Death at 76 Eridge Road ~ Croydon?

[willow2670]

Hello Ron,

I was in London last weekend, & happened to drive pass the hospital.

(I see there's been some changes to the front of the hospital)

I wonder why they wrote on death certs the address & not the actual name of the hospital!

Thanks for your feed-back.
Sue

[casalguidi]

Hi Sue

This was common practise in the latter years of the workhouse system ie. the Elham Union at Lyminge in Kent was latterly known as Hill House, Lyminge.  To try and lessen the stigma of the workhouse I suppose.

Casalguidi

[Ron21]

Sue, I have found out a little more.  

76 Eridge Road was the Workhouse Infirmary and the address was changed to No. 39 Woodcroft Road in November 1939 (there's an entry in the Council minutes in September of the previous year apparently).  Eridge Road was renamed Woodcroft/Frant Roads in 1939 (exist today) and the houses were renumbered at the same time.

No definitive answer yet as to why the change of name to Mayday Hospital and I need to find out if this also occured in 1939 (I expect this is the case, Mayday, Mayday....,  Also.... start of the 2nd World War 1939,  - No. 39 Eridge.... coincidence or planning?).

With respect to the name change to Eridge Road, there is some suggestion that it could have been to avoid confusion with Edridge Road which is also in the Croydon area (near the flyover and The Town Hall !) - I must admit that I wondered this as I knew of Edridge Road before I saw my family photo mentioning 31 Eridge Road / 86 Woodcroft Road.

Well that's it for now - I wonder if you drove past the old entrance in Woodcroft Road, opposite Jamaica Road - the old building is quite distinctive.

Regards, Ron

[damikinch]

To add to previous replies,I quote from 2 publications.

London Metropolitan Archives.Information leaflet No.26.
Poor Law records in London and Middlesex.Register of Births.

"After 1904 a birth certificate should not state that a birth took place in a workhouse giving instead the street and number as the place of birth,for instance,4 Kings Road,St.Pancras,instead of St.Pancras Workhouse.Alternatively a euphemistic name might be used such as Twyford Lodge for Willesden Workhouse Infirmary or The Lodge,Bancroft Road,for Mile End Workhouse."

This certainly also covered deaths within the workhouse,and other institutions.

From "Old & New Croydon Illustrated,May 1894".

Croydon Union Workhouse & Infirmary.
"In 1727 the first Union Workhouse,with Infirmary attached,was erected in Croydon.The building was situated on Duppas Hill,and provided accommodation for 200 persons.The present commodious buildings in Queen's Road,near the Cemetery,were opened in October,1865,and the inmates removed from the Duppas Hill institution,the whole of the premises being utilised as an infirmary until May,1885,when the new Infirmary in the Mayday Road,close to the new Union Workhouse,was opened by the Archbishop of Canterbury."

This article indicates that Mayday Road pre-dates the naming of the Hospital.

Hope this helps.

Dave.

[Ron21]

Some interesting information coming out folks.

I've received some more information on the infirmary/Mayday Hospital.  This came from the Croydon Local Studies, Library & Archives Service, Central Library, Katharine Street, Croydon CR9 1ET.  Some of this we've already identifield.  Information follows:-

"In reply to your enquiry, the new infirmary in Mayday Road opened in 1885, with 325 beds. The Infirmary was renamed Mayday Road Hospital in 1923 but soon afterwards became known as Mayday Hospital. This was before the dissolution of the Board of Guardians in 1930.

On maps of 1851 Mayday appears as a short footpath of that name but there is no evidence of a Maypole having been in the vicinity."

So, it's amazing what has developed from the original enquiry - please add this to all the other facts.

Regards, Ron

[mrstar]

Hello,
This is very interesting as this address has cropped up in my research and Iam hoping someone may be able to help me.
I have the address 76 Eridge road on a birth certificate from 1928 but a different address for where they lived. Would the mother have been in the workhouse long or could she have come here just to have the baby?
Thank you.

[PaulineJ]

It's the Croydon Union Workhouse. They may still have admission records for you to view,

[mrstar]

That's fab, I will investigate further. 
Thank you.

[Valda]

Hi mrstar

For Croydon workhouse records you need to contact Croydon local studies library.

http://www.croydononline.org/history/places/lslibrary.asp

You can also find information on Croydon workhouse on this website

http://www.workhouses.org.uk/

Regards

Valda