Swansea Union Workhouse

[p.mca]

One of my gg grandmothers was Rosa Mary Hill b illegitimately in 1874, in Ashreigney, Devon. She had an illegitimate daughter (my g grandmother) in 1893, Ellen Hill. In the 1901 census Ellen is with uncle Charles Hill in Swansea as a 'relative' though interestingly in 1911 is still with him but now noted to be 'adopted daughter'.

In 1901 there is a Rosa Hill in the Swansea Union workhouse census return, who I presume to be her mother as above. Age and place of birth fit. She has a two month old daughter called Adelaide with her. I can find no birth record for an Adelaide Hill though in the 1911 return as noted above there is an additional adopted daughter with Ellen called Emma, who is the correct age to be Adelaide.

The question is whether there was any different process for birth registration if Adelaide was born in the workhouse? Rosa disappears after this time and can't be found in 1911. I would really like some more sources to try and clarify the (to me) likely scenario as above. I have not investigated adoption records yet though this could be very helpful if available.

Phil
NZ

[notanotherminer]

Hi Phil,

Just a quick question. As there's no marriage certificate to go by and you haven't been able to find Emma in a census with her mother, how can you be certain that the Rosa Hill born 1874 is the correct Rosa?

I can't find the censuses to which you refer. Can you please give us some census references to go by please and can you tell us exactly what it says on her birth certificate?

[Coromandel]

The question is whether there was any different process for birth registration if Adelaide was born in the workhouse?

Births in workhouses should appear in the General Register Office index (and so in FreeBMD etc.). However, it is always worth checking whether the workhouse's own records of its inmates have survived. In the case of the Swansea Union workhouse, things look quite promising: the West Glamorgan Archive Service holds 'registers, 1836-1954' for the Swansea Union workhouse, according to their guide to poor law records:

http://www.
swansea.gov.uk/media/pdf/8/3/Poor_Law_Union_records.pdf

Why not send them an e-mail to see if these 'registers' include records of admissions/discharges and births for the period of interest to you?

Edit: having looked at the list of surviving records on Peter Higginbotham's workhouse website, I am less optimistic:

http://www.
workhouses.org.uk/Swansea/

[Peter Goodey]

The question is whether there was any different process for birth registration if Adelaide was born in the workhouse?

Births and deaths in the workhouse were most likely to be registered properly.

[p.mca]

I have a birth cert for Rose Mary Hill b 22 Jan 1874 in Marwood (not Ashreigney as above, that was Ellen). She was the illegitimate daughter of Emma Hill. The ref for the 1901 census is Wales census, Union workhouse, Swansea, household schedule 1, piece 5080, folio 234, p 18. The detail is Rose Hill, pauper inmate, age 27, domestic servant, born Devon Barnstaple (which is the correct reg district).

Two lines down is Adelade Hill, age 2 months, b Swansea. So this is the presumed record of Emma with her mother Rosa/ Rose.

1911 Wales census - I am not sure how to identify this record, it is that of Charles Hill, at 43 King Edward Rd, Swansea, schedule 349a. It contains Charles Hill, his wife, her parents and both Ellen Hill and an Emma Hill, age 10 b swansea glamorgan, who I presume to be Adelade as above. Rosa is the mother of Ellen as on her birth cert.