Belfast Midnight Mission

[Maggiemck]

Hi, wonder if anyone can help me with any information about the Belfast Midnight Mission?

I think it may have been an organisation which helped unmarried mothers but am not at all certain of this and if any archive material still exists for them.

I had a look on PRONI website and could see mention of some papers and letters relating to I think the 1930's but the period I'm interested in is earlier than that, 1903. If anyone has come across this organisation before maybe they could help me with a bit more information on who they were and what their role was. Will have a trawl around for more background but I feel sure someone on the site will know about it.

Thanks for any help.
Margaret

[aghadowey]

If you Google "Belfast Midnight Mission" there are quite a few references, including this one-
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2448086/?page=1

[Maggiemck]

Thanks Aghadowey, have been having a look around and not sure this is going to be the place to help me but you never know.
I have an ancestor who went to Ireland to have a child, no father on the birth cert. Child was born at a private address. I'm guessing in those days if the woman was destitute she would have had help of just friends or family or maybe some charitable institution.
If she did have money, would you know.....or perhaps someone else would know.....would she have paid privately for a midwife to attend?

[aghadowey]

If the mother didn't have the means to support herself and her family couldn't, or wouldn't help, it's possible the father might have given her money to go away somewhere to have the child.
Home births were very common even much later than 1903. Could she have gone somewhere like a home for unmarried mothers/maternity home to have the baby? Perhaps the address might be a clue. 1911 census is online and 1901 census due out in early June- might be worth searching for address in both these.

Added- just don't confuse the house number on census form with the actual street number.

[TheWhuttle]

Lots (79) of mentions in the Belfast Newsletter, starting from 1862.
The BMM seems to have been a non-denominational evangeligal movement, supported by the great and good of the town.
It aimed at offering safe refuge to "unfortunate women" and their offspring.

Ref: PROPOSED HOUSE OF REFUGE IN CONNECTION WITH THE MIDNIGHT MISSION .
The Belfast News-Letter (Belfast, Ireland), Wednesday, February 28, 1866; Issue 33308
[Committee members from Magdalene Asylum, Ulster Female Penitentiary, Rosevale Home & Belfast Female Mission invited attended, as did the Mayor, etc.]

Ref: MIDNIGHT MEETING FOR FALLEN WOMEN .
The Belfast News-Letter (Belfast, Ireland), Tuesday, April 23, 1872; Issue 55311.
[Men of the committee went out "2 and 2" to invite 100 girls back to the mission hall.
 The mission would send ladies off to Dublin, Londonderry and Newry, as well as to Scotland and England.]


The BMM extended the scope of their saving remit later, attempting to organise "lights every 100 miles across the Atlantic" !

The last article (in the British Library's online archive of 19thC rural newspapers) reports that 553 women had been admitted in the elapsed year from Feb 1899 - Feb 1900.
27 treated in hospital.
Ref: BELFAST MIDNIGHT MISSION .
The Belfast News-Letter (Belfast, Ireland), Wednesday, March 28, 1900; Issue 26411

---

The 'Directory of Sources for Women's History in Ireland' at www.nationalarchives.ie is always a good place to search for information relating to the North of Ireland.
[Though not so important now that PRONI has its eCatalogue.]

However, in this case it only points to one of the PRONI holdings.
D/2072
Minute book of the Belfast Midnight Mission for unmarried mothers, Belfast, 1934-1949 and associated papers, 1947, 1966.

Revving Jock

[Maggiemck]

Yes Aghadowey, I had hoped the address might yield some clues. Unfortunately I've managed to get a wee bit of information on the house - it was in Clandeboye Street - but the census for 1901 just shows a family living there, don't think they are connected in any way. The street indexes either side of the birth show it as an empty property.

Reading between the lines, I think it was probably a private short-term rental paid for by the father and that points to just a private midwife attending a home birth I guess. But you never know. I don't like to jump to conclusions. I've discovered before now with this that you can make assumptions and miss things so I just thought it was worth exploring whether she had had any charitable help that there might be a record of somewhere.

[Maggiemck]

[
Added- just don't confuse the house number on census form with the actual street number.

sorry Aghadowey, could you just explain that. I've got the address as 43 Clandeboye Street and when I asked for a census return for the property that's the address I gave. Could I have got the wrong return?

And thank you for that information on the Belfast news letter. I'll have a look at that.

[Maggiemck]

I'm just trying to search the 1911 census for Clandeboye Street but can't seem to get returns without putting a persons name in the search box. Can I search by street name on the 1911?

[Maggiemck]

Sorry, ignore that just tried again and managed to do it.