Witherslack Nurses Association

In 1911 the Dowager Countess, Constance, of Derby, at Mrs. Scotters request, offered to start the Nurses Fund. There had been a Nurses Fund in 1893 to 1899 at which date it lapsed according to the minutes book with no explanation as to why this occurred.

In 1893 a simple visit of under one hour cost 6d (2.5 pence) a full day visit cost 1/- (5 pence) and a night similar, and a confinement case cost 5/- (25 pence) this was for looking after a mother and infant for 1 0-14 days.

The first nurse to be employed was Nurse Johnson from the Staffordshire Nurses Institute, and she took up her residence in the Nurses Cottage. Her terms of employment were Cottage, Rates and Taxes, coal and a free salary of £30 per annum and her washing.

Nurse Johnson stayed in a cottage owned by Mrs. Williams for a short while and then she moved to Mrs. Stewartson's house at a cost of 5/- (25 pence) a week. In the first year she had made 385 visits. In 1912 the Committee voted that £2.10s be spent on a bicycle for her.

In 1914 Nurse Richardson was appointed at a salary of £50 per annum. Finances were raised from the Committee donating money, church collections, whist drives, and bazaars. But the bazaar in 1914 was abandoned due to World War I. In 1914 the Nurse made 540 visits. Visits by 1915 had increased to 612, and by 1919 it was 529 visits. The influenza epidemic had some impact on our corner of Westmorland although in 1920 the Medical Officer of Health asked the Nurses Association to co-operate in making provision for additional nurses should the epidemic of influenza occur again, and they took on two nurses to work under the District Nurse.

In 1920 it was agreed that the Nurses remuneration should increase to £100 per annum. The book ends here, whether there is another book I do not know, but after years of trying to get a cottage for the nurse, the Witherslack Nursing Association dedicated Constance Cottage on September 12th 1938. The land was a gift of the Earl of Derby in memory of his mother, friends, parishioners and subscribers. Part of it is still in use to-day as a Doctors Surgery by Dr. Norman and Dr. Irwin, a husband and wife team, and each one visits once a week.

These notes were made from a minute book found in Mrs. Margaret Woods, (Dec) Latterbarrow papers.