Elizabeth FELLOWS (née SLADDEN) (1834-1926)

Elizabeth Fellows, née Sladden (1834-1926), known as Lizzie, was the aunt of Julius Sladden.  She is referred to in family letters as Auntie Lizzie or Aunt Lizzie Fellows, to distinguish her from Aunt Lizzie Sladden (widow of George Coleman Sladden).

Lizzie Sladden was born on 4^th September 1834 at Eastry, Kent, the only daughter of Isaac Sladden (c1782-1861) by his second wife, Elizabeth (née Sladden).  Her mother Elizabeth was the daughter of William Sladden of Adisham and may have been a distant cousin of Isaac; Elizabeth and Isaac had married at Holy Innocents Church, Adisham, in 1831.  Isaac’s first wife, Elizabeth Dilnot, had died in 1816, leaving him with three young sons:  Isaac, John and Dilnot, the youngest of whom was only two.  It was John Sladden (1812-1870) who was the father of Julius Sladden.

Lizzie’s father was a farmer.  At the time of the 1841 census, Lizzie was living with her parents and her eldest half-brother, Isaac, at Selson Farm, Eastry.  Her middle half-brother, John, had married the previous year and her youngest half-brother, Dilnot, had died in 1839.  By 1851, the family was living at Strand Street, Sandwich.  Lizzie’s father had retired from farming and he was now described as a landed proprietor; her eldest half-brother, Isaac, was also still living at home.

On 8^th April 1858 at St Nicholas, Ash-next-Sandwich, Lizzie married Frederick Fellows, a paper manufacturer from Eynsford, Kent.  In 1861, Lizzie and Frederick were living at Mill House, Eynsford with Frederick’s widowed mother, Hannah, and his sister, Emily.  They were still living there at the time of the 1871 and 1881 census but, by 1891, Frederick had retired and they had moved to Upperton Road, Eastbourne, to a house which they had named Eynsford.

Lizzie’s husband, Frederick, died on 12^th March 1904, leaving effects of over £62,000.

Lizzie had no children but was a welcoming hostess to Julius and Eugénie and all of their children.  As George Sladden said in a letter of 26^th August 1916, “The combination of Aunt Lizzie and Eastbourne is such a very pleasant one to enjoy.”

Lizzie remained living at Eynsford, Eastbourne, until her own death on 13^th September 1926, aged 92.