Julia Lennon

Julia Lennon
Lennon in 1949
Born	Julia Stanley (1914-03-12)12 March 1914 Toxteth, Liverpool, England
Died	15 July 1958(1958-07-15) (aged 44) Woolton, Liverpool, England
Occupation(s)	Waitress, Homemaker
Spouse	Alfred Lennon ​ (m. 1938)​
Partner	John "Bobby" Dykins (1945–1958)
Children	4, including John Lennon and Julia Baird
Relatives	Mimi Smith (sister) Julian Lennon (grandson) Sean Lennon (grandson)

Julia Lennon (née Stanley; 12 March 1914 – 15 July 1958) was the mother of English musician John Lennon, who was born during her marriage to Alfred Lennon. After complaints to Liverpool's Social Services by her eldest sister Mimi Smith (née Stanley), she surrendered the care of her son to Mimi. She later had one daughter after an affair with a Welsh soldier, but pressure from her family made her place the baby for adoption. Later she had two daughters, Julia and Jackie, with John "Bobby" Dykins. She never divorced her husband, preferring to live as Dykins' common-law wife for the rest of her life.

She was known as being high-spirited, impulsive, and musical, and for having a strong sense of humour. She taught her son John how to play the banjo and the ukulele. She kept in almost daily contact with him, and when he was in his teens he often stayed overnight at her and Dykins' house. On 15 July 1958, she was knocked down and killed by a car driven by an off-duty policeman, close to her sister's house at 251 Menlove Avenue. John was traumatised by her death and wrote several songs about her, including "Julia" and "Mother". Biographer Ian MacDonald wrote that she was, "to a great extent ... her son's muse".^[1]