Morpeth Union Workhouse, Morpeth, Northumberland Co, England

[bluenoserhoosier]

Hi all,
I am relatively new to rootschat.
I am researching my great-grandmother, Edith Annie Veitch, who was born in the Morpeth Union Workhouse in 1875 to an Elizabeth Veitch (father name not given on birth certificate).
I am wondering whether any records were maintained at the workhouse itself that might help me learn more about Edith's birth and mother.
I have come across the 1881 census information for the workhouse but was specifically wondering if the institution itself maintained any records.
Many thanks
Bob F

[SelDen]

Peter Higginbotham's website is a good place to start to find out more about workhouses (in general and for a particular place).

This link should take you to the Morpeth page. It says that very few local records survive, and unfortunately these seem to be later than the period you are interested in. You could contact the depository (Northumberland Collections Service at Woodhorn - follow the links) for more information about what does survive.

http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Morpeth/

I note that an Edith Annie daughter of Mary (sic) Veitch was baptised in Morpeth 21 September 1875, no father mentioned. Something of a co-incidence that there were two illegitimate babies called Edith Annie Veitch born in Morpeth in 1875. As you have a birth certificate, I presume there is an error in the baptism transcript I viewed.

You could ask Woodhorn whether any records of bastardy bonds/maintenance orders survive for the period, in case an order was made against the alleged father.

Have you investigated the Arkless and Purdy members of the 1881 census entry (Gateshead), where Edith Annie is a boarder in the Arkless household? Is there a connection?

Do you have mother and/or daughter in later census years? Does Elizabeth marry? if so, the marriage certificate should give her father's name (unless she was also illegitimate).

Is your Edith Annie the one who marries in Gateshead in 1893? Does the marriage certificate have any clues e.g. did she give a name for her father? are the witnesses related to her?

Good luck

[SelDen]

Forgot to add that www.familysearch.org has an Elizabeth Veitch, Single, 25, father James Veitch marrying a Henry Storey, Single, 25, father George Storey in Morpeth 14 October 1876.

This couple is in Middleton in the 1891 census. Henry consistently gives his birthplace as Elsdon, NBL. Elizabeth's birthplace is given as Scotland, in 1891 & 1901.

I haven't found a link, so I just mention them, to keep in mind, as you continue to look for ways to find out more about Edith Annie's mother.

[trish1120]

Hi Bob,
How are you?
Remember we have been in contact before elsewhere re Edith being taken in by part of my Purdy Family.

Trish

[bluenoserhoosier]

Thankyou SelDen for the reply....yes my Edith Annie Veitch is the same as the person married in Gateshead in 1893 to John Thompson. On the marriage certificate, she lists her father as Henry Veitch (deceased). His occupation was listed as 'game keeper'. Interestingly, there was a Henry Veitch listed in the 1881 census for Morpeth Union Workhouse as an inmate at the institution. He was aged 80 at the time. I am not confident this information is accurate as it would have been supplied by my G-Grandmother.
The oral history of the family passed down is that Edith was born to very young unwed mother who gave her up at birth. Edith was taken in by a family of Purdys in Morpeth. To your Arkless reference, the connection is through the Purdy line. As I recall, Margaret's sister Annabelle married an Arkless.

Hi Trish....great to reconnect..yes she was taken in by Margaret Purdy and raised as her own...the curiousity for me in that is that Margaret by that time, was a widow on her own with 4 or 5 children to raise...so why take in another? Not sure if I'lll ever get to the bottom of it but am hoping to learn more.

Thank you all
Bob

[SelDen]

Hi Bob and Trich

Have you delved further to see if Margaret Purdy has a family connection to Edith?

Was Margaret Purdy previously Robson and did she marry John Purdy in 1854 (St Nicholas, Newcastle upon Tyne ) ? If so, do either of you know if she was single when she married or have the marriage entry/cert?

There is an unmarried Margaret Robson who is a niece in the household of John Hunter, inn keeper, in Morpeth in 1851, but born Newcastle. This household also has an Arkless niece so I had wondered if this was the future Margaret Purdy? This would mean the Margaret Veitch marrying a Robson in Newcastle in 1850 can't be her.

Another line of enquiry is to seek to eliminate the Elizabeth Veitch who married Henry Storey in 1876, given that she is in the right place at the right time.

Btw, did you see that Edith is visiting Margaret in Dunstan in 1891? indexed as Veith and Rudy respectively which is understandable looking at the image.

[bluenoserhoosier]

My most plausible connection between Margaret (Robson) Purdy and Edith Annie Veitch may in fact be the Morpeth Union Workhouse.

In the 1841 census for Morpeth I had previously come across the following:

Bridge St     Ann Robson        Age 35
                  Margaret Robson Age 17

While the age doesnt match to what has been previously suggested (Margaret being born abt 1830),
this could be the connection as to why Margaret Robson took in Edith Annie Veitch. By the address of Bridge Street and the large number of people listed, I am opnly left to speculate that Margaret's mother, Ann, was a resident of the workhouse when Edith Annie Veitch was born there......its a long shot but underscores how little success I have had in making connections.

I do suspect there must have been some sort of family connection between Margaret and Edith Annie for her to take her in, given her own situation.

[bluenoserhoosier]

One other add....
I do have Margaret Robson as the daughter of Robert Robson and Margaret Bell...I suspect this is correct as their other daughter, Annabella Robson, married Thomas Arkless....which Margaret and my Edith appear on later census records

[SelDen]

I find it very interesting that Edith Annie said her father was Henry Veitch, Gamekeeper. It was not uncommon for illegitimate children to adapt the details of a stepfather (or sometimes a grandfather etc).

The Elizabeth Veitch who married in Morpeth in 1876, as per my earlier post, married Henry Storey, who was a gamekeeper at the time of the 1891 census. Not concrete evidence, but v interesting.

I did consider whether Edith might have been placed with Margaret Purdy as a nurse child by the poor law authorities, particularly as Edith is described as a boarder in 1881. However, Edith would have been the responsibility of Morpeth, not Gateshead, where Margaret was living by then.

You can confirm the name of Margaret's father by getting her marriage cert, unless perhaps Trich already has this as part of her Purdy research. I would keep digging for a relationship connection, quite possibly along the female line.