Emma Hewlett (1814-1890)
Emma Hewlett, the eldest daughter of Esther and James Hewlett, was remembered in the family as both clever and attractive. In her youth, she had several suitors, among them her cousin Henry Byles (later remembered in family lore for the famous “milk-pail” incident).
An old letter from Henry’s elder brother William advised him to try his luck once more “with his old flame, Emma Hewlett,” since a proposed match with another gentleman seemed unlikely to succeed. Whether Henry had already transferred his affections elsewhere or had realised that his chances were slight is unknown; in any case, he did not renew his proposal, and in 1837 Emma married George Eliel Sargent.
Marriage to George Eliel Sargent
George Sargent had come to Oxford to take up a business post and had been introduced to the chapel attended by the Hewlett family. He was described as a strikingly handsome young man, and family tradition records that his appearance caused something of a flutter among the young ladies of the congregation. He soon fell in love with Emma, and after a relatively short acquaintance they were married.
The wedding itself was long remembered for its picturesque details. The bridegroom wore a mulberry-coloured swallow-tail coat and a long satin waistcoat brocaded with pink rosebuds. The bride wore a dress of maize-coloured silk with a raised pattern and an enormous “coal-scuttle” bonnet covered in white satin. It was later joked in the family that the bonnet was so large that no one could possibly have kissed the bride beneath it.
George Eliel Sargent,
(Image: Sargent Family Archives)
Early Married Life
The young couple lived in Oxford during the early years of their marriage, and their first two children, Daniel and Emma, were born there.
George soon abandoned business, which he disliked, and decided to devote himself to literature. The family therefore moved to Eythorne, where Emma’s mother, Esther Copley, was already living.
Church Hill House, Eythorne.
(Image: Sargent Family Archives)
George Sargent’s Literary Career
George Sargent proved to be a prolific writer. Over the course of his life he produced a large number of books and stories, many of them published by the Religious Tract Society.
Among his best-known works was The Story of a Pocket Bible, which remained popular for many years. He also wrote children’s stories such as Little Peepy and Hush-a-Bye, as well as historical and moral tales including Tales of Old England, Vivian and His Friends—a story set during the Great Plague of London—and An Old Sailor’s Story, which dealt with smuggling along the Sussex coast.
George was deeply religious and held strong Calvinistic convictions, similar to those expressed in the sermons of Emma’s grandfather, Samuel Beuzeville. In addition to his writing he occasionally conducted religious services in the surrounding villages.
Emma as Wife and Mother
During the early years of George’s literary career, the income from his books was modest, while the family continued to grow. In these circumstances Emma carried a heavy responsibility.
She managed the household, raised their large family, and carefully ensured that her husband could work without interruption. Although George was affectionate and devoted to his family, the pressures of constant writing and financial uncertainty sometimes made him irritable. Emma therefore bore much of the practical burden of sustaining the household.
Family members later remarked that it was fortunate that the strength of the Roussel and Beuzeville families ran in her veins. She tackled her task with remarkable courage, raising and educating her children while maintaining a cheerful and orderly home.
Despite the pressures of family life, Emma retained her intellectual interests. Even in later years she kept abreast of contemporary political, religious, and literary thought. Visitors to the house often enjoyed talking with her and valued her thoughtful conversation. Some family members believed that had her life offered greater opportunities for study and leisure, she might have been recognised as a woman of exceptional intellectual ability.
A Large and Successful Family
Emma lived to see her efforts rewarded. Seven of her children grew to adulthood as educated and capable men and women. Her daughters married well, and her sons established themselves in their professions.
Two of the children were born in Oxford, six at Eythorne, and the youngest after the family moved to Whitfield, a village not far away.
Left: Whitfield Church, Kent. (Image: Rob Baker, 2021)
Right: Sargent Home in Whitfield. Standing on right: Archdeacon Alex Sargent of Canterbury Cathedral (a grandson
of Emma Sargent nee Hewlett
(Images (2): Sargent Family Archives)
Later Years in London
While living at Whitfield, George Sargent was offered an editorial position with the Religious Tract Society, and the family moved to London.
They settled in Dalston, which was then a pleasant suburb. The house stood back from the road behind a row of chestnut trees, and the garden opened onto a lane where wild roses grew and fields where cows grazed. In later years the arrival of the railway transformed the neighbourhood and much of this rural charm disappeared.
Religious Tract Society - London
(Image: Public Domain)
Family Memories
A granddaughter who later visited the London house remembered her grandparents vividly.
Emma herself was gentle and kind, though somewhat reserved. She softened her granddaughter’s rather formal name “Emma Mary” into the affectionate nickname “Nemmie.”
George Sargent, by contrast, appeared almost majestic to the children. Yet he delighted them with small amusements—screwing a penny to his eye like a monocle, giving them penny toys from street vendors, and allowing them to play with his long clay churchwarden pipes.
Final Years
In later life George Sargent suffered from bronchitis and asthma and died in 1883.
After his death one of his daughters wrote to Emma reflecting on her father’s character:
“But what a good man he was, so honourable in every respect. Never once, as a child or woman, have I found him out in the shadow of an untruth.”
Emma herself bore her final years with great courage. For a long time she suffered from cancer of the breast but endured the pain quietly and without complaint. Even her husband and daughters were unaware of her illness until a sudden haemorrhage revealed the condition.
Emma Hewlett Sargent died in 1890. She was laid to rest in the churchyard at Eythorne, beside her husband and near her mother, Esther Copley, and the children the family had lost.
Children of George Eliel and Emma Sargent (nee Hewlett)
Daniel George Sargent,
b. July 8, 1838, Oxford.
d. November 4, 1853, Eythorne, Kent.
Emma Sargent,
b. September 29, 1840, Oxford,
m. February, 1879, Thomas Davison,
d. 24 Jan 1926, Whitfield, Kent.
Ruth Sargent,
b. July 28, 1842, Eythorne,
m. September 24, 1863, Pierre Beuzeville Byles,
d. January 21, 1881, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.
George Hewlett Sargent,
b. May 27, 1844, Eythorne,
m. December 1873, Elizabeth (Bessie) Dodd,
d. October 1914, Launceston, Tasmania.
Edward George Sargent,
b. October 9, 1845, Eythorne,
m. July 9, 1871, to Emily Grose,
d. 1934, Bristol.
Mary Esther Sargent,
b. June 7, 1849, Eythorne,
m. September 14, 1876, George Sutton Foyster,
d. March 1930 in Bromley, Kent
Sidney George Sargent,
b. February 8, 1851, Eythorne,
d. March 9, 1851, Eythorne.
Sidney George Hewlett Sargent,
b. November 11, 1852, at Eythorne, Kent.
m. January 14, 1891 Beatrice Templar, d. abt. 1931,
d. November 9, 1928.
Frederick George Sargent,
b. February 12, 1855, Whitfield,
m. May 24, 1890, Florence Crundall, born c.1868, died 1960,
d. December 1915, Shepherdswell, Kent.