Coronation Street Wiki
Advertisement

Alice Raybould (née Schofield) was the elder sister of Ena Schofield (later Sharples).

The Rayboulds were a notoriously rough family from Claribold Street, that a young Martha Hartley had been warned by her parents to stay away from. Their house was described as a pigsty and the children were frequently infested. Alice married "Birdy" Raybould when she was eighteen and within two years, the couple had two sons, Alan and Willie.

"Birdy" and Alice began married life in Sheffield, where "Birdy" got made head of plumbing with the council and the couple joined the church due to their new status as civic dignitaries. Not long after Willie's birth, "Birdy" disappeared and Alice was left a single mother. Alan served in World War I and was killed in action at Dunkirk, while Willie made his mother's life a misery, continuing in the true Raybould tradition.

By early 1963, Alice's health was failing and in March, her next door neighbour in Eckersley Street, Mrs Brigginshaw, wrote to Ena to inform her that Alice was on the danger list. Another letter arrived a few days later, saying that Alice was fading fast and at that point, Ena went to Sheffield. Alice eventually succumbed and passed away at 5.30am on 21st March, aged 80 and left Ena with what little she'd had.

Advertisement