Boston Workhouse

[LizH]

My ancestors, William KELK, his wife Jane (WEST) and 5 young children were removed from Burgh-le-Marsh to the Boston Work house about 1846. William died soon after. Widowed Jane and the surviving 4 children moved later, I don't know when, to Lincoln.

Can anyone please advise whether or where I might find any records about the work house at Boston.

I am in Australia, to where the entire family, separately, immigrated in the mid 1860s.

[Pam Downes]

Hi Liz,
As you may already know, Lincolnshire FHS have published loads of stuff associated with the Poor Law. A fairly recent publication is an A4 booklet called 'Extracts from the Minutes of the Board of Guardians of Boston Union Workhouse 1836-1858'.
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LIN/lfhs/Documents/PublicationsList.pdf
page 11
The introduction to the book says 'All items from the first five minute books where paupers are named have been included in this book. Unfortunately the minutes from July 1838 to January 1841 have not survived.'
There is no reference to Kelk in the book, and although (as implied in the title) the details about a particular event are brief the book is very interesting. You have references to people being given loans to buy clothes, payments for the upkeep of people sent to various lunatic asylums, boys being sent to Marple (near Stockport) as apprentices, notices that bastardy orders are going to be applied for, etc.
As far as I know the only records will be at Lincoln Archives.

Jane is in Lincoln on the 1851 census.
HO107/2105 folio 550 page 38
7 (Mauds?) Hill, Lincoln
(parish of St Michael)
Jane KELK, head, widow, 33, dressmaker assistant, Middlesex London
William E, son, 11, scholar, Lincolnshire Burgh
Henry (J?), son 10, scholar, Lincolnshire Burgh
Edward, son, 8, scholar, Middlesex London
Mary Jane, daur, 6, scholar, Lincolnshire Burgh
Mary (Atter/Otter), servant, widow, 26, housekeeper, Lincolnshire Holbeach

Pam

[Peter Goodey]

My reference books don't cover Lincs but the Workhouse site says:


Lincolnshire Archives, St. Rumbold Street, Lincoln LN2 5AB. Extensive holdings include Guardians' minute books (1836-38, 1841-1930); Admissions and discharges (1838-9, 1876-1930); Births (1866-79, 1914-42); Deaths (1866-1941); Offences and punishments register (1880-1941); Schools admissions/discharges (boys 1868-1902, girls 1850-1901); Certification book for pauper lunatics (1890-1928); etc.

Looks a bit sparse for your period unfortunately. Perhaps A2A has more or try Lincolnshire Archives.

[peter nicholl]

My ancestors, William KELK, his wife Jane (WEST) and 5 young children were removed from Burgh-le-Marsh to the Boston Work house about 1846. William died soon after. Widowed Jane and the surviving 4 children moved later, I don't know when, to Lincoln.

Can anyone please advise whether or where I might find any records about the work house at Boston.

I am in Australia, to where the entire family, separately, immigrated in the mid 1860s.Hi Liz

Have you got any further back than William and Jane? The reason I ask is that a few years ago I was desperately seeking a Sarah Kelk who married a Jacob Shilcock in the 1790s. As an aside, you being in Oz, one of Jacob's ancestors was married to the Aunt of Matthew Flinders, but I digress. Although Sarah and Jacob were ,as it turns out, not mine, I was contacted by a gentleman from Lincolnshire who had lots of information about the Lincolnshire Kelks. I've just dug it out and in a copy of a family tree there are the following:

William Coates Kelk b 1839, Burgh le Marsh; Henry b 1841; Mary Jane b 1847; Edward; Son: they are linked to note "Emigrated to NSW, Australia 1866 with their mother Jane"
Their parents are shown as William Kelk, bapt 10 May 1807, Burgh le Marsh d 1847; and Jane (West?)
William's parents are shown as John Kelk of Burgh le Marsh (Squire Kelk of Burgh Hall) and Mary Leeman of Croft; Married 16 August 1791 at Croft.


I have not checked any of this, but you may find it useful if it's news.

Peter

[Steve Garnham]

Hi Guys

Also have information on the Kelk family who married into my line.. please make contact if you are interested in discussing further.


Steve

[peter nicholl]

Hi Guys

Also have information on the Kelk family who married into my line.. please make contact if you are interested in discussing further.


Steve
Hi Steve
Is it a mere coincidence that my "gentleman from Lincolnshire" was Gerald Garnham? :)

Peter

[Steve Garnham]

Guess not..we are distant cousins! Please explain, though Peter!

[peter nicholl]

Guess not..we are distant cousins! Please explain, though Peter!Hi Steve
My Great Great Grandfather was George Henry Nicholl and he married Mary Martha Shilcock in 1842. Mary was born in Helpringham in 1822, her parents were William Shilcock and Frances Elizabeth Baxter. For a long time I believed that Willliam was the son of Jacob Shilcock and Sarah Kelk, I was wrong. Jacob and Sarah did have a son William but he married Elizabeth Smith. I posted my interest in Sarah Kelk in the Lincs FHS magazine and Gerald wrote to me in 1999. We exchanged information; he sent me loads of Kelk stuff, some of which I copied out of interest; I sent him other Kelk info from the 1881 Census. Then I found the "right" William and the Kelk stuff was put into storage until the post from Liz.
Peter

[LizH]

Have you got any further back than William and Jane?
Only recently I found Wlliam's parents John Kelk and Mary (Leeman), m. at
Croft 16 Aug 1791. More recently I have found William's siblings.

I have had no luck at all with Jane's ancestors though. She was said to be the daughter of William West and Mary Coates but I haven't been able to find this pair.

Oral history (and a 1930 newspaper obituary for my g-grandfather) is that Jane was the daughter of Earl de la Warr, however my research suggests that there is absolutely no truth there (the earldom ceased centuries ago!), even though the family built a stately home in Bathurst NSW Australia in the 1870s and named it "Delawar". Two of Jane's sisters also migrated to Australia and their descendants have been "fed" the same story.

I haven't come across the name Shilcock before. But Jacob is a name that has been reassigned to more recent generations of Kelks here in Australia.





William Coates Kelk b 1839, Burgh le Marsh; Henry b 1841; Mary Jane b 1847; Edward; Son: they are linked to note "Emigrated to NSW, Australia 1866 with their mother Jane" ..........
Peter Very intersting! What is the source?

Liz

[peter nicholl]

Hi Liz

I'm afraid that you now know as much as I do :( As I said in reply to Steve, my information came from his distant rellie Gerald Garnham. Unfortunately he didn't say where he got it from. Perhaps Steve may be able to help?

Peter