Christ's Hospital Info please!

[EBrand]

Hi everyone,

I'm doing some research for a friend and I've come up with a family in the 1851 England Census living in London in an Institution called Christ's Hospital. Due to some births and deaths of the family listed here, I naturally assumed it was an actual hospital. Upon research, apparently it is a schooling institution?
If so, why would an entire family be listed as lodging in the institution? For context, two adults and seven children. The father is listed as a "messenger" in the column that is labelled "position in the institution".
For further info, the family had been living there for around 6 years and would leave a year after the census was taken to settle in Australia.

If anyone has context about this place or reasons as to why a family would be living there, it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
EB.

[Ruskie]

Can you give details of the family, eg their surname, in case anyone wants to look them up for themselves in the 1851 census. 

It doesn’t surprise me that the whole family of the breadwinner lived at this institution. It wasn’t uncommon that jobs came with accomodation.

More investigation is obviously required to discover specifics of this place, but that is my first thought.

Do you have the family in 1841? What was the father’s occupation and were they living in similar circumstances?

[EBrand]

Can you give details of the family, eg their surname, in case anyone wants to look them up for themselves in the 1851 census. 

It doesn’t surprise me that the whole family of the breadwinner lived at this institution. It wasn’t uncommon that jobs came with accomodation.

More investigation is obviously required to discover specifics of this place, but that is my first thought.

Do you have the family in 1841? What was the father’s occupation and were they living in similar circumstances?

Thanks Ruskie,

The family are the WELLS family, the head of the household is Robert Newman WELLS and his wife Harriet (nee SMITH).

In 1841 he is living with his wife and three children in St. James Clerkenwell, Middlesex as a messenger? (probably, I can't quite make out the occupation).

Honestly, I'm just wondering what drove this family to Australia, as only 4 of the 8 surviving children of Robert Newman and Harriet went with them. The other 4 remained, with 2 coming to Australia later and 2 staying in England.

I would like to know a bit about this institution to see if there could be a link, ie. was the family struggling?

Thanks!
EB.

[Jackiemh]

There is quite a bit of information on Christ's Hospital. I just typed in Christ's Hospital, London and found that it opened in 1552 at Newgate in 1552 as a charity school for both boys and girls. It moved to Horsham about 1902.
Worth checking out.
Jackie

[Ruskie]

Just having a quick look on a couple of other census pages and quite a lot of the employees have their wives and children living there.

[Ruskie]

You ask why the family went to Australia. Unfortunately you will probably never find out.
A better life? Promised employment? Offers of land?
Families often emigrated in waves like this. The two who remained in England - were they older?  Married?
Have you checked for obituaries for any of the family members? Sometimes they can give details about their origins and emigration.

[Ruskie]

Article in Trove says Robert Newman Wells was born in Warwickshire June 16, 1805, arrived on the ship Samuel in Freemantle, WA 10 Sept 1852. Died March 27 1884.

[EBrand]

There is quite a bit of information on Christ's Hospital. I just typed in Christ's Hospital, London and found that it opened in 1552 at Newgate in 1552 as a charity school for both boys and girls. It moved to Horsham about 1902.
Worth checking out.
Jackie

Thanks Jackie,

I'll have a bit of a search for that info!

[EBrand]

You ask why the family went to Australia. Unfortunately you will probably never find out.
A better life? Promised employment? Offers of land?
Families often emigrated in waves like this. The two who remained in England - were they older?  Married?
Have you checked for obituaries for any of the family members? Sometimes they can give details about their origins and emigration.

That's what I was thinking, but unsure whether the Christ's Hospital was an institution for the poor. It just seems as if that's where he was employed and that's where they lodged. The family came to Fremantle in 1852 with the youngest four. However the oldest four stayed in England. What surprised me was that the oldest that stayed in England was 16 upon his parent's departure, and the youngest was just 7. I was unsure how a 16 year old could provide for three other siblings. As well, 10 years later, the oldest ends up in Newgate for embezzlement.

EB