In 1881 Bremhill School was run by Alice Lovell, a 24-year-old National School Mistress, the daughter of a blacksmith in Eling, Hampshire. Her 17-year-old sister Helen lived with her in the schoolhouse and no doubt assisted her with her daily duties. Alice’s tenure at the school was clearly nearing its end, as in January 1882 she married Francis William Palmer at St Martin’s Church, Bremhill. Francis was two years older than her and, like his father William before him, was the Innkeeper of the Dumb Post Inn in Bremhill. By the time of his marriage, his father had died and Francis was in charge of the Dumb Post with the support of his Irish mother Sarah.
Before the year of their marriage was out, Alice and Francis had a daughter Helen. There followed three more children, Clara in 1883, Bertram in 1885 and Frederick in 1887. Alice’s still unmarried younger sister Helen lived with the family at the Dumb Post. Sadly, in 1896 Alice and Francis’ daughter Helen died at the age of just thirteen. By 1901, son Bertram was listed in the census as working “at home”, so at the age of fifteen was clearly already assisting his father at the Dumb Post.
It seems that the Dumb Post was Alice’s life for at least twenty years and possibly longer. In 1911 after 29 years of marriage, Alice and Francis were living in retirement in Norley Lane, Studley together with their two unmarried sons, Bertram, now working as a carpenter, and Frederick, a house painter. Alice died in 1912 at the age of 55. Unlike some of the village school mistresses for whom their teaching days in Bremhill were a springboard to a life elsewhere, Alice came to stay and took on an important role in the local community.
Sources: Census records for Cadnam and Bremhill, Marriage records for Bremhill Church England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915