Question about Blue Coat School Orford

[dusty]

Hi,
I have found 2 children age 8 and 10 as "foundationers" at the Blue Coat School, Orford on the 1901 census.

I was told previously in another posting that they may be there as orphans or children whose father has died.

Can anyone confirm this about the school?

The reason for asking is I am not having much luck locating deaths for the boy's parents or any remarriage for their mother.  I have checked  the 1901 census on Ancestry for the parents, Cheshire bmd and freebmd.

The boys are Edward and Herbert Bibby.
Parents are William b. 1848 and Mary Jane Bibby, b. 1868, all were born Warrington, Parents married 1890.

Thanks

[PaulineJ]

Certainly "Blue Coat" schools have a charitable element to them. Ensure that you check either fiche for the deaths/remarriage or something like bmdindex.co.uk or 1837online.com.

Ancestry is a MIRROR of FREEBMD, neither they nor cheshirebmd are complete.

Blue was not a colour worn by 'Gentlefolk' as the dye was cheap, as so was seen as appropriate only for the lower end of the social scale.

Happy hunting.

Pauline

[loo]

It is my understanding that the Blue Coat schools were founded as charitable institutions to provide education for children who might not otherwise get an education, particularly if they seemed to show promise.  They might either be poor or orphaned.

I don't know about the particular school you are referring to, but I have found the following websites helpful in regards to "Blue Coat" schools in general:

http://www.christs-hospital.org.uk

http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/community/the_county/record_office/family_history_3/school_records/charity_schools.htm

http://www.archivist.f2s.com/bsu/Blcoat.htm

And also the following book might be useful, although I have not yet seen it:
George Demidowicz,   A History of the Blue Coat School and the Lych Gate Cottages, Coventry, 2000.