Lottie Mary Wilkinson 1888 – 1979

Lottie Mary Wilkinson

    1888 – 1979

Miss Mary Wilkinson died peacefully at her house at Burnham-on-Sea aged 91 years  Under her will St Denys Church had been bequeathed a legacy of £200 for general purposes.  Miss Wilkinson left Evington 20 years ago, yet she has generously remembered her old church.  There are many people living in Evington at the end of the 1970s who still remember her with affection and gratitude

Isobel Erasmus wrote the following note about Miss Wilkinson.

“At a recent meeting of the Church Council, the Vicar told us that the Church has received a legacy from Miss Mary Wilkinson.  Many people in the Evington of 1979 will not have heard of her and so I would like to write a few facts about her.

In the old Village, overlooking the entrance to Evington Park, was the Evington Church of England School.  Miss Wilkinson was the Headmistress and also taught the Juniors in the larger of the two classrooms..  She lived with her mother in the School House and her garden was always full of lovely flowers.  During the twenty five years of her Headship Miss Wilkinson saw many changes in the School.  The late 1930s brought new housing to Evington and with it young families, who were now forming a modern suburb rather than a village.  The War years saw a further increase in the size of the School with the arrival of evacuees from the East End of London, and there was a large air raid shelter in the playground.

As she came near to her retirement, Miss Wilkinson was to meet the challenge of the 1944 Education Act and the 11+ examination.  Many of her pupils went on to Grammar Schools and Universities and are now in good positions in this country and abroad.

Even the younger children knew they belonged to a Church School.  The Vicar came in at least once a week and Miss Wilkinson was a member of the P.C.C. and Captain of the Guides.

In 1947, she retired receiving a present in a “packed to the door” Village Hall.  Many have cause to thank this Christian lady for the start she gave them at the old Evington Church of England School.