Jane Field (1846-1918) was born at Cleeve Prior in 1846, the sixth of 11 children of Daniel Field, an agricultural labourer and Methodist preacher, and his wife, Hannah (née Stanford). She was baptised at Cleeve Prior on 13th April 1846. At the time of the 1861 census, 14-year-old Jane was living in Rous Lench, working as a cowmaid.
Jane married Theodore James Hall (known as James )in 1866. They had a daughter, Ellen Elizabeth, born at Badsey in 1867, but who died the following year, aged three months; they remained childless. By 1871 they were living at Silk Mill Cottages, Badsey.
In the early 1870s, Jane and James decided to try out a new life overseas. Following in the wake of James' brother, Owen Joseph (known as Joseph), Jane and James arrived in Quebec, Canada, on 18th June 1872, together with friends from Badsey, John and Mary Anne Sears, having set sail from Liverpool. This was just eight weeks after Joseph. They made their way to Auburn, Ohio, where Joseph was living.
For whatever reason, Jane and James, like Joseph, decided that the American life was not for them and returned to England, arriving at Liverpool in May 1878 (though their friends, John and Mary Anne Sears, remained in America for the rest of their lives and were joined by Mary Anne’s father and step-mother).
In 1881, Jane and James lived in Aldington, next-door to Jane’s brother, James Field, and James' younger brother, Joseph, with his wife and young son. Both Hall brothers were by now market gardeners.
On 7th July 1888, Theodore bought a plot of land called “Sands Garden” of just under an acre; this was adjacent to a plot of land bought by his brothers, Owen Joseph and Charles. Very soon, houses were being built along this stretch of land situated on Willersey Road. James had obviously done well enough from his time in America and from market gardening in Badsey to be able to afford to build a house. By the time of the 1891 census, he and Jane were established in Bredon View (present-day No 11 Willersey Road); Jane’s widowed father, Daniel, was also living with them.
Jane Hall died on 10th November 1918 and was buried in St James’ churchyard, Badsey, four days later. Her husband, James, died just over four years later in January 1923.