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London and Middlesex / Re: St. Margarets Unmarried Mothers Hostel - 262 Victoria Park Road Hackney
« on: Wednesday 04 June 14 19:52 BST (UK) »
I was also born at St Margaret's Nursing Home in 1967. My adoptive mother had been a midwife and then a health visitor in the East End during the fifties and early sixties and I think this meant they were able to arrange a private adoption by "pulling string" via her contacts. I think she also knew the matron a Mrs EW Eldridge. This was probably the only way my parents could adopt as my adoptive mother was 46 at the time.
When I started searching for information about my birth mother about 12 years I had to go via an adoption counsellor in my borough. She was very helpful but as St Margaret's was not an official adoption agency she was very unsure where my adoption files would be kept . Eventually after 2 years they were found by Leicestershire County Council which is where my adoptive parents were living at the time. Later when we moved to the London area in the mid seventies we drove to see where I was born but my mother said the home had been knocked down and the area redeveloped. Though my adoptive parents didn't meet my birth mother they did meet a close relative of hers at the nursing home who I guess was there to vet them.
It took me another 3 years of extensive searching to find her, which was eventually through Genes Reunited. At the time she was working less than a mile from where I was living which came as a bit of a shock. For various reasons I haven't contacted her due to a few extraordinary circumstances.
I don't know if my adoptive mother ever worked at St Margaret's as she died when I was 11 and can't recall her mentioning it but I am fairly sure she would have known if its reputation was poor, and at least it may not have been as regimentated and judgemental as many homes run by Catholic orders at the time.
Interestingly I know my birth mother wasn't living close to Bethnal Green so I am keen to know why she ended up here. I hope I'll be able to ask her one day.
I have found a couple of links which indicate the home was primarily an old persons home with a few beds for mothers and babies.
http://wellcomelibrary.org/moh/report/b1988588x/55#?asi=0&ai=55&z=-0.4241%2C0.5199%2C2.0256%2C0.6828 page 40
http://wellcomelibrary.org/moh/report/b19885957/#?asi=0&ai=57&z=-0.663%2C0.3318%2C2.7435%2C1.1279 page 44
When I started searching for information about my birth mother about 12 years I had to go via an adoption counsellor in my borough. She was very helpful but as St Margaret's was not an official adoption agency she was very unsure where my adoption files would be kept . Eventually after 2 years they were found by Leicestershire County Council which is where my adoptive parents were living at the time. Later when we moved to the London area in the mid seventies we drove to see where I was born but my mother said the home had been knocked down and the area redeveloped. Though my adoptive parents didn't meet my birth mother they did meet a close relative of hers at the nursing home who I guess was there to vet them.
It took me another 3 years of extensive searching to find her, which was eventually through Genes Reunited. At the time she was working less than a mile from where I was living which came as a bit of a shock. For various reasons I haven't contacted her due to a few extraordinary circumstances.
I don't know if my adoptive mother ever worked at St Margaret's as she died when I was 11 and can't recall her mentioning it but I am fairly sure she would have known if its reputation was poor, and at least it may not have been as regimentated and judgemental as many homes run by Catholic orders at the time.
Interestingly I know my birth mother wasn't living close to Bethnal Green so I am keen to know why she ended up here. I hope I'll be able to ask her one day.
I have found a couple of links which indicate the home was primarily an old persons home with a few beds for mothers and babies.
http://wellcomelibrary.org/moh/report/b1988588x/55#?asi=0&ai=55&z=-0.4241%2C0.5199%2C2.0256%2C0.6828 page 40
http://wellcomelibrary.org/moh/report/b19885957/#?asi=0&ai=57&z=-0.663%2C0.3318%2C2.7435%2C1.1279 page 44