Susan Margaret Cotesworth was born at Torquay, Devon in 1878; her birth registered at Newton Abbott in the September quarter of that year.  She was the eldest child of William Greaves Cotesworth (born about 1843 at Highgate, Middlesexl) and Charlotte Hext (born 15th September 1847 at Morval, Cornwall).  The couple had married on 17th July 1877 and Susan had arrived the following year.

 

The 1881 census shows the family living at 28 Waterloo Crescent, Dover.  William Greaves was a very wealthy man.  His occupation is simply listed as “Dividends” on the census return.  By now the family had grown by one – Charles Hext Cotesworth, born in 1879 – but aside from the four family members there were eight servants including a butler and a nurse for the two children.  Charlotte also had her own lady’s maid.

 

The 1891 census shows the family living at Roeheath House, Chailey with William recorded as “living on own means”.  The family had grown by one – Barbara Mary Cotesworth, born around 1887 – and so had William’s army of domestics.  At Roeheath the family could count on the assistance of 12 servants.  Susan (aged 12) and Charles (aged 11) had their own governess and were presumably being educated at home.  Their mother still had her own lady’s maid and William, now owning a house with stables attached, counted a stable helper amongst his servants.

 

By 1901, the family had suffered a double bereavement however.  Charlotte Cotesworth had died suddenly at home on 10^th September 1897 at the age of 49.  Her daughter Barbara Cotesworth had died two years later at the age of 12.  By the time the 1901 census was taken, William was living at home with Charles and Susan.  The governess and the nurse had departed but there were still ten domestic servants to look after the running of the household.  By this stage, William was a magistrate and is recorded as such on the census return.  His two children have no occupations noted against their names.

 

Susan Cotesworth only appears as Susan on official returns.  In all her dealings with Sussex 54 VAD, and in the local press, she is referred to as Margaret and so I shall refer to her as Margaret from now on.

She first appears in British Red Cross Society (BRCS) archives in the Mid Sussex Division’s Report and Statement of Accounts for the year ending 31st December 1914 where she is noted as Honorary Secretary of Sussex 54 VAD.  An un-named commandant, quartermaster, lady superintendent, and superintendent are noted and it is also stated that a convalescent home can be provided.  Frances Blencowe’s BRCS record cards note that she was commandant of Sussex 54 at some point in 1914 but it is possible that by the end of that year, Margaret Cotesworth was in fact, already the commandant.  This is stated in the 1915 annual report for the Sussex branch of the British Red Cross Society, covering the period 4th August 1914 to 31st December 1915.

 

Margaret and Frances Blencowe appear in numerous photos that are pasted into Frances Blencowe’s and Edith Oliver’s albums which the two ladies kept before, during and after the First World War.  Margaret and Frances are also named frequently in local press reports and it is no exaggeration to state that between them they dominated the detachment and used both their local influence and wealth, not to say, boundless energy, to drive the work in Chailey.

 

An undated newspaper cutting pasted into Edith Oliver’s album reports on the activities of pre-war Sussex 54:

 

INTERESTING CHAILEY DISPLAY

One of the strongest detachments of the Red Cross Society in Sussex is that of Chailey, the success of which is in a large measure attributable to the influence and energy displayed by the Commandant, Miss Cotesworth and the Quartermaster, Mrs J Blencowe.  Evidence of the good work of the Detachment was forthcoming at the annual War Office inspection, conducted in the newly erected Parish Room, Chailey, by Major Rattray, Brighton, yesterday afternoon.  Three Detachments - Lewes, Southwick and Chailey - compete for the distinction of representing the Lewes Division for the Duchess of Norfolk’s Cup, for which the whole of the Sussex Detachments are eligible, and yesterday’s interesting proceedings will decide whether divisional honours will fall to the Chailey Detachment.  The Parish Room was converted into quite a delightful little hospital.  It was all very realistic make-believe, but the work of the staff was, of course, undertaken as if the unreality were altogether absent.  The main building was divided into two wards for the treatment of surgical and medical cases, various supposed fractures, bullet wounds &c., being treated in the former, and diseases, such as rheumatic fever and pneumonia, in the latter.  In addition to this, an isolation hospital (in which a supposed cholera patient was under treatment), operating theatre, milk room, kitchen, camp fires, constructed with earth work, grease refuse pot &c., the principal idea of improvisation underlying the whole of the scheme.  The Quartermaster’s store was an ingeniously arranged hut adjoining the hospital, and no detail was overlooked in carrying out the idea of representation.  The members of the staff on parade were: Dr Orton (Medical Officer), Miss Cotesworth (Commandant), Mrs J Blencowe (Quartermaster). Miss Gander (Assistant Quartermaster), Sister Osmund (Lady Superintendent), Miss Holcroft (Clerk), Nurses Oliver, West, Pownall, Blencowe, M Blencowe, Sandford, Smith, Hancock, Greer, Grounds, U. Grounds, Smythe, Wilson, Gaston, Hoidge, and Rootes, and Cooks Curtis, Best, Bryant and Pointing.  Miss Campion, the Hon Secretary of the Sussex Division, was also present, and when the room was thrown open to the public later in the day, quite a number availed themselves of the opportunity of becoming acquainted with the useful work of the Detachment.

 

During her time in charge of Sussex 54, Margaret Cotesworth not only managed to run the convalescent home at Hickwells, oversee the detachment’s mobilisation in October 1915 and find alternative, larger accommodation at Beechland House in Newick; she also seems to have been an expert at (what we would term today), PR and networking.

 

In November 1915, The East Sussex News published a list of items donated to Hickwells (and the names of the donors), over the last two months.  It was Margaret Cotesworth who had sent them the list and she would continue to do so throughout the war.

In December 1915 she acted as the organiser for Serbian Day in the district (at the same time, firing off another list of donated items and donors to The East Sussex News, and in February 1916, not content with having to worry about Hickwells, organised a concert and whist drive in aid of the newly established blind soldier’s hostel (St Dunstans) in London’s Regent Park.  Arthur Pearson, chairman of St Dunstans, wrote to thank her (and Margaret duly sent his letter to her to The East Sussex News for publication):

 

THE BLIND SOLDIERS’ HOSTEL

Dear Madam. It is very good of you to take such a practical interest in what is being done here for the brave fellows who have lost their sight at the Front, and I hope you will accept sincere thanks yourself, and be able to convey to all who helped you to make the concert and whist drive such a success, an expression of our appreciation of their kindly efforts.

 

In April 1916 (the same month that the East Sussex News published Arthur Pearson’s letter to her), Margaret lent her support to a local meeting, chaired by Frances Blencowe, which urged women to do farm work.  In June 1916 she oversaw the transfer of Sussex 54’s hospital from Hickwells to Beechland House and then set about raising funds to keep it open.  Hickwells had been lent free of charge for a year and there had been funds made available for that period to look after the running costs.  Although Beechland House was also lent free of charge by Mrs Harcourt Rose, it seems likely that additional running costs were not part of the arrangement.

 

In February 1917, Margaret appears in the papers again as the organiser of a pantomime held at The Parish Rooms.  The funds this time, were earmarked for The Prisoners of War Fund.

 

In October 1917 The London Gazette reported that Margaret was to be an Associate (2nd Class) of The Royal Red Cross, and the following month both The Sussex Express and The East Sussex News, reported on the award.  The following article comes from The Sussex Express published on 2nd November:

 

ROYAL RED CROSS

The King has been pleased to award Miss Margaret Cotesworth the Royal Red Cross decoration (2^nd Class) in recognition of her valuable services while acting in the capacity of nurse.  Miss Cotesworth’s numerous friends will be pleased to hear of the honour conferred upon her and will congratulate her upon the event.  She is the only daughter of Mr G Cotesworth of Roeheath, Chailey and some time back was the Commandant of Hickwell’s Hospital which has been transferred to Beechlands, Newick, the residence of Mrs Harcourt Rose.  Miss Cotesworth takes a deep interest in all local matters and is an enthusiastic worker for all local causes.  A similar decoration has been awarded to Miss Emily Morris Marshall, Matron of Beechlands, Newick and previously Matron of Hickwell’s Hospital, Chailey.

 

In December, the paper published a follow-up story:

 

“Last week Miss Margaret Cotesworth, Commandant, and Miss E M Marshall, Matron of the Beechlands Hospital, attended Buckingham Palace with other ladies and were the recipients of the medal recently awarded them for their work in connection with the Red Cross.  The honours were personally presented to them by the King.  Later, the ladies visited Marlborough House, where her Majesty Queen Alexandra received them and presented each with a picture and a book entitled, ‘The Way of The Red Cross’.”

 

The same month the newspaper carried a report that Margaret had “already received a number of letters of appreciation” from soldiers in the trenches in respect of Christmas parcels sent to the Front.  Each parcel comprised socks, a towel, a writing pad, chocolate, oxo, candles and night-lights together with a greeting from ‘Chailey Friends’.

 

Margaret Cotesworth remained in charge of Sussex 54 VAD until 1921.  By that time, their duties done, the personnel of Sussex 54 had shrunk somewhat  - down to 11 ladies in 1920 -  and Margaret probably felt that she could do no more.  When she resigned, her old friend Frances Blencowe took over.

 

It would appear that Edith Oliver – who had originally been hired by Margaret as a lady’s companion, at least as early as 1910 - maintained a relationship with Margaret until well after the war, photos of her in Edith’s album showing her relaxing in Dartmoor in 1922. 

 

William Greaves Cotesworth died on 28^th May 1924.  That September, The Times, reporting details of his will, noted that he was chairman of the Chailey Conservative Association and senior member of the Lewes Bench.  He left “unsettled property of the gross value of £95,060”, the equivalent of over £3.6 million in 2006.

 

On 28^th November 1927, at the age of 49, The Times published details of Margaret’s forthcoming marriage:

 

MAJOR A K SLESSOR AND MISS COTESWORTH

The engagement is announced, and the marriage will shortly take place between, Major Arthur K Slessor (late Sherwood Foresters), of Newland House, Eynsham, Oxon and Christ Church, Oxford, and Susan Margaret, daughter of the late William Greaves Cotesworth of Roeheath, Chailey, Sussex.

 

For Major Slessor, born in December 1863, it was his second marriage.  He had served as a captain in The Sherwood Foresters during the Boer War and, after hostilities had ceased, took up the stewardship of Christ Church, Oxford, a post he held until his retirement in 1928 at the age of 65.  Sadly, his marriage to Margaret did not last long and he died of pneumonia on 16th October 1931.

 

Margaret lived on as a widow for a further seventeen years and never re-married.  She died on 28^th May 1948 at the age of 69.  The Times published a brief notice the following day:

 

SLESSOR – SUSAN MARGARET SLESSOR, widow of Major Arthur Kerr Slessor, of Holly Grove, Newick, Sussex and daughter of the late William Grieves [sic] Cotesworth of Roeheath, Chailey, Sussex.

 

Charles Hext Cotesworth, Margaret’s brother, also served his King and Country during The First World War.

 

 

Sources and Acknowledgements

 

• 1871 Census of England and Wales
• 1881 Census of England and Wales
• 1891 Census of England and Wales
• 1901 Census of England and Wales
• England and Wales, Civil Registration Index: 1837-1983
• British Red Cross Archives, Grosvenor Crescent, London
• East Sussex News 1914-1918
• Sussex Daily Express 1914–1918
• The Times Newspaper – Digital Archive 1785-1985