Ann Jane Price

Grandmother of Norma Margaret Oliver

Born:

2 Nov 1862 Southwark, Surrey, England

Baptised:

3 Jul 1864 St John the Evangelist Church, Lambeth, Surrey, England

Married:

12 Jan 1884 Borough Rd Congregational Church, Southwark, Surrey, England to Joseph Henry Lane

Died:

2 May 1923 Dulwich, Surrey, England. Age 60

Cause of death:

Liver cirrhosis and ascites

Buried:

7 May 1923 West Norwood Cemetery, Norwood, Surrey, England

Timeline

Nov 1862

1862-1868

Jul 1864

1870-1884

Apr 1881

Jan 1884

1885-1889

1891-1910

1911-1915

1916-1922

May 1923

Born at parents' home at 15 Southwark Bridge Rd, Southwark, Surrey [1]

Lived with parents at 15 Southwark Bridge Rd, Southwark, Surrey [1] [2]

Baptised at St John the Evangelist Church in Lambeth, Surrey [3]

Lived with parents at 245 Southwark Bridge Rd, Southwark, Surrey [4] [5] [6]

Earliest recorded mention of public singing performance [7]

Married Joseph Henry Lane at the Borough Rd Congregational Church, Southwark, Surrey. Performed as a vocalist [6]

Lived with family at 41 Fleming Rd, Walworth, Surrey and performed as a vocalist. Death of son Reuben in 1888 [8] [9] [10]

Lived with family at Parkview, 189 Norwood Rd, Norwood, Surrey. Death of son Harold (Raldy) in 1895 [11] [12] [13] [14]

Lived with family at 5 Stradella Rd, Herne Hill, Surrey [15] [16]

Lived with family at the Herne Tavern, 2 Forest Hill Rd, East Dulwich Surrey and worked and performed at the Herne Tavern [17] [18] [19]

Death from liver cirrhosis and ascites. Buried at West Norwood Cemetery [20] [21]

Biography

Early years

Southwark Bridge Road

Ann was born as the first daughter, and fourth child, of her parents, David Price and Margaret Davies. She was born on the 2nd November 1862 at 15 Southwark Bridge Road, Southwark in South London - a district also known as "The Borough" [1].

Southwark Bridge Road was the road that led onto Southwark Bridge, which provided a crossing from south London across the Thames to the City of London. Southwark Bridge was sandwiched between Blackfriars Bridge to the west and London Bridge to the east but, unlike those bridges, it had been built privately and was tolled at a penny per crossing. By the time Ann was born, the toll had been removed after it proved to be a financial flop, with Londoners choosing to cross the river using the free bridges. Despite the removal of the toll, the bridge remained under utilised and this was partly because it had a steeper incline, making it harder for horse-drawn freight [22].

Southwark Bridge as Ann would have seen it

Ann's parents were Welsh, hailing from the villages of Pentrebach (near Lampeter) and Tregaron in the county of Cardiganshire (Ceredigion). They both separately immigrated to London but settled in Southwark, where Ann's father, David, worked as a soap boiler [1] [23] [24].

The street the Price family lived on - Southwark Bridge Road - was host to the Welsh Congregational Chapel. Although Ann and all her siblings were all baptised at St John the Evangelist church in Lambeth, it seemed the family were Congregationalists in their beliefs. Ann would later be an active participant in meetings at the Welsh Congregational Chapel, so it is likely that the family worshipped there and participated in the Welsh community that formed around it [3] [25].

There was a strong Welsh community in London at the time, with Welsh papers regularly reporting on "the Welsh in London". Annual meetings were held to discuss Welsh issues and celebrate Welsh culture, including meetings held by the Society of Cymmrodorian, founded for Welsh people in London. Sermon meetings at the Welsh Congregational Chapel also featured speakers extolling the virtues of the Welsh, speaking to Welsh concerns and discussing the familial bond felt by those who spoke a shared language in a 'foreign land' [25].

At the time, Welsh was still the main spoken language throughout the majority of Wales and certainly for those who lived in Cardiganshire, so we can assume that it was the mother tongue for both of Ann's parents, and potentially for Ann herself, although she certainly did speak English as her main language throughout her life. In fact, Welsh words were being taught to family members by Ann's daughter, Nell Lane, as late as the 1970s, so there is little doubt that Ann and her family were Welsh speakers, living and participating within an active Welsh community [26] [27].

Welsh Congregational Chapel, Southwark Bridge Road.jpg

Welsh Congregational Church, Southwark Bridge Road

From Ann to "Madame Jeanette Price"

Ann remained living on Southwark Bridge Road for the entirety of her childhood, although the family moved from 15 Southwark Bridge Road to 245 Southwark Bridge Road in about 1869/1870, when she was 7/8 years old [4]. After Ann's birth, a brother and two sisters were born, giving a total family of six children, all of whom lived to adulthood and old age [28] [29] [4].

The family was musical and, in grand Welsh tradition, that talent found its outlet in singing, with both Ann and her younger sisters Eleanor (known as "Nellie") and Alice performing publicly [30]. At an early age, Ann showed an aptitude for music and, as a teenager, she attended the Guildhall School of Music [31]. The School opened its doors in a disused warehouse in Aldermanbury, in the City of London, in September 1880. The school had 62 part-time students and it is likely Ann was part of that first intake of students as, from April 1881, she began performing publicly [30] [32] [33].

When Ann began singing at the age of 19 in 1881, she used the stage name of "Jeanette Price", likely reflecting that she was known by her family as Jeanette. Initially, her performances were predominantly at temperance meetings across south London and religious gatherings at the Welsh Congregational Chapel [30] [7].

The temperance movement had long been associated with Methodists and, by association, Congregationalists (congregationalism being a Protestant faith in the Calvinist Methodist tradition), ever since John Wesley - the founder of the Methodist Churches - proclaimed that the "buying, selling, and drinking of liquor, unless absolutely necessary, were evils to be avoided" [34].

As a movement, it preached moderation and restraint in the use of alcohol, although non-conformist churches like the Congregationalists went a step further and actively encouraged total abstinence (teetotalism). While alcohol consumption had not markedly increased in the 19th century, it had begun to be perceived as a contributor to moral corruption and the breakdown of good society. One component to this change in perception was the onset of the Industrial Revolution because, as the economy relied more and more on factory work, there was now an economic cost to drunkenness in the form of lost labour. Another component was the evolution of medical understanding as to the harmful impacts of alcohol on the body. Previously, alcohol had been regarded as a safe substance that provided health benefits, in addition to being an important part of social life in Britain. However, medical essays published in the UK and the US at the turn of the 19th century publicised the negative impacts of alcohol on the body and mind, helping to spark temperance movements in both countries [34] [35] [36].

Ann's first recorded performance was on the evening of Saturday, the 2nd of April 1881, at Station Road Temperance Hall in Bermondsey. She received a "favourable reception" for her three songs, Come Lasses and Lads, an old, yet still popular song, A Summer Shower a new song by Theophilus Marzials and Rory O'Moore, an Irish folk tune [7]. Other venues she sang frequently at early in her career were the South Metropolitan Temperance Hall on Blackfriars Road, Southwark, the Albert Road Lecture Hall in Peckham, and the Church of the Pilgrim Fathers, which hosted the Southwark Help-Myself Society, a temperance group. The Pilgrim Father's Church was one of the homes of the Congregationalists in London, located on New Kent Road in Southwark and it commemorated the religious dissenters who sailed to the Americas on the Mayflower [30] [37].

The South Metropolitan Temperance Hall - Blackfriars Road.jpg

The South Metropolitan Temperance Hall, where Ann frequently performed

In an age before TV and radio, one of the big forms of entertainment were concerts, held in public halls, church halls and even school rooms. Temperance societies hosted a large number of these concerts in their efforts to provide entertainment without the need for liquor. The concert season ran over the colder months, from October - May, keeping the summer months mostly free except for occasional special events. From that first April in 1881, Ann sang almost every week during the concert season, often multiple times a week. While the larger concerts were held on Saturday night, musical events would also be held throughout the week, from Monday right through to Friday. Events generally followed a routine - the musical programme would always feature a range of performers and performances, including solo vocalists, choirs and instrumentalists (pianoforte was a favourite). Events would start between 7-8pm and a typical programme would be about 2 hours long, although could go longer [38] [39].

As a performer, Ann quickly found popularity in South London. Articles covering the events she performed at commented on her musical talents. She sang Marzials' A Summer Shower "with well-balanced effect", and What Will You Do, Love? "with her usual grace of delivery" [40] [41]. We also know that Ann adapted and played with her songs, delivering her own interpretations of them in "her fine soprano voice" [42]. In that first year of 1881, she frequently chose to sing The Kerry Dance. Her interpretation was described as "charming" at one concert at the Bible Christian School Room and that it "appealed powerfully to the ear" at another concert at the Borough Road Congregational Church. On another occasion, she delivered her interpretation of the The Kerry Dance in response to an encore before a large audience at the South Metropolitan Temperance Hall. Her interpretation was so enthusiastically enjoyed by the crowd that they called for a further encore again [40] [43] [44].

At the time, The Kerry Dance was a popular new song, composed by James L. Molloy in 1879, although the first 8 bars were identical to a much older song composed in London in 1790 [47]. An example of how it was likely sung in the 19th century can be found here, although a more modern version by Julie Andrews gives a clearer experience of the song. A good example, however, of how it could have been performed and interpreted differently - particularly for a live (and lively) performance - can be seen in the jazz-inspired rendition delivered by Helen Kane (the inspiration to the cartoon character Betty Boop) on the Ed Sullivan show.

Ann was no stranger to popular, folk (and folk-inspired) songs of the sort enjoyed by the masses - she frequently sang the cautionary comedy song A Bird in Hand by Joseph Roeckel (otherwise known as The Three Maids of Lee), along with other favourites such as Twickenham Ferry (an example of how a soprano such as Ann might have sung it can be found here, along with the lyrics). However, her range was demonstrated when she sang soaring Victorian ballads, with her particular favourite being The Better Land, by English composer Frederick H. Cowen, along with Daddy, The Children's Home, The Garden of Sleep and the Welsh song The Bells of Aberdovey [30].

In December 1881, Ann hosted the first of her own annual concerts, holding it at the St Philip's school room on Reedworth St, Lambeth. It was reported to have a large and appreciative audience and Ann had arranged a varied programme with a selection of vocalists and instrumentalists. The evening commenced with a pianoforte duet, and also featured Ann's younger sisters Nellie and Alice, singing the duet No, Sir. Ann herself sang Pinsuti's Heaven and Earth, for which she was encored and responded with Two's Company [45].

Over the next few years, Ann grew in popularity as a singer. She was frequently encored and was often awarded "the palm of the evening" for songs such as Dream Faces, a melancholy but beautiful operatic number. She continued to sing regularly at temperance society concerts, particularly the Southwark Help-Myself Society, where she was "the acknowledged favourite" [39]. However, Ann also began to perform at a wider variety of venues, such as the Corn Exchanges in Chelmsford and Romford (both in Essex), the Bow and Bromley Institute, and the Lambeth Baths [30].

The Lambeth Baths on Westminster Bridge Road were a public washhouse centre, including "swimming baths" and where hot baths could be had for 6d. They were built in 1853 by a private company and, at the time, were the largest establishment of their kind. They included first & second class swimming pools and slipper baths, although women were not permitted to swim in the pools. There was also a separate entrance for 'washing-women' who did laundry in the washhouse and adjacent to it was an 'infant house' for the care of their children. The Baths also included a public meeting hall that was used regularly throughout the season for concerts. At this time, the Baths hosted Saturday-night entertainments presided over by Reverend G.M. Murphy and Ann was a regular fixture in the performances. The programmes always featured a variety of singers and instrumental players, as well as newspaper readings, where interesting news items of the day would be listened to with "much attention" [46] [47] [48] [49].

Lambeth Baths Kennington Rd - London Picture Archive.JPG

Lambeth Baths and Washhouses, Westminster Bridge Road

Reverend Murphy was the Congregational Minister of the Borough Road Congregational Church and he was regarded as the social "bishop" of the New Cut, the street running from Waterloo Road in Lambeth to Blackfriars Road in Southwark. Reverend Murphy's church was in a poor district and his self-proclaimed calling was to "raise the fallen, cheer the downcast, restore the prodigal, and to reclaim the drunkard", which he accomplished by elevating the audience through song via the Saturday concerts. He promoted the cause of temperance and his evening concerts would feature a desk where members of the audience could make a teetotal pledge [50].

The association between Reverend Murphy and Ann was clearly a close one, because when Ann later married Joseph Henry Lane - a south London journalist - on 12th January 1884, it was Reverend Murphy who married them, at his Borough Road Congregational Church [6]. Ann probably met Joseph (known as "Joe") through the Vagnolini family, whom they were mutually acquainted with. Ann sang at a number of concerts that featured Maria Vagnolini as singer, and Joe went to school with Maria's brothers Valentine and Raphael [51] [52] [53].

Family life

After their marriage, Ann did not take a break from her singing career, with her next recorded performance being at the Hendon Brass Band Concert with her sister Nellie on 28th January 1884 [54]. In fact, Ann often sang with Nellie, who forged her own singing career. Usually they performed separately at the same event, but they did often sing duets together. When they did, their favourite to sing was In the Dusk of Twilight but other duets they sang were The Broom Girls, Life's Long Dream is O'er and No, Sir [30].

Ann continued to sing weekly throughout the season, performing at Loughborough Hall for their series of promenade concerts, and giving us an insight into the origin of the "proms", which required a orchestra situated in the centre of the venue, so that the visitors "may perambulate round the hall in the intervals of music, or during performances of the band" [55]. Ann also chose to sing at concerts dedicated to a number of worthy causes, in particular multiple appearances for The Work-Girls' Protection Society and at the Lambeth Workhouse [30].

The Work-Girls' Protection Society's mission was to "call attention to hardships endured by work girls and sempstresses in their labourious and ill-paid occupation". The Trade Union movement had done much to improve the rights of male workers, yet female workers had been left behind. The Society aimed to provide a "school of instruction" to the women to teach them "higher branches of work, and thus be enabled to escape the drudgery and bad pay of the low class factories." Ann performed The Last Muster, Which of the Two? and Never to Know, receiving an encore for the last song, to which she responded with by singing Daddy [56].

Ann also sung at least three times at the Lambeth Workhouse, with the concerts being an idea conceived by a member of the Board of Guardians who was a firm believer in the power of music. Workhouses were notoriously grim, and not appreciably different from prisons. They were brick and stone-faced institutions for those who could no longer support themselves. Once admitted, "inmates" wore a uniform and undertook labour for the workhouse. Male and female populations were separated and outdoor time was limited to exercise yards behind the outer walls [57]. Concerts such as this were not only progressive but a welcome, brief respite for the poor souls inside.

Whilst some of the singers performed selections that "were somewhat too classical to be understood by everybody", Ann showed more awareness of her audience and chose songs of a more "homely tone", a choice very much favoured by her listeners who rewarded her with long encores for songs such as Bishop's Tell Me, My Heart, The Three Maids of Lee, The Kerry Dance, I Mean To Wait for Jack and Rory O'Moore. Ann was always described as being the "success of evening" [58] [59] [60].

Lambeth Workhouse

A year and a half after Ann and Joe were married, they welcomed their first son, Harold Joseph Price Lane on 25th August 1885 at the family's new home at 41 Fleming Road, Walworth [8]. All their children would bear "Price" as a second middle name, in recognition of Ann and her family.

At about the time that Harold, known affectionately as "Raldy" was born, Joe left his journalist position at the Lambeth Post to take up an editor position for the Southwark Standard, making him the youngest editor in south London [61]. Joe's income, along with Ann's from singing, meant the family were comfortable. The Charles Booth map shows Fleming Road (marked with a blue dot) as being inhabited by people who were fairly comfortable with good, ordinary earnings.

Ann remained busy in her singing career, even after Raldy was born. A month after his birth, Ann took to the stage with her sister Nellie at the newly constructed Albert Palace in Battersea Park, for the first annual temperance fete of the East and Mid-Surrey district of the Independent Order of Good Templars [62]. A month after that, in October 1885, Ann directed a special concert at the Royal Victoria Hall (more famously known as the Old Vic) in Waterloo, following a series of penny science lectures [63]. And although Ann did perform at a small number of temperance meetings in 1886 and 1887, from late 1887 she stopped and, thereafter, her appearances were at more "secular" events [30].

Inside the Old Vic theatre

On 9th November 1887, Ann had her second child, another boy named Reuben Sydney Price Lane [64]. With the exception of a concert in December, she enjoyed a quiet winter with her boys until the start of the concert season in March 1888 [65] [30].

On the 5th March 1888, Ann commenced her season with a concert at the Oriental Hotel, where she sang Say That I Always Love, Bird In Hand (The Three Maids of Lee) as an encore song, then later in the programme, The Better Land and The Garden of Sleep [66].

That season, Ann would go on to perform twice at the Oriental Hotel and once at the Lambeth Baths, however her appearances were significantly reduced as compared to previous years, probably due to being the mother of two young boys [30].

However, in June of 1888, Ann's youngest son Reuben, sadly died of tubercular meningitis at only 7 months of age. It was a rare complication that developed after exposure to the tuberculosis bacterium and caused fatal inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord [10] [67].

Tuberculosis, also known as the White Plague, consumption or phthisis, had been known since ancient times. However, increased urbanisation, density of living and, with it, rising poverty and squalor, led to an epidemic in the 19th century. By the start of the century, it was the cause of 25% of total deaths. While people of all ages could fall susceptible to the disease, it disproportionately affected the young [68].

Despite the horror of losing a child, Ann returned to singing when the season commenced in the autumn of that year. That latter half of 1888 was when she received some of her best reviews. She started singing at the meetings for local Conservative clubs, including ones at Walworth and West Southwark. On 1st December 1888, she sang before 1,400 people at the Lambeth Baths in a programme devoted entirely to Scottish music. Ann sung Robin Adair and The Hundred Pipers, with both songs rendered "with so much expression that she was recalled to the platform after each selection" [69].

She performed all across that Christmas, singing at the Wheatsheaf Hall in Lambeth in aid of the poor and needy, where she performed "in a faultless manner" [70]. At another performance, the coverage reported that "Madame Jeanette Price, G.S.M., is so well known and deservedly popular in South London that it is hardly necessary to say she won golden applause for her singing" and that encores were demanded for her songs" [71].

The following year, Ann and Joe's third child, Horace Frederick Price Lane, was born on 30th August 1889 [9]. After Horace's (Horrie) birth, Ann and her family moved from Walworth to Herne Hill, a little further out in south London [72].

Herne Hill was an area that had historically been affluent - a rural district of large mansions and gardens, although the arrival of the railway in 1862 had encouraged working families to also move to the area [73]. However, the family's home - named Parkview - overlooked Brockwell Park and would have been very comfortable [74].

Norwood Rd, Herne Hill, 1910

Retirement from the stage

Entrance Lodge of Brockwell Park, Norwood Rd, Herne Hill

Later sources would say that Ann retired from the stage following the death of her first born son, Raldy, but he was still alive by the time she seems to have retired. Perhaps it was the death, only several months earlier, of her second born son, Reuben, that was the catalyst for her withdrawal from the stage or, perhaps, it was the care of Raldy who had a long illness with kidney and liver disease [31] [14].

Sadly, Ann was to lose Raldy, although it would not be until six years later, in 1895. It was a tumultuous year beginning with the family attendance at the wedding of Joe's sister Beattie and Ann pregnant with their sixth child [75]. At the time, their children numbered three - Raldy, 10, Horace Frederick (Horrie), 6, and Ellen Ruby (Nell), who had been born in 1893 and was then two years old [76].

In October, Ann gave birth to a son, who they named David Edric Price Lane (and later known in the family as "Dio") [77]. However, it was not long after Dio's birth that Raldy died of nephritis and liver disease at the family's home on Christmas Eve [14]. Joe and Ann were devastated. After Christmas, on the 27th December, Joe bought a private burial plot at Norwood Cemetery and Raldy was buried there the following day on the 28th [78].

The substantial headstone erected for him spoke to the family's grief:

In loving memory of our darling son Harold ("Raldy")

Born Aug 25th 1885 Died Dec 24th 1895

Others there are who love me too but who with all their love could do what Jesus Christ has done?

Jesus Christ with tender care will in his arms most gentle bear the helpless little one.

West Norwood Cemetery - Headstone - Jeannette (Ann Jane) Lane (nee Price) and son Harold J

Headstone for Raldy at West Norwood Cemetery

In 1902, Joe and Ann had their final child, a daughter named Iris Margaret (Rissy) [79]. The following year, Joe and Ann arranged for all four of their children to be baptised at the nearby All Saints Church the following year [80].

Despite Ann's retirement from the stage, she never retired from music and this is evident in the musical lives of her children when they were young, for which we can surely call her responsible. When Joe attended a school reunion for George-street British School, Horrie attended to sing When the heart is young and The flight of ages [81]. Rissy was an active participant in school concerts and local theatre. At the age of 12, she wrote a war play for children, complete with musical accompaniment and would later go on to perform at local events as a mezzo-soprano [82]. While Nell did not appear to do much singing, she also participated in concert events at her school - Westbridge House School on Deronda Road - and, one year, she played the title role in the concert's main event, a performance of "The Snow Queen" [83].

All Saints Church, West Dulwich

In 1911, the family moved a few streets over to Stradella Road, Herne Hill. Their home on Stradella Road was very comfortable and a testament to Joe's success as a professional journalist - 10 rooms in total, including the kitchen [15]. It was a new development, with Stradella Road and nearby Winterbrook Road having only been built a few years before on what had previously been open paddock. The land belonged to the Estate Governors of nearby Dulwich College and although there was demand for smaller houses to support lower middle class families, the landowners exercised strict control in order for larger homes to be built, to encourage well-off middle classes to the area who would, in turn, be more likely to send their children to the College. The new homes on Stradella Road had rents of £60-£90 per annum, or were over £500 to buy, which required families to be comfortably off [84].

Stradella Rd, Herne Hill

Ann and Joe were vibrant members of the local Herne Hill community. The Great War was yet to arrive and the days passed pleasantly - the Lane family attended a garden party held by the Matthews at Stradella House, also on Stradella Road - their daughter would later marry Dio [85]. In 1913, Horrie married Dorothy Matilda Kruse - known as Dolly to the family - in a pretty spring wedding at the nearby St Paul's church at Herne Hill. It was a family affair with Dio acting as Horrie's best man and Rissy being one of Dolly's train bearers. At the wedding reception at the Horns Assembly Rooms, Ann re-took the stage and sang with her sister Nellie. In recognition of the role music played in the Lane's life, Joe and Ann gifted Horrie and Dolly with a piano as a wedding present [86].

The Horns Tavern and Assembly Room, Kennington

The Herne Tavern

In 1916, the family's position in the community further strengthened as they took on the Herne Tavern, on the corner at No. 2 Forest Hill Road, opposite Peckham Rye Park [87]. From the beginning, it was an enterprise between Joe and his son Dio, then aged 21. However, Ann contributed musically, in what represented a small return to public singing.

The Lanes prided themselves in running the Herne as "a home from home" and it was used as a venue for a variety of clubs and societies including the Ivy Allotment Association, the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB), and the Loan Club. Ann, along with her sister Nellie and daughter Rissy, would often provide the entertainment at these events [88] [89].

Forest Hill Rd, showing Herne Tavern, at the end on the left-hand side

The Herne Tavern

Ill health and death

In her latter years at the Herne, Ann's health began to fail. She was then in her 50s and she suffered from ascites, which causes fluid to collect in the abdomen, resulting in severe and often painful swelling [20]. It's likely that Ann had suffered from ascites for some time at this stage as Ann's youngest daughter, Rissy, remembered not being able to sit on her mother's lap because her stomach was so big [90].

When doctors eventually operated on Ann to understand why her stomach was so swollen, it seems that the underlying cause of the ascites - cirrhosis of the liver - was too far advanced for them to take any corrective action. To manage the ascites, Ann regularly had doctors drain the fluid from her stomach and her daughters Nell and Rissy - then in their late teens and 20s - cared for her [90] [20] [31].

The ascites would have meant Ann's mobility was severely limited and she was often in the family's rooms upstairs above the Herne. The Herne had a beer garden and she was often in the room that overlooked it. The family story was she would often sit there and see her husband Joe spending time with a young woman named Emmeline, who used to frequent the Herne with her mother. Emmeline was 37 years younger than Joe and he would later marry her, after Ann's death [91].

In 1922, Joe and Dio let go of the Herne and Ann, Joe and their two daughters Nell and Rissy, moved to 25 Ryedale, where Dio was living with his new wife. It was here that Ann died on the 2nd May 1923 at the age of 60 [20].

Her funeral was attended by her husband Joe and her children, as well as her brothers and sisters and other friends and family members [92]. She was then buried in the private plot that Joe had bought at Norwood Cemetery, next to her beloved son Raldy [21].

Source information

Ann Jane Price, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1862 in St George Southwark, Record no: 38, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Eleanor Mary Price, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 2nd Quarter 1868 in St George Southwark, Record no: ..4, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]. Ann's sister. Parents' address is used as a proxy for Ann, as she was a minor at the time.
Ann Jane Price, Baptismal record, St John the Evangelist Lambeth Parish Register [Church of England], 3 Jul 1864, Record no: 1244, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]
Alice Margaret Price, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1870 in St Saviour Surrey, Record no: 193, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Ann Jane Price [1881], Census return for Southwark Bridge Road, Southwark, Surrey, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]
Joseph Henry Lane and Ann Jane Price, England & Wales Marriage Certificate, Registered 1st Quarter 1884 in St Saviour Southwark, Record no: 70, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Entertainment at Station Road Temperance Hall, Bermondsey, Southwark Mercury, 9 Apr 1881, page 8, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Harold Joseph Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 3rd Quarter 1885 in St Saviour Southwark, Record no: 218, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Horace Frederick Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1889 in St Saviour Southwark, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Reuben Sydney Price Lane, England & Wales Death Certificate, Registered 3rd Quarter 1888 in St Saviour Southwark, Record no: 315, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Ann J Lane [1891], Census return for Norwood Road, Streatham, London, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]
Ann J Lane [1901], Census return for Norwood Road, Lambeth, London, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]
Joseph Henry Lane, London England Electoral Registers 1832-1965, Borough of Wandsworth, Division of Wandsworth, 1910, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]
Harold Joseph Price Lane, England & Wales Death Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1895 in Wandsworth, Record no: 233, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Ann Jane Lane [1911], Census return for Stradella Rd, Herne Hill, London, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]
Joseph Henry Lane, Borough of Southwark, Division of Dulwich, 1915, London Electoral Roll Registers 1832-1965, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]
Advertisement: Comin' Thro' the Rye, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 1 Apr 1916, page 4, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. This ad places the Lane family in running the Herne Tavern from at least Apr 1916 - it is the first ad found to be run in the local papers. The title of the ad "Comin' Thro' the Rye'" is a play on words - referencing both the Tavern's location opposite Peckham Rye park, as well as the well-known song of Comin' Thro' the Rye.
Joseph Henry Lane [1921], Census return for Forest Hill Road, London, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Address is given as 2 Forest Hill Rd SE22, which is the address for the Herne Tavern
Popular licensees, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 13 May 1922, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. This article relates to Joe and his son Dio relinquishing the license for the Herne Tavern, indicating they stopped running the premises from May 1922.
Ann Jane Lane, England & Wales Death Certificate, Registered 2nd Quarter 1923 in Camberwell, Record no: 326, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Ann Jane Lane, Burial record, West Norwood Cemetery Burial Register, 7 May 1923, Record no: A59160, Deceased Online [deceasedonline.com]
Brown, Matt, The remarkable (and grim) history of Southwark Bridge, Londonist Time Machine, 3 Jan 2024, Londonist [londonist.substack.com]
David Price [1841], Census return for Bridge Road, Lambeth, Surrey, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. David was living in London from at least 1841.
David Price and Margaret Davies, England & Wales Marriage Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1853 in Lewisham, Record no: 77, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]. Marriage certificates indicates Margaret (as well as David) was living in Sydenham prior to the marriage.
Evidence of the family's Congregationalism:
- David Price (pt 1 and pt 2 of page), Baptismal record, Capel Lampel Chapel Lampeter Parish Register [Calvinist Methodists], 8 Dec 1822, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. David and his brother were baptised in the Welsh Calvinist Methodist Church. Congregationalism is a Protestant faith in the Calvinist Methodist tradition.
- The Welsh in London, South Wales Daily News, 16 Dec 1881, page 2, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. Notes Anne as a singer at a chapel meeting at the Welsh Congregational Chapel.
- Jottings about the Welsh in London, Wrexham Advertiser, 9 Dec 1882, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. As above, notes Anne as a singer at a chapel meeting at the Welsh Congregational Chapel. This chapel was located on Southwark Bridge Road, the same road that the Price family lived on. Anne's presence at the meeting strongly suggests she was Congregational (and likely brought up so) and given the family were Welsh and living on the same road, it is highly likely the Welsh Congregational Chapel was the church they attended.
Conversations with Jenny Batten, granddaughter of Nell Lane
19th century: History of the Welsh language, Wikipedia, Last edited 12 Feb 2024 [en.wikipedia.org]
John Sidney Price, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 3rd Quarter 1865 in St George Southwark, Record no: 468, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Eleanor Mary Price, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 2nd Quarter 1868 in St George Southwark, Record no: ..4, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Sourced spreadsheet of all mentions of Ann (Jeanette) and Eleanor (Nellie) performing as vocalists, including mention of Alice also singing with them on at least one occasion.
Death of Mrs. J. H. Lane, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 5 May 1923, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Our history, Guildhall School of Music
Selection of articles referencing Ann as a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music (GSM):
- Entertainment at St. Peter's Schools, Southwark and Bermondsey Recorder, 25 Mar 1882, page 3, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
- Sutherland Chapel Saturday evening entertainments for the people, South London Press, 29 Dec 1888, page 6, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
- Death of Mrs. J. H. Lane, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 5 May 1923, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Temperance movement in the United Kingdom, Wikipedia, Last edited 19 May 2024 [en.wikipedia.org]
Alcohol in the United Kingdom, Wikipedia, Last edited 30 Jun 2024 [en.wikipedia.org]
Couling, Samuel, History of the Temperance Movement in Great Britain and Ireland, W. Tweedie, 1862, Google Books [books.google.co.uk]
The Memorial Church of the Pilgrim Fathers (Buckenham Square, 1864), Voyaging through History the Mayflower & Britain [voyagingthroughhistory.exeter.ac.uk]
Saturday evening at the Lambeth Baths, South London Chronicle, 7 Jan 1882, page 6, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Southwark Help-Myself Society entertainment, Southwark and Bermondsey Recorder, 4 Mar 1882, page 2, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Mr. and Mrs. Knight's annual concert, Southwark Mercury, 16 Apr 1881, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
South Metropolitan Temperance Hall, South London Chronicle, 21 May 1881, page 6, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
South Metropolitan Temperance Hall, Southwark Mercury, 7 May 1881, page 6, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Entertainment at the Borough-road Congregational Church, Southwark, Southwark Mercury, 23 Apr 1881, page 3, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Mrs. Davies' concert, Southwark Mercury, 23 Apr 1881, page 3, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Miss Jeanette Price's Concert, South London Press, 3 Dec 1881, page 6, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Lambeth Baths, Vauxhall History [vauxhallhistory.org]
Lambeth Baths & Washhouses, Westminster Bridge Road, Lambeth Archives [boroughphotos.org/lambeth]
Saturday Night at the Lambeth Baths, South London Press, 24 Nov 1883, page 7, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Saturday Night at the Lambeth Baths, South London Press, 8 Dec 1883, page 7, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Borough-road Congregational Church, South London Press, 4 Apr 1885, page 10, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Mr. Birkby's Old Boys, South London Press, 11 Apr 1903, page 10, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Evidence of Maria Vagnolini's singing in London:
- London mixture, The Stage, 8 Jul 1881, page 9, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
- Concert at Brixton Hall, South London Chronicle, 1 Mar 1884, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Evidence of Ann Jane Price and Maria Vagnolini singing at same events:
- Bolingbroke Hall, South London Press, 25 Nov 1882, page 11, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
- Bolingbroke Hall, South London Press, 24 Feb 1883, page 7, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Hendon Brass Band Concert, Hendon and Finchley Times, 2 Feb 1884, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Promenade Concerts at Loughborough Hall, South London Press, 22 Sep 1883, page 7, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
The Work-Girls' Protection Society, South London Press, 12 Jul 1884, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Workhouse, Wikipedia, Last edited 5 Jun 2024 [en.wikipedia.org]
Music at Lambeth Workhouse, South London Press, 16 Feb 1884, page 1, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Entertainment at Lambeth Workhouse, South London Press, 6 Dec 1884, page 10, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Music in a Workhouse, South London Press, 27 Feb 1886, page 3, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Joe Lane is dead, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 11 Feb 1936, page 1, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Temperance Fete at the Albert Palace, South London Press, 3 Oct 1885, page 10, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Royal Victoria Hall, South London Press, 10 Oct 1885, page 6, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Reuben Sydney Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 1st Quarter 1888 in St Saviour Southwark, Record no: 365, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Mr. Ashton's Smoking Concert, South London Press, 17 Dec 1887, page 13, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Mr. Wilfred Stracey's Concert, South London Press, 10 Mar 1888, page 13, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Meningitis, Tuberculosis, National Organization for Rare Disorders, Last updated 15 May 2009 [rarediseases.org]
Information on tuberculosis in the 19th century:
- Glaziou P, Floyd K, Raviglione M, Trends in tuberculosis in the UK, Thorax, Published Online First: 19 April 2018
- Frith, J, History of tuberculosis. Part 1 - phthisis, consumption and the White Plague, History, Volume 22, No 2
- History of tuberculosis, Wikipedia, Last edited 20 Jun 2024 [en.wikipedia.org]
- Tuberculosis: A Short History, Centre for Chronic Diseases and Disorders, Centre for Global Health Histories, Orient Blackswan Private Ltd, 2013
Lambeth Baths Winter Meetings, South London Press, 8 Dec 1888, page 7, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Wheatsheaf Hall, South Lambeth-road, South London Press, 29 Dec 1888, page 7, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Sutherland Chapel Saturday Evenings for the People, South London Press, 8 Dec 1888, page 6, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Ann J Lane [1891], Census return for Norwood Road, Streatham, London, The National Archives of the UK, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]
Short History, The Herne Hill Society [www.hernehillsociety.org.uk]
Births, South London Observer Camberwell & Peckham Times, 15 Apr 1893, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Beatrice Annie Lane and Harry Cecil Hyde, Marriage record, St Giles Camberwell Parish Register [Church of England], 14 Apr 1895, Record no: 261, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]
Ellen Ruby Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 2nd Quarter 1893 in Wandsworth, Record no: 139, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
David Edric Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1895 in Wandsworth, Record no: 107, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Harold Joseph Price Lane, Burial record, West Norwood Cemetery Burial Register, 28 Dec 1895, Record no: A18266, Deceased Online [deceasedonline.com]
Iris Margaret Price Lane, England & Wales Birth Certificate, Registered 1st Quarter 1902 in Lambeth, Record no: 11, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Horace, Ellen, David and Iris Lane, Baptismal records, All Saints West Dulwich Parish Register [Church of England], 4 Oct 1903, Record nos: 28-31, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]
Mr. Birkby's Old Boys, South London Press, 11 Apr 1903, page 10, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Evidence of Iris Margaret Lane's singing and theatre activities:
- Westbridge House School Concert, South London Press, 27 Dec 1912, page 4, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
- The Brixton Empress, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 4 Sep 1920, page 6, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
- Musical Printers, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 26 Nov 1921, page 4, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
- A war play for children, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 6 Feb 1915, page 2, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Westbridge House School, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 23 Dec 1905, page 2, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Stradella Road Conservation Area Appraisal, 2007, Southwark Council [www.southwark.gov.uk]
Garden party at Herne Hill, South London Press, 11 Jul 1913, page 9, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Pretty Herne Hill wedding: Lane-Kruse, South London Press, 14 Mar 1913, page 15, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Advertisement: Herne Tavern, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 1 Apr 1916, page 4, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]. This is the first published advertisement for Herne Tavern, with Lane & Son as proprietors.
Advertisement: Herne Tavern, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 6 Jan 1917, page 8, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk].
Evidence of events at the Herne Tavern:
- R.A.O.B., South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 3 May 1919, page 3, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
- A pleasant evening, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 9 Apr 1921, page 4, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
- Music in the open: Buffs entertain ladies, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 18 Jun 1921, page 2, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
- Herne Tavern outing, South London Observer Camberwell and Peckham Times, 31 Aug 1918, page 2, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]
Conversations with Sheila Capes, daughter of Iris Margaret Price Lane
Joseph Henry Lane and Emmeline Ida Sophie Brasier, England & Wales Marriage Certificate, Registered 4th Quarter 1928 in Camberwell, Record no: 84, General Register Office [www.gro.gov.uk]
Funeral of Mrs. J. H. Lane, Southwark and Bermondsey Recorder, 11 May 1923, page 5, FindMyPast [www.findmypast.co.uk]