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Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Glamorganshire => Wales => Glamorganshire Lookup Requests => Topic started by: aussie researcher on Saturday 20 January 18 11:33 GMT (UK)
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Hi,
I'm in Australia and have no way of getting to lookup the documents for the
Mount Pleasant Hospital, Swansea.
Document details are:
Reference: D/D H/MP
Description: admission registers, registers of patients, registers of deaths, patients' charts, out-patients attendance book, record book of beds, waiting lists, ward returns, mortuary books
Date: 1929-1980
NRA catalogue reference: NRA 5562 Swansea Hospital
According to National Archives the document is at the West Glamorgan Archives.
The year and date I'd love information for is around 26 July 1944.
This date is the birth of the child (this person has now sadly passed away in Australia)
I'm helping the family find as much information as they can.
She was born to a Margaret Lillian Florence Ridd (also deceased)
I'm guessing the mother Margaret would have been in the hospital for sometime prior to the birth of the child. She was a single woman from Barnstaple and gave the child up for adoption.
I have the birth certificates and adoption details.
Any help with this would be wonderful.
Thank you in advance.
Aussie Researcher.
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Have you checked with the Archives that these records are available to view as there are often restricitions on medical records under 100 years old. :-\
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I'm waiting on a reply as I have sent email with details etc.
I understand the 100 yr rule.
I may have to send my ID and copy of Birth & Death certificates.
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Margaret appears to have married in 1953, so is it only the records before the birth in 1944 that you're looking for?
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Hi Deirdre784,
Yes I have Margarets marriage details, she married a second time in 1993.
What I'm looking for is confirmation that the child was born at Mount Pleasant Hospital.
How long Margaret was there before and after the birth.
Margaret was 26 so not that young. It's just gaining a better understanding of how things would have been in that time and giving up a child for adoption.
I don't believe Margaret had any other children and I believe she was an only child herself.
Thanks
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What I'm looking for is confirmation that the child was born at Mount Pleasant Hospital.
What does the birth certificate say for place of birth
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Hi Rosie99,
It says Cartref, Townhill Road, Sketty.
Being 1944 Mount Pleasant is my only thought of a place that a single woman might have had a child.
Unless there is another place for women to go.
Cheers
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She could have had the child at home or in someone elses home, not necessarily a hospital/nursing home. Have you checked that address on the 1939 register :-\
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I see you had a post about this a couple of years ago where it was suggested that 'Cartref' meant Home and that Mount Pleasant was in Townhill Road.
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=776022.0
I cannot give details from 1939 but there was a house called Cartref in Townhill Road, Swansea
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Ok I shall have a look, Thank you.
In 1939 Margaret was living with her brother and his wife in Barnstaple.
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Very interesting Mr Evans a Minister Of The Gospel as the child was adopted by a nun and her 2 sisters also nuns.
It changes my thoughts maybe she did go stay with them and had the baby there.
The adoption certificate only mentions the court.
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The religious link does seem to tie in as she was adopted by nuns. I think the churches had a bit more involvement with single mother births in those days.
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Thanks for pointing me in a different direction.
I think this might be what happened.
I'll research the Evans family and see if that gives me a link back to Barnstaple or the family.
Cheers
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Hope you can come up with some answers :)
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Hi,
I'm in Australia and have no way of getting to lookup the documents for the Mount Pleasant Hospital, Swansea.
.. .. .. Snip, Snip ..
The year and date I'd love information for is around 26 July 1944.
This date is the birth of the child (this person has now sadly passed away in Australia)
I'm helping the family find as much information as they can.
.. .. .. Snip, Snip ..
Any help with this would be wonderful.
.. .. .. Snip, Snip ..
Aussie Researcher.
Good Morning,
I live within sensible travelling distance of Swansea Civic Centre, the home of West Glamorgan Archives (WGA), and (at the moment) I have sufficient time on my hands tomorrow, to possibly visit WGA. I shall enquire about the 100 year embargo on some records, before I set out!
I shall give a progress report in due course.
In the meanwhile here (http://maps.nls.uk//view/102183117) is a link to the Ordnance Survey 6 inch map published in 1946 covering part of central Swansea, trace up the left hand edge looking for "INSTITUTE" adjacent to Nicander Parade, this is/was Mount Pleasant Hospital at that time.
Next, this link (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Brynsifi+Way,+Swansea+SA1/@51.6254331,-3.9526513,407m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x486ef530d4a1e4a7:0xadf5800f1f574f02!8m2!3d51.6254331!4d-3.9504742) is a Google Maps link to Mount Pleasant Hospital as it was seen in the relatively recent past.
And finally this link (http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Swansea/) makes interesting reading.
Regards, JohnG_Swansea
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Thanks for pointing me in a different direction.
I think this might be what happened.
I'll research the Evans family and see if that gives me a link back to Barnstaple or the family.
Cheers
Hopefully the Evans family were still resident there in 1944 - perhaps an electoral register could be checked for the years after WW2
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Thank you JohnG,
For your offer and the links, most interesting reading about Mount Pleasant.
I had previously found that the father of the nun who adopted the child worked there as an officer in 1901.
Thanks Rosie99, will see if I can find the 1944+ electoral register.
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According to the 1945 Electoral registers there was a Robert E(dward) RIDD and Alice V RIDD (nee BUCKLAND I believe) living in Townhill Road in 1945. Somewhat ironically the building is called "Melbourne".
Tracing backwards it appears that Robert was born in Swansea around 1894, as was his father John. However, it is not inconceivable that they are somehow related to the RIDD's in Barnstaple which would lend credibility to the home birth scenario.
I have missed the thread her regarding the EVANS link but there are also a Catherine and John Evans living in Townhill Road as well.
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According to the 1945 Electoral registers there was a Robert E(dward) RIDD and Alice V RIDD (nee BUCKLAND I believe) living in Townhill Road in 1945. Somewhat ironically the building is called "Melbourne".
Tracing backwards it appears that Robert was born in Swansea around 1894, as was his father John. However, it is not inconceivable that they are somehow related to the RIDD's in Barnstaple which would lend credibility to the home birth scenario.
I have missed the thread her regarding the EVANS link but there are also a Catherine and John Evans living in Townhill Road as well.
Gareth, does it show who is living at Cartref, Townhill Road in 1945 :-\
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In the 1945 register I was looking at there is no mention of Cartref in Townhill Road though I have since realised that in other electoral rolls of the time, there is also a reference to Townhill Road (Old).
There is a Cartref mentioned on Townhill Road (Old) in registers between 1935-1940 and the Evans (Richard Thomas and Myfanwy) are listed as living there, along with an Annie Laurian Jones (potentially a single woman in her late 20s, early 30s). There appears to be no registers made during the war and when the records resume in 1945, the residents of Cartref on Townhill Road (Old) are listed as Einar T Morgan and Lilian M Morgan through until 1953 after which I can't find any more records.
On this basis it is reasonable to conclude that the Evans moved during the war period though I can't (yet) find where they have moved to.
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Thanks Gareth, I was just checking as Aussieresearcher has the birth in 1944 at that address. The other thread mentioned it may be the hospital/workhouse.
Rosie
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I live within sensible travelling distance of Swansea Civic Centre, the home of West Glamorgan Archives (WGA), and (at the moment) I have sufficient time on my hands tomorrow, to possibly visit WGA. I shall enquire about the 100 year embargo on some records, before I set out!
I shall give a progress report in due course.
In the meanwhile here (http://maps.nls.uk//view/102183117) is a link to the Ordnance Survey 6 inch map published in 1946 covering part of central Swansea, trace up the left hand edge looking for "INSTITUTE" adjacent to Nicander Parade, this is/was Mount Pleasant Hospital at that time.
Next, this link (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Brynsifi+Way,+Swansea+SA1/@51.6254331,-3.9526513,407m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x486ef530d4a1e4a7:0xadf5800f1f574f02!8m2!3d51.6254331!4d-3.9504742) is a Google Maps link to Mount Pleasant Hospital as it was seen in the relatively recent past.
And finally this link (http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Swansea/) makes interesting reading.
Regards, JohnG_Swansea
Good afternoon, I successfully made it to the (now called) Civic Centre, when I worked there, some years ago it was called County Hall, does a change of nomenclature signify progress, I wonder?
Anyway first things first, The Birth Records for Mount Pleasant Hospital are indeed held by West Glamorgan Archive Service (WGA), but, as suggested in an earlier message, are subject to the one hundred year embargo. However, if you write (email?) to them {link} (https://www.swansea.gov.uk/contactarchives) they will consider your request, but you will at a minimum, need to include a copy of the death certificate.
I can add further commentary to the saga/ mystery of "Cartef" but it is a little complicated and will follow in a separate post.
JohnG_Swansea
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The saga of 'Cartef' Townhill Road, Sketty.
An element of local knowledge can be both helpful or otherwise! I trust what follows is considered to be helpful. Firstly it might be helpful to download the following two maps of the same area of Swansea albeit the first is the Ordnance Survey 6inch/Mile (1:2500 ) for 1947 click here for a link (http://maps.nls.uk/view/102183081) and for 1953 click here for a link (http://maps.nls.uk/view/102183078)
Starting in the lower right corner of either/ both maps, scroll up & left looking for a 'College' (a somewhat prominent black blob), Townhill Road is immediately above the college. On the 1953 map a row of semi-detached houses is clearly seen on the north (top) side of the road. 'Cartref' is the LH side of the third pair with the Bench Mark 'BM' arrow-head in the roadway. Should any of you want to see the property highlighted with its name I have a hand-held photo of the 1:1250 Ordnance Survey series please send me a Personal Message with your home email address, please do not place it here on the forum
gareth_1971 has identified in today's reply #19 above, the occupants of 'Cartref' from 1945 to 1953, and I can add that the address changes to number 66 in the 1954 Electoral Register with the same residents, I have not looked any further.
JohnG_Swansea
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Thanks JohnG
The maps do help.
Will look at contacting the West Glamorgan Archives re the birth records.
Thank you all for your assistance.
We are still at a loss as to lived at Cartref in 1944 the mystery continues.
But where to look now?
Aussie Researcher.