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Edward Jenner

Born: 1818
Died: 30th August 1860
Buried: 3rd September 1860
Author: Linda Miles-Cartwright

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The first Burial

Edward Jenner was the first person to be buried in Sussex County Asylum’s burial ground after the hospital opened in 1859. Until then, patients who died in the asylum were buried in a variety of other places.

Patient number 59

Edward was admitted to the new Sussex County Asylum on 28th July 1859. He was patient Number 59.

Edward’s admission notes state that he was 42, married, and a former waiter from Lewes. He had previously been in Bethnal House Asylum. He is described as “Delicate with a chronic ulcer on his left leg” and also suffering from dementia.

This current attack had started two weeks before admission. The records suggest Edward’s first attack occurred two years before this, and that there had been two previous attacks. Or was this the second time he had become unwell? This would mean he had been unwell since about 1857.

The Lunacy Register 

The following entries have been found for Edward Jenner. He was admitted to Bethnal House on 4th March 1857 but was discharged on 11th July 1857, described as “cured”.

Edward was readmitted to Bethnal House on 8th March 1859 and stayed there until 28th July 1859, when he was sent to the newly opened Sussex County Asylum.

He remained there until he died on 30th August 1860. The cause of death was recorded as “cerebral apoplexy”, which was the term for a stroke at that time.

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WHO WAS EDWARD JENNER?

Answering this question has proved to be a difficult task, as there were so many Edward Jenners born between 1810 and 1820 in Sussex. I have still not found the right one for certain. There are plenty, but most are dead ends.

Edward the waiter

When I searched the newspapers, I did find an Edward Jenner whose occupation matched the admission records. He was a waiter in Lewes.

This newspaper article from The Brighton Gazette gives us a little clue:

The Brighton Gazette: 22nd July 1841.

I assume this Edward is the one we are looking for. He was a waiter working at the Star Inn/Hotel in Lewes for a man named Mr Rose. Lord Cantilupe, also mentioned in the article, was Viscount Cantilupe and Conservative MP for Lewes.

1841 Census

This clue led me to a record for Edward Jenner, aged 30, in the 1841 Census. He was working at the Star Inn/Hotel for Mr. William Rose.

Edward is stated to have been born in Sussex. The age is incorrect, but the 1841 Census has a lot of errors concerning ages. (They are often rounded up to the nearest 10). Edward, if he was born in 1818, would have been around 22 years of age.

William Rose sold the Star Inn establishment to John Jones in 1845.

A few months after the 1841 Census, Edward was seriously injured in an accident. Is this why he is described as delicate when he was admitted to the asylum?

The  accident

On 15th November 1841, The Sussex Advertiser reported:

It seems poor Edward fell from The Star Inn whilst cleaning windows, resulting in very severe injuries. It must have caused quite a stir to appear in the newspapers.

On 13th March 1851, the Brighton Gazette mentions Edward Jenner again. He is still working as a waiter at The Star Inn. According to the article, Edward was giving evidence in the case of the death of James Weeks Under Ostler at The Star Inn. The headline was “Death from excessive drinking”. 

This was an unfortunate case of a man drinking copious amounts of gin. James was put in the stable to sleep it off, but in the morning he was clearly in trouble. A doctor attended but James sadly died later that day.

Edward Jenner is referred to as “Ned Jenner” earlier in the article.

Shortly before this, advertisements in the press reported that The Star Inn was to be let with early possession as early as 25th March 1851.

The Jones family were on the move.

 The Star Inn 

This establishment, also known as The Star Hotel, is now the home of Lewes Town Hall. When Edward Jenner worked there, it was the headquarters for the Conservative Party, hence the presence of Lord Cantilupe. 

Local MP Thomas Sergison acquired The Star Inn in 1732, and he set it up as his campaign headquarters (Wikipedia).

Thomas had a new facade built, added a staircase from his former mansion, and created a large assembly room.

The Prince of Wales visited The Star Inn in 1784. The author Jane Austen stayed there in 1803. In 1840, The Corn Exchange was built in the yard, becoming the local market for trading grain.

An undated photograph of the Star Inn.

In 1555-1557, ten protestant martyrs were held in the undercroft – then burnt at the stake in front of the building. A plaque remains there to this day, remembering these martyrs. A grim part of The Star Inn’s history indeed.

In Edward’s time it was a busy place, and the newspapers of the time reflect this. Many political events and business meetings took place there, in addition to auctions and sales.

So, Edward would have come into contact with lots of different people from all walks of life. The advertisement below illustrates the type of business his employer attracted.

Sussex Advertiser: 9th July 1844

The trail goes cold 

Although Edward was clearly working at the Star Inn in early March 1851, I cannot find him in the 1851 Census (taken on 30th March). I searched for him throughout the returns for Lewes, using every variation I can think of, but to no avail.

I also checked all the Union Houses and workhouses, but nothing looks likely.

The only person I found who was the right age lodged at Bull Lane, Lewes. This Edward lived with a man named John Jenner, aged 34, and both were described as “Journeymen Tailors” from Lewes. However, I am not certain this record for Edward says his surname is “Jenner” and it’s completely the wrong occupation.

In 1851, Mrs Jones and her children still appear to be living at The Star Inn. But her husband, the proprietor, is missing. Was Edward with his employer somewhere?

There are a few Edward Jenners in Lewes. Including one, mentioned in a tantalising article from 1855, who worked as the landlord of The Globe (a Public House). I wonder whether Edward had taken to running a pub, but I cannot find anything to establish this with any certainty – and Edward’s admission records do state he was a waiter.

The notes also state he had married. Again, there are a few possibilities, but they come to nothing, so perhaps he never did.

EDWARD APPEARS IN THE ASYLUM

Edward’s trail remains cold until he enters Bethnal House Asylum on 3rd March 1857.

I assume he previously entered a workhouse, where a medical examination deemed him insane. From there, he would have been sent to Bethnal House Asylum. (There was no County Asylum in Sussex at that time).

There is another gap in Edward’s whereabouts from 11th July 1857 to 8 March 1859, when he was discharged and allegedly “cured”. I have been unable to find out what he did during this time.

On 8th March 1859 Edward was sent back to Bethnal House Asylum, so his problems had evidently resurfaced. But without Case Notes or a Reception Order, it is difficult to say what happened to him there, other than deterioration.

Once the new Sussex County Asylum opened, Edward returned to the county deemed to be responsible for his care.

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Author’s Thoughts

It has been frustrating: not to find Edward’s roots.

But we do know he was known as “Ned”, and that he was a reliable employee, working at The Star Inn for over ten years. This was a prestigious and respectable establishment. It was also very busy, so it would have been hard work, and Edward must have been capable. One assumes he was also of good character.

We also know Edward sustained a terrible accident in 1841, when he fell onto the pavement whilst cleaning windows. The local Lewes doctor, Mr Murrell, attended to him. Did Edward’s employer pay for this? Mr William Rose may have felt some responsibility for him.

On admission to Sussex County Asylum, it is noted that Edward had a chronic leg ulcer. Was this a result of the 1841 accident? Edward’s dementia diagnosis (when he was still relatively young) also makes me wonder is this was because of the accident too.

Any information about Edward’s life comes to a halt in March 1851, and nothing can be found for him for the next seven years. Did he lose his job at The Star Inn after the Jones family left? Did he go with them?

The Jones family continued to be innkeepers for a number of years. In 1861 they lived in Brighton, before moving to Kent in 1871. We will never know for sure what happened to Edward during this time.

We do not know anything about Edward’s family. Was he all alone in the world? One thing we know for sure is that he must have been a good, trusted servant who worked hard.

Edward was the first person to be buried in the first Sussex Asylum Burial Ground when it opened in 1860.

Rest in peace Ned.