Boarding Out Children

[upton25]

I would be most grateful if you could advise me if there are records for the above in Northamptonshire.

I have an ancestor born in Daventry workhouse to his single mother,Alice in 1904. In the 1911 Census he is with a family in Long Buckby with another boy both listed as 'Boarding Out Children' Joseph Ellard later joined the Merchant Navy and I have found his records on the National Archives website. He sadly died at sea and is named on the memorial at Tower Hill in London

Boatswain Joseph Ellard Merchant navy SS Bellingham 26 Jan 1944 Son of Alice and husband of H Ellard of Plumstead Panel 50 Tower Hill Memorial

I have a female ancestor who was boarded out by Barnardos in 1901 before travelling to Canada. So, I wondered if this was the case with Joseph. But before I contact the charity I was interested to know if there were local charities working with the workhouses in Nothamptonshire.

I have emailed the Records Office for help too But I wondered if anyone else had come across this

Many thanks

[Bookbox]

At this period it was very common practice for the poor-law guardians, especially in cities and larger towns, to board out children into family homes. After 1889 they were allowed to board out outside their own union. If there are any records of boarded-out children for the Daventry union they will be at Northamptonshire Archives.

You may want to read the relevant page on the Workhouses site ...
https://www.workhouses.org.uk/boardingout/

[california dreamin]

I would be most grateful if you could advise me if there are records for the above in Northamptonshire.

I have an ancestor born in Daventry workhouse to his single mother,Alice in 1904. In the 1911 Census he is with a family in Long Buckby with another boy both listed as 'Boarding Out Children' Joseph Ellard later joined the Merchant Navy and I have found his records on the National Archives website. He sadly died at sea and is named on the memorial at Tower Hill in London

Boatswain Joseph Ellard Merchant navy SS Bellingham 26 Jan 1944 Son of Alice and husband of H Ellard of Plumstead Panel 50 Tower Hill Memorial

I have a female ancestor who was boarded out by Barnardos in 1901 before travelling to Canada. So, I wondered if this was the case with Joseph. But before I contact the charity I was interested to know if there were local charities working with the workhouses in Nothamptonshire.

I have emailed the Records Office for help too But I wondered if anyone else had come across this

Many thanks

Mothers were also known to put their children into what was referred to as 'board and care' This was a private arrangement.  The mother (or responsible adult) would pay another to care for their child. (Perhaps they were a single mother and this was the only way to keep their child)? This may have been on a temporary basis or but could have been longer.  I have researched a couple of people like this.  The mother would visit but the child was raised by another.  There is no paperwork.

CD

[PrawnCocktail]

Seen boarded out children in the Towcester Union from 1885.

I found an inital list in the School Attendance Committee Minutes, but mostly there were no further children named.

Daventry may do rather better. You can see the whole list on the NRO online catalogue,
http://nro.adlibhosting.com/search/simple

Search for Daventry Union, and in the Reference box put PL03. You will get what looks like a blank result, but scroll down. They had a Boarding Out Committee from 1910. And there may be relevant stuff in their Out-Letter books. Sometimes these books are indexed.

Older orphans seem to have been sent to Homes anywhere in the country, or to Canada. There seemed to be an idea that the Workhouses were not really a good place for children longer-term.

[upton25]

Thank you so much for all the information. I really appreciate the time you have taken to help me. Joseph named his father as 'John' on his naval records. But i wonder if this was heresay or if he actually knew his father. His baptism and his sister Ethel's baptism in 1901 in the workhouse only mentions his mother Alice. Interestingly his next of kin on his records was Mr E Ellard of Byfield (Uncle and my Great Grandfather's and Alice's brother) I thought he wasn't aware of family and this was lovely to see that he was known to his relatives. Alice appears in the workhouse in 1901.1911 and 1939 Passing in 1953. Joseph appears to have joined the Merchant Navy as a deck boy from an early age
Maybe a case of being institutionalised or that workhouses were recruitment places for boys to the navy
Thank you so much Kaz

[california dreamin]

Very interesting to see the history of this man.  Funnily enough one of the people I have researched spent his whole life from infancy to coming of age in board and care and was brought up by these paid 'Auntie's'. On his b/c the name of his Uncle was used as his father's name. When he became of age he also joined the Merchant Navy.

CD

[Newfloridian]

I wonder if a more extreme form of "Boarding out children" was the case of the Home Children Scheme. It has been estimated that between the 1860s and the 1930s over 100,000 children were sent to Canada. This involved children who were orphaned, abandoned or were paupers on the assumption that they would benefit from a healthy life and moral upbringing in the countryside. Reality often proved otherwise.

Alan

[upton25]

I have a 1st cousin x2, Martha Gill in a boarding out home in the 1901 census We learnt from her Barnardos records she was sent to Canada in the July of that year Her father deserted the family in Kentish Town London and she entered Barnardos in 1893 aged 4 and then the 'Boarding Out' scheme in a home in Berkshire in 1901. I am very lucky to be in touch with her Great Grandson in Canada which links me with my Great Grandmother, Martha's Aunt Fortunately although life was tough and very sad she married and raised a family.

[HMac]

Doesn’t answer your post but as it is related to his service, I hope it is of some help. Information from MN records that I have transcribed for you.

Joseph Ellard Dis. A 1056218, born 14.11.1904. It was not the ship BELLINGHAM but FORT BELLINGHAM that he lost his life – more on that below:

Joseph appears to have joined the Merchant Navy In 1921 and appears to have served as follows. Please note that the following list is not a complete list of his service.

143915 – MAGELLAN – 8.6.1921
135702 – NAVASOTA – 27.5.1922
137536 – GLENFINLAS – 7.9.1922
127933 – THESEUS – 6.3.1923
132045 – SALVESTRIA – 17.12.1924
145934 – ANDANIA – 17.1.1925
137532 – MARCONI – 25.8.1925
140585 – PRINCESA – 14.12.1925
148770 – WAWALOAM – 3.6.1926
110258 – KUMARA – 19.9.1926

15 November 1926 enrolled in the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) 5-year term.
Re-enrols into RNR for second 5-year term. 14 November 1936 RNR service ends.

142665 – BERNINI – 20.5.1927
132817 - EL URUGUAYO – 3.6.1929
140583 – BARONESA – 29.1.1930
141930 – FRESNO STAR – 2.2.1936
135267 - SAN TIRSO – 9.4.1937
149791 - AVILA STAR – 22.1.1938
151629 - GERALDINE MARY – 3.8.1938
149821 - AVELONA STAR – 13.10.1938
149791 - AVILA STAR – 22.7.1939
140446 - PORT DARWIN – 20.8.1940
148714 – SHIRVAN – 25.2.1941
169627 - FORT BELLINGHAM – Lost at sea 26.1.1944.

FORT BELLINGHAM sailed with the Arctic convoy JW56A and was torpedoed and damaged by U-360 and sunk by U957 on 26.1.1944.

R McAllan, a survivor of the Fort Bellingham had been in an open life raft with two others, when they were spotted by a German U-Boat about 12 hours after the sinking.  The U-Boat stopped and picked them up but one man (Joseph Ellard, Bosun) fell into the sea as they were transferring from the life raft into the U-Boat and was lost.  McAllan reported that the sub crew tried to save him but couldn't get him out in time due to the high seas. The two prisoners of war, R McAllan and E Haycock were both DEMS.  McAllan also said that the U-Boat crew had treated them very well and did all they possibly could to save Ellard. 

https://fortships.tripod.com/Fort%20Bellingham.htm#Director%20of%20DEMS

Regards
Hugh