'Widow Rowbottom'

'Widow Rowbottom',
photographed by Frederick Downer in 1865.

Sarah Rowbottom, née Edwards, died at her home in Stanmore, Middlesex, on 5 November 1885. Her death certificate gives her age as 101 years. There was some discussion as to the accuracy of this. She came to the attention the Press before her death and was named 'Widow Rowbottom'

Hertford Mercury and Reformer - Saturday 18 February 1865

Longevity.

Among the illustrations of occasional longevity, we may refer to the widow Rowbottom, an old woman now living at Stanmore, where she has been a notability for some years past, and who states that she was born on Christmas Eve, 1759. According to this account, widow Rowbottom is now in her 106th year.

It is impossible, however, to furnish evidence in support of her statement, though there is no reason for disbelieving it; but we have before us satisfactory proof that she is more than 100 years of age, in the certificate of her baptism, of which the following is a copy:

"Sarah, the natural daughter of Elizabeth Edwards, travelling woman, was baptized December 16th, 1764."—Extract from the register of the parish of Shabbington, Bucks. by the Rev. B. Norland, vicar, April 4th, 1859

The Sarah Edwards mentioned in this document, married a man named Rowbottom. She has been, as her mother was before her, a "travelling woman," and until three or four years ago, tramped about the neighbourhood selling tapes and cottons.

Latterly she has become very feeble, but her mind is comparatively unimpaired, and she is as merry as a young girl, fond of joking, and full of sly humour.

We have before us a portrait of this centenarian, taken by Mr. Frederick Downer, Watford, an accomplished photographer, whose skill in the art he cultivates has seldom been surpassed.

The eye of the old woman is very bright, the expression of her face shrewd and intelligent but the wrinkles are wonderful. Her skin is like the latest railway map of England; the lines run in every direction, and cross each other at all points. This alone in the case of healthy woman, is evidence of great age. 

Considering the circumstances of her birth, and the times in which she was born, it is extremely likely that she was not baptized until five years after her birth. On the whole, we think there is reasonable proof that widow Rowbottom was born in 1759, and is therefore in the 105th year of her age.

Watford Observer - Saturday 13 May 1865

A Centenarian.

Amongst the many well-executed Carte de Visites exhibited by Mr. Downer, photographer, of this town, is the likeness of an old woman living at Stanmore, named Rowbottam [sic], who represents herself as having been born on Christmas Eve, 1759, and therefore in her 105th year.

The following extract from the baptismal register of her native parish proves her to be at any rate a centenarian.

"Sarah, the natural daughter of Elizabeth Edwards, travelling woman, was baptized December 16th, 1764.” This extract was taken from the register of the parish of Shabbington, Bucks., by the Rev. B. Moreland, vicar.

The above is now Widow Rowbottom, who represents herself as having been bom on Christmas Eve, 1759. She is still in full possession of her mental and physical faculties 

Berkshire Chronicle - Saturday 11 November 1865

Death of a Centenarian.

On Sunday last there died at Stanmore, Widow Rowbottom, an old woman, who represented herself as having been born on Christmas Eve, 1759. She would therefore be in her 106th year at the time of her death.

She was baptised when five years of age, December 16, 1764, at the parish of Shebbington [sic], Bucks. The following is the record of her baptism extracted from the parish register of Shebbington [sic], by the Rev. B. Moreland, vicar

Sarah, the natural daughter of Elizabeth Edwards, a travelling woman, was baptised December 16, 1764. 

Like her mother, Sarah Edwards (afterwards Widow Rowbottom) became a travelling woman, and got her living by hawking small articles for sale. For many years she had been a well-known character in the neighbourhood of Bushy [sic], Stanmore, and Watford.. 

During her life she had been constantly in the habit of attending all the fairs and feasts in the surrounding district, and was very fond of dancing and merrymaking on those occasions.

It must be confessed that her extreme longevity cannot be attributed to temperate habits; the truth was she frequently gave way to habits of excessive drinking.

For some time before her death, however, she was a reformed character in this respect, though up to the last she was very partial to a "drop of home-brewed." Her mental and physical acuities, with the exception of her sight, she was in wonderful possession of, considering her age, till within short time of her death.

Daily Telegraph & Courier (London) - Thursday 16 November 1865

THE LATE WIDOW ROWBOTTOM. 

TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

Sir

In justice to the memory of an old parishioner of mine, whom, during my knowledge of her for several years past, I have highly esteemed and honoured, I wish to state that whatever may have been the shortcomings of the centenarian widow Rowbottom during part of her life, she has, during its later period, shown herself a thorough and consistent Christian; and I think is hardly fair of your informant, in your paper of yesterday, to allude to her intemperance, which, as I fully believe, God has long since pardoned - so I think man should have forgotten or passed over in silence.

Her age I do not think was so great as your correspondent assumes. She was baptised December 16, 1764, but, as she always told me, upon the very day of her birth. She had, therefore, not completed her 102nd year.

She was entirely uneducated, not being able either to read or write; but her memory was wonderfully stored with Scripture and hymns, in the use of which she was to the last singularly acute.

She was in my church, and a communicant, not more than five months ago; and until the last month her intellect was as clear and her mode of expression as striking as usual. She had been for a long period a most regular communicant and church-goer, and was in no sense of the word a beggar.

I rarely have met with any one with a clearer or more independent mind.

Whatever her early life may have been, I, in common with many of my parishioners, regret the loss of one whom we called a friend.

Her daughter, with whom she lived, is about 75: but she has a son in the Watford Union, said to be above 80 years old.

It may give your readers perhaps more notion of her age when I mention that I have baptised here her grandaughter's grandchildren.

I am, Sir, yours, &c

L. J. BERNAYS, Rector of Great Stanmore, Nov 10.

Hertford Mercury and Reformer - Saturday 18 November 1865

Death of a Centenarian.

On Sunday, the 5th of November, there died at Stanmore, Sarah Rowbottom, a widow, who represented herself as having been born on Christmas Eve, 1759.

If this story was true, she must have been in her 106th year at the time of her death.

She was baptized when five years of age, on the 16th of December, 1764, at the parish of Shebbington [sic], Bucks, and the parish register states that she was the natural daughter of Elizabeth Edwards, a travelling woman.

Like her mother, Sarah Edwards (afterwards Rowbottom) travelled about getting living by hawking small articles for sale.

For many years she had been well known in the neighbourhoods of Bushey, Stanmore, and Watford.

Her extreme longevity cannot be attributed to temperate habits, for, at least, during a portion of her life, she gave way to a habit of excessive drinking.

Her mental and physical faculties, with the exception of her sight, hardly appreciably failed till within a. short time of her death.

She was born in the reign of George II., in the year in which Handel died, was baptized in the year in which Hogarth died, and was contemporary with Johnson, Garrick, and Goldsmith.

Some very excellent cartes de visite of the ancient dame were taken before her death, by Mr. Downer of Watford. The deeply furrowed wrinkles her face, were a sufficient indication that her life had very much exceeded the ordinary span of human existence.

Widow Rowbottom died in her cottage on Stanmore Hill (in the lane leading down to the Church).

She will be buried in Stanmore churchyard on Sunday, and will be followed to the grave by numerous descendants, among whom is a daughter about eighty years of age.

Sarah's remains were interred in an unmarked grave in the churchyard of St John the Evangelist, Stanmore, on 11 November 1865. A cross was later erected to mark the burial of her daughter Charlotte which gives Sarah's dates of baptism and burial.