Help! Alnwick ancestors.

[CarolBurns]

Glad I read this post as i have been having trouble finding a relative in Amble / Alnwick area

Father in laws brother was born in 1899 - Hugh Burns - but we could never find anything about him and then when we found a 1st cousin she told us that his name was never mentioned as he was a "bit funny in the head".

Apparently, he fell off a gate when he was young and as he got older he got worse so they had him "locked up" as the term was then. Nobody was allowed to mention his name and when one of hubby's 1st cousins named their son Hugh there was uproar in the family though not many could say exactly why.


Does anyone know if they have records available to look at and how would I go about it?

Carol

[emjay]

Hi Carol

The Northumberland Communities website at http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/Morpeth_C13.htm has some examples of Morpeth St. George's  Patient Case Books for 1890 - 1892. They give you a good idea of the sort of cases dealt with at the hospital. The originals would appear to be in the Northumberland Record Office.

[fluffnco]

I know it is a while since this post but just thought I'd mention that right next to St Georges hospital in Morpeth there was also a large complex called Northgate Hospital ( it was a long term residential institution though) where people who had some form of disability, mental health issue which made them appear a 'bit simple', birth out of wedlock etc were sent to live. Must be records available of 'inmates' or residents seeing as it was shut down after Care in the Community became the 'in thing'. ( If I sound a sceptic re care in the community it is because I work with the people who once lived in these large institutions and not enough resources were put in place to offer them the same levels of care at the time of closing and moving these people out causing them a great deal of hardship at the time )

Any way, hope it helps in some way

Fluffnco

[Northerngirl]

Message for Jacdee

I'm very near the Woodhorn Records Centre - where they have moved the Northumberland Records Centre to.  I've actually been looking at the Alnwick and County Gazette for 1920 this week.  When I get back I'll look for the information if you can give me a name and more directed date.
J.A.

[Michael Dixon]

Just adding to the info on St George's Hospital.

Once called "Northumberland County Lunatic Asylum"

The National Register for Archives, within the National Archives site has a register of nearly 300 separate records on St George's, with reference numbers, many shown to be lodged at Northumberland County Record Office ( now within the set-up called Northumberland Museum, Archives and Country Park, at Woodhorn.)

And on line are admission etc register for men from 1890 to 1898... showing name address, marital status, age etc.

And also a list of some female admissions.


The site also lists holdings for Northgate Hospital 1916-1960).

Michael Dixon

[Green-Bowler]

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/h/a/r/Pamela-Hart-Garden-City/PDFGENEO1.pdf

[Northerngirl]

Jacdee

I wonder if your Alnwick Gas Works mystery has been resolved yet?

When I was at Woodhorn a couple of weeks ago I looked briefly at the local newspapers.  I also looked on FreeBMD for you relatives likely death date.  I checked a few years either side and the only death for a young (workable age) male was in Castle Ward - Ponteland area if my memory serves me well.   There is only one Crowther death for Alnwick, which is where he would have been registered if he had been killed in the works, but that was for a baby boy.

The Castle Ward death was a man in his early thirties if I recall.  If that was him then he may have died from his injuries whilst at home.  I also had a look at the Northumberland Coroners/Inquest file and found no Crowther mentioned.

I am going to Woodhorn on Wednesday and need to look again at the local newspaper for a possible death notice.  Let me know any information and I will look when I am there.  If this problem has been resolved then let me know.

J.A>

[Michael Dixon]

J.A.

Just to maybe help your quest,  Castle Ward Registration District covered a fairly wide area.... to give you an idea... here are Castle Ward's four sub-district offices.....

Ponteland,
Stamfordham,
Newburn and
Gosforth.

Michael Dixon