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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Dorset => Topic started by: HeatherLynne on Tuesday 02 November 10 17:24 GMT (UK)
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I wonder if anyone with some local knowledge could help me with a bit of a puzzle?
In the 1911 census my grandmother was in Islington, London, with her parents and siblings - all except her 7 year old brother. Until today I'd not been able to find Frederick Edden on the 1911 and wondered where he was and why not at home with the family. I thought perhaps he could have been in hospital or something similar. By looking at the 1911 census on Genes Reunited today I found him in Parkstone Dorset at the above address.
Head of the household was Mary Ann Cowell, a widow of 57, a lettings agent and her daughter Lily aged 16. They shared their cottage with 6 Visitors who all came from Islington. There was a mother and daughter Annie and Doris Warren aged 36 and 10 years respectively and also 4 unrelated children of 8,7 6 and 5 years.
Do you think they were there to convalesce, perhaps sent to enjoy the sea air? I understand Frederick's sister (my grandmother) was sent away somewhere to convalesce at some time during her childhood so it seems a possibility. I've looked at Vale Road on Google streetview and can't see anything that looks like a cottage - they're all reasonably sized detached houses nowadays although there are some new buildings that wouldn't have been there in 1911.
I've tried Historical Directories to see if I can find Mrs Cowell or any record of Milden Cottage without success. Can you suggest where I might look next to try and prove the convalescent home idea or perhaps suggest why else such a mixture of young children all from Islington would be living in Poole?
Thanks for reading and for any help you're able to give.
Heather
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I don't think there is any connection with Mrs Cowell. She, single, looked after her father in Suffolk until 1893 when she married a widowed wheelwright (Josiah Cowell) with whom she was living in 1901. When he died in 1904, she moved to Parkstone.
Bournemouth/Poole have, until the coming of the university, been seen as somewhere where people go to die/recover, so presumably she thought it was a good place to set up shop. In 1901 there are about twenty people from Islington living in Parkstone, which seems high, but most of them are there with their families. One of the homes includes someone from Islington. There is a range of other patients in that home both in age (the youngest is a 4 year-old from Paddington) and illness (some are classified as incurable).
Annie Warren and a 6 month old Dorothy are with their husband/father in London in 1901.
I think your hunch is correct: it was a private convalescent home. A lot of the houses in that area were built around 1900, and many are big enough to have boarders, but I have no idea whether what was Milden Cottage is still standing. She would have called it after her birthplace (Mildenhall in Suffolk) so it would be under a different name before she arrived some time after 1904. If you can get some of the names of neighbouring houses from the 1911 census, it may be possible to pin it down.
Richard
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Many thanks for the reply Richard, some really interesting points there.
Where have you been able to see the types of illness of the children in the house? I did think I should see if I could find deaths for any of them but haven't got round to that yet. I know Frederick survived into adulthood and had children of his own so obviously the Poole air did him some good! On the 1911 the youngest child there is aged 5 and from Islington, where did you find the 4 year old from Paddington please?
It hadn't occurred to me that Milden Cottage was named after Mildenhall - I was a bit slow on the uptake there!
Coincidentally my married surname is Knott, my husband's family came from Reading, Berkshire. I know Knott isn't an unusual name but I was surprised to see it - where do your branch originate from?
Thanks again, Heather
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Louise Milne, age 4, b Paddington is staying in St Mary's Home (RG13/1981) with about 15-20 other patients. A few of them have 'incurable' or 'chronic invalid' next to their name, but most have nothing. I think the house is in Sandringham Road, but I'm not sure.
My Knotts came from Essex originally; I don't know of any branches in Berkshire.
Richard
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Oh I see, I understand now about Louise Milne being in a different home - in my excitement I didn't read properly :-[ Thanks!
Thanks for your help and good luck with the Knott research.
Heather
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I have leafletted Vale Road in the past and have a vague recollection that some of the houses have names/dates on the front, something that is quite common in Poole. I don't do the 1911 census due to inherent meanness - I'm anticipating the price coming down next year - but if there is a street search facility like the other FindMyPast censuses, and you can tie Milden Cottage in with other addresses in the road, I'm happy to go and have a look for you. Failing that, the Poole History Centre has a range of directories of different dates which could be consulted.
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That's very kind of you RRYFS, I don't have access to the 1911 myself at home for the same reason but will look next time I'm in Kew, whenever that may be. I'll let you know if/when I find out any more.
Thanks very much, Heather :)
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Hello Heather. According to Kelly's 1911 Directory - Milden Cottage (Mrs M Read) was situated on the NE side of Vale Road. Looking through later directories and trying to match the houses on each side, to find out the number, it appears that the "cottage" or villa became No 42, known as 'Sidmount' by, at the latest, 1921.
Have a look using Google Maps and you can see that it is a large detached white house. The area was developed in the early 1900's and the house is contemporary but, I suppose that there's always the possibility that the cottage was knocked down and replaced by a later building.
Constitution Hill, a mile to the west, was known as having the healthiest climate in the area but Vale Road was situated just as near to the Pottery works. Also, the Gas works, at Bourne Valley was quite close by so I'm not so sure that they moved there for health reasons.
By the way, Kelly's 1911 doesn't list any convalescent homes. There was a children's home at St. Faith's, Mount Road, Poole and a Dorset Children's Home (girls) at 32, West Steet, Poole.
Good luck with your research. Sorry that I can't help further but I also do not have access to the 1911 census.
Best wishes
Morten
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Many thanks for your help Morten. It's odd and maybe I'm doing something wrong but I can't find Mrs Read or Milden Cottage in 1911 Kelly's on Historical Directories ??? I've found the white house you mention on Google Maps, even though it was called Milden Cottage that could be the right place, maybe it was named thus to make it sound homely. Maybe the air quality there wasn't the best in Poole but probably was far superior to London I'd guess. It's interesting that no convalescent homes were listed, maybe it wasn't the done thing to call them that at the time?
Can anyone think of a reason why four children aged 5-8 years all born in Islington would be living with non-family members at the seaside if it wasn't for convalescent purposes? It's got me stumped!
Thanks to all for the help so far.
Heather
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I've been looking on www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html (http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html) after driving down Vale Road earlier. In 1902, and again in 1911, development was confined to the North side of the road - starting from the West end there were three pairs of semi-detached, then 4 detached, then a long gap followed by three more pairs of semi-detached roughly in the middle of the road. They all appear to have been built after 1899. I was wrong about names and dates on the houses, but from the 1901 census it appears to go - Auckland, Ferndale, Merrivale, Lythdale, Sunningdale, Heatherbank, Crondale, Sheridan, Schubert, South View, Loyston, Forest View, No 4, No 3, Heatherglen and The Nurseries. On the Transcription is also shown Chatfield House, but this is on a totally different enumerators sheet and is shown as St Peter's Parish, whereas the rest of Vale Road is (correctly) shown as All Saints, Branksome. Possibly there were two Vale Roads! Next time I am that way (possibly tomorrow) I will look at No 42 and try to guess what it was called in 1901. It may also be that Poole History Centre has a larger scale map with house names - but that is for another day!
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That's very interesting, thanks for taking the trouble to look RRYFS. The old maps site is fascinating, many thanks for the link!
Look forward to anything else you may be able to add.
Thanks again, Heather
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Had a closer look at Vale Road today. The choice is, either the 1911 map is wrong, or its not no. 42, or the road has been renumbered. The road is numbered east to west, starting at the Bournemouth Road end, so on the 1911 map, the first houses you come to are the 3 pairs of semi-detached, roughly in the middle. Today, these are numbered from 30 to 40, so 42 is the first detached house west of them. While it looks like it might date from the early 1900s it is not on the 1911 map. From the other threads, it sounds as if Mary Ann Cowell arrived nearer 1902 than 1911, so it seems unlikely that the map would have missed it. Looks like I will need to look at the old maps and directories in the Poole Museum to find more, and that won't happen this week. I will let you know if I find anything else.
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Thank you very much for taking the time to look at Vale Road, your local knowledge is very helpful. Any further information you can glean would be welcome.
Kind regards, Heather
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Hi, Heather,
I was very interested to read your Milden Cottage post. My mother was also recorded as a visitor at Milden Cottage in the 1911 Census. She was 6 at the time and from the Islington area. I believe that your presumption that Milden was operating as a convalescent home is correct I recall my mother saying that she was sickly as a child and remembered being sent to the 'seaside' to recuperate. Furthermore my own research has revealed that The Great Northern Central Hospital, Islington, received in 1902 funds from the Stonefield charity estate to provide for the poor of Islington. In 1907 a Mr. Francis Reckitt donated the money for a permanent convalescent home to be attached to the hospital and a site was found at Clacton - on - Sea [Essex] which duly became The Reckitt Convalescent Home of the Great Northern Central Hospital. It was officially opened in 1909. Bearing in mind the tremendous need at the time among the poor and sick, particularly children, it would be logical to use private establishments such as Milden as well the official Clacton Home to meet the need.
Regards,
Peter,
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Welcome to Rootschat and thank you so much for your reply Peter! It's great to have my hunch confirmed and to be in contact with a descendant of someone my great-uncle knew! ;D The sea air must have done them some good as they survived into adulthood to have families of their own.
Can I ask you whereabouts in Islington your mother lived? The rest of Frederick's family were at 16 Halton Road in the 1911 census - were our ancestors also neighbours at home?
Look forward to hearing from you again
Heather
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Hi, Heather,
Good to hear from you. My mother and her family at the time were living in Little Carlisle St. Marylebone, and before then in Lisson Road, Marylebone. Little Carlisle St. to the best of my knowledge no longer exists. When it was demolished/redeveloped I'm not sure. My father and his family also lived in the same area at Hereford Road later re-named Sheringham Road. It would be nice to think that the children staying at Milden during this period, like your great - uncle and my mother, had fond memories of each other at what must have been a difficult time for them!
Best Wishes,
Peter,