A tribute from the New Forest Heritage Centre
 
“I like your New Balance trainers” I said to Jill a few weeks ago. She looked up. “Oh, thank you” she said, with a twinkle in her eye and the face full of warmth that had become so familiar to us all. Jill Holt was one of the most genuinely lovely people we could have had the privilege of working with. The messages I have received from so many members of our team at the New Forest Heritage Centre show just how much everyone thought of Jill and what a gap she has left behind. I have collated these memories of our colleague and friend, and I present this tribute on behalf of all the whole team.
 
Jill was a natural communicator with people of all ages and abilities. Jo Smith wrote:‘You always knew that Jill had listened and remembered our conversations too, for the next time we met she would ask after a person or an event which we had been talking about. Gently spoken, with an understated but keen, good sense of humour, she was just a marvellous colleague. Kerry Ace recalls: ‘Jill was such a lovely, special person. She was so warm, welcoming, and helpful to me at the library. We had such a giggle and I always looked forward to catching up with her when I came in. Although she was quite a bit older than me, it felt like she was my contemporary age wise. I think this was partly because we had a lot in common but also to do with her youthful outlook. She had such a positive attitude to life. Each time we met I learnt a little more about her from her activities with her local church to her time spent counselling students. She was an absolute joy to know.’ Jill had so many hobbies and interests. Jo Hadfield wrote: ‘Jill was a talented flower arranger (whatever she might have said otherwise). Other than a regular slot on the church rota, every festival she decorated one of the windows which I've always known as 'Jill's window' and will continue to do so.’
 
Jill was endlessly patient with staff, other volunteers, and visitors alike. It was this patience that landed her with the task of cataloguing Félicité Hardcastle’s enormous archive over years rather than months, ably assisted by Kerry and others in more recent times. It is with this collection that I will most closely associate Jill. As Carole Standeven recalls, ‘Jill’s library work will always be associated in my mind with the lengthy, meticulous cataloguing of all the donated papers of Félicité Hardcastle, author of the classic “Records of Burley”.  There was and is no one in our organisation that had Jill’s level of knowledge of the Hardcastle collection. When asked “How are you getting on”, while working through some of the albums of photographs, consigned to the bunker in times gone by, Jill replied “We’re in Austria at the moment”. This was followed by a chuckle and a beaming smile. I think it’s fair to say that Jill lived Félicité’s life with her, with a mix of fondness, humour and deflation as more and more cases and trunks appeared, but she never complained. Instead, she responded with her characteristic positivity and a spring in her step, ready to deal with the task in hand. “Right” she would say as she prepared herself for the next instalment, even though I sometimes felt like a parent presenting a child with yet another plate of vegetables… But Jill’s work in the Christopher Tower Library was extensive. Jo Hadfield reminded me of Jill’s delight in tracking down the family connection between Benedict Cumberbatch and the historic Deputy Surveyor of the New Forest.
 
Jill was immensely knowledgeable, but incredibly modest with it. She was of course herself a talented, rigorous researcher. Her excellent book on Minstead Shops is testament to this. Carole came to know Jill through their work in the Christopher Tower Library where their days coincided. They shared a keen interest in local history, particularly that of Minstead. Carole recalled how Jill was always generous with her time despite extensive family commitments and regularly came to her assistance with her computer skills, which Carole claimed were far superior her own. They also cooperated on work they did for the Minstead Local History Group and she was unfailingly supportive. Sadly, the project they embarked on last year was overtaken by the effects of the pandemic. In the words of Alec Coutts, “I find it difficult to find a specific instance to quote because Jill was so helpful and keen to assist on so many occasions. So many people have benefitted from her knowledge and experience. We both served on the Minstead Local History Group and volunteering in the Heritage Centre. Jill was always there to help in so many ways". As well as her regular Friday morning slot during which the Library was open to the public, Jill helped at Open Days, Volunteer Fairs, conferences, and exhibition evenings among other events. If Jill could support us, she would.  Even if Jill couldn’t always find the answers to people’s enquiries while they were in the Library she would go away and research them from home, emailing responses through to us as, always underestimating the quality of the help she’d provided. A trawl back through my email correspondence with Jill provided expressions such as: “Should be more useful than my original offerings on Friday! Or I am sure you have the answer by now but in case not…This was usually followed by something excellent.
 
Sylvia Crocker recalled that she didn’t know when Jill started working at the Library but she was already there when she joined the team herself in 2011. Jill was always reliable. Former Librarian, Richard Reeves, remembered Jill as one of his “old school volunteers” who did the study of Minstead shops and was always kind when telling him off, sort of disapproving whist amused. He said she was always happy to hear and give advice on his latest adventures in the world of girls! As Sylvia said, Jill was always smiling and helpful, and worked in her own quiet way on anything that she was asked to do. She contributed a lot to the work of the library, and she will be sadly missed by all who knew her there. Sylvia was personally very pleased that Jill attended and supported her at the launch of her Hampshire Record Series publication.
 
Jo Smith wrote ‘Jill was one of the reasons why Friday morning volunteering was such a pleasure. From having a giggle when we both come in wearing the same jumper to sharing a love of family and local history research’. This reminded me of Jill’s love of clothes; I often complimented her on what she was wearing. I remember she particularly liked a pale grey leather jacket of mine, jokily asking whether I thought it might fit her if I ever got bored of it. “I’m sorry, Jill, I still quite like the jacket, but I will continue to think of you whenever I wear it.”
 
Jill was an excellent volunteer, colleague, and a friend to many of us. Quiet, modest, good humoured and fun, and extremely talented. We are extremely grateful for all the help she gave us at the Heritage Centre and for having the pleasure of knowing her.
 
Katharine Walker
 
11th January 2021