
Adeline Violet Hillier
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LINKS:
Hillier Family Tree GM – Adeline Violet Hillier GGF1 – George Alfred Hillier GGF2 – Alfred Hillier |
[htree]
We only managed to trace this branch back to GGF2 Alfred Hillier born in 1837 at Blackford, Somerset.
GF – Albert Stiles 1888-1952 – Bath, Somerset GM – Adeline Violet Hillier 1897-1982 – Shepton Mallet, Somerset | M – Violet Evelyn Eileen Stiles 1921-2012 Albert Styles |
GGF1 – George Alfred Hillier 1871-1903 – Shepton Mallet, Somerset GGM1 – Jane Lucy Penny 1875-1956 – Ansford, Castle Cary, Somerset, England married 1894 at St Peter’s, Shepton Mallet | ![]() George Alfred Hillier 1896- GM – Adeline Violet Hillier 1897-1952 William James Hiller 1899- Dorothy Gladys Winifred Hillier 1900-1967 Gladys Hilda Hillier 1901-1902 Edward Thomas Hillier 1902-1984 |
GGF2 – Alfred Hillier 1837-1909 – Blackford, Somerset GGM2 – Elizabeth ‘Eliza’ Mead 1834-1909 – South Cadbury, Somerset married Jul 1858 at Shepton Mallet | Mary Ellen Hillier 1860-1912 Charles Hillier 1862-1910 Thomas Hillier 1863-1864 Robert Tom Hillier 1865-1933 GGF1 – George Alfred Hillier 1871-1903 |
[addy]
GM – Adeline Violet Hillier 1897-1982
Adeline Violet Hillier (1897-1982), aka Addy, is the first Hiller in Jane’s tree. She is recorded as born in Shepton Mallet on 12 May 1897, though this was perhaps administratively where the registration occured. Her death certificate suggests she was actually born in Radstock.
In the 1901 Census her father George Alfred Hillier (29) lived at #6 Waterworks in Otterbourne, Hampshire. George was a Stationary Boiler Stoker at the waterworks. He lived there with his 25 year-old wife Jane Lucy and four children of five and under – George A (5), Adeline (3), William J (2) and Dorothy (1), and they apparently also had one servant.
Addy married Albert Stiles (1888-1952) at Bath in Dec 1919 and they had one daughter Violet Evelyn Eileen Stiles (1921-2012), born on 24 Jun 1921 – Jane‘s mother. They lived in Pensford Somerset.
The family recalls that Adeline served as a ‘clippy’ or omnibus ticket operative in WWI, and later had several spells as a dinner lady. The document below shows that Adeline was a Section Leader (Waitress) for the WRAF, she fulfilled this role from 25 Jun to 30 Dec 1918. The RAF was only formed on 1 Apr 1918 by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), so she was one of the very earliest WRAFs.
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This discharge form states Adeline was 21 yrs with mid-brown hair and blue eyes and was of medium build – her personal character was recorded as ‘Good’.
By 1939 Albert (50 years old) was working as a gardener and they lived at 7 Lower Redland Road, Bristol with Adeline (42), shown as an unpaid domestic worker, and Violet (18), a printing machine assistant working at one of Bristol’s largest employers, Mardon, Son & Hall.

In 1961 Violet and Ivan (and Jane) moved into 77 Alma Vale Road, Clifton, Bristol and Adeline moved in with them. Adeline was called ‘Gran Addy’ by our children.
Adeline put her affairs in order in 1967 using an off-the-shelf ‘Cathedral Form of Will produced by Wm Collins & Sons. It left everything to Violet and was witnessed by the next door neighbours, the Skerretts:
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She died on 6 May 1982 at Barrow Gurney, in what we used to call a centre for the ‘terminally confused’. My generation in Bristol was always threatened that our continued bad behaviour would have our mother ‘sent to Barrow Gurney’.

[geoalf]
GGF1 – George Alfred Hillier 1871-1903
George was born in October 1871 at Priestleigh, near Shepton Mallet, Somerset to Alfred Hillier and Eliza Mead. George was the youngest of five children, four sons and a daughter.
In 1891, still living with his parents at Cannard’s Grave, George at 19 was shown as a ‘Labourer’.
On 2 Jun 1894 he married GGM1 – Lucy Jane Penny (1875-1956) from Ansford near Castle Cary. They had six children.
In the 1901 Census George at 29 lived with Lucy Jane at #6 Waterworks in Otterbourne, Hampshire. He was listed as a ‘stationary boiler stoker’ at the Waterworks. They have George (5), Adeline (3), William (2) and Dorothy (1) living with them and a 13 year old servant, Edith Gosney.
George Alfred died on 26 Oct 1903 and was buried at Shepton Mallet.
Lucy Jane Penny:
Lucy Jane was known by Jane as ‘Granny Gillard’, based upon her second marriage on 3 Mar 1905 to Henry Eustace Gillard (1873–1943) from Rimpton Dorset.
In 1911 they lived at 82 Hillside, Peasdown St John, Bath. They lived with four of the Hilliers (James 12, Dorothy 11, Tom 8 and Bessie 7) and five of their own Gillards (Maria 6, Lucy 4, William 3 Florence 1 and Lilian 4 mths).
Eustace was a coal mine labourer (underground) and at the age of 39 yrs 11 mths joined up, in September 1914, to serve with the Royal Engineers, having previously served a period with the DCLI (Devon & Cornwall Light Infantry).
Jane and I knew her daughter Florence, or Aunt Flo, who lived in Plymouth living close to where we set up our first marital home.
[alfred]
GGF2 – Alfred Hillier 1837-1909
Alfred was born at South Cadbury, famous as the location of the hill fort of Cadbury Castle, which has been credited by some to be King Arthur’s Camelot.
We cannot trace his father, though there is one Army record that suggests his father was called James.
He married Elizabeth ‘Eliza’ Mead (1834-1909) in July 1858 at Shepton Mallet. They had five children.
The 1871 census shows Alfred living at 5 Cannard’s Grave, Pilton, Shepton Mallet, he is a ‘farmer’s labourer’ and Eliza rather ungenerously is listed merely as ‘wife of farmer’s labourer’. Pilton is of course the site of the Glastonbury Festival.
Cannard’s Grave: in the 17th century, the publican of the local inn, Giles Cannard (possibly also known as Tom the Taverner), engaged in criminal activity such as robbing, or aiding and abetting the robbery of, his guests, theft, smuggling and possibly forgery. He either committed suicide or was convicted and hanged from the gibbet at the adjacent crossroads and buried nearby, giving the place its name.
By the 1881 census the family lived at 10 Cannard’s Grave, Pilton. Alfred at 43 is a general labourer, Eliza has ‘domestic servant’ entered but crossed through, their eldest Emma, 21, is shown as a domestic servant, Thomas (16) was a farm labourer and George is a scholar.
By 1891, still at Cannard’s Grave, Alfred (53) is shown as a brewery labourer and George at 19 is shown as a ‘labourer’.
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