CATHERINE POETL - BOARDING SCHOOL

[CourtenayL]

Dear British Genealogy

Catherine Poetl was the matron at a boarding school found at 2 Market Mews, Chelsea. Please could you tell me the name of the school and the type of school it was, the types of lessons that were focused on. Thank you.

Our ancestor Louisa Thrasher attended the school in 1881 and her father Robert Thrasher in the 1871 census was a messenger (possibly a royal messenger, civil service messenger, London Stock Exchange messenger - currently investigating this). Although Robert died in 1879 the family was still able to afford for Louisa to attend the boarding school.

Thank you for your help!

[Peter Goodey]

Presumably the census return you mean is the one with reference The National Archives; RG 11/97 f 29 p 24.

This is Mayfair surely, not Chelsea. Market Mews still exists and is on the map. The parish and registration district were St George Hanover Square.

I couldn't find 2 Market Mews, Mayfair in the 1891 census and Market Mews is officially listed as missing from the 1871 census.

Unfortunately these small private schools came and went and didn't leave much of a footprint. Perhaps you may get a clue from trade/street directories. They may have advertised so it may be worth looking at some newspapers.

[Mutley]

In 1851 Catherine Poets was listed as the wife of John Poets a butler born in France. They lived at 10 Shephard St.
HO107/1476 F305 P26

In 1861 she was still at 10 Shephard Street. She was a dressmaker and had a visitor who was a ladies maid, born in France. John is not with them.
RG 9/46 F11 P29

No clues there regarding the school and I cannot find a mention of it. In the enumeration district description for 1881 no name is given for the school.

[Waitabit]

Might this have been a private boarding school for young Ladies which perhaps didn't last for many years?
this came up during a search which suggested several schools were born in Mews areas.

Market Mews, Mayfair / Soho W1Y [1997]

[CourtenayL]

Dear All - thank you for your research and for your posts.

[Coromandel]

It's interesting that Catherine is shown as the matron, rather than as a school mistress. This may mean that it is not her school. One possibility is that the Market Mews building was not the school itself, but a house where the schoolchildren boarded. So the teaching staff might have been based elsewhere. Or perhaps it was a little private school but the mistress was away on census night.

You could try having a look at the 1882 P.O. directory for London, which is available on the Historical Directories website. There are a great many schools listed there.

It might be worth looking at the other girls who were at the school in 1881. What sort of backgrounds were they from? What did they do later? If they went into domestic service, for example, it's possible that they were at one of the numerous training schools for servants.

[helachau]

Morning Post - Fri 6 November 1885
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THIS DAY - Conservative Election Meetings
"......; St George's, Hanover Square Division, Lord Algernon Percy, at the Curzon School, Market-Mews, Shepherd-Street, Mayfair, 8.30;....". Possibility?

Re "Matron", this has been crossed through on the '81 Census and "Sch Service" added. Not sure of the significance

[helachau]

"Old Maps" http://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html

Click on link and enter co-ordinates 528644 180277
When all maps loaded, click on "1895 Town Plans"
When 1895 map loaded in main window, click on map to "zoom" - (but school in Market Mews not named)

Meant to add - on the 1875-78 map it is named Market Street not Market Mews

[Peter Goodey]

Market Mews was sometimes known as Market Street Mews

[Coromandel]

I don't think this will help identify the school, but FreeBMD has a potential marriage for Catherine: a Catharine or Cathrine Palmer appears on the same page as a Jannot Poets in the St George Hanover Square district, Q3 1848.

P.S. and a possible death registration: Catherine Poet, aged 65, death registered Q2 1885, St George Hanover Square district.

[CourtenayL]

Dear All
Thank you for your posts, lots of food for thought - and my sweet dreams!
Will look into your research suggestions.
Good night
Lorraine