District Schools, Crondall.

[JaneRH]

The District School at crondall was built so that children from several Poor Law Unions could send their children there. Some of the children came from Alton Union, some from Farnham, etc. It was more efficient to do that than for each workhouse to do its own education. The children boarded but the Alton area children came back to the workhouse here during holidays. Not all children (probably not the majority) were orphans of course. In some families, some children went here while others stayed at home - it just depended on circumstances. Yours Jane (from Alton)

[dudjac]

Hi Jane.

Thanks for the info.

Dud.

[nicky e]

Hi Dud

I just saw your posts about the Wimble Hill Orphanage - I know it was quite a long time ago you posted them.  I hope you managed to find out more information.  My grandmother, Florence Ethel Webb (born 1907) was in this orphanage with her brothers and sisters.  Their mother died in 1910 and theri father was in the workhouse in Farnham.

I've been to Farnham Museum where they were very helpful and have some information in a folder in theri archives.  It was quite sad to read about some of the things that went on there.  I remember my grandmother telling me about the place, although she didn't like to talk about it too much.  I think she went to school in Crondall or Farnham.  She used to have to walk three miles to school.

I hope this might be helpful.

Kind regards
Nicky

[helen2]

Hi
I have just found this thread about Wimble Hill. My great great grandparents James Newland and Mary Baker were there but died within days of each other in 1857. They were said to have died of erysipelas and they left five very young children. Does anyone know of this incident?
Regards
Helen

[ricoba]

On the 1901  2 of my great aunts are there ,they were classed as paupers.
They did have parents.......such as they were.
Have been trying to find records,no luck so far.
Good luck.

[nicky e]

Hi Ricoba

Unfortuantely I don't think the records exist any more for Wimble Hill.  I've been to Farnham Museum and the Surrey History Centre but it could be that some are not released for 100 years so they could be out now. 

You may have seen my earlier post - my grandmother Florence Ethel Webb was in the orphanage on the 1911 census.  She used to tell me a bit about the orphanage and there are some articles about it in the Farnham Museum, which are quite sad.  Her brother Harry and sister Alice and Elsie were also there.  Their mother died in 1910 and their father lived until 1918 but he was in the workhouse.  She told me he used to visit and let her have some of his tea in a saucer to drink! 

I would love to find out more.  There is a picutre and information about the buildings on the Peter Rowbotham? workhouses website.  Most of it doesn't exist now but I think as someone else said the chapel and some other buildings are there.  I think the children went to Crondall School.  My grandmother used to walk three miles to school.

Good luck with your research.

Nicky

[ricoba]

Thanks so much for your reply.They were sad days weren't they?
I did contact ,years ago now,someone that had something to do with that school,he was going to look to see if there were any records.I now know why the 2 girls were there.
I will look up my files and see if I can find that contact and get back to you.
Thanks again.

[ricoba]

Hi again,If I was a tidy person I would be able to find my other notes.
The archivist for All Saints Curch in Crondall had just taken over (this was in 2006) his name was Tim Wilson.He was going to look into if he could find any records.The girls were living there in 1901 classed as paupers.
I don't remember any other contact with him ,but will look for notes back 5 years.

[LesleyAx]

Not sure if wimble hill is the same as hartley Witney poor school?
My gran and her siblings grew up in this poor school at crondall in late 1800s after her mum fell on hard times
There are pics here http://www.workhouses.org.uk/FarnhamSD/
I went to Winchester records office and they have all sorts of registers with names of all the child inmates, visitors books and timetables of how children spent their days - starting about six am with boot cleaning and potato peeling etc -  and with different chores every hour all through the day - and they were given a score for their abilities on various housework tasks etc from about age 5..... All rather heartbreaking - but actually they all managed to stay in touch with their mum (who was a music hall artiste and did not have a very reliable income) and they all went on to get 'good' jobs in service, to marry and have families-  and moved on to have pretty good lives on the whole. Better than the generation before them in any case.
Lx