Harriet Ann Harrison

1884 – 1967

✓ Validated against records · 2026-07-04

Harriet Ann Harrison was born on the 7th of April 1884 — the family's date, consistent with every register that followed, though the baptism entry's own "when born" column stands blank — and was baptised at Eastrington on the 18th of May, third of the ten children of John Harrison, farm labourer, and Annie Elizabeth Scott. Her childhood divided between two houses: the two-roomed family home on Station Road, and her grandparents' on Howden Road, where the 1891 census finds her, a school-girl of seven, boarded with her brothers Robert and George.

At seventeen she was in service — the one general servant in Hugh Stables's farmhouse at Newhay, on the Derwent's last reach, in a household of the farmer's daughters and three farm lads. (The enumerator dittoed her birthplace from the boy above her, and "born Howden" she has remained in that index ever since.) Service kept her Selby-way for years: when her banns were read at Eastrington in November 1908 she was entered "of the Parish of Selby" — and the curate set her groom down as "Thomas Watty Drewery", which the village must have enjoyed. On the 28th of November 1908, home at Eastrington church, she married Thomas Batty Drewery, the ex-soldier platelayer; her brother George stood witness with Esther Harrison, and the certificate made her a domestic servant of twenty-five — a year older than she was, an ageing her paperwork would repeat.

Then the railway-cottage years: Sandholme, on the Hull & Barnsley line, and seven children between 1909 and 1926 — Fanny, Bill, George Arthur, Dorothy, Mary, Evelyn and Irene. The 1939 Register catches the household at Yokefleet Cottages, among the line's other families: Tom "platelayer railway", with "Observer Corps" inked in the wartime margin; Harriet at her "unpaid domestic duties" — the register's clerk giving her, once again, a birth year one older than her own; three daughters still at home, two of whose married names the register's red ink would add in due course. Tom died in July 1941. Arthur, taken prisoner in the fall of France, died in captivity in 1944 — the grief at the centre of her widowhood.

She stayed on at Sandholme, and it is there that her granddaughter Janet remembered her: "the long walk from the bus stop at the cross roads in Gilberdike; the earth double privy in the garden with its cut up pieces of newspaper for a toilet roll hanging on a piece of string; and the wonderful orchard and vegetable garden… It was like a secret garden, and led to a wood with two or three ponds full of frogs, toads and other wild life… The whole area was a wonderful playground for young children allowed to explore on their own." In the mid-1950s she moved to Hotham Road, Hull — a house bought by her daughter Dorothy, a nurse in London — to be near her youngest, Irene, who was ill with cancer. She died on the 5th of December 1967, aged eighty-three, while staying with her eldest, Fanny, at South Cave; her memorial is at Eastrington, where she had been christened, married and widowed.

Composed from validated records · 2026-07-04

Born: April 7th 1884 baptised May 18th 1884 Eastrington (Parish Records)
Marriage: November 28th 1908 to Thomas Batty Drewery in Eastrington
Death: December 5th 1967 aged 83 years (MI Eastrington)
Parents: John Harrison born Laxton, East Yorkshire Annie Elizabeth Scott born Thorpe Lidget, East Yorkshire
Siblings: Mary E Harrison born 1880 Robert Harrison born 1883 Harriet Ann Harrison baptised May 18th 1884, Eastrington George Harrison baptised August 8th 1886, Eastrington Edith Alice Harrison baptised December 30th 1888, Eastrington Sarah Harrison born 1891, Eastrington Annie Harrison born 1893, Eastrington Isabella Harrison born 1895, Eastrington John William Harrison baptised January 25th 1903, Eastrington
1891c: Staying with Grandparents in Eastrington Woodall Harrison, Head, 1830, born Scalby Harriet Harrison, Wife, 1832, born Laxton Robert Harrison, Grandson, 1883, born Laxton Harriet Harrison Grandaughter, 1884, born Laxton George Harrison, Grandson, 1887, born Laxton Charlotte Harrison, Grandaughter, aged 4, bom 1887, born Dewsbury Address: 42 Howden Road, Eastrington
1901c: In service to the Stables family, farmers, at Cliffe cum Lund Harriet Harrison, Servant, Single, aged 17, born Howden Address: Newhay Occupation: General Servant, Domestic
1908: November 28th marries Thomas Batty Drewery in the Parish Church, Eastrington
1941: Death of husband, Tom. Son, Arthur, who was in the Royal Artillary taken prisoner at Dunkirk whilst defending the Evacuation
1944: Death in Berlin of son, Arthur. "Following his capture at Dunkirk, Arthur had been marched into Poland to a prisoner of war camp. At some point he had tried to escape but was recaptured and as punishment sent down a salt mine . Whilst there he broke his leg, gangrene set in and he died. He is buried in the British War Cemetery, Berlin." Bill Drewery, brother
1941-67: Following Thomas's death in 1941, Harriet continued to live at the house in Sandholme. I remember visiting my grandmother during my early childhood - in particular the long walk from the bus stop at the cross roads in Gilberdike; the earth double privy in the garden with its cut up pieces of newspaper for a toilet roll hanging on a piece of string; and the wonderful orchard and vegetable garden exposing the very sandy soil. It was like a secret garden and led to a wood with two or three ponds full of frogs, toads and other wild life. The wood also often contained a line from which hung weasels, stoats and other "vermin" put there by the gamekeeper to deter such creatures. The whole area was a wonderful playground for young children allowed to explore on their own. Harriet lived in Sandholme until approximately the mid- fifties when she moved to Hotham Road, Hull to a house bought by her daughter, Dorothy, a nurse living and working in London. The move enabled Harriet to help care for her youngest daughter, Irene who lived nearby and was suffering from cancer. J anet Drewery Granddaughter
1967: Death of Harriet whilst staying with her daughter Fanny in South Cave. She was 83 years old.

In your grandmother’s words · from her notebook

Family

Parents

JHFatherJohn Harrison1856–1929 ASMotherAnnie Elizabeth Scott1860–1916

The children of John & Annie Elizabeth

· Harriet Ann Harrison b. 1884this page · · · · · ·

Marriage

TDSpouseThomas Batty Drewery1880–1941

Children

TDChild · the line continuesThomas William Drewerymain line1911–1991

Life

Confirmed — anchored to a recordEstimated — inferred

1884

Born

7 April 1884

No. 1515 — 1884, May 18th — Harriet Ann — [daughter of] John and Annie Elizabeth — Harrison — Eastrington — Farm Labourer — Geo: S. Dunbar, Vicar.— Baptism — Eastrington (1884)

Harriet Ann Harrison — birth registered 1884, Howden district, Yorkshire.— Birth registration (Q2 1884)

The record image is with the family — family sign-in

Read at the image record Evidence

Confirmed against the original record, read at the image:

Baptism — Eastrington (1884) — Eastrington baptism register, PE 150/8 page 190, entry no. 1515 (East Riding Archives; findmypast image ...PE-150-8-VERS-1537-1900/00101), read 4 July 2026. The register's "when born" margin is blank for her — the 7th of April rests on the family's record and the civil registration quarter, and both hold. read at the image
Birth registration (Q2 1884) — England & Wales civil birth index: Harriet Ann Harrison, Howden district, 1884 — the June quarter, exactly where a birth of 7 April belongs. index entry — original not yet seen

1891

At her grandparents' — Howden Road

1891

[Howden Rd, Eastrington] Woodall Harrison, Head, M, 61, Farm Servant, b. Scalby — Harriet do., Wife, M, 57, b. Laxton — Robert do., Grandson, 8, School-boy, b. Eastrington — Harriet do., Grand-daur., 7, School-girl, b. Eastrington — George do., Grandson, 4, b. Eastrington — [overleaf] Charlotte Harrison, Grand-dau., 4, b. Dewsbury.
— The 1891 census — her grandparents' household

The record image is with the family — family sign-in

Read at the image record Evidence

Confirmed against the original record, read at the image:

The 1891 census — her grandparents' household — RG 12/3904, folio 137, page 6, schedule 42, Eastrington (findmypast images GBC/1891/3904/0276–0277 — the household turns the page), read 4 July 2026. Settles a discrepancy between Mum's two transcriptions: the grandchildren were born at Eastrington, not Laxton. The "42" of the family's "42 Howden Road" is the schedule number — the road's houses carried none. Next door but one: the village post office. read at the image

1901

In service at Newhay — the Stables farm

1901

Newhay — Hugh Stables, Head, M, 46, Farmer, Employer, b. Hemingbrough; Louisa, Daur., 20; Jessie, 10; Maria, 4 — Charles Holland, 22, Carter on Farm; Thomas H. Turner, 17; Andrew Waslin, 14, b. Howden — Harriet Harrison, Servant, S, 17, General Servant (Domestic), b. [ditto: Howden].— The 1901 census — Newhay, Cliffe cum Lund

The record image is with the family — family sign-in

Read at the image record Evidence

Confirmed against the original record, read at the image:

The 1901 census — Newhay, Cliffe cum Lund — RG 13/4429, Newhay, schedule 4 — civil parish Cliffe (part), ecclesiastical parish Drax, registration district Selby (findmypast image GBC/1901/4429-4431/0051; found via FamilySearch, entry 1:1:X95M-P59, findmypast's own index having lost her), read 4 July 2026. Her "born Howden" in this census is an enumerator's ditto — the mark sits directly under the Howden-born farm lad above her line. read at the image

1908

In 1908

1908

November 28th marries Thomas Batty Drewery in the Parish Church, Eastrington— From Janet Brock’s research

Mum’s record Evidence

From Janet Brock’s research notebook.

1908

Married Thomas Batty Drewery

28 November 1908 at Eastrington

No. 65 — Banns of Marriage between Thomas Watty Drewery (Bachelor) of this Parish and Harriet Harrison (Spinster), Par. of Selby. Published: 1st, on Sunday Nov. 8th; 2d, Nov. 15th; 3d, Nov. 22nd — by William J. Barrett.— Banns — Eastrington (1908)

28 November 1908, Eastrington parish church — Thomas Batty Drewery, bachelor, of Hive and this parish, labourer, 28; Harriet Ann Harrison, spinster, of this parish, domestic servant, 25. Witnesses George and Esther Harrison; fathers William Drewery, publican, and John Harrison, labourer.— The marriage certificate (1908)

Thomas Batty Drewery, bachelor, of Hive and this parish, labourer, 28, and Harriet Ann Harrison, spinster, of this parish, domestic servant, 25, married by banns — witnesses George and Esther Harrison; fathers William Drewery, publican, and John Harrison, labourer. 28 November 1908.— Marriage register, Eastrington (1908)

No. 65 — Banns of Marriage between Thomas Watty Drewery (Bachelor) of this Parish and Harriet Harrison (Spinster), Par. of Selby. Published: 1st, on Sunday Nov. 8th; 2d, Nov. 15th; 3d, Nov. 22nd — by William J. Barrett.— Banns — Eastrington (1908)

The record image is with the family — family sign-in

Read at the image record Evidence

Confirmed against the original record, read at the image:

Banns — Eastrington (1908) — Eastrington banns book, PE 150/20/1/1, entry no. 65 (East Riding Archives; findmypast image ...PE-150-20-1-1-VERS-1537-1900/00014), read 4 July 2026. Two details worth their place: the curate's "Watty" for Batty, and her residence — the parish of Selby, where service had kept her; she came home to marry. read at the image
The marriage certificate (1908) — The certificate Mum photographed — it is shown on Tom's page, and its text is carried there in full. Her age is entered as twenty-five; she was twenty-four — the first of two records to age her a year (the 1939 Register repeats the trick with her birth year). GRO index: December quarter 1908, Howden district, volume 9D page 189. index entry — original not yet seen
Marriage register, Eastrington (1908) — Eastrington parish church — the certificate is photographed on this page. Hive is the neighbouring hamlet. from Mum’s research
Banns — Eastrington (1908) — Eastrington banns book, PE 150/20/1/1, entry no. 65 (East Riding Archives; findmypast image ...PE-150-20-1-1-VERS-1537-1900/00014), read 4 July 2026. The curate wrote him "Thomas Watty Drewery" — Batty misheard — and entered his bride "of the Parish of Selby", where service still kept her; three Sundays later they married at Eastrington. read at the image

1939

Yokefleet Cottages — the 1939 Register

1939 at Yokefleet Cottages, Eastrington

Yokefleet Cottges, sch. 129 — Thomas B. Drewery, 3 Jan 80, Platelayer Railway [margin: Observer Corps.] — Harriet Ann Drewery, 7 Ap [18]83 [recte 1884], unpaid domestic duties — Dorothy D. Drewery, 29 Oct 17, Shop Assistant — Evelyn Drewery [→ THOMS, 16.4.43], 18 Oct 21, Shop Assistant — Irene Drewery [→ KITCHING, 19.4.48], 30 Nov 26, at School.
— The 1939 Register — Yokefleet Cottages

The record image is with the family — family sign-in

Read at the image record Evidence

Confirmed against the original record, read at the image:

The 1939 Register — Yokefleet Cottages — 1939 Register, RG 101/3203F/013/21, schedule 129, "Yokefleet Cottges", Eastrington, Howden R.D. (findmypast, read 4 July 2026). Her line was later amended in an official hand — "Ann" added above her name — and the birth year entered, 1883, is the register's slip: baptism, civil registration and her death-index age all hold 1884. The red-ink surnames record two daughters' marriages as they happened: Evelyn to Thoms (entered 16 April 1943), Irene to Kitching (19 April 1948). The next schedule is another railway household — a permanent-way lengthman: railway cottages, end to end. read at the image

1941

In 1941

1941

Death of husband, Tom. Son, Arthur, who was in the Royal Artillary taken prisoner at Dunkirk whilst defending the Evacuation— From Janet Brock’s research

Mum’s record Evidence

From Janet Brock’s research notebook.

1941

In 1941

1941

Following Thomas's death in 1941, Harriet continued to live at the house in Sandholme. I remember visiting my grandmother during my early childhood - in particular the long walk from the bus stop at the cross roads in Gilberdike; the earth double privy in the garden with its cut up pieces of newspaper for a toilet roll hanging on a piece of string; and the wonderful orchard and vegetable garden exposing the very sandy soil. It was like a secret garden and led to a wood with two or three ponds full of frogs, toads and other wild life. The wood also often contained a line from which hung weasels, stoats and other "vermin" put there by the gamekeeper to deter such creatures. The whole area was a wonderful playground for young children allowed to explore on their own. Harriet lived in Sandholme until approximately the mid- fifties when she moved to Hotham Road, Hull to a house bought by her daughter, Dorothy, a nurse living and working in London. The move enabled Harriet to help care for her youngest daughter, Irene who lived nearby and was suffering from cancer. J anet Drewery Granddaughter
— From Janet Brock’s research

Mum’s record Evidence

From Janet Brock’s research notebook.

1944

In 1944

1944

Death in Berlin of son, Arthur. "Following his capture at Dunkirk, Arthur had been marched into Poland to a prisoner of war camp. At some point he had tried to escape but was recaptured and as punishment sent down a salt mine . Whilst there he broke his leg, gangrene set in and he died. He is buried in the British War Cemetery, Berlin." Bill Drewery, brother
— From Janet Brock’s research

Mum’s record Evidence

From Janet Brock’s research notebook.

1967

In 1967

1967

Death of Harriet whilst staying with her daughter Fanny in South Cave. She was 83 years old.— From Janet Brock’s research

Mum’s record Evidence

From Janet Brock’s research notebook.

1967

Died

5 December 1967

Harriet A. Drewery, female, aged 83 — death registered October–December 1967, [Buckrose] district, Yorkshire. (Volume 2A, page 37.)— Death registration (Q4 1967)

Confirmed in index record Evidence

Found in an index or transcript — the original page not yet read:

Death registration (Q4 1967) — England & Wales civil death index (findmypast BMD/D/1967/4/AZ/000269/140): Harriet A. Drewery, aged 83, born about 1884 — December quarter 1967, volume 2A page 37. The district is transcribed Buckrose, which sits oddly beside the family's South Cave; the research note carries the question. index entry — original not yet seen

Our research

Harriet's open threads

Open research · Eastrington, Sandholme & South Cave

The 1921 census. The household is indexed (via Bill, with a matching hit for Harriet) but unopened — findmypast charges per view, and it waits in the family's batch. It will show the address in 1921 and settle whether "Yokefleet Cottages" of 1939 was a move or simply the formal name of the house the family called Sandholme.
The death district. The civil index files her death (Q4 1967, aged 83) under Buckrose district — the wolds side — while the family's record has her dying at Fanny's in South Cave. Either Fanny's 1967 home lay in Buckrose registration district, or the index's district label is off. To do: the printed Q4 1967 index page on FreeBMD (free), or the death certificate — which would also give Fanny's married surname, at present unknown.
The marriage register page. The certificate is held (photographed on Tom's page); the Eastrington register entry itself is on the Treasure House list.
The memorial. Mum's source for the death date is the Eastrington MI — a churchyard photograph would put it on this page.
Lily of Melton — found. Janet's two names were one woman, maiden and married: Lily M Harrison, born 24 February 1913 (registered Sculcoates, mother's maiden name Boardman), married John Williamson in the Howden district in the autumn of 1932, and kept the house at 50 Melton Fields where Bill boarded in 1939 — a wife of twenty-six with a small child (the register's one closed record), her husband elsewhere that September night, and two Capper Pass men as lodgers. On Ida's page Janet tells the other half: Lily was the granddaughter of an Edinburgh Street neighbour and Ida's playmate “throughout their childhoods” — Ida born May 1912, Lily the February after. Whether she was also kin — an Eastrington Harrison — is still open: not through Harriet's brother George, whom the 1911 census finds a farm bailiff at Wressle, twenty-four, with a Walkington-born wife, Ada (and no Boardman in her); but brother Robert has not yet been found in 1911, and Lily's sisters Doris (born the quarter before her — possibly her twin) and Rosey (1915) wait with him. To do: Lily aged eight in the 1921 census — one wishlist purchase names her father and his birthplace, and settles it; and the Harrison × Boardman marriage by same-page index matching, about 1905–1912.
A namesake warning. A different Harriet Ann Drewery, born Hull 1912, shadows her in the indexes. Not ours.