiting many localities for meetings, showing groups around the RUH, and speaking at major scheme meetings in Bath. They also had support from people outside the Friendly Society Movement including the Mayors of Bath (notably Cedric Chivers and Aubrey Bateman) and other local mayors and notables such as Lord Methuen and the Hon Mrs Shaw Mellor. As his descendant, I am immensely proud of what Frank Pine achieved from humble beginnings.
The box scheme became part of a huge national movement for hospital contributory schemes in the 1930s. It extended to whole families so it had a great appeal to women as only a few females were covered by National Insurance. In 1928 (prompted by Mayor Cedric Chivers) the box scheme was asked to appoint 6 members to the RUH Management Board. One of the two women appointed was the Hon Mrs Shaw Mellor. She was a Vice-Chairman of the RUH Board from 1932-37 and RUH Chairman for three years from 1937-1941. She was married to a GP, a mother of 4 daughters, and lived at Box House, Box, Wiltshire.
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Dora Marion Shaw Mellor:
Early Years and Her Father Dora Marion Webster was born on 18 May 1873. She was the daughter of Richard Everard Webster (1842-1915) who married Louisa Mary Calthrop in 1872. Her only sibling, brother Arthur Harold Webster (1874-1902), died childless after an appendix operation. Her father commissioned the architect Edward Blakeway I'Anson to build Winterfold House near Cranleigh in the Surrey Hills in 1886, in a classic late Victorian style, and laid out grounds with flowering trees and shrubs. Her father was called to the bar in 1868, and became QC only ten years afterwards. His practice was chiefly in commercial, railway and patent cases. In June 1885 he was appointed Attorney-General in the Conservative Government in the exceptional circumstances of never having been Solicitor General, and not occupying a seat in parliament at that time. Left: The indomintable Hon Dora Shaw Mellor centre (photograph courtesy Philip Martin) |
In the House of Commons (and outside) Richard Webster's political career was prominently associated with church work, and his speeches were distinguished for gravity and earnestness. In July 1885, he was made a Knight Bachelor. In December 1893, he was appointed to the Order of St Michael and St George as a Knight Grand Cross. In January 1900 he was created a Baronet, but in May the same year succeeded Sir Nathaniel Lindley as Master of the Rolls, being raised to the peerage as Baron Alverstone and sworn into the Privy Council and in October of the same year he was elevated to the office of Lord Chief Justice, which he remained until 1913. He died at Cranleigh in 1915 aged 72 and was buried in West Norwood Cemetery. As his only son had died, the peerage became extinct but his daughter, Dora Marion could call herself the Honourable.
In the 1881 census Dora's father was described as a barrister in practice. They were living at Hornton Villa, Kensington. A 38-year-old widower (since 1877) his 35-year-old sister Mary was living with him and daughter Dora (7) and son Arthur (6) with four servants. They also had a visitor, John Surzey, a landscape provider (presumably to prepare plans for landscaping Winterfold, the family home). In 1901 Dora (27) was still at the same address with her father (58 and now with the title Lord Alverstone), his sister Laura (53) and 8 servants.
Dora Webster married Alfred Shaw Mellor (born in Paddington in 1876) in 1902 and in 1911 they were living at 14 Westbourne St, Hyde Park, Paddington West where Alfred was described as a Medical Practitioner. By this time they had three daughters, Joan Marion Shaw Mellor, Elizabeth Dora Shaw Mellor, and Barbara Janet Shaw Mellor. They were affluent and in the house were 6 servants. These probably made life easier for Dora and there is some evidence that, as Dora Mellor, she published a novel called “Beauty Retire” in 1909.
In the 1921 census Alfred called himself a general practitioner employed by the Ministry of Pensions. The family were living at Winterfold, Cranleigh, Surrey (her father’s mansion) which Dora had inherited on his death in 1915. With them were the three daughters and a fourth child, Anne Margery Shaw Mellor. Also in their household were 9 servants, including a child’s governess, a cook, a parlour maid, a house maid, a lady’s maid, a kitchen maid, a secretary maid and another parlour maid. It is not clear how long they had lived there (possibly Alfred lived in London weekdays). A year later the house was sold to Charles & Celine Armytage-Moore who owned it until 1962. In 1964 Prince Carol of Romania bought Winterfold House for an estimated £100,000. He later sold Winterfold and moved to London. Winterfold House was sold in 1978 to Major Anthony Hampton and family. More recently it was up for sale at £3m in need of internal restoration. During World War II, Winterfold was requisitioned by the British Government and used by the SOE (Special Operations Executive) as a training school for spies parachuted into occupied Europe.
In the 1881 census Dora's father was described as a barrister in practice. They were living at Hornton Villa, Kensington. A 38-year-old widower (since 1877) his 35-year-old sister Mary was living with him and daughter Dora (7) and son Arthur (6) with four servants. They also had a visitor, John Surzey, a landscape provider (presumably to prepare plans for landscaping Winterfold, the family home). In 1901 Dora (27) was still at the same address with her father (58 and now with the title Lord Alverstone), his sister Laura (53) and 8 servants.
Dora Webster married Alfred Shaw Mellor (born in Paddington in 1876) in 1902 and in 1911 they were living at 14 Westbourne St, Hyde Park, Paddington West where Alfred was described as a Medical Practitioner. By this time they had three daughters, Joan Marion Shaw Mellor, Elizabeth Dora Shaw Mellor, and Barbara Janet Shaw Mellor. They were affluent and in the house were 6 servants. These probably made life easier for Dora and there is some evidence that, as Dora Mellor, she published a novel called “Beauty Retire” in 1909.
In the 1921 census Alfred called himself a general practitioner employed by the Ministry of Pensions. The family were living at Winterfold, Cranleigh, Surrey (her father’s mansion) which Dora had inherited on his death in 1915. With them were the three daughters and a fourth child, Anne Margery Shaw Mellor. Also in their household were 9 servants, including a child’s governess, a cook, a parlour maid, a house maid, a lady’s maid, a kitchen maid, a secretary maid and another parlour maid. It is not clear how long they had lived there (possibly Alfred lived in London weekdays). A year later the house was sold to Charles & Celine Armytage-Moore who owned it until 1962. In 1964 Prince Carol of Romania bought Winterfold House for an estimated £100,000. He later sold Winterfold and moved to London. Winterfold House was sold in 1978 to Major Anthony Hampton and family. More recently it was up for sale at £3m in need of internal restoration. During World War II, Winterfold was requisitioned by the British Government and used by the SOE (Special Operations Executive) as a training school for spies parachuted into occupied Europe.
The magnificent Box House was the home of the Shaw Mellors in the village (courtesy Carol Payne)
Arrival in Box and the RUH box scheme
According to a Wiltshire Times article in 1952 on their Golden Wedding Dora and Alfred moved to Box, where he became a GP in 1922[2] and it has been suggested that they had purchased Box House in 1921.[3] They were active in Bath society by 1925 and contributing to the funds of the Royal United Hospital (the then substantial sums of £50 in both 1924 and 1925).
To publicise the scheme a fuss was made of quarterly cheque payments to the RUH by the scheme at various localities. The Bath Chronicle report of 13 August 1927 was headed: Better than Bath - Box Gives 50 per cent more to Hospital when the quarterly cheque handover ceremony was held at the Bingham Hall, Box. This was a large gathering that included the Mayor of Bath (Ald. Chivers). A break in a storm allowed a short procession to be made up and down the village led by the Corsham Brass Band, behind which marched in order the nurses of the RUH, Girl Guides and Brownies and Friendly Society officials wearing the insignia of their rank. Box was renowned in this time as a centre for friendly society activity with annual processions celebrating them.[4 & 5] Mrs Shaw Mellor presented a cheque for £1,300 to the Mayor, noting that £364 had been paid to other hospitals in the area. The mayor praised the people of Box for their contributions to the scheme, considering the size of its population compared with Bath. The cost of a hospital patient was now 56s. a week compared with 45s. only a few years before. The hospital had accommodation for 140 patients and the average was 127. There were currently 17 medical cases and 35 surgical cases on the waiting list. Mr Pine noted that so far £15,000 had been raised for the RUH.
The Bath Chronicle of 9 June 1928 gave details of the 1927 annual report of the Hospital box scheme. It said that a very important event in connection with the working of the scheme had occurred that year with the official recognition by the Hospital Management Board of the Hospital scheme, and, as a result of the negotiations which had taken place, there was now direct representation on the Board. The General Meeting of the Hospital Board in January 1928 unanimously adopted the suggestion that the Council should be represented by six members, namely, two from the City of Bath, two from the County of Wiltshire, one from the County of Somerset and one from the Friendly Societies' Council. Meetings were held in the various districts, and, as a result, Mrs. Gordon Smith and Councillor FB Knight were elected to represent the city of Bath, the Hon. Mrs. Shaw Mellor was elected for the Chippenham part of Wiltshire. Other representatives included Mr. A Blake for the Trowbridge area, Mr. J Milburn for the county of Somerset, and Mr. HC Lavington for the Friendly Societies' Council. This was deemed to be a step in the right direction, potentially to the advantage of both the Council and the Hospital Management Board.
After joining the RUH Management Board Mrs Shaw Mellor was a Vice-Chairman of the Board from 1932 and RUH Chairman from 1937-1941 when ill health forced her retirement. She was the first female Chairman of the RUH.
Mrs Shaw Mellor's Role in the Evolving scheme and RUH Management
On 21 September 1929 the Bath Chronicle had an article headed £1,100 for hospital – Gratifying Result of box scheme. At the Church Hall, Combe Down, the Mayor (Mr Aubrey Bateman) handed over the cheque to Mr B John (Chairman of the Hospital). Major M Clark presided and he was supported by Lieut-Col. Egbert Lewis (Chairman of the RUH 1905-23), the Hon Mrs Shaw Mellor and Mr FH Pine. It is worth noting that, for its size, Box was a good contributor to the scheme in 1929:
The Bath Chronicle of 30 August 1930 carried a full page report (along with a 93 year-old widow's search for a husband):[6]
County Campaign for Bath's Hospital - Cheque for £1,000 handed over at Corsham - Stirring Speeches by Lord Methuen, Mayor of Bath and Mrs Shaw Mellor. It recounted that Lord Methuen presided at a meeting at the Town Hall, Corsham, supported by Lady Methuen, the Mayor of Bath (Aubrey Bateman), the Hon Mrs Shaw Mellor, Mr FG Hamilton (Chairman of the RUH Board), Mr FH Pine (Chairman of the box scheme), Mr W Rawlinson (Treasurer of the box scheme) and another 8 persons are listed. There was a big list of notables in the audience.
There is a report on 11 June 1932 on Peasdown Aids Bath RUH to the effect that at Peasdown Parish Room on Friday week a quarterly cheque for £1,000 was handed to Hon Mrs Shaw Mellor as Vice-Chairman of the RUH Management Board, rather than in her role as a box scheme representative.[7] A musical concert followed. Mr FH Pine (Vice-Chairman of the Friendly Societies’ Council) attended and spoke after Mrs Shaw Mellor about the wonderful results achieved by the scheme.
It is worth taking a detailed look at the scope of the scheme in 1937 then established in 80 districts:
On 23 July 1938 there was a report that: £2,040 Carnival Cheque for RUH - Bath Rotary's Object Achieved.[8] A £2,040 Bath Carnival cheque was accepted by Mrs Shaw Mellor on Tuesday on behalf of the Hospital Management Board at the Old Red House Restaurant Bath following a luncheon. With this cheque the Rotarians and Soroptimists had raised £6,000 towards a new RUH Children’s Ward to be named the Bath Rotary Club Ward. After luncheon those present viewed a colour film of the Bath Carnival. At the end of column 3 was a report of the unveiling ceremony for the new ward at which friends of the RUH, in addition to members of the Rotary Club, were present. The company included Mr Aubrey Bateman (President of the Hospital), Messrs FG Hamilton and W Rawlinson (Deputy Chairmen), Mr J Lawrence Mears (secretary superintendent), Mr FH Pine, Miss Maud Wood (President of the Soroptimist Club), Mrs Scott White (President-elect) and many members of the medical profession.
22 April 1939 there was a headline £50,000 Appeal for New RUH Nurses Home - Inadequate Army Huts To Be Replaced - Urgent Need forms 'Local Crisis' says Alderman Bateman - Means to Reducing Hours of Work.[9] An appeal was launched at the annual meeting of the Royal United Hospital at the Guildhall on the Tuesday by President Aubrey Bateman who described the nurses' need as a local crisis. The Hon. Mrs Shaw Mellor, Chairman of the Board, who was to be the driving force behind the appeal, noted that it had been postponed 2 years before so as not to clash with the new undertaking of raising funds for the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases. If nurses had a modern home with indoor recreative facilities it would enable their working hours to be reduced to a 96-hour fortnight. Unfortunately, the war put an end to these plans.
According to a Wiltshire Times article in 1952 on their Golden Wedding Dora and Alfred moved to Box, where he became a GP in 1922[2] and it has been suggested that they had purchased Box House in 1921.[3] They were active in Bath society by 1925 and contributing to the funds of the Royal United Hospital (the then substantial sums of £50 in both 1924 and 1925).
To publicise the scheme a fuss was made of quarterly cheque payments to the RUH by the scheme at various localities. The Bath Chronicle report of 13 August 1927 was headed: Better than Bath - Box Gives 50 per cent more to Hospital when the quarterly cheque handover ceremony was held at the Bingham Hall, Box. This was a large gathering that included the Mayor of Bath (Ald. Chivers). A break in a storm allowed a short procession to be made up and down the village led by the Corsham Brass Band, behind which marched in order the nurses of the RUH, Girl Guides and Brownies and Friendly Society officials wearing the insignia of their rank. Box was renowned in this time as a centre for friendly society activity with annual processions celebrating them.[4 & 5] Mrs Shaw Mellor presented a cheque for £1,300 to the Mayor, noting that £364 had been paid to other hospitals in the area. The mayor praised the people of Box for their contributions to the scheme, considering the size of its population compared with Bath. The cost of a hospital patient was now 56s. a week compared with 45s. only a few years before. The hospital had accommodation for 140 patients and the average was 127. There were currently 17 medical cases and 35 surgical cases on the waiting list. Mr Pine noted that so far £15,000 had been raised for the RUH.
The Bath Chronicle of 9 June 1928 gave details of the 1927 annual report of the Hospital box scheme. It said that a very important event in connection with the working of the scheme had occurred that year with the official recognition by the Hospital Management Board of the Hospital scheme, and, as a result of the negotiations which had taken place, there was now direct representation on the Board. The General Meeting of the Hospital Board in January 1928 unanimously adopted the suggestion that the Council should be represented by six members, namely, two from the City of Bath, two from the County of Wiltshire, one from the County of Somerset and one from the Friendly Societies' Council. Meetings were held in the various districts, and, as a result, Mrs. Gordon Smith and Councillor FB Knight were elected to represent the city of Bath, the Hon. Mrs. Shaw Mellor was elected for the Chippenham part of Wiltshire. Other representatives included Mr. A Blake for the Trowbridge area, Mr. J Milburn for the county of Somerset, and Mr. HC Lavington for the Friendly Societies' Council. This was deemed to be a step in the right direction, potentially to the advantage of both the Council and the Hospital Management Board.
After joining the RUH Management Board Mrs Shaw Mellor was a Vice-Chairman of the Board from 1932 and RUH Chairman from 1937-1941 when ill health forced her retirement. She was the first female Chairman of the RUH.
Mrs Shaw Mellor's Role in the Evolving scheme and RUH Management
On 21 September 1929 the Bath Chronicle had an article headed £1,100 for hospital – Gratifying Result of box scheme. At the Church Hall, Combe Down, the Mayor (Mr Aubrey Bateman) handed over the cheque to Mr B John (Chairman of the Hospital). Major M Clark presided and he was supported by Lieut-Col. Egbert Lewis (Chairman of the RUH 1905-23), the Hon Mrs Shaw Mellor and Mr FH Pine. It is worth noting that, for its size, Box was a good contributor to the scheme in 1929:
- In 1929 most Bath City wards raised around £100, although Durley Park raised £222.
- In Somerset collections were more modest - from 10s in Dunkerton to £101 in Batheaston.
- In Wiltshire the scheme raised £100 in Box, Bradford on Avon £321, Calne £404, Chippenham £448, Corsham £248, Trowbridge £210. Other districts were much more modest.
The Bath Chronicle of 30 August 1930 carried a full page report (along with a 93 year-old widow's search for a husband):[6]
County Campaign for Bath's Hospital - Cheque for £1,000 handed over at Corsham - Stirring Speeches by Lord Methuen, Mayor of Bath and Mrs Shaw Mellor. It recounted that Lord Methuen presided at a meeting at the Town Hall, Corsham, supported by Lady Methuen, the Mayor of Bath (Aubrey Bateman), the Hon Mrs Shaw Mellor, Mr FG Hamilton (Chairman of the RUH Board), Mr FH Pine (Chairman of the box scheme), Mr W Rawlinson (Treasurer of the box scheme) and another 8 persons are listed. There was a big list of notables in the audience.
There is a report on 11 June 1932 on Peasdown Aids Bath RUH to the effect that at Peasdown Parish Room on Friday week a quarterly cheque for £1,000 was handed to Hon Mrs Shaw Mellor as Vice-Chairman of the RUH Management Board, rather than in her role as a box scheme representative.[7] A musical concert followed. Mr FH Pine (Vice-Chairman of the Friendly Societies’ Council) attended and spoke after Mrs Shaw Mellor about the wonderful results achieved by the scheme.
It is worth taking a detailed look at the scope of the scheme in 1937 then established in 80 districts:
- Some of the largest sums came from the 21 Bath districts. Some 11 districts contributed over £200, with Lower Weston topping the list with £412 in contributions followed by Durley Park in the Oldfield Ward with £343.
- In Somerset 52 districts offered more modest returns with only the mining area Coleford exceeding £200 at £280.
- In Wiltshire with 27 districts supporting the scheme (mostly small communities), contributions were generally in double figures – or just a few pounds. The exceptions were Bradford on Avon at £518, Corsham (thanks to Lord Methuen’s advocacy) £400, Box at £272, and Calne at just under £200.
On 23 July 1938 there was a report that: £2,040 Carnival Cheque for RUH - Bath Rotary's Object Achieved.[8] A £2,040 Bath Carnival cheque was accepted by Mrs Shaw Mellor on Tuesday on behalf of the Hospital Management Board at the Old Red House Restaurant Bath following a luncheon. With this cheque the Rotarians and Soroptimists had raised £6,000 towards a new RUH Children’s Ward to be named the Bath Rotary Club Ward. After luncheon those present viewed a colour film of the Bath Carnival. At the end of column 3 was a report of the unveiling ceremony for the new ward at which friends of the RUH, in addition to members of the Rotary Club, were present. The company included Mr Aubrey Bateman (President of the Hospital), Messrs FG Hamilton and W Rawlinson (Deputy Chairmen), Mr J Lawrence Mears (secretary superintendent), Mr FH Pine, Miss Maud Wood (President of the Soroptimist Club), Mrs Scott White (President-elect) and many members of the medical profession.
22 April 1939 there was a headline £50,000 Appeal for New RUH Nurses Home - Inadequate Army Huts To Be Replaced - Urgent Need forms 'Local Crisis' says Alderman Bateman - Means to Reducing Hours of Work.[9] An appeal was launched at the annual meeting of the Royal United Hospital at the Guildhall on the Tuesday by President Aubrey Bateman who described the nurses' need as a local crisis. The Hon. Mrs Shaw Mellor, Chairman of the Board, who was to be the driving force behind the appeal, noted that it had been postponed 2 years before so as not to clash with the new undertaking of raising funds for the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases. If nurses had a modern home with indoor recreative facilities it would enable their working hours to be reduced to a 96-hour fortnight. Unfortunately, the war put an end to these plans.
Dora Shaw Mellor (centre) with headmaster Henry Druet left and Charles Oatley right at the Box Schools Sports Day in 1931 (courtesy Julia Romain)
In Box in the inter-war years, Dora was one of the vital forces in several church-related activities, most notably the Mothers' Union, restoration of Hazelbury Chapel in Box Church and the management of the Box Church of England School. The 1939 Register listed Alfred Shaw Mellor as General Practitioner Retired and his wife Dora Marion Mellor as of private means. They had two daughters (Elizabeth and Anne) living with them, along with 6 servants and 5 other unrelated people – possibly evacuees.
The Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette of 13 February 1943 included an item headed Hon. Mrs. Shaw Mellor. which reported that the Rev. A. F. Maltin (Vicar of Box) announced with regret the receipt of a letter from the Hon. Mrs. Shaw Mellor, from a nursing home in Bath, saying that she had been advised by her doctors to give up her activities and lead a very quiet life for the rest of her days.[10] He mentioned that Mrs. Shaw Mellor was a foundation manager of the Box Schools and also hon. treasurer and that she did much to put the funds of the school management on a sound basis, by the application of her business-like qualities.
The vicar lamented the fact that it had been necessary for her to sever her active connection with the schools. He went on to say that just four years earlier she had found it necessary to retire from the office of vice-president of the Bath District Nursing Association. The vicar reported that both Mr. and Mrs. Shaw Mellor were popular residents of Box and that Afred was an acknowledged authority on archaeology.
She had given up Chairing the RUH Management Committee in 1941.
The Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette of 13 February 1943 included an item headed Hon. Mrs. Shaw Mellor. which reported that the Rev. A. F. Maltin (Vicar of Box) announced with regret the receipt of a letter from the Hon. Mrs. Shaw Mellor, from a nursing home in Bath, saying that she had been advised by her doctors to give up her activities and lead a very quiet life for the rest of her days.[10] He mentioned that Mrs. Shaw Mellor was a foundation manager of the Box Schools and also hon. treasurer and that she did much to put the funds of the school management on a sound basis, by the application of her business-like qualities.
The vicar lamented the fact that it had been necessary for her to sever her active connection with the schools. He went on to say that just four years earlier she had found it necessary to retire from the office of vice-president of the Bath District Nursing Association. The vicar reported that both Mr. and Mrs. Shaw Mellor were popular residents of Box and that Afred was an acknowledged authority on archaeology.
She had given up Chairing the RUH Management Committee in 1941.
1952 A Golden Wedding
A Wiltshire Times article in the Saturday 19 April 1952 edition headed Golden Wedding At Box noted that on that day the Shaw-Mellors were celebrating the golden wedding anniversary of their 19 April 1902 wedding at St Mary Abbots Church Kingsway.[11] The article included much of the following information:
Alfred Shaw Mellor
Mr Shaw Mellor was an Alderman of Wiltshire County Council and Chairman of Calne and Chippenham RDC and a Magistrate. He was the second son of Sir James Mellor, Kings Coroner and Master of the Crown Office. Educated at Charterhouse and Kings College, Cambridge (MA & MB), he practised for 20 years as GP in London until 1922, when he came to live at Box. In the First World War he was an RAMC Captain and in the Second World War he was a member of the Army Medical Board in Bath. He had been a member of the District Council since 1925 and appointed Chairman in 1946. He joined the County Council in 1931 and made an Alderman in 1946. He was Chairman of the County Records Committee and an active member of the Wilshire Archaeological Society with a keen interest in Roman settlements. He was responsible in 1938 for the discovery of the Roman Villa at Atworth. In Box he had been a churchwarden since 1924, and was interested in most village organisations. Alfred Shaw Mellor died in Box in 1967 aged 91.
Dora Shaw Mellor
Mrs Shaw Mellor was a serving sister (most senior rank) of the Order of St John’s of Jerusalem (St John’s Ambulance). She was the first woman Chairman of the Royal United Hospital. A Member of the Mothers Union for 50 years (and for some years an enrolling member for Chippenham Deanery). An expert needlewoman, she had made a special study of church embroidery, and handsome examples of her work were to be seen at Box Church (the Mothers Union Banner, altar frontals etc.). For many years she was the Treasurer of Box C. of E. School, and did much to get the school finances on a sound basis. She was also a vice-president of Bath District Nursing Association. She died on 4 May 1954 (aged 80) leaving an estate of £4,469 to her husband and was buried in Box Cemetery beside their eldest daughter.
A Wiltshire Times article in the Saturday 19 April 1952 edition headed Golden Wedding At Box noted that on that day the Shaw-Mellors were celebrating the golden wedding anniversary of their 19 April 1902 wedding at St Mary Abbots Church Kingsway.[11] The article included much of the following information:
Alfred Shaw Mellor
Mr Shaw Mellor was an Alderman of Wiltshire County Council and Chairman of Calne and Chippenham RDC and a Magistrate. He was the second son of Sir James Mellor, Kings Coroner and Master of the Crown Office. Educated at Charterhouse and Kings College, Cambridge (MA & MB), he practised for 20 years as GP in London until 1922, when he came to live at Box. In the First World War he was an RAMC Captain and in the Second World War he was a member of the Army Medical Board in Bath. He had been a member of the District Council since 1925 and appointed Chairman in 1946. He joined the County Council in 1931 and made an Alderman in 1946. He was Chairman of the County Records Committee and an active member of the Wilshire Archaeological Society with a keen interest in Roman settlements. He was responsible in 1938 for the discovery of the Roman Villa at Atworth. In Box he had been a churchwarden since 1924, and was interested in most village organisations. Alfred Shaw Mellor died in Box in 1967 aged 91.
Dora Shaw Mellor
Mrs Shaw Mellor was a serving sister (most senior rank) of the Order of St John’s of Jerusalem (St John’s Ambulance). She was the first woman Chairman of the Royal United Hospital. A Member of the Mothers Union for 50 years (and for some years an enrolling member for Chippenham Deanery). An expert needlewoman, she had made a special study of church embroidery, and handsome examples of her work were to be seen at Box Church (the Mothers Union Banner, altar frontals etc.). For many years she was the Treasurer of Box C. of E. School, and did much to get the school finances on a sound basis. She was also a vice-president of Bath District Nursing Association. She died on 4 May 1954 (aged 80) leaving an estate of £4,469 to her husband and was buried in Box Cemetery beside their eldest daughter.
This article also had some information about their daughters which I have combined with additional research:
Joan Marion Shaw Mellor was born in 1903 and died at Box House in May 1923. In the memory of their daughter her parents restored the 12th Century Hazelbury Chapel at St Thomas à Becket Church in Box which was so dedicated in February 1926.
Elizabeth Dora Shaw Mellor was born in 1905. In 1928 she and her sister Barbara travelled by ship from Gibraltar. In 1929 she did a cruise to Madeira with her mother. The Bath Chronicle reported on 11 July 1942 that “The marriage took place quietly Monday, at the Church of St. Thomas a Becket, Box. Wiltshire, of Lieut.-Col. Frederick King Hensley, late of Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force), and Elizabeth Dora Shaw Mellor second daughter of Mr. and the Hon. Mrs. Shaw Mellor of Box House.” In the 1952 newspaper report he was still described as Lieut.-Colonel Hensley. Elizabeth died in Weymouth in 1978, presumably with no children, leaving £8,500.
Barbara Janet Shaw Mellor was born 1908. In 1939 she was single and living at Chesterfield Court Nursing Home, Clifton Hill, Bristol on private means. She was presumably the daughter referred to in the 1952 article working as a clerk at the Admiralty Bath. She died in 1983 at Hilton, Blandford, Dorset. According to probate she left £229,735 (not bad for an Admiralty Clerk!).
Anne Margaret Shaw Mellor married Oliver Henry Julius Bertram (1910-1975) at St Mary Abott’s Kensington on 19 June 1932. In 1939 she and her sister Elizabeth were living with their parents at Box. Presumably Anne and Bertram divorced during the war because he had remarried in Kenya in 1943 and she married Air Marshall Sir Albert Durston (1894-1959) on 25 September 1946. She died aged 71 at ‘Alverstone’ Broadlands, Petersfield Hampshire in 1989 leaving £449,661.
Joan Marion Shaw Mellor was born in 1903 and died at Box House in May 1923. In the memory of their daughter her parents restored the 12th Century Hazelbury Chapel at St Thomas à Becket Church in Box which was so dedicated in February 1926.
Elizabeth Dora Shaw Mellor was born in 1905. In 1928 she and her sister Barbara travelled by ship from Gibraltar. In 1929 she did a cruise to Madeira with her mother. The Bath Chronicle reported on 11 July 1942 that “The marriage took place quietly Monday, at the Church of St. Thomas a Becket, Box. Wiltshire, of Lieut.-Col. Frederick King Hensley, late of Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force), and Elizabeth Dora Shaw Mellor second daughter of Mr. and the Hon. Mrs. Shaw Mellor of Box House.” In the 1952 newspaper report he was still described as Lieut.-Colonel Hensley. Elizabeth died in Weymouth in 1978, presumably with no children, leaving £8,500.
Barbara Janet Shaw Mellor was born 1908. In 1939 she was single and living at Chesterfield Court Nursing Home, Clifton Hill, Bristol on private means. She was presumably the daughter referred to in the 1952 article working as a clerk at the Admiralty Bath. She died in 1983 at Hilton, Blandford, Dorset. According to probate she left £229,735 (not bad for an Admiralty Clerk!).
Anne Margaret Shaw Mellor married Oliver Henry Julius Bertram (1910-1975) at St Mary Abott’s Kensington on 19 June 1932. In 1939 she and her sister Elizabeth were living with their parents at Box. Presumably Anne and Bertram divorced during the war because he had remarried in Kenya in 1943 and she married Air Marshall Sir Albert Durston (1894-1959) on 25 September 1946. She died aged 71 at ‘Alverstone’ Broadlands, Petersfield Hampshire in 1989 leaving £449,661.
Summing Up
I have seen few pictures of the Hon. Mrs Shaw Mellor (notably the headline photograph). She seems to have been a significant woman in every way, and she looks very formidable. David Ibberson in his piece on Box House compared her with Bertie Wooster’s nemesis, aunt Agatha, who was described as someone who could chew on broken glass and wore barbed wire next to her skin. Certainly, she was an indomitable lady bountiful who seems to have sought to take a dominant lead in all her good works. But that also was probably true of her husband. They were born to rule into households where their parents might be quite remote, with a stiff upper lip, not betraying any emotional interior. As her mother died when she was very young, she was brought up by her father (or rather his servants). She did well, considering that he represented a substantial mountain for her to climb.
I have seen few pictures of the Hon. Mrs Shaw Mellor (notably the headline photograph). She seems to have been a significant woman in every way, and she looks very formidable. David Ibberson in his piece on Box House compared her with Bertie Wooster’s nemesis, aunt Agatha, who was described as someone who could chew on broken glass and wore barbed wire next to her skin. Certainly, she was an indomitable lady bountiful who seems to have sought to take a dominant lead in all her good works. But that also was probably true of her husband. They were born to rule into households where their parents might be quite remote, with a stiff upper lip, not betraying any emotional interior. As her mother died when she was very young, she was brought up by her father (or rather his servants). She did well, considering that he represented a substantial mountain for her to climb.
Sources
Ancestry/Find My Past/British Newspaper Archive Wikipedia (Lord Alverstone and Winterfold)
David Ibberson, Box House, February 2015 with additional research by Mike Lyons
Box Mothers' Union Alan Payne, Research Genevieve Horne, September 2019
Ancestry/Find My Past/British Newspaper Archive Wikipedia (Lord Alverstone and Winterfold)
David Ibberson, Box House, February 2015 with additional research by Mike Lyons
Box Mothers' Union Alan Payne, Research Genevieve Horne, September 2019
References
[1] See my History of Bath Research Group talk abstract "The Royal United Hospital Bath and Its Financing Before The NHS,
The Rise of The box scheme 1923 - 1948" in Proceedings No 9 at https://historyofbath.org/Proceedings/Proceedings).
[2] The Wiltshire Times, 19 April 1952
[3] David Ibberson, History of Box House, http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/box-house.html
[4] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 13 August 1927
[5] Alan Payne, Victorian Fete and Box Friendly Societies
[6] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 30 August 1930
[7] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 11 June 1932
[8] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 23 July 1938
[9] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 22 April 1939
[10] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 13 April 1943
[11] The Wiltshire Times, 19 April 1952
[1] See my History of Bath Research Group talk abstract "The Royal United Hospital Bath and Its Financing Before The NHS,
The Rise of The box scheme 1923 - 1948" in Proceedings No 9 at https://historyofbath.org/Proceedings/Proceedings).
[2] The Wiltshire Times, 19 April 1952
[3] David Ibberson, History of Box House, http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/box-house.html
[4] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 13 August 1927
[5] Alan Payne, Victorian Fete and Box Friendly Societies
[6] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 30 August 1930
[7] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 11 June 1932
[8] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 23 July 1938
[9] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 22 April 1939
[10] The Bath and Wilts Chronicle and Herald, 13 April 1943
[11] The Wiltshire Times, 19 April 1952