- Not to be confused with Amy Holmes.
| Amy Hulmes | |
 Hulmes (age 113) on June 13, 2001. | |
| Birth: | 5 October 1887 Bury, Greater Manchester, England, UK |
| Death: | 27 October 2001 Bury, Greater Manchester, England, UK |
| Age: | 114 years, 22 days |
| Country: |  UK
|
| Validated | |
Amy Isabel Hulmes (née Matthews; 5 October 1887 – 27 October 2001) was a British supercentenarian who was the oldest living person in Europe at the time of her death. Her age is validated by the Gerontology Research Group.
Hulmes was briefly recognised as the world's oldest living person by The Guinness Book of Records following the death of Marie Bremont in June 2001; however, only six days after being awarded the title, it was instead given to Maud Farris-Luse, who was more than eight months older than Hulmes.
Biography
Hulmes was born on 5 October 1887 in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. She worked as a weaver, and was married to Philip Hulmes from 1919 until his death in 1956. The couple had two daughters; Marjorie in 1924 and Barbara in 1927.
Hulmes gave up smoking at the age of 84, and lived in a house without hot water until the age of 94. She lived alone in the same street in which she grew up until she was 98, after which she moved in with her granddaughter on the family farm in Walmersley, Bury. She later moved in to a residential home in Bury when she was 105. At the time, she reportedly could still touch her toes. Hulmes died on 27 October 2001 at the age of 114 years, 22 days.
Family
Hulmes's father, John Matthews, was a drum major in the Lancashire fusiliers, and was nursed by Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War. Hulmes was the youngest of nine children; two of her sisters died three years before she was born and two of her brothers died in army service.
Sources differ as to the number of descendants that Hulmes had at the time of her death. Some sources say she had five grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and seven great-great-grandchildren; other sources say she had six grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.
Longevity Records
British Records
Amy Hulmes (date unknown)
Hulmes became the oldest living person in the United Kingdom following the death of 114 year-old Eva Morris on 2 November 2000. After Hulmes's own death nearly a year later on 27 October 2001, Nellie Bradley became the UK's oldest living person.
Hulmes became the last surviving British person born in 1887 following the death of Winifred Pettit on 10 September 1998. However, following Eva Morris's death, Hulmes also became the last surviving British person born before 1889, as she outlived everyone in Britain born in 1888.
At the time of her death, Hulmes was the sixth-oldest British person ever recorded. Her age has only been surpassed by three Britons since; Florrie Baldwin in 2010, Ethel Lang in 2014 and Ethel Caterham in 2023.
International Records
Hulmes became the oldest known living person in Europe following the death of 115 year-old Frenchwoman Marie Bremont on 6 June 2001. She was also the second-oldest living person in the world after American woman Maud Farris-Luse. Following Hulmes's death, Germaine Haye became Europe's oldest living person.
Hulmes became the last known surviving European person born in 1887 following the death of Dutchwoman Catharina van Dam-Groeneveld on 16 February 2001. She later became the last surviving European born before 1888 following Marie Bremont's death on 6 June 2001.
Claim to "World's Oldest Person" Title
On 13 June 2001, a week after the death of Marie Bremont, Hulmes was officially recognised as the world's oldest living person by The Guinness Book of Records. This was despite the fact that American woman Maud Farris-Luse, more than eight months older, was already known to the affiliated Gerontology Research Group.
Nonetheless, the awarding of the title to Hulmes attracted publicity, as she was an avid drinker of Guinness beer, after which the Guinness Book of Records was named. However, less than a week later on 19 June 2001, they named Farris-Luse as the official oldest living person in the world. The following month, the Guinness Book of Records was sold by Diageo – the company that also owned the Guinness brewing business – meaning that the beer and the book were no longer affiliated.
Gallery
References
- Verified Supercentenarians (Listed Chronologically By Birth Date) Gerontology Research Group
- All Validated British Supercentenarians Oldest in Britain
- Irish tipple 'leads to long life' BBC News, 13 June 2001
- Accolades for a stout survivor from the Victorian era The Guardian, 14 June 2001
- Stout-drinking gran - a record for Guinness News24, 14 June 2001
- Record-holder Amy is 114 today Manchester Evening News, 5 October 2001 (published online on 17 February 2007)
- Europe's oldest woman dies aged 114 Irish Examiner, 2 November 2001
- Woman who was oldest dies at 114 The Telegraph, 3 November 2001
- Michigan woman declared world's oldest Toledo Blade, 16 July 2001
- Diageo to Sell Guinness Records Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2001