Ormskirk Hospital in 1939: any knowledge welcomed

[queencorgi1]

I have a death certificate from January 1939 for Frederick Piggott. It gives his place of death as '74 Wigan Road' and I discovered that was a euphemism for Ormskirk Hospital, formerly the workhouse.
1) Does anyone know why it was felt necessary to use a euphemism? Presumably because of the stigma hanging over from it being the workhouse before? Previous death certificates from other hospitals I've seen haven't done this.
2) Does anyone have any idea what the hospital was like in 1939? I've found quite a lot about when it was a workhouse but that's not relevant to this enquiry.
3) Fred died in Anchor Street, Southport. Does anyone have any idea what this street was like socially and economically in 1939?
Many thanks for any help any proud Lancastrians can offer!

[CaroleW]

You say he died @ 74 Wigan Rd but then say he died in Anchor St?  Think you mean he lived in Anchor St?

See this link.  You are right about the "stigma" particularly on birth certs for children born in the WH which is why the address was used rather than the term WH

https://www.lswlfhs.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=7688

[AntonyMMM]

I have a death certificate from January 1939 for Frederick Piggott. It gives his place of death as '74 Wigan Road' and I discovered that was a euphemism for Ormskirk Hospital, formerly the workhouse.

1) Does anyone know why it was felt necessary to use a euphemism? Presumably because of the stigma hanging over from it being the workhouse before? Previous death certificates from other hospitals I've seen haven't done this.

Registrar General directive in 1904 said that the use of the word workhouse should be avoided on birth/death registrations, and a street address used instead.

Pre-NHS, many local hospitals were still part of the poor law/workhouse system.

[queencorgi1]

Thank you Carole, yes, slip of the typing there, I did mean he lived at Anchor Street. Also thank you for the link.

Antony, thank you for this information about the Registrar General. I presume that the use of the street address in this way would apply only to hospitals which were formerly workhouses, because as I say I've seen others which do say the name of the hospital.

[stanmapstone]

Registrar General directive in 1904 said that the use of the word workhouse should be avoided on birth/death registrations, and a street address used instead.

Pre-NHS, many local hospitals were still part of the poor law/workhouse system.

In 1904, the Registrar General decided that where a child was born in the workhouse, there need no longer be any indication of this on the birth certificate. Instead, the place of birth could be recorded as an ordinary street address, either a real one or a pseudonymous one invented for the purpose. .
 In 1919 the Registrar-General received the sanction of the Ministry of Health to alter the Regulations issued for the guidance of Registrars of Births and Deaths in such a manner as to authorize them to omit all direct reference to Poor Law Institutions in future entries recording deaths of persons therein, and to describe the place of death in such alternative manner as the Guardians may suggest and as may be approved by him.
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/addresses/

Stan

[queencorgi1]

Hi Stan, thank you for that further clarification. Very interesting, and also that it clearly continued to hold true after the actual 'workhouse' function had been discontinued.

[Pennines]

QueenCorgi -- you have also asked about Anchor St in 1939.

Looking at Google Maps it still exists and is a short street seemingly running horizontally behind part of Lord St.

Some houses are still standing, but now the street is mainly taken up by the rear of a smallish Sainsburys store which does face towards Lord St.
I don't know if you know Southport at all - but Lord St is the main shopping street and is a lovely thoroughfare (in my opinion of course).

It is wide with many independent shops and with some hotels. I could imagine people promenading along there in their finery back in the day.

On the 1939 Register - the occupants of Anchor St had a decent occupations, some connected with the hospitality trade. There was a Bed and Breakfast establishment as well. This latter business MAY just have been housed in one of the houses still remaining - as these appear to be larger than the normal house.

Southport is a lovely town and I have always thought anyone living there to be very lucky!

[queencorgi1]

Thank you so much for that! Interesting. My subject came from 5 Anchor Street but died before the Register was taken. In the Register the family living in 5 Anchor Street have a female lodger and I would imagine that she took over the room after my chap died (Jan 1939). I had a look at Google Streetview and as you say, it's difficult to imagine how it would have looked back then from the present-day images, but respectable seems a reasonable term. He was certainly in very straitened financial circumstances, but it is possible that his family (descendants of whom still lived locally until the 1990s) may have helped him out.