It wasn’t that unusual in Victorian Britain for a woman to head a family firm, which is exactly what Susannah Phillips did after the death of her husband John.

Susannah was born in Chatham, Kent on January 21, 1816, the daughter of George Reynolds and his wife Zipporah. Susannah married John Phillips, a carpenter, on December 25, 1845 at St Nicholas’ Church, Rochester. By the time of the 1851 census the couple were living in a house next door to the Victoria Inn on Victoria Street, Swindon with their two young daughters.

John’s building projects in Swindon date from about 1852 and the census of 1861 records him as employing 27 men, so a not inconsiderable size business.

As well as houses in the Quarries and King Street, John’s firm built some significant and now sadly lost buildings. In 1866 he built not only the Congregational Church on the corner of Bath Road and Victoria Street, demolished in the 1940s for road widening purposes, but also the now derelict Corn Exchange in The Square, Old Town. In 1873 John built the Belmont Brewery, thankfully still standing, just behind his former home.

On June 18, 1874 John announced in the Swindon Advertiser that due to failing health he was retiring from business, leaving it in the capable hands of Mr Powell and Charles Phillips (his son). Just weeks later John died and was buried at Christ Church churchyard on July 28. Susannah carried a regular advertisement for her business in the Swindon Advertiser and then in the newspaper dated November 8, 1880 she announced her retirement.

Susannah Phillips,

Builder, Contractor, Marble Mason, etc.,

Devizes Road and Swindon Quarry,

In retiring from the old established Business for so many years carried on by herself and late husband, begs to return her sincere thanks to customers and friends for the kind patronage which has been bestowed upon her, and to inform them that in future the business will be carried on by her Son, in conjunction with Mr James Powell, who has for a long time successfully acted as her manager.

S.P. Trusts that her successors will meet with the same support which has hitherto been conferred upon her.

In 1881 Phillips and Powell along with George Wiltshire put in a successful tender to lay out the new Swindon Cemetery, better known today as Radnor Street Cemetery.

Swindon

The Cemetery works – In reply to advertisements six tenders were sent in for laying out, draining, fencing, and doing the necessary work for the Swindon Cemetery. The Cemetery Committee met on Thursday evening to open these. The tender of Messrs Phillips and Powell and Mr George Wiltshire, who sent in a joint tender was accepted. The tenders were as follow: John Richings (Faringdon) £5,647; John Webb (New Swindon) £5,510; Thomas Barrett (Swindon) £5,562; W. Maxwell (London) £5,450; A.J. Beaven (Bristol) £5,442; Phillips and Powell and George Wiltshire (Swindon) £5,393 10s.

Western Daily Press April 7, 1881.

Susannah died at her home, Clarendon House, Devizes Road on April 24, 1894. The announcement of her death appeared in the Swindon Advertiser on April 28, the day of her funeral. She had decided to be buried in the churchyard at Christ Church, with her husband, and not in the cemetery her family firm had built.

The Phillips family grave in Christ Church churchyard