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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Shropshire => Topic started by: alveleyhistorian on Sunday 03 January 10 01:24 GMT (UK)
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hi there - just a quick note wondering if anyone can possibly help me with a look-up from the bridgnorth 1901 census
i am looking for - margaret watkins born 1885 coreley worcestershire possibly recorded as a housemaid or domestic in tne st leonards registration district of bridgnorth.
i have an print of a very old photo that shows two domestc servants and a young child and in the corner of the photo it says maggie watkins 1902. when i was given the photo in 1979 a family member told me the baby in the photo was maggie, but after researching the tree for all these years i think maggie is the maid - here's hoping !
any help much appreciate
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1901 - RG13; Piece: 2518; Folio: 11; Page: 13
Mission House, 2 St Leonard, Bridgnorth
Eliza J Hearn Head S 39 Mission Lady Preach Worker Hants, Amport
Margaret Watkins Servant S 16 General domestic Worc. Corley Lenbury
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1901 - RG13; Piece: 2518; Folio: 11; Page: 13
Mission House, 2 St Leonard, Bridgnorth
Eliza J Hearn Head S 39 Mission Lady Preach Worker Hants, Amport
Margaret Watkins Servant S 16 General domestic Worc. Corley Lenbury
hi there - thats brilliant - many thanks. i have never heard of mission house, i wonder where it was in high town ?
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According to the description for Bridgnorth District 1 -
Moat Street 1-16
Glen Place 1-6
Cliff Road 1-3
Groudle Place 1-6
St Leonard’s Terrace 1-6
Severn Cliff
St Leonard’s Churchyard 1-25
St Leonard’s Steps 1-14
Church Street 1-11
etc
The order in which the returns are shown -
St Leonard’s Terrace (5, 3&4, 1&2)
Severn Cliff
1 & 2 St Leonard (2 being Mission House)
Palmer Hospital
St Leonard’s High School Girls
St Leonard’s High School
Grammar School
St Leonard’s Rectory
So I would guess that Mission House was actually 2 St Leonard’s Churchyard.
Linda
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Hi Margaret,
It was indeed No.2 St. Leonard's Close.
This is the first time I've tried to attach a photograph. Hope it works.
No.2 is the house on the left.
I was photographing No.1 St. Leonard's Close for a WESTCOTT family researcher.
Regards,
Gwynne
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Hi Gwynne
That's interesting - all that space for a single lady and one servant??
This is the first time I've tried to attach a photograph. Hope it works.
No stopping you now :)
Linda
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hello gwynne, thats a great help thanks very much. i hope margaret enjoyed living there. although i am sure life as a housemaid was probably very hardwork in the early 1900's
the plot thickens with this poor girl. she marries a hewer named george handley and settled at daddlebrook alveley and had quite a few children.
then from what i can piece together -margaret gives birth to twins, in august 1920 but margaret and her twins die. deaths registeted wolverhampton instead of bridgnorth ?
margaret was buried at alveley
but there is no mention of the babies in the burial register
so very sad........
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I've recently been looking at Census records for occupants of my current home in Bridgnorth. I came across the 1901 Census record where Margaret Watkins is listed as the general domestic servant at Mission House. Does anyone know anything more about what Mission House was? I also thought it seemed large for a single occupant and servant, although there would probably have been more daily servants if the house was used for some part of the church's work.
I would love to know whether there was a specific connection between St. Leonard's Church and the houses in Albion Terrace (12-16) Salop Street. Was it just co-incidence that there were several C of E clergyman living in Salop Street (Albion Terrace) in the late 19th century. Eliza Hearn (described as a missionary lady preachworker in 1901) had moved to Salop Street by the 1911 Census and was described as a boarding house keeper. She eventually bought the house where she was a tenant in 1922. The house was re-sold when she died, just before WW2.
I also noticed that Margaret Watkins was born in Corley. Could this be Coreley? In 1911 Miss Hearn had living as one of her boarders Geoffrey Michael Joyce (26) clerk in holy orders Established Church. He was born at Coreley Rectory, nr. Ludlow, Shropshire, son of Revd. James Barclay Joyce. I wonder if there is any connection between Margaret and Geoffrey? Have you traced Margaret's birth family?
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hi there,
yes, i am part of the watkins family.
i have a photo of two housemaids sat with a baby - in the corner of photo it says 'maggie watkins 1902' i wonder if there were any children ever at mission house ?
i'm sure lots of people in the bridgnorth area could help with your house history - a letter in the letters page of the bridgnorth journal or shropshire star may bring some interesting replies !
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Thanks very much for your prompt response.
One other comment - about the sad demise of the twins in Wolverhampton - there used to be a women's hospital there so perhaps Maggie had been taken to the Women's Hospital specifically because of the risk to her health in giving birth to twins at home? If they died at birth or were stillborn then perhaps they didn't get registered properly or were registered in Wolverhampton where they may also have been buried. Just a guess, medical history is not my speciality.
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a women's hospital...that may just be the answer - i sent for maggie's death certificate last week, so hopefully that will hold the answers.
going off at a slight tangent -this womens hospital - any idea of it's name ? - did it possibly have a 'teenage mother' ward during the 1940's ?
any help much appreciated
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Here's a link to the National Archives website: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/details.asp?id=1160&page=74