Information sought on possible orphanages in Woodchurch, Birkenhead.

[Aks]

I wonder if anyone knows of any orphanages in Woodchurch, Birkenhead, that would have existed in the period of around 1905. I am trying to see what might have happened to a certain Marjorie Crowe born in 1905 in Hoylake. (N.B. This is not a request for lookups, as I already have information about her on the census, birth record, etc.)

There are two pieces of evidence that suggest she spent some time in Woodchurch after her birth:

(1) Her birth, on 16 January 1905, was registered in the sub-district of Woodchurch on 6 February 1905.

(2) On the 1911 census, her adoptive parents, George and Mary Carrington, give her place of birth as Wirral, Woodchurch, Cheshire. This suggests that the Carrington's did not know that Marjorie was actually born in Hoylake, which reinforces the idea that she was living in Woodchurch when she was adopted.

I am aware of perhaps a couple of orphanages near Woodchurch:

(1) The one at 1 Christchurch road, Birkenhead, which is referred to here: https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=310212.msg5108271#msg5108271

(2) The one referred to here: http://christchurchbirkenhead.net/pages/history/je06.htm

As I understand it, these are both near to, but not actually in Woodchurch. Does anyone know of any such places in Woodchurch where an infant (actually from birth) could have been placed in 1905? Or is it possible that the places mentioned above could have been considered as being in Woodchurch at that time?

I also wonder if the two places listed above are connected and they seem to be close to each other, unless I am mistaken, which is quite possible!

Many thanks,

Alan

[KGarrad]

Have you checked www.childrenshomes.org.uk?

[KGarrad]

There are 4 entries for Hoylake:
Wirral Union/Cheshire Receiving Home, North Parade, Hoylake
Cheshire Council Hoylake Mothers and Babies Home, Trinity Road, Hoylake
West Kirby Convalescent Home, Hoylake
Wirral Council Family Group Home, North Parade, Hoylake

No entries for Woodchurch.

[Aks]

Thanks a lot, KGarrad. I think I've looked at http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/ before, but seem to find more stuff on there. Now looking through it.

[Aks]

www.childrenshomes.org.uk seems to mainly list more recent places on The Wirral.

There is a section at https://www.workhouses.org.uk/Birkenhead/#Homes which explains that from the early 1900s the Union (which ran the workhouse) began making extensive use of scattered homes to house its children and gives a bunch of addresses, none of which appear to be in Woodchurch.

It does not list the places I mention above, presumably because these were run by the church. I suppose there may have been others run by the church.

[Aks]

Oops, I just realised that my theory doesn't hold water, because the Woodchurch registration sub-district included everything from Hoylake, where she was born, to Oxton and Prenton, where I think the children's homes I cited above were located (https://www.cheshirebmd.org.uk/subdists.php).

So the fact that in 1911 she was declared as being born in Wirral, Woodchurch, Cheshire, is just a "copy/paste" from her birth certificate which has at the top, "Wirral district, Woodchurch sub-district, and Cheshire county (it actually says "County of Chester).

So my hasty conclusions come to nothing!

My apologies KGarrad