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Author Topic: Disguising a workhouse birth  (Read 1001 times)

Offline Sailor Sam

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Disguising a workhouse birth
« on: Saturday 17 March 18 12:29 GMT (UK) »
I have a birth certificate from 1848:  Dist. PORTSEA ISLAND UNION; Sub.Dist. Landport and Southsea.  Mother is down as living in Bow Street (no number)

My problem is that the District is PORTSEA ISLAND and the word UNION seems associated with the 'workhouse, infirmary, asylum" complex.  Is it likely that and the registrar is disguising the fact that the birth took place in the workhouse? The father is a naval seaman.

Offline nanny jan

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Re: Disguising a workhouse birth
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 17 March 18 12:33 GMT (UK) »
Information about the workhouse;  does not look to be in Bow Street.

http://www.workhouses.org.uk/PortseaIsland/
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Offline JenB

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Re: Disguising a workhouse birth
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 17 March 18 12:36 GMT (UK) »
It's not disguising a workhouse birth, that is just the name of the Registration District.

This posting explains http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=758727.msg6095992#msg6095992
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Offline groom

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Re: Disguising a workhouse birth
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 17 March 18 12:38 GMT (UK) »
No, not necessarily as I believe the word Union was often used as part of the registration district. The Portsea workhouse was at St Mary's Road, Portsea.
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Offline Sailor Sam

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Re: Disguising a workhouse birth
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 18 March 18 09:50 GMT (UK) »
Many thanks.  Two more of her children were born in districts that ended with the word UNION and it seemed like a pattern.  The father (George Cooper) was a naval seaman and I wondered if that gave his wife (the wonderfully named Charlotte Lapidge) special access to either workhouse accommodation or the associated infirmary. This forum is SO useful I really appreciate the time contributors must put in to solve our problems.

Offline groom

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Re: Disguising a workhouse birth
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 18 March 18 11:21 GMT (UK) »
Don't forget as well that workhouses were a type of early hospital.
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Offline cati

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Re: Disguising a workhouse birth
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 18 March 18 12:06 GMT (UK) »
Quote from: groom on Saturday 17 March 18 12:38 GMT (UK)
No, not necessarily as I believe the word Union was often used as part of the registration district. The Portsea workhouse was at St Mary's Road, Portsea.

If I remember aright, when the registration districts were established, they had the same geographic boundaries as the Poor Law unions.
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Offline iolaus

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Re: Disguising a workhouse birth
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 18 March 18 22:22 GMT (UK) »
The fact that it has union on there doesn't mean it was in the workhouse

However when a birth happened in an old workhouse (or mental hospital) then sometimes rather than the name of the place a street address was used (whether that is because of the stigma I don't know) - my father was born in an old mental asylum (he was one of the post war baby boom and they converted one floor to a maternity home - it has a street address on his certificate rather than the name of the hospital)

Online KGarrad

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Re: Disguising a workhouse birth
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 18 March 18 22:30 GMT (UK) »
There is an index to the addresses used by workhouses on the excellent workhouses website:
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/addresses/
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