Monday 30 November 2009

144a Brownlow Hill Liverpool Workhouse?

Hello

I am researching my family history, and have discovered that one of my family members was born at 144a Brownlow Hill in Liverpool. This was not the family address at that time, and the father was listed as living at the family address. Was this place a maternity hospital? or perhaps some other form of institution? The birth was completely Legitimate,  The couple having married the previous year.
 

Thank you
 

Dave







22 comments:

  1. Dear David,

    on doing some further research into 144A Brownlow Hill I have discovered from the Gores Directory for 1900 that 144A Brownlow Hill is the address of the Liverpool Workhouse in Brownlow Hill. This does not mean your relative was an inmate of the Workhouse as I believe it also provided medical services. Please see the scan from the directory.

    Regards

    Rob Ainsworth

    Programme Secretary & Web Administrator

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  2. Hello Rob,

    Thanks for that, after looking at an 1830s map of the area that was the conclusion that I reached, I think that Walton Hospital started its life as a workhouse, as did the Deva Hospital in Chester. But by 1910 I think that that system of "care in the community" was over.

    Thanks again for your help.

    Best Regards

    Dave

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  3. Hello Dave,

    glad to help where I can. You are correct that the old workhouse building became hospitals such as Walton and Mill Road. I also learned the postal address of the Liverpool Workhouse was 144A Brownlow Hill.

    Regards

    Rob Ainsworth

    Programme Secretary & Web Administrator
    Liverpool History Society
    Web Site:http://liverpoolhistorysociety.org.uk

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  4. Hello Dave,

    I have gleaned some further information on 144A Brownlow Hill. After 1904, registrars were instructed not to record a place of birth that indicated a workhouse in case this proved detrimental to the child in later life.

    Instead ordinary street addresses were used, often these were fictitious as was probably the case with 144A Brownlow Hill, because this address in on the odd numbers side of the road. The ending "a" often appears in similar adddresses. 144a Brownlow Hill was not the workhouse's address, but the pseudo-address used on birth certificates for children born there as the workhouse did have an infirmary.

    Regards

    Rob Ainsworth
    Liverpool History Society

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  5. hi my mother was born in 144a Brownlow Hill and as you say it was on her birth certificate as her address,but her father had his address down somewhere else even throw they where married and there was other children? So how can i get to know what or where the other children where living? or that they lived in the workhouse in 1921? or that the children where living with their father?

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  6. my dad was born in the infirmary there, 1922, they did not live there, but the census showes their home address,scotland road, not brownlow hill, it is a shock when you are researching, but be assured it had an infirmary attached, i do believe he was born there due to them being poor, maybe there was no charge? it was long before the n h s, so even the midwife needed payment?hope you find this a little help.

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  7. thanks kathy yes i thought that but on my mothers birth certificate where it say when/where born it says Brownlow Hill. and like you i know there was no nhs as we know it today. I just wonder where the other children where? I will look up on the census and see what i come up with THANKS AGAIN

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  8. sorry i forgot also where it says on her birth certificate signature,residence of informant it gives mothers address as 144a Brownlow Hill.

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  9. do u no anything about wide street in liverpool it use to be by crown strrt thanxs

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  10. Hello Teresa,

    I cannot find any reference to Wide Street, the only other street with a similar name is Wilde Street near to London Road between Fraser Street and Norton Street.

    Regards

    Rob Ainsworth
    Liverpool History Society

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  11. Wide Street used to run off crown street parallel to Paddington

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  12. I have been looking for my real Grandmother, I knew my Dad was unofficially adopted. I found her death certificate and it shows 144A Brownlow Hill. Has this changed to an infirmary then or did she die in a workhouse.

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  13. Hello,

    what was the date of death? As this will possibly indicate whether she was in the infirmary or the hospital.

    Rob

    Liverpool History Society

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  14. My uncle was the first superintendent of the Liverpool Maternity Hospital 1926-1957. He had a commemmorative plaque, which you can see on the website www.pell.org.uk. If you know where that plaque is, please email davedexter@hotmail.com.

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  15. Hello-maybe of general interest-My grandfather died on 06/11/1918 in the mentioned workhouse hospital, from the Spanish flu. Liverpool history society sent me a copy of his registration -arrived nov 1st--died nov 6th, everyone on the list bar one, died.Also included was a arial photo taken 1930 of the whole site--very clear. I was told that the Catholic Cathedral was built on here. Phil croft--Somerset

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  16. hello my name is linda graney im looking for any photos taken of a sylvia anne graney she was my husbands mum and sadly there are no photos of her that we no of.she lived on brownlow hill num 154 she lived over the kenny family if anyone has any communion photos taken in the 60s with any of the graney family on we would be so pleased to hear from you.

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  17. A man with the same name and age as a member of my family tree Dominick Quinn (34) is recorded as being buried in Walton Park, Liverpool 24/1/186, Adode: Workhouse.

    I can find no other death for this name and age in the period and he was not with his wife in 1851 census or thereafter.

    BUT we have no other link to Liverpool (other than possible travel back to Ireland), so not sure if "mine".

    1. Would there be a list of workhouse inmates in this period - perhaps his family would have been with it.
    2. Which workhouse is it likely to have been?

    Thanks, Deb

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  18. It was Brownlow Hill workhouse according to the death certificate

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  19. if after the 1920s then it was a hospital before the formation of the NHS

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  20. I have discovered the term 'worker at Oakum Works' on a census entry. I know that oakum picking was a very low level job, often carried out by inmates of the workhouses,but does anyone know what the 'Oakum Works' were in Liverpool? Was it part of the workhouse or were there other places that people carried out this work?
    Also, in the last century, when a woman was widowed, was there any support at all?
    Thankyou!

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    Replies
    1. 'Oakum Works' - I've not come across this in the Street Directories. I would think as you, that it was the occupation of the Workhouse inmates. The French prisoners at the Tower, and later the Borough Gaol would have done similar.

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  21. 144a Brownlow Hill.

    Do we know which building was the Workhouse Infirmary in question?

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