Jill, widow of late Welsh actor Richard ’Dickie’ Davies, had lived in Conford for more than 17 years, where the couple became involved in staging many successful productions in the village hall.
One of their most memorable performances was a reading of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, their favourite, raising more that £1,000 for the village hall, which they consequently took on tour through East Hampshire and Surrey.
The couple initiated regular Hog the Limelight productions for Conford as well as performances by the Rude Mechanicals, which were very successful.
Jill was born in Birmingham in 1934, the daughter of Mildred and William Hipkiss, a commercial traveller. She was academic but also had a strong bias to the Arts, joined the Birmingham rep and got involved in all aspects of putting on productions - from acting parts to set design, using all her skills.
Her early acting career included seasons of performances with Birmingham Rep and the Derby Playhouse.
Some of the performances of note were Blythe Spirit, Pericles, Waters of the Moon, The Enchanted, She Stoops to Conquer, and Brief Encounter. She could also turn her talent to many voices and accents and regional dialects.
In 1955, Jill Britton, as she was known then - met Dickie Davies at the Salisbury pub in London rehearsing the play Little Lambs Eat Ivy before they took in on a tour in the UK.
The couple were married the same year. Both loved to perform in the theatre and the couple starred in the 1972 film version of Under Milk Wood, alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, where she played Mrs Rose Cottage which was a key highlight of her acting career, and Dickie played Mr Pritchard.
She became the power and support behind her husband, who turned into a stage and screen star, working behind the scenes to keep all the wheels rolling.
Her family described her as “full of charm, wisdom, fun and love with a kind, listening ear”.
Jill was an actress, a potter, a painter, a scenic artist, a market researcher, a dress maker a badminton player, as well as a wife and mother to daughter Nerissa and son Glen.
Jill (above) loved family and village life, making friends wherever she went, and an active member of the community, playing a big role in organising numerous Thespian events.
After suffering a stroke a couple of years ago, Jill stepped back from her fundraising activities for Conford Village Hall, spending more time with her beloved dogs, Pevro, Tufty, Dilly, Rupert, Mitzi and Billy, who have survived her and have all found loving homes.
Daughter Nerissa and son Glen took part in the Surrey Memory Walk in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society on October 8, the day their father Dickie Davies passed away two years ago.