Edith (Nicolls) Clarke (1844 - abt. 1926)

Born 27 Oct 1844 in Shrewsbury House, Shooters Hill, Kent

Ancestors

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Biography

. Edith b. 27.10.1844 Shrewsbury House, Shooters Hill, Kent. Educated at home and private school. C of E; a pioneer of domestic subjects training. Lady Superintendent of the National Training School for Cooking, South Kensington, London 1875-1919. Published: "Cheap Recipes for Fish Cookery" London 1883; "High Class Cookery Recipes, as taught in the National Training School for Cookery" 1885; "Plain Cookery as taught at the..." 1886; Life of [her grandfather] Thomas Love Peacock, Chief Examiner HEIC [Source: 'A supplement to Allibone's Critical Dictionary of English Literature' J.F. Kirk, 1891 and Who Was Who 1916-1928, publ. 1929] Lived at 6 Kensington Mansions, Earl's Court, SW5]

m. Charles CLARKE, Civil Servant India Office. d. 20.8.1926 Born Edith Nicolls at Shrewsbury House, Shooter's Hill, Blackheath, Mrs Clarke's name is inseparable from the National Training School of Cookery. Sir Henry Cole, one of the founders of the school, was a family friend and Edith became one of the first pupils, entering the school in April 1874, the month after it opened for classes on 23 March, and gaining her teaching diploma on 1 July 1874. Early in 1875 she was appointed Lady Clerk and on 3 July 1875 took over from Lady Barker as Lady Superintendent, a post which she held for forty-five years. She married Mr Charles Clarke on 22 August 1876 and her eldest daughter of three, Edith Gladys, succeeded her as Principal on her retirement in 1919. (I am indebted to Dorothy Kneale Stone's "The National" for this biographical information, first published privately in June 1973, second edition published in London by Robert Hale and Co, September 1974.)% @"Who was who, 1916-1928" records "Workhouse cookery" as one of Mrs Clarke's publications. The entry may be referring to "Manual of workhouse cookery: recipes prepared by the National Training School of Cookery and issued to Boards of Guardians by the Local Government Board" published in 1901. The only copy of the book that I have traced is at DLC. The NUCat entry for the DLC copy is under "London, National Training School of Cookery" and no mention is made of Mrs Clarke as author. I have not seen the DLC volume but from the NUCat entry it appears that Mrs Clarke is not named as the author in the book although no doubt she was involved in its preparation as Lady Superintendent.

Had issue: 3 daus

Sources

• Nicolls Fam Tree
• "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J3M1-QMR : 11 February 2018, Edith Nicolls, 27 Oct 1844
• "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26BC-ZM5 : 1 October 2014), Edith Nicolls, 1844