[Maggie Holman]

Hello. I’m an author and I’m writing a series of books about things I’ve discovered in my family history research. Last year I wrote ‘From Hexham to Barry’ about a moment in my grandad’s WW1 record. His name was John Dodd Vause and I’m distantly related to a lot of the Vauses in Hexham because our common ancestor is James Alfred Vause, my great-grandfather.

My query here is about my grandmother. Her name was Dora Vause (nee Thompson) (1902-1987). She was born in Hexham and married John Dodd Vause. I always knew my gran had been a servant when she was young. I’ve found out, in the 1921 census, that she was a servant for the Rogerson fanmily, who had a small grammar school for boys in Battle Hill. In the census, she’s listed as ‘domestic servant’ along with Annie May Scott, who was her maternal aunt, but her work address is ‘Woodville, Hexham’. This is also the address on her marriage certificate.

I’m curious to find out whether my gran was a servant at the school in Battle Hill, or at a house called Woodville, or at both, because I found this same address reference for the Rogersons as a house in Woodside Villas.

I’m also curious about why Mr Rogerson had a small grammar school, when there are references online to a much larger Hexham Grammar School (which I think became the Queen Elizabeth School and is where I actually did my teaching practice in 1982).

I’d be very grateful if anyone could shed any light on my question or point me in the direction of a person/place where I can find out more.

Thank you,
Maggie Holman

[Author]

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