Mysterious Minnie Dowdeswell

[Garethboxing]

Minnie appears in the 1881 Census as a 13-yr-old boarder at Great House Ladies' School in Cowbridge. She is listed as born at Nelson, which suggests a link with my Dowdeswells, some of whom lived there or thereabouts, but I have no knowledge of her. Can anyone tell me who her parents were?
   Thanks, Gareth

[alcrighton]

Hi Gareth,

Could Minnie have been a pet name for Caroline?

1871 Census, Llanfabon, Glamorganshire RG10/5376 Folio 29 Page 15
Address: Shinsig?

Thomas DOWDESWELL, Head, 39, Platelayer on Railway, b. Gloucester
Mary Ann ditto, Wife, 29, b. Llanfabon
Thomas ditto, Son, 13,  Scholar, b. Pontypool
Margaret Helen ditto, Daur, 5, Scholar, b. Llanfabon
Caroline ditto, Daur, 3, Scholar, b. Llanfabon
Jessie ditto, Daur, 1, b. Llanfabon


According to the following link, Nelson is/was part of the parish of Llanfabon:

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GLA/Llanfabon/#Maps

Regards,

Al

[Garethboxing]

That could be it: Thomas Dowdeswell was my great-grandfather; I had census results for the family for 1861 and 1881 (when Minnie was away in school), but for some reason had missed out 1871.
The address, Shingrig, is indeed in Nelson (or on the edge). Thomas had changed wives some time between Margaret Ellen (Helen) and Jessie, but my guess is Caroline would belong to the second marriage as she was born in Nelson.
I never knew Minnie was short for Caroline; Betty for Elizabeth and Peggy for Margaret I've come across, but this was new.
I wonder why a platelayer would have gone to the expense of sending her to a private school - especially as none of the other kids went to one? I must check out the school - perhaps it was for the blind or some other disability.

  Thanks a lot Al,
    Gareth

[queenwillow]

Have you another relative at the school at the same time? It was not unusual for someone to send a relation to school with their child as a companion or even as a maid. Another option is that she won a scholarship or was sent to the school by a charity.

[Garethboxing]

Hello again!
   No other relatives there, I'm afraid. I've done a bit of research on the school and have found a great advert in a trade directory about 10 years earlier:
   It cost 25 guineas per year for: Board, with instruction in English Grammar, Composition, Geography, History, Writing, Arithmetic, French, the rudiments of Latin, and Plain and Fancy Needlework!
     It cost extra for laundry, rent of a pew, singing, instrumental music, drawing (pencil and crayon) and painting in water colours.
    Wax flower modelling cost two guineas for a course of 10 lessons. I'm sure it proved very useful when Minnie returned to the Valleys.
    Regards, Gareth