Bournemouth Refuge/ Quest House/ St Thomas Lodge

[deborahBS]

Hello!

Does anyone have any info or resources on this building from 1908?

I am tracing info on Winifred Mary Wilkins, who was born on 20th August 1908, to her unmarried mother, Florence Annie Wilkins (1883-1928).

It looks to me like it was a girls refuge for unmarried women?

I would love any information please.

[hanes teulu]

A very warm welcome to Rootschat.
Just wanted to confirm "Quest house". Are you sure it is "Quest" not "Guest"? What's the source?

[Comberton]

www.flickr.com/photos/alwyn_ladell/albums/72157633403616246/

[deborahBS]

Definitely Quest House....the person above me has linked to it

[Ashtone]

As per the Children's Homes site, St Thomas' Lodge (12 Charminster Rd) was a Mother and Baby Home.

http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/list/Dorset.shtml
http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/MB/

Here is a newspaper report from 1903 which may be of interest.
Note: Miss Jackson of St Thomas' Lodge gets mentioned quite a bit in Bournemouth newspapers at the time. It appears she made visits to the local workhouse. Looks like she also interfaced with female defendants/prisoners, and tried to get them to enter the home.

Bournemouth Daily Echo
24 January 1903 (page 3)
"GIRL SENT TO A HOME - Alberta Graham, domestic servant, of Bournemouth. aged 15 years, who had been remanded on charge of attempting commit suicide by by drowning off Bournemouth beach, was brought up the Police court this morning, before the Mayor (Alderman Beale). Superintendent Faster said he did not wish to offer any evidence, but asked the Mayor to hand the girl over to either Miss Jackson,
of St. Thomas's Lodge, or to the lady guardian from the parish in which the girl formerly resided. In answer to the Mayor, the girl said she was quite willing to go with Miss Jackson. The Mayor, discharging the prisoner, reminded her that she was charged with a very wicked offence. She ought to feel thankful to Superintendent Foster and ..."

[deborahBS]

WOW!! Thank you so much. This is really helpful.  It always amazes me how other people can find what I cannot!

Do you know any information about 10 Maxwell Road, Bournemouth?  My grandmother was born there in 1927 and given up for adoption.  The 1939 registers should a lady there that was a registered midwife, so it looks like a nursing home for pregnant women?

[jonw65]

Do you know any information about 10 Maxwell Road, Bournemouth?  My grandmother was born there in 1927 and given up for adoption.  The 1939 registers should a lady there that was a registered midwife, so it looks like a nursing home for pregnant women?

Hopefully this is answered on the other thread you posted on.
It was the Gestingthorpe Nursing Home.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=634771.msg7280087#msg7280087

[deborahBS]

Having visited my grandmother last weekend, she told me that she wasn't actually adopted until she was 2 and a half years old! I had assumed she was adopted at birth.

Was 10 Maxwell Road likely to just be where she was born?

Does anyone have any clue about where she might have been placed before adoption?  I doubt she went back with her mother, though cannot rule that out.

[JPascoe]

Hi there,
I've just come across this post as I'm looking into my mum's family history. She was born in 1940 at 23 Knole Road, Bournemouth, and her mother (Eileen Joan Hale, unmarried and only 16) was living at St Thomas' Lodge (6 Charminster Road) at the time of registering her birth.

My mum was adopted 4 years later, but did not return to her mother in the meantime. Instead, she was looked after in a nursery. Mum's father has never been identified.

My mum now has dementia and so I'm taking it upon myself to find out as much as I can about her history.

If anyone has any information or suggestions as to how I can further my research I'd be very grateful.

Thank you.