British Home Child - William Allen LAYFIELD

[gemmee]

Indi, and all---I can't thank you enough for all your help. 
I sent a query to the Manchester Library and Archives and these 2 boys you identified indeed were my grandfather and his brother, Walter....  I'm not sure if size of messages are restricted, but I am going to try to copy their reply into this message, so that if others come looking for the same family, the information will be here.... Hope that's o.k.   Here goes:

Dear Gail

I have found William and Walter in the Chorlton Union Register of Children (M4/60/2). I cannot photocopy the register because it is in poor condition.

For both boys the following information is the same:

Particulars re parents: 'Deserted. Mother Harriet Leighfield, widow'
Township chargeable: 'R.O.'
Prior chargeable: Styal Cottage Homes'
Date of discharge from school: 13 Mar 1907
Society responsible: Manchester and Salford Boys' and Girls' Refuges
Sailing: 4 Apr 1907
Destination: Ontario

William:
Born 29 Dec 1891
Employer: Miss I T Hutchinson, Canan, Ontario
Employer: James Perrin, Millbrook, Ontario
Reports: various good and fair reports from 1907-1911, including one dated 25 Apr 1908: 'boy met with accident, lost use of one eye through kicks from colt' (Hutchinson)

Walter:
Born 1897
Employer: Mrs D Hunter, Canan, Ontario
Employer: W Sandford, Eldorado
Employer: J H H McQuade, Omernce P. B. Ontario
Employer: Matthews Laing Co., Pork Packers, Peterborough, Ontario

Reports: one poor, 5 good and 3 bad reports, including one dated 10 May 1911: 'boy troublesome and untruthful' (McQuade), and one dated 26 Aug 1912: 'address not known', and two special reports dated 22 May1912 and 18 Feb 1914 but with no details

We hold the log books of Styal Cottage Homes, but these do not feature children's details. The admissions registers, which do, are still held by Social Services. Kind regards,

David Govier

Archivist




RG13/3320 Folio 28 Page 7

Cheshire, Styal
District Chorlton Union Cottage Homes

Walter LEYFIELD age 5
William LEYFIELD Age 10
both born in Manchester.

The problom might be that it says that almost all of the children on the page were born in Manchester....this doesn't seem likely!

Off to look for LEYFIELD

Cheers
Indi

[J.J.]

....We have a resource sub board with some information and hopefully up-to date rootchatter's home child entries... ( I try to keep it updated  ) so people can also find their way here from there...
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,148045.0.html

also a rootschatter is part of a descendant of home children site, her posting and web link can be found on there as well....

How wonderful to get so much information, gemmee...  
( ouch to the horse kick, poor kid!) J.J.

[osprey]

Possibility for the boys' mother?
1901 Chorlton Union Workhouse RG13/3673 folio 164 pg 31
Harriet Layfield widow 38 school teacher b. Ripon, Yorkshire

[gemmee]

Thanks for the heads up on that rootschatter site, J.J.  I will wander on over and read for a bit. 

And Osprey, thanks for the heads up on the boys' mother.  You know I was so excited when I received that email, all I could think of was, Blimey, we found them!!!  Then about half an hour later, I began to think about all the searching that find is going to create .... looks like I'm really just beginning!!! 

Wow, she was a school teacher... how difficult must that have been to give up her own children?!

[osprey]

Think you would need proof, but it would be a huge coincidence for it to be another widowed Harriet Layfield in the Chorlton Union area. As the workhouse could also provide healthcare, I wondered if she was not well enough to care for the boys. Perhaps another query for the Manchester Archives?
But at least you've got some details to work from now.
 

[gemmee]

Agreed, Osprey... what's the chances?!  I have replied back to the Archivist in Manchester and hope that he might indulge me one more time.   I'm hopeful that mid-week next week, I may get replies both from him and from the registry in Manchester where I requested details on the children's records at Chorlton.  Surely, somewhere amongst all this there will be a father's name.   

Perhaps by the time the report comes from Barnardo's, I will have all the information.     I think it was Migky that told me that she got more information from the Home than she did from Barnardo's.... oh well, only 3-6 months and we will know.

I got an email a week or so ago indicating a possible last name for Harriet as Dove... but can't put my hands on it now to save my soul.... so, I'm off to check out the Doves...

Have a good day.

[J.J.]

That was from a Marriage December Quarter 1887 Manchester...vol  8d and page 256 for a Harriet Dove and a William...but did we prove the children were born in Manchester, or just that they ended up there? I can't remember if we pinpointed their entries on the BMD? J.J.
 

[J.J.]

Might want to pick up this cert as interesting date  !!!!

Births December Q. 1898
Harriet Layfield
Manchester
vol. 8d  p.263

Deaths March Q. 1899
Harriet Layfield  age 0 
Manchester 
vol 8d p. 224

and then the one death I found earlier on....
Deaths Sept. Q. 1899
William Layfield age 45
Manchester
vol. 8d  p.270

so she may have been ill as well, as suggested....

[J.J.]

1891 census anyone for William Leyfield born c1854   /  Harriet Layfield born c1863 yorks?  I can see both names in Lancs but don't have access to know if they are together...and that's where Wm. was born in 1891-95