In Victorian England, children with bone deformities were condemned to vegetate in dark rooms. One woman decided to change this, even though she herself could barely walk. Agnes Hunt not only laid the foundations of modern pediatric orthopedics, but also proved that one’s own suffering can become a source of strength.
Childhood in the Shadow of Illness
Agnes was born on the last day of 1866 as the sixth of eleven children in a wealthy English family. Her carefree childhood at the Boreatton Park estate in Shropshire was cut short by illness.
Osteomyelitis, which developed after sepsis, changed her life forever. When she was sixteen, her family moved to Australia, where her widowed mother tried to support the children with a small farm.
Living in the antipodes toughened young Agnes. The harsh conditions of farm life taught her independence, which she would soon need. In 1887, she returned to England determined to become a nurse. She began training at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Rhyl, Wales, where her determination impressed her superiors.
A Home in the Open Air
At the turn of the century, it was believed that disabled children should stay indoors, away from drafts and dampness.
Agnes thought differently. In 1900, she opened a convalescent home at her family’s estate, Florence House, where young patients spent their days outdoors. Fresh air was intended to heal both their bodies and spirits.
The following year, Agnes traveled to Liverpool seeking help for her own diseased leg. Surgeon Robert Jones not only examined her case but also became interested in the innovative methods used in Baschurch. He began regularly visiting the center, operating on children and offering medical advice. This cooperation proved groundbreaking for the development of orthopedics in the UK.
In 1907, they jointly built an operating theater, and six years later introduced X-ray diagnostics. Florence House was no longer just a convalescent home but was becoming a modern hospital.
A Life and Work Partnership
For thirty years, Agnes worked alongside Emily Goodford, whom she affectionately called Goody. Together, they managed the growing facility, lived together at Florence House, and faced the daily hardships of working with sick children. Their relationship went far beyond professional collaboration.
When Emily died in 1920, Agnes wrote words filled with pain in her autobiography: few people are given the chance to live and work with a beloved friend for thirty years in perfect love and unity.
Eighteen years after this loss, she still could not write about it calmly. Today, both rest in a single grave at the All Saints Church cemetery in Baschurch.
A Lasting Legacy
The First World War brought new patients to Florence House. Wounded soldiers needed orthopedic care, and Agnes was able to provide it. For her wartime service, she was awarded the Royal Red Cross in 1918. Eight years later, she was honored as a Dame Commander of the British Empire.
The hospital expanded and changed locations until in 1921 it found a permanent home in Gobowen near Oswestry. After Robert Jones’s death in 1933, the facility was named after both pioneers. The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital continues to this day as a world-class orthopedic center.
Agnes worked almost until the last day of her life. She died in July 1948 at the age of eighty-one. The woman who struggled with pain and physical limitations her entire life helped thousands of children stand on their own feet.
Marcus Renfell
Marcus Renfell is a historian driven by curiosity and passion. He refuses to accept the “safe,” polished versions of the past. Instead, he brings forgotten, overlooked, and distorted stories back to life. His work blends scholarly precision with the art of storytelling, turning historical narratives into vivid, page-turning experiences.
His mission is simple: to prove that history can be gripping, alive, and deeply personal.
His debut book: Women of Science. Stories You Were Never Told
In his first publication, Marcus Renfell shines a light on the remarkable women who shaped the world of science — both the pioneers whose names we know and the brilliant minds history forgot. It’s an inspiring journey through untold stories, groundbreaking achievements, and the resilience of women who changed our understanding of the world.
? Discover Women of Science. Stories You Were Never Toldon Amazon.com.