Adoption 1891 Bristol

[Mary C]

I have discovered it is possible that my grandmother had a child in 1891 at the age of 19 years and had it adopted. I am ambivalent about the accuracy of this for several reasons. Her mother's sister had a child, father unknown, who was accepted into the family and actually married my grandmother's brother. Her mother was a caring woman, very loving towards her extended family and I cannot think she would have allowed a grandchild to be adopted. They were an ordinary family so it wasn't a case of hushing this up. Children born out of wedlock was not uncommon at that time. My grandmother was very caring towards the six children she later had as well as a disabled boy she fostered (not her son!) She married in 1893.

Knowing her as I did, I cannot believe she would not keep a child. The only possible reason might be that her father had died in 1886 and in 1891 her mother, being left with three young children, had remarried, and perhaps my grandmother did not want to 'burden' her with this unwanted pregnancy.

The fact that I am unable to find my grandmother anywhere on the 1891 census, and I have tried searching by different names etc. makes me wonder if she was indeed in some sort of home for unmarried mothers. I am certain her family would not have let her go into the Workhouse. She lived in Bristol.

Sorry for the long story - my question is does anyone know of a home for unmarried mothers in Bristol at that time. I only know of the Salvation Army Ivy House in London. Also presumably girls in these homes must have been included in the census. Is there any way I can find out if she was in such a home in 1891.

Thank you

[Pam Downes]

The 1891 census was taken on the night of 5 April.

Some places, e.g. prisons, asylums, recorded inhabitants just by their initials, but by 1891 it seems that most people were recorded by their name, unlike in earlier censuses such as 1861 when the rule was 'no names, initials only'. There are still some places, e.g. the County Asylum in Preston, Lancashire, where the patients are recorded by their initials.

Have you checked FreeBMD in conjunction with the GRO's own website for a likely birth registration? On the GRO site a blank for the mother's maiden name usually indicates an illegitimate birth.
https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl
https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/c...ates/login.asp

[Megan Roberts]

In 1891 I don't believe that there were any homes for unmarried mothers any in the UK.

Girls who had been "sent away" might be found as lodgers in homes that could be a long way away or might be just around the corner.

She may have got someone else to register the birth in their name (such things did happen). But I would search for a birth where the mother's maiden is left blank. You can do that on the GRO search page:

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/c...ates/login.asp

[Mary C]

The 1891 census was taken on the night of 5 April.

Some places, e.g. prisons, asylums, recorded inhabitants just by their initials, but by 1891 it seems that most people were recorded by their name, unlike in earlier censuses such as 1861 when the rule was 'no names, initials only'. There are still some places, e.g. the County Asylum in Preston, Lancashire, where the patients are recorded by their initials.

Have you checked FreeBMD in conjunction with the GRO's own website for a likely birth registration? On the GRO site a blank for the mother's maiden name usually indicates an illegitimate birth.
https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl
https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/c...ates/login.asp

Many thanks Pam. I didn't know about the mother's name being a blank; I'll try that tomorrow.

[Mary C]

In 1891 I don't believe that there were any homes for unmarried mothers any in the UK.

Girls who had been "sent away" might be found as lodgers in homes that could be a long way away or might be just around the corner.

She may have got someone else to register the birth in their name (such things did happen). But I would search for a birth where the mother's maiden is left blank. You can do that on the GRO search page:

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/c...ates/login.asp

Thanks Megan. The Salvation Army had recently opened their Ivy House but that seems to be the only one. I will check the GRO tomorrow.