congetital imbecilie!

[sarahLB]

Thank you, it's all making more sense! It does say ward helper!! The father had deserted the family which is why the mother resorted to the workhouse, she then left to work in a coffee shop which makes sense about the need for care for the daughter.  I could never work out why the daughter wasn't put back with the family at a later date but if she had difficulties it makes sense as the family had no money! She is admitted to Rochester asylum and a note is made at a later date mentioning the 1913 act.

Do workhouse infirmary records survive? (renfrew road lambeth)

[sarahLB]

Hi Nick, Florence was born in 1889 and was working as a ward helper in 1911.

[Nick29]

Ah, so only 22 years old, then.  Easy to assume that grandparents would have been old in 1911.  Well, for people my age, anyway 

[alpinecottage]

Many conditions can cause learning difficulties and what we call today "global developmental delay", - injuries, infections, genetic problems.  However, she was obviously relatively able to have been a ward helper and it is possible she enjoyed her role in the Workhouse with meaningful work and people with whom she could have been friends.  The censuses are only snapshots of a person's life and she may have returned to her family for visits or even to live.  Obviously having learning difficulties from infancy is a sad situation, but it  does not mean your great-aunt had an unhappy life.

[sarahLB]

Thanks to everyone for your help, its helped to build up an understanding of the census info. Thanks also for not pointing out my obvious spelling mistake! 

[sarahLB]

If Florence was unable to live independently she obviously stayed at the hospital for life? The problem is I can't find her death registered at all. She was born Christmas eve 1889 - I can't think she'd have married so why can't I find her death?

[cocksie]

Unlikely to be Downs Syndrome as the medical term used in those days was "mongoloid", "mongol" or "mongoloid idiot" (until mid 60s in the medical profession and 1970s for the general population) and it has not been until recently (ie past few decades) that those afflicted lived beyond infancy or very early adulthood as associated medical problems were not treated.

[avm228]

If Florence was unable to live independently she obviously stayed at the hospital for life? The problem is I can't find her death registered at all. She was born Christmas eve 1889 - I can't think she'd have married so why can't I find her death?

Where are you looking? If FreeBMD, the problem may be that she lived beyond the dates currently covered by that site, which is a work-in-progress.

[sarahLB]

Hi I've tried free BMD and find my past. No luck so far!