Paddington Workhouse

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

At the moment I can't access the link for Workhouses which someone gave in another thread, but was it common practice for unmarried girls to be sent to the Workhouse to give birth to illegitimate children?

A Mary Gardener in my file had an illegitimate child in 1897, not born in the Workhouse, then had her second one in August 1900 in the above Workhouse!

She didn't have a third ...... so was this just to teach her a lesson? ;)

I assume when the link is working, I may be able to find out more?

[k0065126]

People ended up in the workhouse if they were not able to support themselves, or could not find a friend or family member to support them. Following the introduction of the Poor Law Amendments Act of 1834 there was a withdrawal of outdoor relief which enabled someone falling on hard times to live in their own home with money, and / or food supplied to tide them over until they were able to find a new job.

In the later stages of pregnancy a woman would not have been able to work, and in some jobs would have been sacked, even if the employer was a the father.

It must have been very hard for families to consign a daughter to the Workhouse knowing how badly poor people were treated. Some even had to wear a uniform with a large badge showing the letter P to indicate that they were a pauper.

A good reference work is 'The Workhouse' by Norman Longmate, published by Pimlico in 2003 and this contains a photograph of dinner time in the womens' section in 1900 in St Pancras Workhouse.

I became interested in the workhouse when I discovered that 2 of my great aunts were in Monmouth Union Workhouse in 1851 and 1861 and had 4 illegitimate children between them, one of whom died at 4 months.

My grandmother was also born in Ross Union Workhouse in Herefordshire, the second of 2 illegitimate girls, and was adopted by the time she was 6.

I was lucky to find 2 references to my great grandmother in the minutes of Ross Workhouse :-

3rd Jan 1876. The clerk was directed to see these women, (M A Powell, Rebecca Hope, Elizabeth Duggan), now in the workhouse and ascertain whether there was sufficient evidence to enable the Guardians to obtain the Bastardy Orders upon the alleged children of their putative children. (Should be putative fathers!)

17 Jan 1876. The Clerk reported that the child of this woman, (Rebecca Hope), was dead and that there was thus an end to the case. The Clerk reported that in this case there was no corroborative evidence on which to obtain a Summons against the alleged putative father of Elizabeth Duggans's child.

Nice to see the caring society at work.

Great Gran obviously did not kiss and tell. Well done, except that I will never be able to trace this side of the family.

Viv

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Hello Viv,

Many thanks for the information and the links. On one of them I've found the history of Paddington Workhouse and maps of the area and the building itself.

I also found out that the LMA have the minutes covering 1900, so will have to try and sweet-talk a friend for a look-up! :)

I haven't tried a Google search yet, but I will do.

[Peter Goodey]

I'm afraid you won't find the minutes very informative - mainly routine administrative stuff (although some inmates may be mentioned by name and in a very, very few cases there may be lists of inmates attached). More useful would be admission & discharge registers. The infirmary may have separate records. You didn't say what happened to the children but there may be specific records about pauper children.

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Hello Peter,

Thankyou for your reply ...... would my friend still be able to get this info from the LMA?

Mary's first child wasn't born in Paddington Workhouse, so I'm assuming at the time of the birth of the second child, he was living with his Maternal Grandparents.

On the 1901 Census, Mary is working again and she's living with her Parents, but both her children are listed as the son and daughter of the Grandparents, silly thing to do really as the Grandmother was way past childbearing years, so I don't know who she thought she was kidding! :D

[Peter Goodey]

Diane

I've found my useful reference book now. Stuff that looks relevant to this period and these circumstances seem to be:
Lists of paupers 1888-1931
Pauper children 1885-1931
School lists of pauper children 1873-1931
Harrow Road Workhouse & Infirmary admission & Discharge Registsers 1883-1897 and reg of births 1900-1914

Some of those may not be relevant but you'll know better than I will!

Did you know LMA have a postal research service?

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Hello Peter,

No, I didn't know about the Research Service, so thanks for letting me know. I'll ask them if they have anything about the admission / discharge dates for Mary Gardener in 1900, as I'm curious as to how long she stayed in the Workhouse!