Elizabeth Burton 1862 - 1925

Elizabeth Burton (née Wright) was born in Northamptonshire in the early 1860s. She became a teacher of music and singing and advertised her services in her local area. At some point in her career, whilst preparing raw fish for a meal, Elizabeth ran a fishbone deep beneath her thumb nail. An infection set in and, in her right hand and much of her forearm had to be amputated.

With six children to support following the early death of her husband in the late 1890s , continuing with her music lessons was likely a financial necessity. This was facilitated by an arm prosthesis made by a local surgical instrument maker to a design that allowed her to span an octave of a piano. It’s believed this device allowed Elizabeth to carry on with her musical career. Records even suggest she wore it to play in a concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1906.