Penetentiary(sic) in St Martin's Lincoln 1901 Census. What kind of institution?

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi, Everyone,
I've been tracking the whereabouts of a Phoebe MURFITT, b. circa 1875 in Ely, or more precisely Chettisham, Cambs.  In the 1901 Census she appears as an assistant matron along with two other staff and a servant, and with fifteen young women aged between 15 years and 22.  All referred to as "inmate".  This entry is next to several households in Belle Vue Rd, and has the presumably slightly misspelled word Penetentiary against it.  St Martins seems to be the parish, but Castle is also mentioned on the top of the page, which is the last one of 38.  RG 13/3062 is the other reference.
So was this some kind of hospital or sanatorium, or did it serve any punitive function?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Phoebe btw marries a Thomas Cross LOMAX back in the Ely reg district in June q 1903, and in the 1911 Census is living alone with him at 34, Canwick Rd, Lincoln.  He's a tobacconist....
Keith

[Kay99]

I wonder if this was the establishment http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/LincolnPenitent/  which appears to have been known as Belle View House at one point.   

 On the desription of the Enumeration District in 1901 the Penitentiary is listed I think as Belle View Gardens Penitentiary and on the 1901 census it is on/adjacent to Belle View Road

Kay

Possible shown as a Girls Home adajacent to the Workhouse on this map https://maps.nls.uk/view/114649050#zoom=6&lat=9551&lon=1882&layers=BT

[Keith Sherwood]

Kay99,
Oh, very well done with that!
That description exactly fits a wonderful photograph I was shown a couple of days ago, wherein a very large room there are half a dozen young women being instructed, it seems, in the art of needlework by a slightly older woman who is apparently this Phoebe Murfitt.  All kitted out in the same very smart "uniform" of long dress and pinafore and tiny cap on the head.  Very badly described there by me!  My IT skills are not up to much, but I'll  try to put the photograph on this thread so others can see what I'm trying to get at.  A correction institute for wayward young women, indeed - I bet their true individual stories would show that they were hardly to blame for the circumstances that brought them to Belle Vue...
Keith

[Kay99]

Keith

Lovely when things tie up and look forward to seeing seeing the photograph 

Kay

[Keith Sherwood]

I hope I can manage it...!
Looking at that 1901 Census entry for this institution the "inmates" mostly come from  the Lincolnshire area,  but Notts, London, Cambridge and even Belfast are represented.
And one poor individual, a 17 year old Emma with "feeble minded" entered against her name.  I do hope she was well looked after there...
Keith
Years ago when a student at a teacher's training college, on a Friday evening,  with another fellow student I used to travel to perhaps an institution rather like this and do drama for 2 hours with the young women there.  At Ditchingham in Norfolk, the place run by nuns.  This was 1971, it was never quite explained why these "inmates" were there, but I hear echoes now of Belle Vue house in 1901.
In this case the building still stands, and is an Emmaus outlet...

[Comberton]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but this board doesn't allow attachments.

[Keith Sherwood]

Thanks for that bad news, Comberton!  That's a shame...
K