Odd Occupation - 'Inmate at Mothers'

[jtobred]

Hi,

I have a marriage entry for one of my ancestors and her occupation is listed as 'Inmate at Mothers'.
I was wondering if anyone knew what this meant?

Any information would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[Sandblown]

Without knowing the Marriage Year, it's difficult to put the Occupation description into context. It could be just a variation of Single Girl, living at Home i.e. No Occupation, or Single Girl, living at Home and treated like a Prisoner i.e. at the beg and call of Her Mother !

Very unusual description to put on a Marriage Certificate, which I have never come across before, but maybe other Roots Chatters have.

[jtobred]

The Marriage year is 1845 if that helps any further! Thank you for your reply

[Sandblown]

The Marriage year is 1845 if that helps any further! Thank you for your reply

I would suggest that She has no occupation, and lives at Home. Normally, on a Census, She would probably have been described as a Servant within the Household.

Dictionary Definition of Inmate: 'A person living with others in the same building'.

[keldon]

There are several similar references in newspapers articles on the British Newspaper Archive to both men and women being inmate of their mother's house. In other words, they lived with their mother.

"Rosalie had been for three months an inmate of her mother's house."
4 February 1897 - Woman's Signal - London
"The ground of objection was that defendant was not a householder, but only an inmate of his mother's house."
27 November 1862 - Liverpool Daily Post