Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - Elswick

Pages: [1] 2
1
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Mother and Baby Homes- Birkenhead - 60’s/70’s
« on: Sunday 30 March 25 12:06 BST (UK)  »
I'm helping someone with their personal story.  I have a great deal of experience in this sort of research having undertaken the same journey myself (and been successful).  Whether the mother and baby home still exists is neither here nor there as the records in question almost certainly still exist, the problem is tracking them down.  The records we're after are protected by law, and the law is on the side of the person I'm helping, so in principle these records are obtainable.  Adoption IS involved, and I'm very familiar with the process's involved and the laws (unlike many in social services). Social services do not hold historical adoption records (generally speaking), but they are the official link between the adoptee and the endless agencies tasked with archiving these types of records, all requests for records must come from social services.

Ps. The era I’m interested in is the 60’s, not the 40’s.

2
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Mother and Baby Homes- Birkenhead - 60’s/70’s
« on: Sunday 30 March 25 11:03 BST (UK)  »
Sorry for the confusion this is going to cause but I've only just learnt the place of birth details.

Place of birth is as follows:

Lady Forester Memorial Hospital, Church Street, Broseley, Shropshire (Broseley Cottage Hospital).  It's a small town just outside the southern edge of Telford.  It was an NHS hospital from 1945.  This was the place of birth, but being an NHS hospital it's almost certainly not the mother and baby home that was involved. 

At the moment we have no idea of the mother and baby home, it has to be either the Birkenhead area or the Telford area, possibly around Much Wenlock or thereabouts. 

3
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Mother and Baby Homes- Birkenhead - 60’s/70’s
« on: Thursday 27 March 25 08:35 GMT (UK)  »
I’ve asked for those details but I’m
yet to receive them.

4
Family History Beginners Board / Mother and Baby Homes- Birkenhead - 60’s/70’s
« on: Wednesday 26 March 25 16:01 GMT (UK)  »
Would anyone here know of any M&B homes that were operational through the 60’s and 70’s in the Birkenhead area/Liverpool area?

Thanks in advance!

5
Family History Beginners Board / 1960's - Jarrow Deanery Moral Welfare Association
« on: Thursday 20 February 25 11:01 GMT (UK)  »
Has anyone here got any information or personal experience of the above moral welfare association? The Jarrow Deanery Moral Welfare Association was a christian based organisation working to "help" single mums/single pregnant women (today we'd call it an adoption agency).

In 1964 it was based in King Street, South Shields, andit worked hand in hand with the Salvation Army mother and baby home "Hopedene" which was on Elswick Road, Newcastle. 

I'm not interested in the official charity records, ie active years/finances etc etc, I'm looking for anyone that has direct personal experience or memories of that organisation. 

Many thanks.

6
The Common Room / Re: Bethlem Hospital (Bedlam) records - where next?
« on: Friday 13 December 24 19:50 GMT (UK)  »
PM inbound as I'll need certain information before I contact the archives place.

7
The Common Room / Re: Bethlem Hospital (Bedlam) records - where next?
« on: Friday 13 December 24 13:01 GMT (UK)  »
I live only two miles from the modern day Bethlem hospital, I'll see if anything is available in person for you.

https://archives.museumofthemind.org.uk/brha.htm


8
The Common Room / Re: Mother and Baby Smelt House, Howden-le-Wear, County Durham
« on: Tuesday 10 December 24 11:26 GMT (UK)  »
Smelt House was a "mother and baby home" set up, and run by Durham County Council.  It was located on Bridge Street, Howden-le-Wear. It appears to have opened sometime between late 40's/early 1950's and closed in around 1975.  At some point during it's operational life the name was changed from Smelt House to Fir Tree Grange, but it's purpose remained the same.

When it opened it was the state's equivalent to the many church based mother and baby homes in operation at the time.  As this home was operated by Durham County Council then they should have archived records for the place.  The boundaries up there have changed so much over the years, I'm not sure which council/county council would apply now, but it will be whichever council covers the area where Smelt House was. 

If it's of any use Smelt House was in the south west of the Diocese of Durham, which may have bearing as mother and baby homes back then often had ties with the church..

"Clairmont" was located on Princes Street, Bishop Auckland and is/was a big mansion.  It started life as a ladies boarding school and then became a maternity hospital, NOT A MOTHER AND BABY HOME.  It seems to have been a maternity hospital from at least the 1920's until the 1970's.  Maternity services were taken over by Bishop Auckland general hospital in the mid 70's and from that point on Clairmont seems to have been vacated and left to rot.

As Clairmont seems to have been a state run institution then I would imagine either the local council or the NHS will hold records for the place.  The NHS is only likely to hold records from 1948, not sure where pre NHS records would be held.

This comment of yours is intriguing:

"There is also something strange on the GRO site, my sister birth is registered but with another surname for the mother". 

pm inbound northernMal!

https://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/DurhamCC/


Top photo = Smelt House/Fir Tree Grange
Bottom photo = Clairmont

9
Northumberland Lookup Requests / Re: Place of my birth?
« on: Friday 06 December 24 12:52 GMT (UK)  »
Do you know the address of Elswick Lodge?  There was a mother and baby home in Elswick Road for many years, could they be the same place?

Pages: [1] 2