The 'lost girls' of Highgate cemetery

 Edwardian & Victorian times were tough for women who were not educated, wealthy or from good families because they were very limited in what they could do to make ends meet. Girls were often in 'service' at large houses as kitchen or house maids, working long hours with almost no time off & at risk of exploitation. It was not uncommon for the men of the house to sire a child with a maid who was then dismissed when 'with child'

Many women turned to prostitution to survive & to help their families with some money.  

We are reminded of the many prostitutes who were victims of Jack the Ripper in Whitechapel, London in 1888. 

Near the end of our Highgate cemetery tour, we stopped at some graves on the Faraday Path, that were separated by just a thin line of bricks on the wall behind - this spot was the grave of  'Fallen Women' of Highgate who died at the nearby Highgate Penitentiary (also known as the House of Mercy).

Prostitutes were sent to the Anglican House of Mercy to be 'reformed' through learning to read & write, to learn domestic skills like cooking & sewing, & have religious input to teach them Christian ways. The poet Christina Rosetti volunteered at the House of Mercy so she would have known some of these women. They stayed there for 2 years before some re-joined their family, others were 'respectable' enough to marry & some fell back in to their old ways etc.

The unmarked, unremarkable, communal grave holds the remains of 10 young women & girls. The plot was purchased by the London Diocesan Penitentiary. 

The  names of the 10 occupants have been recorded as: 

Emma Jones, 12, died 1862; 

Anna Williams, 15, 1869; 

Caroline Harriet Rhodes 19, 1874 

Emily Potter, 21, 1878 

Harriet Smith, 17, 1880 

Frances Iliffe, 14, 1881 

Maude Clabby, 18, 1882

Rosetta Edwards, 20,1900 

Ada Rebecca Ingram, 40, 1907 

and Agnes Ellie, 29, 1909

The age of consent was then just 12 in Victorian times & the ages of the 'lost girls' show how young some were. 

Our guide indicated that they were hoping to have a marker placed on the grave to record the names of the 'lost girls' and perhaps tell their story. That would be a fitting way to ensure they do not remain 'lost'

Thank you for stopping by & taking the time to read & comment, it is appreciated. 

Dee ♥️🪦