Halfpenny, Mrs

Singer

Collection date: Dec 1911

Area: Shropshire

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Mrs Halfpenny at Lilleshall: age 64, 2 carols (FT2734,5) and the fragment of a drinking song (FW2228) on 20 December 1911. Her version of ‘The Virgin Unspotted’ was published in the Journal of the Folk-Song Society 5 (1914):

The only person with that surname and age profile at Lilleshall was Mrs Elizabeth Halfpenny, who was born Elizabeth Taylor. She was baptised on 13/2/1848 at Lilleshall, 8th of 9 children of George Taylor, master boat builder, and his wife Mary. George Taylor lived at the same address Lime Kiln Lane all his life and he lived to a great age (98).

Elizabeth was married in April qr 1883 to John Halfpenny but on his death she returned home to look after her father George. The 1901 census ref is RG13/2567 f74 p6. The 1921 census shows Elizabeth Halfpenny, widow, living on her own at Lilleshall, aged 73 years, 5 months.