Pentre Pant Hall was located on Oakhurst Road, Oswestry. It was the home of Robert Arthur Montgomery, a retired army major, originally from County Down, Ireland and his wife Maria Maud Montgomery, a Londoner.
Maria Maud Montgomery (nee Gosling) was born in London on 17 Nov 1855. She was the daughter of Richard and Maria (Nee Shuldan born Ireland) Gosling. Her father was a banker. Maria married Robert Arthur Montgomery on January 1881 in Ashford Kent. Robert, a Captain R.A., was aged 32 and Maria 25 year old given as having no occupation. Fathers both style themselves “Gentleman’
In 1911 they were living at Pentre Pant Hall, a 17 roomed house, and had been married for 30 years. They had no children but have a niece living with them, Kathleen Marion Hackett from Ashford, Middlesex and 19 year old nephew William Richard from Blackheath, Kent who was a Cambridge undergraduate. They had 4 female servants; a cook Elizabeth Davies, 48 from Whittington and three housemaids from Chirk- Mary Ellen Davies, 34, Catherine Davies, 27 and Sarah Ellen Hughes, 25.
During the First World War Pentre Pant was used as an auxiliary hospital by the British Red Cross and St Johns Ambulance. The hospital was open 334 days a year and had 40 beds. In 1918 it provided convalescence to 214 patients from the War Office.
Here are some of the women who worked at the hospital:
Kathleen Blacklett, Ethel Connell-Dixon, Kate Davies, Elizabeth Davies, Jane E Davies, Eleanor Doddy, Nellie Grigg, Margaret Hughes, Norah Humphreys, Winifred Jackson, Mary Jones, Mary Lovett, Violet Lovett, Mary Minshall, Isabel Nicholson, Dorothy Stewart, Kathleen Edith Venables, Hylda Williams and Mary Wynne.
Pentre Pant stopped being used as a hospital in 1919. It’s closure was recorded in the Llangollen Advertizer:
‘This hospital being now closed, Mrs. Montgomery would like to thank the people of Oswestry and surrounding villages, for all the hospitality they have shown her patients and for many kind gifts.
Some she has been able to thank personally, many she has not , and she hopes they will now accept this expression of her gratitude for the I help they have been in cheering up the wounded men. Many men have told her they will never forget their time in Oswestry.
Mrs. Montgomery hopes they will not, any more than she will, forget all the kindness shown to her and the hospital. She would also like to thank the men of Dr. Lewis’ detachment for the efficient and ungrudging help they gave, when she had need of them.’
Maria died on 29 May 1929 and her husband Robert in 1931. They are both buried in Grey Abbey, County Down, Ireland, Robert Montgomery’s family estate. Maria left £5609 14s 1d to her husband.
Sources: Image from Oswestry Family & Local History Group