Joyce King

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England

Joyce Margaret King (née Harris: 28th February 1891 - 20th September 1965) was an English housewife, who was married to Albert King, a farm labourer, on Millers Farm, in Northumberland, she was the stepmother of electrician Jeffrey King, midwife Julia Lawrence, greengrocer Thomas King and Newcastle Daily Express columnist Steven King.

## Early life

King was born in Southampton, South East England, on 28th February 1891, one of seven children, born to Samuel Harris and Annie Harris, growing up King was sent to live with her aunt in Galway, who was a nun, living in a convent. King was raised as a catholic and whilst living with her aunt, she was not allowed to mix with the opposite sex or have any relationships, however at the age of 15, King became pregnant and was forced by the nuns in the convent, to give her son up for adoption, once he was born, she was not allowed to name her baby or even say goodbye to him. At the age of 17, she ran away from the convent, when she caught a train from Galway to Dublin, where she lived with her then boyfriend, Jerry Fitzpatrick, who would often abuse her, both physically and emotionally, until she returned back to living with her parents, at the age of 18, without telling Fitzpatrick.

## Marriage and children

In 1907, King gave birth to a son, whilst living with her aunt, in the convent, in Ireland, she was not allowed to name or interact with her son and never knew who adopted him or does not even know his name. Her first relationship was with Jerry Fitzpatrick, who she met when staying in Dublin, after escaping from the convent. King lived with Fitzpatrick at his house, but she only stayed with him for seven months, as he would often abuse her, leading to her to leave him, without actually telling him, after which she never saw him again. King was then single eleven years, before her father sent her around the country, looking for a job, she found herself in Northumberland, where she met Albert King, who had just divorced his wife Gladys and was living alone, with their four children. King married Albert in 1921, in Newcastle and acted as a mother figure to his children, who classed her as their mother. In 1929, King admitted to her husband, that she had a son, that she had to give up for adoption and did not know where he went. Following this revelation, King's husband convinced her to get in contact with her aunt, which in 1930, she did, however, it was not until 1931, that King and her husband went to Ireland, to find out what happened to her son, by asking her aunt, who still lived in the convent, but was dying, though they had a wasted journey, as King's aunt still refused to tell her who adopted her son, King never saw her aunt again after this and did not attend her funeral. King and her husband's marriage lasted for forty-two years, before she became a widow, when Albert died of a heart attack, in Newcastle Hospital.

## Death

On the morning of 20th September 1965, King was travelling on a bus, from Newcastle to Wallsend, to see her stepson Jeffrey King, whilst travelling on the bus, King felt sick, but thought that it would get better, once she had eaten, though when sitting alone, in Jeffrey's living room, whilst he was in the kitchen, making tea, King coughed up blood, in a napkin, that she did not show anyone. King stayed with her stepson for only two hours, though he offered to drive her back home, which she accept his offer and on the way back to Newcastle, King coughed up more blood, which landed on the floor of his Jeffrey's car, who immediately drove her to the hospital, though she told him that she was fine and not to take her to the hospital, though Jeffrey refused to listen and took her there anyway. Whilst in the hospital, King's began to get a fever and her skin changed to a yellowish colour, the doctors told Jeffrey, that King only had a few hours left to live, so he got his brothers Thomas and Steven to visit her, with their wives, however, his sister Julia, could not make it in time. Jeffrey, Thomas, Steven and their wives all watched as King died in the hospital bed, after which, they said "goodbye mum", before leaving.

King was buried with her husband Albert, at Shields Cemetery, after her funeral.