Author Topic: Sarah Vickress, servant, insane in the Greenwich Workhouse  (Read 1036 times)

Offline cimbrio

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Sarah Vickress, servant, insane in the Greenwich Workhouse
« on: Monday 25 September 17 21:02 BST (UK) »
Hello all,

I wasn't quite sure where to post this but as the last place I was able to trace the below is in London, here it goes:

I'm trying to find out what became of Sarah Vickress, born 1842 in Croft (Herefordshire), daughter of John and Mary Vickress (often mistranscribed as Vickrey or Vickeres). Thanks to records available on Ancestry, I have managed to track her down on the 1851 census (living at home with her family) and on the 1861 census (working as an 18 year-old servant in the house of a Mrs Annie Elliott in Paddington, Bayswater.

The trail goes cold in 1871, but she pops up again in November 1880, when as a 37 year-old servant she is admitted into the Woolwich Road Workhouse, Greenwich ("no house, no friends"). I'm not sure who is the person under whose order she was admitted, but the column under reason looks like "Suposed Insane".

I had originally thought that the reason I couldn't trace her further was because she may have married or emigrated, but under the circumstances I find this possibility increasingly unlikely.

Could anyone with a deeper knowledge of London research be able to find her on the 1871 census or what became of her after 1880?

Many thanks!  :)
Herefordshire: ALLEN (Colwall), CARTWRIGHT (Kington & Almeley), DAVIS (Colwall), EVANS (Pembridge), GODSALL (Colwall), JONES (Whitbourne), MORRIS (Kington & Kinnersley), MOUND (Wormsley), TIPPINS (Staunton-on-Arrow), RODWAY (Colwall), VICKRESS (Wellington & Hope-under-Dinmore), WATKINS (Almeley)
Shropshire: MOUND (Hope Bagot)
Worcestershire: PARKER (Kempsey)

Offline keyboard86

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Re: Sarah Vickress, servant, insane in the Greenwich Workhouse
« Reply #1 on: Monday 25 September 17 22:48 BST (UK) »
Hi in 1871 I can locate a Sarah VIEROSS 27 b Herefordshire working as General Servant for a John E Beales 49 in York Street, Marylebone
Census ref RG10/163/99/35
Keyboard86

EDIT If you use Ance*** Sarah Vieratt b Lohaniston,
Pelly/Pelley/Kingsbury/Challis/Nalder/Rochester/Raydenbow

UK Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline cimbrio

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Re: Sarah Vickress, servant, insane in the Greenwich Workhouse
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 26 September 17 06:13 BST (UK) »
Thanks keyboard86 - no wonder I couldn't find her with those transcription errors! I have submitted alternative spellings on Anc.

Curiously the head of the household in 1871 looks to be like a John E Weales (?), Captain of Militia, and the person who admits her into the workhouse seems to be Mr (?) Wales - possibly the same person?

Still trying to find out what happens to Sarah after November 1880. I'll have to try different spellings to see if she's on the 1881 census, and if so, if she's still in the workhouse.
Herefordshire: ALLEN (Colwall), CARTWRIGHT (Kington & Almeley), DAVIS (Colwall), EVANS (Pembridge), GODSALL (Colwall), JONES (Whitbourne), MORRIS (Kington & Kinnersley), MOUND (Wormsley), TIPPINS (Staunton-on-Arrow), RODWAY (Colwall), VICKRESS (Wellington & Hope-under-Dinmore), WATKINS (Almeley)
Shropshire: MOUND (Hope Bagot)
Worcestershire: PARKER (Kempsey)

Offline mirl

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Re: Sarah Vickress, servant, insane in the Greenwich Workhouse
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 26 September 17 06:44 BST (UK) »
Nothing obvious in 1881 or 1891, but will look further.

There is a Sarah Vickers aged 57, retired servant, lunatic at the Metropolitan Asylum in Caterham Surrey RG13/634/33/8.

Then nothing obvious in 1911 and really hard to see a probable death.
Richardson, Sherman, Gillam, Hitchcock, Neighbour, Groom, Walton, Strange, Littleford, Brown, Guy, Abbs, Tasker, Bartlett, Farey, Etteridge

Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Offline mirl

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Re: Sarah Vickress, servant, insane in the Greenwich Workhouse
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 26 September 17 06:53 BST (UK) »
I think this is the same person in 1881.

Sarah Vikers, 37, servant, imbecile at "Metropolitan District Asylum for Imbeciles" at Caterham Surrey, RG11/806/97/17
Richardson, Sherman, Gillam, Hitchcock, Neighbour, Groom, Walton, Strange, Littleford, Brown, Guy, Abbs, Tasker, Bartlett, Farey, Etteridge

Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline mirl

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Re: Sarah Vickress, servant, insane in the Greenwich Workhouse
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 26 September 17 07:07 BST (UK) »
And maybe this death at Godstone, which includes Caterham.

Sarah Vickers Sept 1910 Godstone Vol 2a p126 age 66
Richardson, Sherman, Gillam, Hitchcock, Neighbour, Groom, Walton, Strange, Littleford, Brown, Guy, Abbs, Tasker, Bartlett, Farey, Etteridge

Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Online Jomot

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Re: Sarah Vickress, servant, insane in the Greenwich Workhouse
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 26 September 17 15:26 BST (UK) »
And 1891 - Metropolitan District Asylum, Caterham - RG12/584/109/17

Sarah Vickers 46 Domestic Servant, Imbecile from childhood
MORGAN: Glamorgan, Durham, Ohio. DAVIS/DAVIES/DAVID: Glamorgan, Ohio.  GIBSON: Leicestershire, Durham, North Yorkshire.  RAIN/RAINE: Cumberland.  TAYLOR: North Yorks. BOURDAS: North Yorks. JEFFREYS: Worcestershire & Northumberland. FORBES: Berwickshire, CHEESMOND: Durham/Northumberland. WINTER: Durham/Northumberland. SNOWBALL: Durham.

Offline jonw65

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Re: Sarah Vickress, servant, insane in the Greenwich Workhouse
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 26 September 17 17:30 BST (UK) »
she pops up again in November 1880, when as a 37 year-old servant she is admitted into the Woolwich Road Workhouse, Greenwich ("no house, no friends").

Discharged to Infirmary 5 February 1881
Discharged from Greenwich Union Infirmary, 2 March 1881 (recorded as Sarah Vickers), to Caterham Asylum

Offline cimbrio

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Re: Sarah Vickress, servant, insane in the Greenwich Workhouse
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 26 September 17 19:45 BST (UK) »
Many thanks for your help! It seems rather odd that Sarah is described as being an imbecile/lunatic from childhood, that she still spent a few years in service. I suppose the family she worked for coped for a while, and then couldn't or wouldn't put up with her in the same household, so she ended up in the workhouse... What is particularly sad is that one of the sources mention her as "no friends" - knowing as I do that she had relatives alive in London and Wales...
Herefordshire: ALLEN (Colwall), CARTWRIGHT (Kington & Almeley), DAVIS (Colwall), EVANS (Pembridge), GODSALL (Colwall), JONES (Whitbourne), MORRIS (Kington & Kinnersley), MOUND (Wormsley), TIPPINS (Staunton-on-Arrow), RODWAY (Colwall), VICKRESS (Wellington & Hope-under-Dinmore), WATKINS (Almeley)
Shropshire: MOUND (Hope Bagot)
Worcestershire: PARKER (Kempsey)