RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Memories2bmade on Wednesday 13 November 24 13:52 GMT (UK)
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After some very helpful advice from this Forum, I contacted Middlesbrough diocese and asked about Admission records for Crossbeck convent (North Ormesby) as I am trying to trace if my grandmother was there in 1922. There are only admissions records going back as 'from 1922' I did find her in the 1921 Census as 'a boarder' aged 12 at a house in Oxford Street, Middlesbrough. The response from the very helpful archivist at the Diocease was "In terms of our records, the North Ormesby collection is unfortunately closed to public access until 2037 due to restrictions in place as a private archive. As for the Crossbeck House collection, it is accessible, but this collection primarily documents major events, like professions and annual celebrations, rather than everyday visitors or personal encounters".
I am almost certain that my nan was at the Convent (from other information I have discovered). She died in 1969, so I find it hard to understand why there is no public access for another 13 years !!! It will be too late for my own mum ( who is 90 years old), to know if her mother was taken there & I certainly will be far too old to even remember I had made such an enquiry ! I really dont know if there is anything further I can do to 'complete' my jigsaw.
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Well, someone from the diocese must have access besides the archivist. How about a personal appeal to the Bishop themselves? What's the worst that could happen? "Bless you, now go away!"
Regards
Chas
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I haven't seen your earlier thread, but wonder if the 1939 register would be of help. I don't know whether people in "closed communities" were registered.
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She died in 1969, so I find it hard to understand why there is no public access for another 13 years !!!
I think I have seen instances where records are restricted under the 100 year rule if there are records 'within that collection' that relate to anyone else who is under 100.
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In your earlier thread https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=884492.9 you write that your grandmother was with her father in 1921 and by 1924/5 was in St Albans in service.
You thought she was in a convent from 1916. Do you now think she went there after 1921?
As they were not catholic, as you say, could they have been in a children's home in the area?
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Hi, yes, she was taken to a Convent in 1916. I did find her on the 1921 Census as a boarder with her father in the same area. He was presumed lost at sea when her mother died in 1916. Her 2 elder brothers took her to a Convent at the time of her mothers death, but Crossbeck have no admissions records until 1922. Her father worked at the dockyard, and as they appear to be in lodgings I can only assume she would have been at school until 1924 when she was then sent to St Albans as a domestic. All she ever said to my mother was she was in a Convent as a child.
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Sorry about this - why are you trying to trace her at Crossbeck in 1922?
Do you just mean as a school pupil?
I was thinking you meant she was in care in 1922.
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I’ve had archivists look at closed records with proof of death before and redact information regarding anyone living - they should be able to do this. Whether they’re willing or not is another matter!
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I have had family saying they were in a Convent as children after parents died, then one on their deathbed said they were in a workhouse and they were all ashamed to say it. Turned out to be a Barnardos home who trained the girls and sent them into domestic service and the boys were shipped off to work on farms in Canada.
Worth asking Barnados to check their records?
If the family were not Roman Catholics then if she was admitted there, they may have christened her and she would have been confirmed when of age, and some records of these maybe available?