Bedford Workhouse

[Carol22]

Hi there,
My ancestors came from Bedford (I am in Yorkshire) and find that an ancestor, Ellen Simmons had a child called Ellen in Bedford Workhouse on 11th April 1844 (I have the cert.)

I would really appreciate it if anyone was going to Bedford Archive and would have a look in the Workhouse Admissions and Discharges book to see if they were discharged after the event or did Ellen snr come out without the baby.

many thanks

Carol Bradley

[johnP-bedford]

Hello Carol,

Been to the Archives & had time to look at the book. Yes both mother & baby were discharged. 

Firstly from the Bedford Workhouse birth register transcript

Ellen Simmons 11 April 1844 St Cuthberts (parish) Illegitimate, not baptised

From the Admissions & Discharge Register

Admission on the Saturday in the first week of quarter ending Midummer 1844
That quarter starts on Lady Day, which is 25 March 1844

Ellen Simmons, b 1824 at St Cuthberts, occupation Lacemaker, Single, Able bodied,
 Due to Pregnancy, Condition Clean

Discharged on 2 May 1844 in 6th week of quarter ending Midsummer 1844
Both Ellen Simmons age 20 & Ellen Simmons age 3 weeks, "Gave Notice"

Regards
John

[Carol22]

Hi there,

Thank you so much for the information, you are so kind, I can now see if I can trace Ellen snr and Ellen jnr. through the census returns and certificates. There are so many people on Rootsweb who just help others.

again many thanks


Carol

[johnP-bedford]

You are welcome Carol,  One point it's RootsChat  (RootsWeb is something else !)

On the IGI there is a christening of Ellen Simmons (the mother) on 30 April 1837 at Bedford St Cuthberts  (it also says she was born on 29 SEP 1824); her parents were John Simmons & Ellen.   

I looked but could not find these on 1841 & 1851 censuses.

Regards John

[Carol22]

Hi there

sorry I know its rootschat, brain not in gear.

I truly wish I could find some relatives in Bedford named Simmons. I wont bore you with all the details as we tend to do. but John Simmons fought in the Battle of Waterloo, married Eleanor in Chatham, when he came out of the army, he was shot in the leg at Waterloo, strangely they had all the children baptised on the same day in 1837 at St. Cuthberts, perhaps they heard that from 1837 that all children had to be registered and dashed them all off to church.
John died in 1843, alledgedly murdered and set on fire in Farmer Higgins barn on the Kimbolton Road,there was a report and inquest in the Bedford Murcury and Huntingdon Express on Saturday 9th December 1843, they lived in Chandos Street, Eleanor she called herself Ellen, was in and out of the Workhouse from about 1851 and died there in 1855. I was down in Bedford in early January and found the Workhouse things then. their fourth child William came to Barnsley c 1839/40 aged 20 and that is where it all began for me.

on the 1841 census they have spelled their name Semmons
and on the 1851 census it is spelled Simons

If you ever meet anyone down there named Simmons, I would love to know, and I have no living Simmons' up here and I would love to tell one of them them the  whole story.

regards

Carol

[johnP-bedford]

Carol,  That's an interesting story. Perhaps you could retell it with more detail as an article in the Beds FHS Journal with a view to attract anybody local. Just a thought. 

See http://www.bfhs.org.uk/   email journal@bfhs.org.uk

[Carol22]

Hi John,

great minds think alike,
I did that very thing last year, it is in Vol 15 September issue.
The story about John who died, the headline in the newspaper actually said'The Case of Suspected Murder and Incendiarism to Conceal it' was really interesting, the newspaper gave the most grisly details, which we would never print today. I put the article in the paper briefly into the journal with the names of the people involved, the farmer and witness's, the surgeon, the constable hoping any of their descendants may come forward but to no avail. it is the same here in Barnsley, I have put a couple of articles in the local rag - The Barnsley Chronicle,  again nothing, I perhaps at my ripe old old of 58 yrs have to be billy no relatives..............

Carol