Gladys Woodbridge

[PIGPOOD]

Hello, I am new to Rootschat and hope I'm doing this right! I am searching for Gladys Woodbridge who was born to an unmarried Mother in 1915 in Colnbrook, Buckingham. I know she married in 1935 in Birmingham and worked at Dudley Road Hospital so wondered if, maybe she was sent to the attached workhouse after her birth. If anyone has any ideas how to find the records for "inmates" at the workhouse I would be grateful. Thank you, Julie.

[Girl Guide]

Why don't you try writing to the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies and ask them if they have any records regarding mother and baby homes in 1915.

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/centre-for-buckinghamshire-studies/opening-times/make-an-enquiry/

The above is a link to the contact page which tells you how to contact them to make an enquiry.

Have you considered obtaining Gladys birth certificate which would give you her mother's name and exactly where she was born?

Births Mar 1916 
Woodbridge    Gladys    Woodbridge    Eton    3a   1656

Certs can be ordered from the GRO.

[garstonite]

Hello, I am new to Rootschat and hope I'm doing this right! I am searching for Gladys Woodbridge who was born to an unmarried Mother in 1915 in Colnbrook, Buckingham. I know she married in 1935 in Birmingham and worked at Dudley Road Hospital so wondered if, maybe she was sent to the attached workhouse after her birth. If anyone has any ideas how to find the records for "inmates" at the workhouse I would be grateful. Thank you, Julie.

Good morning Julie and a warm welcome to Rootschat .
 www.freebmd.org.uk in March qtr 1916 Eton ,Buckinghamshire . mmn Woodbridge
so this tells us she was probably born in either late November or December 1915 .
Girl Guide has pointed out her Registration but there is also a J Woodbridge born 1918 Eton,Bucks mmn Woodbridge . could he a be a brother ?....as this is during WW1 it was not that uncommon for a woman to have children to a married man who couldn't divorce his wife for Religious reasons .
Do you know the name of the mother of Gladys ?? if so did she marry ?
what makes you think the mother went to the Workhouse after the birth of Gladys ?
I think the birth certificate of Gladys Woodbridge is a must as Girlguide has suggested 

[Girl Guide]

Just out of curiousity I expanded the search for Woodbridge births mmn Woodbridge and there are four births listed for the Eton registration district between 1914 and 1920.

[PIGPOOD]

Hi girl guide, thanks for replying to my e-mail. I have tried the Buckinghamshire Centre but they couldn't help and I have tried several other routes but to no avail. I know her Mother's name and where and when she was born but what I can't discover is where she spent her early life. I know she wasn't adopted as she kept her Mother's maiden name which was on her Birth Certificate. I will keep looking. Thanks again, Julie.

[PIGPOOD]

Hi garstonite, thank you for your reply to my e-mail. I know where and when my Grandmother was born and I have her Birth Certificate so know her Mother's name. I know quite a bit about her family and that her Mother married but I just can't find out where she lived in her early years. I know that she worked at Dudley Road Hospital and married in Birmingham in 1935 but don't know why she ended up in Birmingham. I have an autograph book of hers which we found when she died with verses from different people including "Mother", some with a religious sentiment. The verses are dated between 1930 -1934. This is what led me to believe she may have been put into care of some sort. As the workhouse was attached to the hospital I thought , maybe , this could be why she worked there. It's all a bit of a mystery and one which she never talked about so I am trying every avenue. Thanks for your response. Julie.

[Girl Guide]

A couple of thoughts come to mind.

Maybe placed in a home like Dr. Barnardos, placed with a foster family or maybe looked after by a relative of her mother's.

Any of those possible?

[PIGPOOD]

Hi girl guide, yes, I have tried some organisations such as Barnardo's and Father Hudsons and am looking into Beechholme. I've been in contact with Gladys' Mother's Grandaughter and she doesn't have any information on where she was sent but she does think that she may have stayed with her Mother for a time but just cannot be certain that this was the case. So I have also tried the London Metropolitan Archives but they charge £80 per hour to search on my behalf. I have tried to find Affiliation Orders at the petty sessions in court in the Slough area but they don't hold any records there. I am not even certain that the Buckingham address that her Mother put on the Birth Certificate is correct. Her Mother lived for a while in Pottery Lane in Kensington and so, if she did live with her for some time Beechholme might be the place she would have been sent to. I think it may be that at some point I will be forced to go down the route of paying someone to look for me but cannot do that right now.