Colin Rowledge
11-09-2012, 7:21 PM
One of my less afluent forebears had the misfortune to be an Inmate at this place in 1891 census.
He was 13 years old at the time. He was one of 10 children. His mother had died in 1889, leaving her husband with Henry age 11 and his sister age 15. Another child working as a domestic servant had 'dumped' her illegitimate child on her parents and while the sister was still not contributing, the grandchild, lived with them.
He obviously couldn't cope - his 15 year old daughter was a domestic servant [as were many of her sisters] - and so she came home. She became his housekeeper and looked after the grandchild while her father tried to work as an Ag. Lab. So Henry wound up at this place.
Googling it and viewing the 1891 census, indicates it wasn't much of a facility as it was intended to be when founded in the mid 1860's. In 1891 there were 191 Inmates between the age of 8 and 15, a staff of 9 of whom could in a liberal sense be classed as 'teachers'.
Times were tough back then, eh?
Colin
He was 13 years old at the time. He was one of 10 children. His mother had died in 1889, leaving her husband with Henry age 11 and his sister age 15. Another child working as a domestic servant had 'dumped' her illegitimate child on her parents and while the sister was still not contributing, the grandchild, lived with them.
He obviously couldn't cope - his 15 year old daughter was a domestic servant [as were many of her sisters] - and so she came home. She became his housekeeper and looked after the grandchild while her father tried to work as an Ag. Lab. So Henry wound up at this place.
Googling it and viewing the 1891 census, indicates it wasn't much of a facility as it was intended to be when founded in the mid 1860's. In 1891 there were 191 Inmates between the age of 8 and 15, a staff of 9 of whom could in a liberal sense be classed as 'teachers'.
Times were tough back then, eh?
Colin