Nursing family trees
Edith Bonham Carter – 1855-1899
Edith Joanna Bonham Carter was Superintendent at Salisbury Nurses Home at Salisbury General Infirmary 1893-1897. (See Harcourt House as nurses home). Edith’s photograph is on public display, at the Nunton Entrance Level 2 Salisbury District Hospital, alongside Florence Nightingale. We also have a stone plaque in the storeroom dedicated to Edith Bonham Carter. The inscription reads, ‘This covered walkway was erected in memory of the faithful and devoted services of Edith Joanna Bonham Carter in this Infirmary 1893-1897’.
If you look at the family tree below, you can see that Edith Bonham Carter was 1st cousin once removed to Florence Nightingale. We have a letter that Florence wrote to Edith here in Salisbury in 1896 where they are discussing the development of new nurses accommodation in Salisbury. See our Florence Nightingale letters page.
We also have interesting photograph (shown below) which shows a Mrs Shellcross, centre of the picture, who also worked in nursing at Salisbury Infirmary. The indirect connection being that Mrs Shellcross was Mary Bonham Carter’s goddaughter, Mary was sister to Edith Bonham Carter.
You may have recognised Edith’s surname – she would be 2nd cousin thrice removed to actress Helena Bonham Carter. Edith’s great grandfather is Helena’s great, great, great grandfather.
