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Mrs Sarah Wilson PARKER, née Hall (1832–1861)
Her sister Miss Helen (or Ellen) HALL (1840–1861)
St Paul section: Row 15, Grave A21 [St Paul ref. R12]

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For more information on the earlier life of Sarah’s husband George Parker, see the separate grave of his parents William & Lucy Parker

Sarah Wilson Hall and Helen Hall were sisters, born in 1832 and 1840 respectively. They were the daughters of William Hall and Martha Hartley (the latter born in Oxford in 1812/13 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 24 February 1813). Their parents were both living in St Mary Magdalen parish when they were married at its church on 21 October 1832, and they had the following children (with Sarah being born just after the wedding):

• Sarah Wilson Hall (born in St Thomas’s parish in November 1832 and baptised at St Thomas’s Church on 25 November)
• Mark William Hall (born at Tagg’s Gardens in 1834 and baptised at St Giles’s Church on 21 December; died aged four at Observatory Street in 1839 and buried at St Giles’s churchyard on 11 April
• Ann Elizabeth Hall (born in Oxford in 1835/6, died aged five at Observatory Street in 1841 and buried in St Giles’s churchyard on 25 July)
• Helen (or Ellen) Hall (born at Observatory Street in May 1840 and baptised at St Paul’s Church on 26 July)
• Martha Hall (born at Observatory Street in 1841/2 and baptised at St Paul’s Church on 10 April 1842)
• Ann Elizabeth Hall (born at Observatory Street in 1843/4 and baptised at St Paul’s Church on 7 January 1844)
• Richard Hall (born at Observatory Street in 1845 and baptised at St Paul’s Church on 19 October)

William Hall was originally a carpenter, and he and Martha were living in Tagg’s Gardens in 1834. By 1835 they had moved to Observatory Street (which was in the St Paul’s district chapelry of St Giles’s parish), and William is indiscriminately described as a carpenter or a publican (although his daughter Sarah’s marriage record states that he was a shopkeeper). He evidently ran a small beerhouse from home as well as practising carpentry. Their eldest son died there at the end of 1839 and was buried at St Giles’s churchyard.

At the time of the 1841 census William Hall was living in Observatory Street with his wife Martha and their children Sarah (8), the first Ann Elizabeth (5), and Helen (1). Ann Elizabeth died later that year, and was buried in St Giles’s churchyard on 25 July.

William Hall appears to have died in the 1840s, although there is no record of his burial in the St Giles’s or St Paul’s registers. At the time of the 1851 census Mrs Martha Hall (38), a widow, was described as the victualler in Observatory Street, and her five surviving children were at home with her: Sarah (18), Helen (10), Martha (9), the second Ann Elizabeth (7), and Richard (5).

On 26 January 1856 her daughter Sarah Wilson Hall married George Parker, at St Paul’s Church. Both Sarah and George were living in Observatory Street at the time of their marriage. George (born in Birmingham in 1833/4) was the son of a saddle-tree maker, who rose to the senior position of Clerk of the Examination Schools of the University of Oxford:
see his parents’ grave for more on his background.

George and Sarah Parker had the following children:

• Harry William Parker (born at Observatory Street in December 1856 and baptised at St Paul’s Church on 4 January 1857; died aged one week and buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 6 January 1857)
• Frederick William Parker (born at Observatory Street in January 1858 and baptised at St Paul’s Church on 28 February; died aged 1 year 2 months and buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 21 March 1859).
• Rosa Helen Parker (born at Adelaide Street (possibly an error in the register for Observatory Street) in 1858/9 and baptised at St Paul’s Church on 3 April 1859)
• Edith Hartley Parker (born at Observatory Street in 1860/1 and baptised at St Paul’s Church on 13 February 1861).

George and Sarah Parker lived in Observatory Street at the start of their marriage. Shortly after the birth of their youngest daughter they moved to 3 Iffley Road, where they can be seen in the 1861 census with Rosa (2) and Edith (two months), and Sarah’s unmarried sister Helen Hall (20), who was a milliner. George was then Clerk of the University Examination Schools, and they had one servant. Her widowed mother Martha (48) was still working as a beer retailer and grocer in 1861, and her address was specified at 51 Observatory Street.

Sarah Parker died in 1861 aged only 29 after a short illness (according to her death notice in Jackson’s Oxford Journal). The fact that she is buried in the St Paul’s section of this cemetery suggests that the plot had already been used for the burial of her babies, who died in that parish in 1857 and 1859.

† Mrs Sarah Wilson Parker, née Hall died at 3 Iffley Road at the age of 29 on 15 November 1861 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 19 November (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

Her unmarried sister Helen Hall died just two weeks later, aged only 21, and was buried with her:

† Miss Helen (or Ellen) Hall died at 51 Observatory Street at the age of 21 on 1 December 1861 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 4 December (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

A short death notice was inserted in Jackson’s Oxford Journal on 7 December 1861: “Dec. 1, after a short illness, at 51, Observatory Street, St. Giles’s, Miss Helen Hall, in her 22nd year.”

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Sarah Wilson Parker’s husband

George Parker married again in Oxford in the second quarter of 1865: his new wife, Sarah Ann Broadhurst, was born in Yarpole, Herefordshire in 1843/4. They had the following children:

• George Bertie Parker (born at Iffley Road in 1866, and baptised at Cowley St James Church on 19 December)
• Margaret Godwin Parker (born at Iffley Road in 1870 and baptised at Ss Mary & John Church on 10 September)

At the time of the 1871 census they were living at Portland Terrace, Iffley Road with Rosa (12) and Edith (10), the two surviving children from George’s first marriage, and their young children George (4) and Margaret (eight months). George was still Clerk of the University’s Examination Schools, and they employed a general servant and a nursemaid. In 1891 their address was specified as 3 Iffley Road, and the only child at home was Margaret (20).

George Parker died at the age of 67 at Church Walk on 16 September 1900 and was buried at Wolvercote Cemetery. He had been Clerk to the Examination Schools for 41 years, and his funeral, taken by the Vice-Chancellor of the University, is described in Jackson’s Oxford Journal on 22 September 1900. His effects came to £1,460 5s.

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The daughters of George & Sarah Wilson Parker

• Rosa Helen Parker (born 1858/9) married Benjamin Boothroyd at Cowley St John Church on 27 April 1886. At the time of the 1891 census Benjamin (30), who was living on his own means, and Rosa (32) were at 6 Greencroft Gardens, Hampstead, with a cook and housemaid. In 1901 they were at 90 Madeley Road, Ealing with their children Ida and Nora (9) and Ronald (7); Benjamin was still living on his own means, and they had four servants (a nurse, cook, parlourmaid, and housemaid). In 1911 they were living at Aland House, The Mount, St Leonard's-on-Sea, Sussex with their three children. Rosa died at Aland House on 15 February 1949. Her effects came to £14,869 4s. 9d., and her daughter Ida was her executor.
• Edith Hartley Parker (born 1860/1) married Arthur Wheeler, an auctioneer, at St Clement’s Church, Oxford on 12 January 1884, and their daughter Edith Alice Parker was born in Oxford in 1885. At the time of the 1891 census the family was living at 3 Archibald Street, Bloomsbury; but by 1901 Edith and her husband had parted. Edith (40) was then the housekeeper of the South Beacon Hotel at Hadlow Down, Sussex; Arthur (41) had gone back to live with his widowed mother at 27 Iffley Road, Oxford; and Edith (14) appears to have been at the South Metropolitan District Schools, Banstead Road Sutton. By 1911 Edith had joined her mother at the South Beacon Hotel and was working as a governess.