London Evacuee goes to a Schoolmistress's Cottage in Dorset

In September 1939, as part of Operation Pied Piper, my mother was evacuated from London along with thousands of other children seeking safety from the expected bombing of the capital. She arrived in the village of Corfe Castle on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, where she was billeted in a small stone cottage on East Street. That modest home, filled with local history, would shape her wartime years and later become a fascinating thread in our family story.

The cottage was occupied by Miss Elizabeth Roe Card (known as “Bessie” within her family), the dedicated head teacher of Corfe Castle’s National School, and had belonged to the Roe family of Corfe Castle for many generations. My mother always spoke of her formally as “Miss Card.” Although Miss Card was still alive when my mother first arrived, she passed away in 1942 — three years into the war. After her death, the cottage continued to be occupied by her long-time companion, Editha Langtree, a skilled dressmaker. My mother stayed with Editha until the end of the war, forming warm memories of village life beneath the ruins of Corfe Castle.

Deep Roots in the Roe Family

Elizabeth Roe Card was born in Corfe Castle in 1860 and baptised at St Edward King and Martyr Church on 9 September that year. Her parents, Edward Card (born 1837 in Wareham) and Susan Ann Roe (born 1841 in Corfe Castle), had married the previous year on 23 August 1859 at the Kingston chapel near Corfe Castle.

Edward worked as a National School master. In 1861 the young family was living in Cerne Abbas, where he taught. Tragedy came early: their second daughter, also named Susan Ann, was born in 1862 but died only weeks later. In 1864 Edward died, leaving an estate valued at £450; the executor was George Roe of Wareham, another schoolmaster and Susan Card’s older brother.

Susan Card returned with young Elizabeth to Corfe Castle to live with two of her siblings, John and Eliza Roe. The Roe family had deep roots in the village, and their small stone cottage at 140 East Street (recorded as such in the 1871 census and still bearing that number today) became home for generations.

Susan Ann Card died in 1900. The 1901 census shows that by then Editha Langtree was already living in the East Street cottage with Miss Card. Editha was listed as a dressmaker and Miss Card’s “assistant.” Over the following decades the relationship evolved gently: in the 1911 and 1921 censuses Editha was described as a “boarder,” while by the 1939 Register she was recorded as Miss Card’s “paid companion.” She remained in the cottage long after Miss Card’s death in 1942.

A Long-Serving Village Schoolmistress

“Bessie” followed her father into teaching. By the 1891 census she was already the schoolmistress at Corfe Castle National School, a role she held for decades. She was still head teacher at the time of the 1911 census and described herself as a schoolmistress in 1921, before retiring sometime in the 1920s. The 1939 Register lists her as “schoolmistress retired.”

Miss Card served the Corfe Castle National School for many decades. The original school building, erected in 1834 on the west side of East Street, was where she began her teaching career. In 1895 a new, larger school was constructed on the opposite (east) side of the same street, and Miss Card continued as headmistress there for the rest of her long service. Both schools stood on East Street, only a short distance from her own home at No. 140, placing the Roe/Card family cottage at the very heart of village education for generations. The original 1834 building later became the Royal British Legion Hall.

Beyond her full-time duties, family tradition suggests Miss Card provided informal supplementary tutoring or governess-style help to the children of the local Cavendish-Bentinck family. Frederick William George Cavendish-Bentinck and his wife Ruth Mary lived at Mortons House in the village from 1898 to 1933. Their younger children — particularly Victor (born 1897) and Venetia (born 1902) — were of school age during the 1900s–1910s, making this the most likely period for any extra lessons arranged with the respected village schoolmistress.

A Portrait by an Arts & Crafts Master

Miss Card’s contribution to village life was honoured in a painting that once hung prominently over the staircase in the smallest town hall in England (now part of the Corfe Castle Town Trust museum).

The schoolroom scene, depicting a composed schoolmistress at the front of a classroom full of village children, was painted by Francis Henry Newbery (1855–1946), a leading figure in the Arts & Crafts movement and former Director of the Glasgow School of Art. Newbery retired to Corfe Castle in 1918 and continued painting local scenes and people. The Trust believes the portrait of Miss Card dates to around 1918–1920, when she was in her late 50s and nearing the end of her teaching career.

The hairstyle, expression, high collar and dark necklace in the painting bear a striking resemblance to a surviving photographic portrait of Miss Card.

Photographs from the Same Garden

Two photographs capture the East Street cottage garden across time from almost the same viewpoint. One, taken around 1940, shows my mother (on the left) standing with her life-long friend Doreen among the flowers and stone walls. Another, from a Roe family collection, features four women in the garden: Miss Card (second from left, wearing a hat and dark coat) and Editha Langtree (on the far right). Differences in ivy growth and garden foliage highlight the passage of years, yet the location feels instantly familiar.

Barbara and her friend Doreen, wartime evacuees

Miss Card (second from left) with Editha Langtree (right) and two other members of the Roe family

Connections Across the Village

My mother’s time in Corfe Castle was enriched by other local families. She became close to the household of the village doctor, Godfrey Dru Drury (1880–1956), a respected GP and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries who contributed significantly to local history and archaeology. In April 1942 she served as a bridesmaid at the wartime wedding of Dr Drury’s daughter, Janet Dru Drury, to Captain John Macdonald Courthorpe Wilson of the Loyal Regiment. Tragically, Captain Wilson was killed on active service in Tunisia exactly one year later, on 21 April 1943.

Dr Drury’s father, Edward Dru Drury of Blackheath, had been a London architect with ties to the City of London — another reminder of the varied backgrounds that converged in this small Dorset village.

Interestingly, there’s a small additional thread linking back to the earlier parts of the story: Dr Godfrey Dru Drury collaborated with the artist Francis Newbery (who painted the portrait of Miss Card around 1918–1920). Newbery and his wife Jessie, together with Dr Drury and his wife, jointly gifted the distinctive painted sign that still stands in Corfe Castle’s market square. Newbery’s original painting for that sign is preserved in the village museum — the same place that holds the schoolroom portrait of Miss Card.

This old photo which I found in my mother’s treasured possessions shows Miss Card seated outside a decorated private house during the Coronation celebrations for King George V, June 1911. The banner beneath the royal arms reads ‘God Save Our King George’. The horizontal striped flag is difficult to identify in the sepia photograph but may have been the Dutch tricolour, included as part of the festive display. Note the net curtains and flowers suggesting a residential setting — the photo may have been taken outside Corfe Castle itself.

Wartime Corfe Castle

It would be easy to think that a beautiful, remote part of the country escaped much of the impact of the war. That wasn’t the case. The military took over parts of the Isle of Purbeck for training exercises. All the beaches in Purbeck were covered with concrete blocks to deter possible invasion, and over 5000 mines were laid. The town of Swanage was attacked by the German Luftwaffe, destroying many houses. Studland beach was used in the run up to D-Day to rehearse the allied invasion in Normandy. Even closer to the residents of Corfe Castle, on 7 October 1940 a Messerschmidt 110 aircraft crash landed on Corfe Common. One of the crew had been shot in the air and killed but the second crew member was captured and he and the intact aircraft were quickly taken away by the military authorities. It’s likely my other would have witnessed that crash landing.

A Tapestry of Village Life

From the Roe family’s long occupancy of 140 East Street in the 19th century, through Miss Card’s decades of teaching (and possible extra help for the Cavendish-Bentinck children), Francis Newbery’s portrait around 1918–1920, and finally to my mother’s wartime billet with Bessie Card and Editha Langtree — these stories form a rich tapestry of Corfe Castle life across generations.

What began as an evacuation from London in September 1939 became a lasting connection to a place, its people, and its quiet histories. I’m grateful to the Corfe Castle Town Trust for confirming details about the Newbery painting and for preserving so much of the village’s heritage.

If you have memories of Corfe Castle, Miss Card’s school, the East Street cottage, or any of the families mentioned, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.