Liverpool Female Penitentiary

[stanmapstone]

Except for 3 widows all the women in 1851 were unmarried. The oldest was 25 and the youngest 16

Stan

[ShaunJ]

The numbering of Falkner Street seems to have changed a couple of times. By 1860 the penitentiary was at number 47B Falkner Street; by 1867 it was 47, by 1873 it was 49, by 1881 it was 47 again; and by 1894 it was 67. 

[Beeonthebay]

It was set up for the reformation and rehabilitation of prostitutes.

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/1b252ab8-5bb2-4574-a10c-f512bc5aaa3a

[Blue70]

Women are specifically recorded as prostitutes on some census records. A sibling of one of my ancestors is on a census record in a property where a number of unmarried women are described as such. She married not long afterwards and one of the witnesses was one of the other girls so it was definitely the sibling. The marriage mustn't have worked out as they later lived apart and I think she died young but I haven't confirmed her death. You wonder what the problem was these days you would think drugs back then it was more likely alcohol that made people from decent backgrounds go astray.


Blue

[stanmapstone]

There is a whole topic on Prostitutes in the Censuses on RootsChat http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=729846.0

Stan

[Mancunian194]

Thanks for the info, everyone.

BTW, in 'Gore's Directory of Liverpool & its Environs, 1853', a Thomas Boumfrey lived at 67 Falkner Street so did the Penitenary move down the street?

[Mancunian194]

Oops, my question about the penitentiary moving has been answered.

[Mancunian194]

Shaunj - can you provide a pointer to the charity report, please? I'm having difficulty finding it!

[ShaunJ]

Shaunj - can you provide a pointer to the charity report, please? I'm having difficulty finding it!

It's from a report of the annual meeting in the Liverpool Mercury Supplement for March 28th 1851, page 4. You should be able to find it in the Gale/BL database or BNA/FindMyPast.