Catherine Dibben (1850-1934) rose from a poor Hayling Island childhood to running a successful boarding house and inspiring four generations of women
A Woman of Her Own Making
Category: Maternal Family Stories
Luck of the Irish
Joseph Twohey (c1838–1913) an Irish-born soldier whose career spanned Crimea, India, and near-miraculous survival, honoured with Hayling’s first military funeral
A Ruptured Life
James Twohey (1794-1866) an Irishman who served with the British Army and endured hardship in India before being discharged through injury
A ‘desperate state of things’
Alexander Cameron Brock (1855-1898) a forgotten family story, uncovered through hospital archives, reveals the quiet tragedy of a Victorian doctor lost to mental illness
Poverty, Place, and Childhood on Hayling Island
Catherine Dibben (1850–1934) early family life in a hardworking yet impoverished rural community, where illness and loss were ever present
Marriage, Mobility, and Motherhood
Catherine Dibben (1850–1934) navigating army life, delayed motherhood, and domestic service, she developed skills, patience, and resilience that would later shape her career
Raising Children in a Changing World
Catherine Dibben (1850–1934) gacing displacement and relentless domestic work, she relied on ingenuity, thrift, and endurance to keep her household afloat
Enterprise, Respectability, and Seaside Tourism
Catherine Dibben (1850–1934) returning to Hayling Island after twenty years, managing a boarding house amidst personal losses and the evolving social landscape of the late 19th century
Endurance Through War and Change
Catherine Dibben (1850–1934) faced significant personal and social challenges during WWI, managing her boarding house while mourning deeply for her family and navigating economic hardships
Not just a pretty face
Ellen Kirby (1851-1924) whose humble origins in rural Berkshire contrasted sharply with her later success as a respected housekeeper, wife, and businesswoman
