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London and Middlesex / Lionel Moreton, b1893 London - disappears after 1911
« on: Tuesday 29 January 19 16:22 GMT (UK) »
Hello everyone. I've hit a brick wall trying to find out what happened to one of my father's cousins. He was born illegitimately in the first quarter of 1893 in Clerkenwell as Lionel Claude Wright. His mother was Rhoda Hannah Wright. In the following quarter of 1893, Rhoda married Arthur Moreton and they had five more children.
On the 1901 census, the family were living in St Luke's, Finsbury and Lionel is listed as Lionel Moreton.
Rhoda died in 1903 and it appears that Arthur abandoned his children. I have found workhouse records on Ancestry which show that Rhoda's mother tried to take care of the children but when she became ill, the children were sent to Leavesden School. They were eventually split up. One of Lionel's siblings stayed at Leavesden, one was sent to Canada, and three were boarded out to separate families in Newbury, Berkshire.
On the 1911 census, Lionel was at Bridge Industrial Home, Witham, Essex, and is described as "feeble minded". He is again listed as Lionel Moreton. After this, I can't find any trace of him. I have looked on Ancestry, Find My Past, The Genealogist FamilySearch, freeBMD and the GRO, using both Wright and Moreton and variants but I can't find a death record for him, or any other trace of him.
I know from the National Archives website that the Bridge Home was closed in 1922 and the inmates were transferred to Darenth, so it's possible that Lionel was one of those.
I've traced all of his siblings through to the ends of their lives and it's so frustrating that I can't do the same for Lionel, so any help would be much appreciated. Many thanks.
On the 1901 census, the family were living in St Luke's, Finsbury and Lionel is listed as Lionel Moreton.
Rhoda died in 1903 and it appears that Arthur abandoned his children. I have found workhouse records on Ancestry which show that Rhoda's mother tried to take care of the children but when she became ill, the children were sent to Leavesden School. They were eventually split up. One of Lionel's siblings stayed at Leavesden, one was sent to Canada, and three were boarded out to separate families in Newbury, Berkshire.
On the 1911 census, Lionel was at Bridge Industrial Home, Witham, Essex, and is described as "feeble minded". He is again listed as Lionel Moreton. After this, I can't find any trace of him. I have looked on Ancestry, Find My Past, The Genealogist FamilySearch, freeBMD and the GRO, using both Wright and Moreton and variants but I can't find a death record for him, or any other trace of him.
I know from the National Archives website that the Bridge Home was closed in 1922 and the inmates were transferred to Darenth, so it's possible that Lionel was one of those.
I've traced all of his siblings through to the ends of their lives and it's so frustrating that I can't do the same for Lionel, so any help would be much appreciated. Many thanks.