Missing baby

[heathera1940]

Hi Everyone
My paternal great grandmother Harriet Reed born1832 Upottery was committed on 8/3/1851  to Exe Vale hospital
Exminster ( Lunatic Asylum) .  Register states she had been insane for 3 months. At the time she was pregnant. I am trying to find out if she did have a child, what happened to it. She later went on to marry my Great Grandfather and died in 1869.
Any help appreciiated
Thanks

[CaroleW]

Have you checked freebmd for a Reed birth between June & September quarters 1851?

At that time - Exminster came under the St Thomas RD and there are only 2 Reed birth registrations in that RD - both in March qtr 1851 so too soon

However - that pre-supposes she was still in the asylum at the time she gave birth??
 
Any child with her in 1861 born before the marriage?  You don’t say when or where she married your g/grandfather or give his name and there are 6 Harriet Reed marriages in Devon 1852-1860

[Ayashi]

I haven't found anything yet...

- If the child was stillborn there would not be a birth/death registration for it, although you might be lucky and find a burial note (such as [fe]male infant of Harriet Reed") but a lot of the time stillbirths just got put in the ground without record.

- If the child was taken away from her and adopted... I don't know. I don't have any experience with that.

- It is also possible that the child is registered under the father's surname. My 2nd great grandmother had two children pre-marriage. The first was registered under his name (she pretended to be married to him at the time) and the second as illegitimate under her surname. Both children were christened under their father's surname. Her illegitimate son seems to have been passed around her family, as 'boarder' etc... Have you traced Harriet's family for any extra REEDs floating around?

[heathera1940]

Harriet married my Great Grandfather Eli Northam in Chard in 1857. They went  on to have 3 children the first being Mary born in 1857.