Agnes Foley Middlesex

[Pete Hatt]

Hi everyone. I wondered if anyone out there has ever come across a mother and baby home at St Faiths, 2 Myddelton Square Finsbury, Middlesex.  We know from the records that this home was run by The Holborn Deanery and was also listed as Magdalen Home.

[AMBLY]

Hi & welcome to Rootschat!

Have you seen this site?
http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/list/MH5.shtml

Magdalen Homes - London E/EC Postal Districts
Holborn Deanery St Faith' home, 2 Myddleton Square, Holborn EC1
Founded:  by 1935
Closed/Moved: c 1960
Classes received, weekly fees etc: Mothers and babies; also expectant mothers; Those outside the Deanery, 10s
Places: 9m/4b
Admission age: Under 30

Cheers
AMBLY

[AMBLY]

This mentions St Faith's circa 1937
St Faiths, 2 Myddleton Square, controlled by by the Holborn Deanery Association
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01qmp/

This mentions St Faith's circa 1928
There are no institutions (in Holborn) for  unmarried mothers, illegitimate children, homeless children in the Borough but St Faiths Home, Myddleton Square receives such mothers from the Holborn area.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01qmp/

And found this:
"St. Faith's Home ( 1919 ) , 2 Myddelton Square , Clerkenwell , E.C. Object . — Rescue and preventive work , especially in Holborn Deanery . Admission . - Application to Lady Superintendent . Payment expected where possible "

So this appears to indicate that St Faith's existed prior to being formally enveloped by the Holborn Deanery Association?

I found a google book dated 1900 which appeared to list various institions, charities,  associations and so on, and St Faith's/2 Myddleton Square not found in it  - but there was a St Faith Home at 259 Vauxhall Bridge Road  (and that was also listed in a 1891 book)

Have you a time period you are trying to match to? Is it "St Faith's" that is your point of reference, or is it the Myddleton Square or Holborn or Magdalen Homes?

Cheers
AMBLY

[Pete Hatt]

Thank you Ambly. The date that my Father was resident there was October 1937. We are trying to find out as to whether any list of children or mothers that passed through still exist. His adoption was handled by the National Adoption Society. Sadly all documentation has now been destroyed along with his adoption file and all court records. We are trying to find more information about his birth mother. We have also gone down the DNA route and all to no avail.All we are looking for is the date of birth of his birth mother and that would narrow our search down.

[Girl Guide]

Welcome to Rootschat Pete 

Would I be right in thinking that the Agnes Foley you mention was an unmarried mother? 

There is an Agnes Foley living at 24 Downside Crescent Hampstead, Hampstead, London & Middlesex as a servant in the 1911 census.

I had a look to see how many Foley/Foley births appeared between 1911 and 1921 and there are five, four in St. George East and one in Kensington.

I may of course be totally off beam and if so my apologies.

[Girl Guide]

There is this birth which may well be the Agnes in the 1911 census that I mentioned.

FOLEY, AGNES       GREER 
GRO Reference: 1890  S Quarter in HAMPSTEAD  Volume 01A  Page 640

Seems to be the only one that fits the birth year and with the single name of Agnes.

[Pete Hatt]

We were always told by my Nan that his birth mother was 19 at the time of my Fathers birth. Now there is only one that would fit that year and she came over from Ireland in 1937 and trained as a nurse as this has been confirmed by family we have managed to trace. We assumed that this must be his birth mother. We also then found out that she had given a second child up for adoption in South Africa. Her son she gave up for adoption managed to trace her in 1990. He sadly passed away last year, but he had a DNA test done on my heritage prior to his death last year. My father has taken a test and it showed no match. So that has sadly ruled her out. It now also throws into doubt the age of my Fathers mother as we can find no further Agnes's born of that year in either England or Ireland and it also then throws into the mix, it could be anyone. Thats why we are so desperate to find out how old she was when she gave birth to my Father. She appeared on the Electoral register of 1938 in Harrow, this is the same address she put down on my fathers real birth records, of which we do have a copy. We are also led to believe that to be on the Electoral Register, you had to be 21. So once again it throughs into doubt that it was the one from Ireland anyway.

[rosie99]

There is a single Agnes Foley in Harrow area in 1939 born 1905. She married in 1946.

Marriages Jun qtr 1946   
Bradshaw    James   
Foley    Agnes   
Stepney    1c   331

You may already have discounted her as I realise she does not match the age 19 but family information is often proved false.

ADDED Possible birth registration
Birth Mar qtr 1905
Foley    Agnes   Mothers maiden surname PIGGFORD     
Chester le S.    10a   578

[Pete Hatt]

Thank you for your reply. On the listing for the unmarried mothers home it did say unmarried mothers up to the age of 30. Now that her of of 19 is proving to be incorrect we are extending age from 19 up to the 30. So it making the task a little bit more difficult.