Eliza CLARKE (nee Lilley) South Yorkshire Asylum

[stanleymansion]

Hello,

This is a strange but sad tale and I could do with a little direction to bring it to a close.

Eliza Jane Lilley was born in Scarborough in 1859; she was my Great Great Grandmother. In 1877 she gave birth to Gertrude Lilley, no father's name given. In 1879 she married James Henry Clarke. In the 1881 census they are living as a family and Gertrude is called Clarke. However, James dies and by 1891 Gertrude is living with her Grandparents and Eliza seems to be living in a lodging house in Bradford, a widow, and working as a laundress. Odd, but okay so far!

Gertrude married John Bowes in 1900 and in 1901 they are living in Scarborough with relations. No sign of Eliza though and all I could find, that was anything like, was a death in Wortley in 1896. This seemed to fit the bill so I sent for the death certificate.

It seems 'this' Eliza died in South Yorkshire Asylum, Wadsley, from Pulmonary Consumption (Tuberculosis). Her age is given as 32 and occupation Domestic Servant of Sheffield. Would the fact that an occupation is shown  perhaps suggest that Eliza was a staff member rather than an inmate? Is there anyway I can verify this information and find out where she might have been buried?

I do think that this must be 'our' Eliza as I haven't been able to find any other candidates! I would be very grateful for any thoughts as I feel I might be jumping to wrong conclusions here!   

Thank you 

[Carol22]

Hi there,

Can you tell me the year she died, My GG Grandfather died in South Yorkshire Asylum in 1895 and on the 1891 census he is listed as WS just the initials of his first and last name. I have looked on the 1891 census and there were a few EC's I know you say she was born in 1859 but they may have her age wrong, they did with my man.


Caz

[Carol22]

Sorry

just spotted the year in the previous para.

Caz

[Carol22]

Hi

me back again,

The only surviving records that Sheffield Archive have is the admittance and discharge book. I do not know if they will (at a cost of course ) look for you. (Wakefield did for me recently )

They need to look from April 1891 to her date of death, for inmate of staff.
If she was an inmate I wish you well with your search for her grave.
My GG Grandfather died in 1895 and I have been look for 5 years for the grave and I lived in Sheffield at that stage, and have never found it. It appears that if her family did not claim the body it could have gone for resarch, there were no burial plots in the vicinity of the Asylum although there was a church, this has all gone quite recently to building new homes. I have searched all the records for all the churches and grave yards in Sheffield and like you have the death cert but I also understand that there is a church nearby to the Asylum and the bodies were put in unmarked graves, if more than one in the same week they went in the same grave.

Caz

[stanleymansion]

Hi Caz   

Thank you very much for getting back to me; I appreciate your time.

I'm sorry to hear that you haven't been able to locate the grave of your great great grandfather after all those years of searching. It's such a shame and must be so frustrating.

I managed to find Eliza in the 1891 census. At that time she was living at 17 Sackville Street, Bradford as a Boarder. She is shown as a widow, born Scarborough and her age is just a couple of years out. Her occupation then was laundress.

Come 1901 I couldn't find any trace of her, under her maiden name, married name or any trace of a remarriage. So I started to look at deaths and found the one I have described, in 1896. It's possible she was working at Wadsley but there again she may have been suffering a depressive illness. After all her husband had died and she had left her daughter with grandparents. So I suppose anything is possible!

I think I might, as you suggest, contact Sheffield Archive and see if they can suggest anything or if they will look up the details for me.

I'm not sure I like the idea of unclaimed bodies being sent for research nor does the idea of a 'weekly burial plot' and everyone in appeal much! Still I guess there was only so much they could do and if no-one came forward they were left with a body to dispose of. So very sad.

Thanks again Caz for your help. I wish you well with your search and hope that your perseverance will reward you.

Lyn

[acorngen]

Two things to say to this thread.  South Yorkshire didnt exist back in the late 19th early 20th century   Also Sheffield cannot right now get or produce any original records due to building work going on so you may have a long wait.  The cost that they will charge for such a search may be enough to put you off

On the note of burials.  Those people in Assylums may well have been buried in a public grave (paupers grave) depending of course on whether she was of sufficient means, or her family were to bury her.

I have just been transcribing the burial records for Christ Church Doncaster and found a number of people dying whose address was given as the West Riding assylum and brought home so maybe have a look at the area she used to live in prior to being admitted to the assylum

Rob

[Dalum]

South Yorkshire didnt exist back in the late 19th early 20th century  

Not as a tier of local government (and certainly not as a 'fourth' Riding  ). Nevertheless, this institution was called the South Yorkshire Lunatic Asylum and is listed as such in census records and directories. The West Yorkshire Asylum was in Wakefield.

Also Sheffield cannot right now get or produce any original records due to building work going on so you may have a long wait.  The cost that they will charge for such a search may be enough to put you off

As I understand it, the building work was not expected to affect all of the archive store at any given time, and they may be able to issue documents given enough notice, so that they can choose the right moment to dash in and get them 

Hugh

[acorngen]

I was told by Doncaster Archives who had a letter from South Yorks archives that there would be no document issuing whilst the works were ongoing.  All that was available was the microfiche.  I will check this for clarification on Monday

Rob

[stanleymansion]

Hi

Thank you very much for your replies. 

I contacted Sheffield Archive earlier in the week as I understand that they do in fact hold a book(s) relating to the day to day running of the South Yorkshire Asylum at Wadsley during the period I'm enquiring about. This documented such day to day affairs as comings and goings, staffing etc.

Before writing I had done quite a lot of research into the SYA so i'm aware that what information they hold may be scanty and may not contain anything about my relative. I have searched for a burial in her family home town area of Scarborough but have not been able to find anything. 

I have received a very nice reply from Sheffield which states that they are continuing to issue information during the ongoing work but inevitably things are a little slower  than usual.  They say it may take about a month or so and have given me the name of the person who will be dealing with my enquiry.

What more can I say? Excellent service, I'm delighted with their response! 

Lyn