The Haycock's Mystery

[Treefan]

Samuel Haycock & Eliza Steventon both came from St Ebbes, Oxford. Samuel was born about 1836 & Eliza in 1838. They married in Oxford & soon after moved to live in Birmingham where they raised their family.
Their 1881 census shows them in Cotton Street, Birmingham with Samuel employed as a bricklayer's labourer. By this period of time the older children had married leaving the 6 younger still living with their parents.
The next census entry that I have been able to find is 1901 which shows Samuel & Eliza listed alone in Rea Street South, Birmingham. I have scoured the 1891 census in the hope of tracking their entry down to no avail which is so annoying as I would like to know where Samuel & Eliza were.
Following the 1881 census son William married & daughter Eliza was admitted into the Birmingham Workhouse Infirmary becoming a long term patient. Her entries show that she was an imbecile since birth with her 1901 entry showing her to be an epileptic.
Not being able to find the 1891 census for Samuel & Eliza Haycock led me to look into what had become of the youngest 4 offspring which revealed a surprising result.
Sons Benjamin, Samuel & John and daughter Elizabeth were all sent to Canada from the Middlemore Children's Home in Birmingham as Home Children.
The son of their older married brother William was also sent from there to Canada too.
The dates showing the departures for them show 2 in 1881, 1 in 1882, 1 in 1887 and William's son following in 1907.
So, now I am wondering what on earth could have happened following the 1881 census for the family & what forced Samuel & Eliza into having to give up their 4 youngest children in this manner.
I have been looking for records of any description which might hold clues but have not found anything at all.
If anyone has any ideas on possible reasons & where I might search I would be most grateful please.
Thank you.   

[BushInn1746]

Hello

Have you tried a page by page search of the Workhouse Infirmary in the 1891 Census, rather than a surname only search?

A few 1891 Census, only have England as a Birthplace.

The Workhouse Infirmary described as (one of the largest in the World).

The Workhouse Infirmary and grounds were reported to have covered 43 & 1/2 Acres and designed to hold 3,000. There appears to be a separate house and cottages for the staff

At the opening in 1889 the following were named in the newspaper with their former places given:-
Mr Hardie from Scotland, Administrator at Greenock Poor House and Asylum
Miss A. F. Gibson or Miss A. E. Gibson, Matron, Head of Infirmary at Brownlow Hill, Liverpool.

1891 Eccl. Parish All Saints, Birmingham
Thos Martin Hardie, Married, 42, Master of Infirmary, born County Durham (about 1849)
RG 12 2401/135 page 1 (not checked)
Hardie's children were born Scotland.

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Does the full collection of Register Books and Record Books survive, with the residence of next of kin given in one of them, when part of the family were admitted?

Birmingham City Archives (advance Notice required to order documents) were within Birmingham Central Library.

Warwick County Records Office, Cape Road, Warwick, (because Birmingham was once in Warwickshire).

If no joy there, look under NHS collections who may have deposited records in Archives. In Yorkshire the pre 1948 records at one Workhouse got split up, with part retained by Local Authorities and the remainder were left to the NHS.

The NHS being successors of that Workhouse kept them and deposited them later under NHS records and those Workhouse records survive today as separate collections in Archives.

Happy hunting, Mark

[avm228]

Have you looked for them under their initials - sometimes used in institutions?

[Treefan]

Many thanks both for your replies.
I have looked through the workhouse entries in the hope that Samuel & Eliza might have been listed with their names perhaps being mistranscribed  but with no luck.
I think that perhaps a visit to Birmingham's main library where the archives are held might be in order to see exactly what records are available.
Thanks again.

[BushInn1746]

Following the 1881 census son William married & daughter Eliza was admitted into the Birmingham Workhouse Infirmary becoming a long term patient. Her entries show that she was an imbecile since birth with her 1901 entry showing her to be an epileptic.

Hello

'Bookbox' has just placed a link elsewhere for another hospital.

Note: The updating of this database has already ceased and "Last Name" now looks to be out of date.

Last Name: Dudley Road Hospital

Previous Names:
Birmingham Workhouse Infirmary (1889 - 1920)
The Hospital, Dudley Road (1921 - 1948) 

Foundation Year: 1889

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/details.asp?id=207&hospital=Workhouse+Infirmary&town=Birmingham&searchdatabase.x=52&searchdatabase.y=19


Looks like it is now called Birmingham City Hospital, Dudley Road, Birmingham, West Midlands?
Opens in Chrome
https://www.swbh.nhs.uk/contact-locations/find-us/birmingham-city-hospital/

Mark

[Treefan]

Mark, many thanks indeed.

[hadenmaiden]

In case it's of any help, I've got an image showing William Henry Haycock's admission to Middlemore Homes on 11 January 1907. Birthday shown as 10 December. Guardian William Haycock.
Comments- Father and mother in Birmingham Union.

[Treefan]

In case it's of any help, I've got an image showing William Henry Haycock's admission to Middlemore Homes on 11 January 1907. Birthday shown as 10 December. Guardian William Haycock.
Comments- Father and mother in Birmingham Union.

Hello, many thanks for your post.
I am not aware of that record so would love to see it please.
I knew that the boy was sent to Canada as a Middlemore child but didn't know that his parents were inmates of the workhouse.
Several of this boy's cousins were also Middlemore children & my research into them led me to find that their parents were drunkards with their father often beating them with a leather belt. Fortunately they were all well placed in Canada with them all going on to have happy lives. The girl was taken in by a family who gave her their own surname "adopting" her as their own daughter.
If you could share that record with me I would be most grateful.
Thank you.

[ScobieDrom]

For further information about the work of Middlemore Homes it may be worth reading " Great Canadian Expectations The Middlemore Experience" by Patricia Roberts-Pichette. The publisher is Global Heritage Press, c/o GlobalGenealogy.com Inc., 238 Lyndhurst Street, Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada, K7C 1J2. ISBN: 978-1-77240-046-5 (paperback).

I tried to buy a copy of this book last year, but was unable to get hold of one. The copies that there are seem to be held in reference sections of libraries and are not loaned out. Booksellers in the UK were not able to obtain a copy. I was able to obtain a download of the book direct from the publisher last September. 

Birmingham Archives hold records for the Middlemore Homes. Details, of what they have, are in their on-line catalogue.