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Mrs Sarah WITHERS, née Mason (c.1777–1850)
Her daughters Miss Sophia WITHERS (c.1824–1895)
and Miss Eliza WITHERS (1828–1850)
St Michael section: Row 7, Grave C44½

Sarah Mason was born in c.1777: her place of birth is unknown.

On 12 November 1806 at St Giles's Church, Oxford, Sarah Mason married Charles Withers: they were both then sojourners in that parish. Charles, who signed his name with a cross, may be the Charles Withers baptised at Cumnor on 18 April 1784. They had eleven children, but the first nine all died before their second birthday:

• Harriet Withers I (born in Oxford in 1810 and privately baptised by St Giles's Church on 1 July; received into the church on 2 September); died aged one year ten months and buried in St Giles’s churchyard on 7 May 1812
• Harriet Withers II (born in Oxford in 1812 and privately baptised by St Giles’s Church on 16 October; received at church 4 November); died the following month and buried in its churchyard on 20 December
• Henry Withers (born at Paulin’s Court, Oxford in 1813 and privately baptised by St Giles’s Church on 3 November);
  died aged one month and buried in its churchyard on 14 November
• Priscilla Withers (born in Oxford in 1815 and privately baptised by St Giles’s Church on 4 January);
  died aged one day and buried in its churchyard on 11 January
• James Withers (born in Oxford in 1816 and privately baptised by St Giles’s Church on 28 June);
  died aged three weeks and buried in its churchyard on 13 August
• Jane Withers (born in Oxford in 1817 and privately baptised by St Giles’s Church on 10 December);
  died less than two weeks later and buried in its churchyard on 24 December
• Elizabeth Withers (born at Red Lion Square, Oxford in 1819 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 31 January; died aged four months and buried in St Giles’s churchyard on 27 May)
• Charles Henry Withers (born at Red Lion Square, Oxford in 1820 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 6 September); died aged four months and buried in St Giles’s churchyard on 28 November
• Frederick Withers (born at Red Lion Square, Oxford in 1822 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 11 October); died a few days later and buried in St Giles’s churchyard on 17 October
• Sophia Withers (born at Red Lion Square, Oxford in 1824 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 2 May)
• Eliza Withers (born at Red Lion Square, Oxford in 1828 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 8 February).

Sarah’s husband Charles was an ostler or horse-keeper, and after their wedding they settled in St Giles’s parish in Oxford (with their address named as Paulin’s Court in 1813). Their first six children were born there: they were all privately baptised as they were presumably deemed unlikely to survive, which sadly proved to be the case.

From 1819 to at least 1828 the family lived at Red Lion Square in St Mary Magdalen parish, and Charles was probably working an ostler at the Red Lion Inn. Five more children were born there, and three of them also died soon after birth: they were buried in St Giles’s churchyard, presumably with their older siblings.

Their last two daughters Sophia (born 1824) and Eliza (1828) survived to adulthood,

By 1830 the family appear to have moved to St Michael’s parish, as Sarah’s husband Charles Withers died there at the age of 45 on 10 August 1830 and was buried in St Giles’s churchyard on 15 August, presumably in the family grave.

At the time of the 1841 census Mrs Sarah Withers (c.63) was living in George Street (in one of the houses at the south-east end that fell into St Michael-at-the-Northgate parish) with her youngest daughter Eliza (13): the main part of the house was occupied by the greengrocer Adam Ayers and his family. Sophia (16) is hard to find and is likely to have been out to service.

Mrs Withers’s youngest daughter Eliza died in 1850:

† Miss Eliza Withers died in Oxford at the age of 22 in November 1850 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 21 November (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael’s Church).

Sarah herself died about ten days later:

† Mrs Sarah Withers née Mason died in Oxford at the age of 72 in December 1850 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 1 December (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael’s Church).

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Sophia Withers (born 1824)

Sophia was the only one of the eleven children of Mrs Sarah Withers who survived to old age. She was a servant all her life, and never married.

At the time of the 1851 census, when she was 26, she was living at Little Coxwell, Berkshire, where she one of the three house servants of the curate, the Revd Frederick Neale, and his sister. In 1871 she was still the Neales’ servant, and had moved with them to Wootton in Bedfordshire, where Frederick Neale was Vicar.

In 1891 Sophia (66) was a housekeeper at 5 Magdalen Road in east Oxford, and spent census night alone in the house. She died there four years later:

† Miss Sophia Withers died at 5 Magdalen Road at the age of 71 on 9 May 1895 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 11 May (burial recorded in the parish register of St Michael’s Church).

Her death notice in Jackson’s Oxford Journal read simply: “May 9, at 5, Magdalen-road, Oxford, Sophia Withers, aged 71.” Her effects came to £229 16s. 5d., and her executor was Miss Georgiana Neale (who had been a servant with her in Wootton and was not related to their employer, who was coincidentally also called Neale).