RootsChat.Com

General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Lynne Tann-Watson on Thursday 10 January 19 16:19 GMT (UK)

Title: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: Lynne Tann-Watson on Thursday 10 January 19 16:19 GMT (UK)
I've just received the death certificate of a family member who died, aged 19 in 1837. Frustratingly, it just says "Natural causes" as cause of death, but for rank or profession it says "Inmate of a laundry". This leads me to suspect she died giving birth to an illegitimate child. She died in Castle Lane Westminster. Does anyone know or can anyone suggest how I might find out about a laundry of the type that had inmates?

Love Lynne
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: stanmapstone on Thursday 10 January 19 16:27 GMT (UK)
From the OED
Inmate;  In relation to the house or dwelling-place: An occupant along with others, one of the family or company who occupy a house or other abode; hence sometimes simply = Indweller, inhabitant, occupier.

Stan
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: Greenvale on Thursday 10 January 19 16:33 GMT (UK)
The only laundries where young "immoral" young ladies worked that I am aware of are the infamous Magdalen Laundries run by Catholic nuns in Ireland. I don't know if they had any here in England. Was she Catholic?
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: keyboard86 on Thursday 10 January 19 16:36 GMT (UK)
Hi I have run through the original for Castle Lane  in 1841 Westminster, numerous "Laundresses" who registered her death?
Keyboard86
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: Lynne Tann-Watson on Thursday 10 January 19 16:43 GMT (UK)
Greenvale, there definitely were in England as I've already found another relation in one of them in Oxfordshire. They weren't all Catholic either. The one I found was run by Nuns though.
Keyboard, her death was registered by the coroner. Does it give house numbers? She died at No 6.
Stan, yes, but laundries don't usually have inmates unless they are the notorious homes for "Fallen women"

Love Lynne
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: Gadget on Thursday 10 January 19 16:43 GMT (UK)
Hi I have run through the original for Castle Lane  in 1841 Westminster, numerous "Laundresses" who registered her death?
Keyboard86

I've just done the same thing. None of the households that have a laundress seem to have many residents so very difficult to pinpoint a particular laundry  :-\

Things might well have changed between 1837 and 1841.

Gadget
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: JenB on Thursday 10 January 19 16:49 GMT (UK)
Was she called Elizabeth Frances Fann by any chance?

There is a long report into the death of this 19 year old woman, who died after childbirth in Castle Lane.

She was employed by a Mr Sims of 1, Union street Chelsea.

Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: avm228 on Thursday 10 January 19 16:58 GMT (UK)
Was she called Elizabeth Frances Fann by any chance?

There is a long report into the death of this 19 year old woman, who died after childbirth.

She was employed by a Mr Sims of 1, Union street Chelsea.

Death registered as Elizabeth Frances Tann, aged 19, Dec qtr 1837 Westminster 1 373, so looks a good possibility given Lynne's username.
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: avm228 on Thursday 10 January 19 17:01 GMT (UK)
Was she called Elizabeth Frances Fann by any chance?

There is a long report into the death of this 19 year old woman, who died after childbirth.

She was employed by a Mr Sims of 1, Union street Chelsea.

Death registered as Elizabeth Frances Tann, aged 19, Dec qtr 1837 Westminster 1 373, so looks a good possibility given Lynne's username.

Also a death reg for Female Tann aged 0, Dec qtr 1837 Westminster 1 374, who was presumably her baby.
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: JenB on Thursday 10 January 19 17:03 GMT (UK)
Definitely says Fann in the report.

The inquest was held to establish if a ‘pernicious drug’ had been administered ‘for the purpose of destroying the infant’ which was illegitimate.

The doctor who attended ascribed the death to ‘mental excitement and having caught a severe cold’. The child was full grown, but lived for only an hour and the mother for only two hours.

Verdict, natural deaths.

Bells Weekly Messenger, December 4th 1837.
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: stanmapstone on Thursday 10 January 19 17:06 GMT (UK)
In 1851 6 Castle Lane was a tenement with three families living there, like all the other houses.
HO107; Piece: 1480; Folio: 546; Page: 6;
Stan
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: keyboard86 on Thursday 10 January 19 17:20 GMT (UK)
Hi the only "Mr Sims" living in Union Street in 1841/51 was a James Sims occ Tailor aged 40 in 1841?

Possibly her father Henry Tann 55 occ Carpenter with Sarah shown as Mary? is in Union Street in 1841 census ref HO107/732/ 8/40 / 13
At baptism her parents were Henry/Sarah.

He looks to have died 1847 St George Hanover Square aged 56.

And Sarah 1852 Hanover Square aged 63
In 1851 with her son James aged 20 b Chelsea aged 66?
Census ref HO1071477/255/51
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: Lynne Tann-Watson on Thursday 10 January 19 17:27 GMT (UK)
Oh thank you so much for this! Yes, that's her! (It's actually Tann, not Fann.) Where is this report? How can I access it?

Love Lynne
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: Creasegirl on Thursday 10 January 19 17:29 GMT (UK)
Could it have been a workhouse laundry as they were inmates on census
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: Lynne Tann-Watson on Thursday 10 January 19 17:30 GMT (UK)
I guess the Fann instead of Tann is why I couldn't find her when I searched the BNA. She's recorded as Tann on the death certificate.
Title: Re: "Inmate of a laundry"
Post by: JenB on Thursday 10 January 19 17:34 GMT (UK)
Oh thank you so much for this! Yes, that's her! (It's actually Tann, not Fann.) Where is this report? How can I access it?

Bells Weekly Messenger 4th December 1837.