#On This Day - 10th December

Today I remember Sarah Weston my 2x great aunt, who was born on this day in 1852 in Etchingham, East Sussex, England.   The year Sarah was born saw the Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, London, admitting it's first patient; the Great Northern Railway openning London King's Cross station, the largest in Europe at this time. and finally the last fatal duel on English soil took place on Priest Hill, between Englefield Green and Old Windsor.

Sarah was the daughter of Samuel Weston (c. 1806-1894) and Sarah Newick (1818-1897). She was baptized in Etchingham on February 6, 1853.  She was an older sister of my great grandfather, Albert Weston who I have mentioned before during this Advent Blog.  Sarah was 2 years old when Albert was born.  She lived a long life, reaching the age of 94 years and 8 days, passing away in December 1946. She never married.

Burial image for Etchingham Parish Church Register

On this Day:

1868: The world's first traffic lights were installed in Parliament Square, Westminster, London. During the day they worked by semaphore and at night by colored gas lamps. They symbolized the progress of technology but Etchingham was a small rural village and was unlikely to have had them.

The political landscape of England saw a significant change during her lifetime. The Earl of Derby resigned as Prime Minister following the defeat of his budget, and the Earl of Aberdeen took his place. While Sarah's early years were spent in the quiet village of Etchingham, the country around her was experiencing shifts in leadership that would shape its future.