**COMPLETED** Which school is this? Rottingdean district 1891

[kizmiaz]

Hello

I have an ancestor who is recorded as an "inmate" at a school in Rottingdean district in 1891, but would anyone know which particular school this may have been?

The census details for this ancestor, Charlotte Winchester, are RG12/801 Folio 75 Page 10. (Ancestry index has her as a 16 year old boy, but the image shows her as 11 and female).

The index lists this school as "Brighton Parocheal Schools" but the actual census image has no more details. I don't know of a school in Rottingdean which fits, so it would be interesting to see if this is the school I'm thinking of which was in Woodingdean

Many thanks for an identification

Glen

[Ruskie]

Hi Glen,

Just a couple of thoughts ... perhaps it was a boarding school. I think boarders were listed as "inmates".

Have you had a look at who the neighbours were in the 1891 census? Perhaps you will find a familiar address or street name to help you track down the location of the school. You may be able to compare it to a modern map - some of the buildings may still be there today.

[kizmiaz]

Hi Ruskie

I tried looking through the 11 pages which show, but no clues at either end. Its one of those special Census sections for institutions which don't have addresses on them, just long lists of residents.

The head of the school is listed as Henry R Spooner, but I can't find anything on his career.

Glen

[Ruskie]

Shame you can't track it down Glen. Certainly sounds like a large school!

[Ruskie]

... Just found this:

It was in fact the children's workhouse, the Warren Farm School in Warren
Road, Woodingdean - details and pictures here:

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~peter/workhouse/Brighton/Brighton.shtml

Children were sent to industrial schools if they or their families were
destitute but also if they were in "moral danger".

[SheilaM]

Snap 

In 1901 Henry R Spooner is still head of the school and it is listed as Warren Farm School, Rottingdean.

Sheila

[kizmiaz]

Thanks Ruskie and Sheila

I hoped it would be this school, but couldn't find a definite link to it, and wanted to make sure it wasn't another institution. Didn't think to look forward to 1901!

Charlotte was one of the daughters of my 3x great grandfather Robert Henry Winchester, and I can quite easily see that she could have been in "moral danger". Her dad had a habit of getting married without first going to the trouble of getting either divorced or having his former wife die!

I actually went to nursery school in this same block of buildings! Grim depressing place, which was torn down years ago and replaced with a hospital.

Glen