Hidden Lives Revealed. A virtual archive - children in care 1881-1981 * Image of handwritten text

Case 9380

Case number: 9380
Application year: 1903
Name:

S

Gender:

Female

Year of birth: 1895
Home: Victoria Home, Formby

Description:

S. was illegitimate and nothing was known about her father. Her mother married "a respectable fellow in the Army" and he was willing to take responsibility for the care of S. In due course a child was born to the couple. One day the man went out to his work and on his return found his wife dead. She had committed suicide. He was later ordered to return to Barracks and having much smaller wages found he could no longer support S., especially as he had to provide for his own child. Another sheet of paper has been filed with the application form. The Revd S. has written "In this case no "order" was made as the man and woman lived together for some time. Then the man left and nothing has ever been heard of him." [This is presumably a reference to S's natural father]. The child's relations were unable to help and because of the circumstances of her birth no claim could be made on them. S. was admitted to the Victoria Home, Formby on 12 January 1903. On 12 November 1903 she was transferred to All Saints Home, Orton, Birkenhead. This Home was not run by the Waifs and Strays' Society. There is no other information on the file apart from one letter about S. written in November 1915. Unfortunately it is incomplete but the index volume to the Waifs and Strays cases records that it reported that "the girl has been trained as a nurse and has passed her 6 months probation with flying colours."


Keywords: Abandonment; Employment; Illegitimacy; Stepparents; Suicide

Items: 1. Application to the Waifs and Strays' Society 2 January 1903
2. Letter from the Liverpool Branch of the Society 3 January 1903
3. Copy letter from Revd Edward Rudolf stating that the case is suitable for the Society to accept 5 January 1903
4. Letter recording that S. had been transferred to the Birkenhead Home 13 November 1903
5. Part of a letter about S's life since leaving the Birkenhead Home 14 November 195




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