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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: Diggit on Sunday 04 May 08 11:16 BST (UK)
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hello i am new to this (and computers) so bear with me! i am trying to find out about a place called Turners Court in Wallingford. A gap in the family tree - we believe a relative emigrated to N.Z in 1928 and the adress he gave was Turners Court - when his family were londoners. Any info or advice appreciated.
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Hi Diggit ..... Welcome to Rootschat... ;D
There is a picture here.....not sure if it is the same place that I am thinking of but it could be this....
www.benson-village.co.uk/gallery/1735615
click on the above link and it will take you to photo....
Tazzie
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hello Diggit,
Welcome to Rootschat! Turners Court was a reform school http://www.pettarchiv.org.uk/survey-williamhunt1.htm.
Some of the lads used to come to our Youth club when I was a girl! They were all very nice lads! ;D
Rabbit B ;D
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thanks for the replies, yes that's the place - i suppose reform school is better than prison! any more information anyone has got would be great. Still can't understand what he was doing there when he was from London. Nice to hear they were allowed out to youth club, perhaps he wasn't a bad lad after all.
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Hi Diggett,
A lot of the lads came from London, it was a very strict regime there, if I remember rightly.
Only the very best behaved were allowed out! Special privileges had to be earned!
Rabbit B ;)
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Thanks Rabbit B. Definitely not Centre Parks then. Well it all fits in with what we were told that he was the black sheep of the family - funny how i always have a soft spot for black sheep - i hope he made good out in N.Z
I have had a reply to say he married out there.
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thanks for the replies, yes that's the place - i suppose reform school is better than prison! any more information anyone has got would be great. Still can't understand what he was doing there when he was from London.
Maybe he worked there?
He was far too old at 27 to be a detainee. ;)
Carol
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Thanks for the reply Carol 8353.
We have also been wondering how he came to be in there aged 27 if it were a reform school - on the shipping manifest he put his occupation as electrical engineer, so i suppose he could have been employed there. So frustrating not to be able to find out! No family records exist as for some reason he was never even talked about.
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Am I being thick or something? Where does it say that he was 27,
I read the year of immigration as 1928, not the year of his birth!
Please enlighten me! I see no age mentioned till the last couple of posts? But having said that there were young men as well as boys at Turners Court!
Rabbit B ???
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Sorry Rabbit- but Diggit has one or two threads running at the same time here,see this one for further info http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,302759.msg1846520.html#msg1846520
Carol
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Sorry if i am confusing people. I am new to all this and still trying to learn how it all works. I really do appreciate the help. i am without IT support today as my granddaughter isn't here!
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Don't worry Diggit,you're doing fine ;)
Some of those answering your questions on one thread will not have realised that you have two running alongside on different notice boards.
Just provided the link so everyone can see what's what ;D
Carol
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Thank you Carol8353 - it's all cabbage to me, but i am learning.
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Thanks Carol,
I wondered if I had lost it at last! ;D ;D
Nice to know that I am still with it! Cheers me up no end!
Rabbit B ;)
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::) I used to be a resident of T.C.. I was in Grove House.
Had many memories of my four and a half years there. Some good but many bad too!!
I was there approx between 1982 - 1987.
Staff in Grove house during my stay included: Jill Palmer, Mark Whitehead, Fran Hunt, & Mark Evans.
Turners court was run like a workhouse (NOT a prison), & it's actual name was "Turner's Court Vocational Training Centre".
Adrian Pattenden - Resident
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This post has been here a while so I don't know whether anyone is still following it, However, I grew up at Turners Court, I now live in NZ.
Turners Court started life as the Oxfordshire Colony in 1911 and the Wallingford Farm Training Colony. It was set up to essentially put to work 'idle hands' from the cities in an experiment to stem vagrancy and petty crime.
In WW1 it was then used to put 'conscientious objectors' to work on the land as part of the war effort.
at this time and through to the 70's it was run along similar lines as a military style training centre, but training rural activities rather than military ones.
After the 70's it changed it's focus from agriculture (although the training farm was still there) to other 'trades' like mechanical engineering, woodwork, catering, painting & decorating, horticulture, etc... and introduced classroom curriculums.
Throughout it's history boys were placed here by the authorities if they were deemed to be on the 'wrong path' or at risk. In the early days it was boys and young men, I believe after WW2 it was just boys, generally between the ages of 14 to 18.
Especially in the early days these colonies were set up to teach Rural trades with a view of giving them the skills to take to and populate the New Worlds, therefore you should find many people in Australia and New Zealand whose great grandfathers and grand fathers will have passed through these colonies.
Here are some photos of Turners Court and some of the people who lived and worked there.
http://www.benson-village.co.uk/Localities/Turners-Court/
A good book on the history of Turners Court is on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Oxfordshire-Colony-Turners-Wallingford-1911-1991/dp/1452077290
I hope this helps with someone's research.
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https://www.facebook.com/Turners-Court-School-Wallingford-286035761815096/
i was there 1987/88 it was nothing like it was pre 70/80's by the early 80's it wasn't for underprivileged boys or at risk,a lot of us were there because we just didn't go to school and were petty criminals.There wasn't much control by staff over us and pretty much done as we liked,it was closed down in 1991 and left empty for 10 years demolished and redeveloped it is now called oakley court all that remains is the clock tower https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17098558_286037495148256_8872840461285971119_n.jpg?oh=460044b563242049a5df85ac8ed9c430&oe=5A1682CA this was taken a few months ago
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thanks for the replies, yes that's the place - i suppose reform school is better than prison! any more information anyone has got would be great. Still can't understand what he was doing there when he was from London. Nice to hear they were allowed out to youth club, perhaps he wasn't a bad lad after all.
While some saw Turners Court(TC) as a reform school mostly that was the locals in the wallingford region
Originally set up as a training farm/school for problem boys often many were given the choice of a detention center or learn a trade in the 70s many social workers had heard of the place and lads from childrens homes as well as court judgement lads went there. By the 70s the farm had expanded and was now a full training college. As well as farming it offered Paint & decorating, horticulture & gardening, catering, bricklaying among other things.
At 27 your relative would have been too old to be a student there and most likely a trade instructor.
A book was fairly recently published by a former resident there (it was residential)
Oxfordshire Colony: Turners Court Farm School, Wallingford, 1911-1991
I found this notice board by chance while looking into what become of the place . I was there in 1977 & 1978 doing catering.
F
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i was at turners court in the mid seventies can anyone remember frank greenslade the chef trainer any info would be appreciated
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i was there at that time doing catering as well
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Hi All
I have just come across this thread in relation to some research I am doing and wanted to add to the info provided by others based on my research>
Wallingford opened in 1912 (others have said 1911 ) for boys and men who were not of full mind. Usually it was for epileptic men and was based on the idea of a German Socialist group and I would say something similar to the bruderhoff of today. As others have said it was the intention of teaching this young boys and men (some to the age of 50) skills that they could use in the "new world". Ie our new colonies. My research of one person as shown that they were not always sent out to the new world. Unfortunately due to closure rules I am as yet unable to access any more records on my subject until January next year so I wont find out who put him there (I am assuming the board of guardians for his poor union) and when he was discharged/left.
As others have said it later became a reform type school where those who couldnt be educated in normal surroundings were sent or those who had come into the arms of the law. It would seem that it started to lose money around the 70s and was later sold off.
I appologise for the repeating of some information but I cuoldnt tell the history as I understand it without doing so
Rob