THE WORKHOUSE
It was very humbling when I discovered that the place of death shown on the death certificates of my 3rd G-grandparents, John Barrett Beer (1808-1884), a butcher, and his wife Sarah Priscilla Couch (1809-1863) was Stoke Damerel Workhouse, Devon (see description below – renamed Devonport Workhouse in 1897) and that my 2nd G-grandfather, Henry Grieve (1830-1894), had died in the Tranmere Union Infirmary, which was part of the Birkenhead Union Workhouse. Since then, I have found one other ancestor and a few other relatives in various workhouses. Until the National Health Service was established in 1948, the Workhouse Infirmary was one of the few places where medical care could be obtained free of charge. As a result, many babies were born in the Workhouse and many older people ended their days there.
Peter Higginbottom has a comprehensive website, The Workhouse, the Story of an Institution, which makes fascinating reading, and has published several books on the subject.
Peter Higginbottom has a comprehensive website, The Workhouse, the Story of an Institution, which makes fascinating reading, and has published several books on the subject.
The Beer and Couch Families and Stoke Damerel Workhouse, Devon
The following description of Stoke Damerel Workhouse appeared in "History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Devonshire 1850" (available at Google Books for free Here, accessed 2 Aug 2013) – the John Beer mentioned as Clerk of Commissioners is unrelated to "my" Beer family below. Additional information on Stoke Damerel Workhouse is also available at the Encyclopedia of Plymouth History (website no longer available, but the link given is from the Wayback Machine Internet Archive) and also at The Workhouse (see above).
Description of Stoke Damerel Workhouse in History, Gazeteer, and Directory of Devonshire (1850), Page 703
John Barrett Beer (1808-1884), Sarah Priscilla Couch (1809-1863), and Family
My 3rd G-grandfather, John Barrett Beer, a butcher, was shown as being in Stoke Damerel (Devonport) Workhouse on the 1871 and 1881 Censuses. On the 1871 Census, he is shown as being an Inmate, 64 years old, a Widower, with no occupation, born in Devonport. On the 1881 Census, he is shown as being a Pauper, 74 years old, a Widower, Butcher, born in Devonport.
Montage of 1871 Census, Stoke Damerel, Devon, England; Devonport Workhouse; Class: RG10; Piece: 2137; Folio: 86; Page: 3
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1881 Census, Stoke Damerel, Devon, England; Stoke Damerel Workhouse; Class: RG11; Piece: 2212; Folio: 117; Page: 2
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<ADD DETAILS, including clips of 1871/1881 Censuses and Death Certificate>
<ADD DETAILS, including clips of 1861 Census and Death Certificate>
Sarah Priscilla Beer (1846‑1846), daughter of John Barrett Beer and Sarah Priscilla Couch (above) was born with spina bifida and reported as dying in Stoke Damerel Workhouse. I knew nothing of her until I had bought the death certificate for a "Sarah Priscilla Beer" who had died in Stoke Damerel, Devon in 1846, assuming it was the correct one for her mother and namesake. Because she was born and had died between censuses and there wasn't any evidence of a baptism in the Parish records (she had died when only 12 days old), I had no idea of her existence. If she hadn't shared the somewhat unusual name of her mother, I wouldn't have had a cause to buy her death certificate. Also, at the time, I hadn't found her mother on the 1861 Census (due to Workhouse only using initials for documenting the inmates on the 1861 census), and still haven't found her on the 1851 Census (she definitely isn't listed as one of the Workhouse inmates).
<ADD CLIPS from Death Registration Index and Death Certificate>
Nathaniel Enoch Beer (1834-1908) – <ADD DETAILS>
William Henry Couch (1888-????)
Mary Ann Brown (1831‑1906), wife of Andrew Henry Couch (1825‑1888), was living in Devonport Workhouse on the 1901 Census, together with her grandson, William Henry Couch (1888‑XXXX). <ADD DETAILS>
Joseph Dumbell (1823-1891) and West Derby Workhouse, Liverpool
Joseph Dumbell (1823-1891) was an inmate of West Derby Workhouse, in Walton, Liverpool on the 1891 Census and I'm trying to establish the relationship of him to my Dumbell Watchmakers of Liverpool. On this census, he is shown as a Pauper, Widower, age 59 (estimated DOB 1832), Watch Finisher, born Liverpool. I found the same individual on the 1881 Census, this time a Lodger at 81 Ellison Street with Edward Kelly and his family, although he is shown as being Single, age 50 (estimated DOB 1831), Watchmaker Finisher, born Liverpool. I have just ordered the death certificate for a Joseph Dumbell who died in 1891, shown as being 60 years old (estimated DOB 1831) and registered Oct-Nov-Dec 1891 in West Derby (Liverpool), who I assume is the same person, to see if the informant of the death provides any useful information – although I won't be surprised if his address is the Workhouse and that the informant is the Master of the Workhouse (which won't get me anywhere).
I have a strong suspicion that this Joseph Dumbell may have been my 2nd G-grandfather, who was baptized in 1823 (before birth registration was required in July 1837), the son of Joseph Dumbell (1794-1866) and Sarah Makin (1799-1863). He married Sarah Aspinall (1826-????) in 1845. Both Josephs were watchmakers and both are shown at the same residence on the 1861 Census – this census has a lot of errors, including the fact that Joseph, Jr. was single, which was definitely incorrect, as he should have been shown either as married or widowed. I found no evidence of Sarah Dumbell (née Aspinall) on the 1861 Census (or any subsequent censuses) and no evidence of Joseph, Jr. on the 1871 Census and also haven't been able to locate a death record for either of them – specifically between 1851-1861 for Sarah (or anywhere later) or from 1861-1871 for Joseph. No-one else researching this branch on Ancestry (at least on public trees) has found these either.
With the exception of incorrect estimated year of birth on both the 1881 Census (maybe his landlord, Edward Kelly, just took a guess at his age and marital status) and 1891 Census (maybe Joseph got mixed up or 1823 was mistakenly written as 1832 on the Workhouse records), the Joseph Dumbell in West Derby Workhouse (above) fits with being my 2nd G-grandfather. Key to my argument is the fact that there are no records for an appropriate Joseph Dumbell born around 1831 prior to the 1881 Census. Once I receive his death certificate, I'll poll my various "Ancestry cousins" on this branch of the tree to see if they buy this or have any other ideas.
I have a strong suspicion that this Joseph Dumbell may have been my 2nd G-grandfather, who was baptized in 1823 (before birth registration was required in July 1837), the son of Joseph Dumbell (1794-1866) and Sarah Makin (1799-1863). He married Sarah Aspinall (1826-????) in 1845. Both Josephs were watchmakers and both are shown at the same residence on the 1861 Census – this census has a lot of errors, including the fact that Joseph, Jr. was single, which was definitely incorrect, as he should have been shown either as married or widowed. I found no evidence of Sarah Dumbell (née Aspinall) on the 1861 Census (or any subsequent censuses) and no evidence of Joseph, Jr. on the 1871 Census and also haven't been able to locate a death record for either of them – specifically between 1851-1861 for Sarah (or anywhere later) or from 1861-1871 for Joseph. No-one else researching this branch on Ancestry (at least on public trees) has found these either.
With the exception of incorrect estimated year of birth on both the 1881 Census (maybe his landlord, Edward Kelly, just took a guess at his age and marital status) and 1891 Census (maybe Joseph got mixed up or 1823 was mistakenly written as 1832 on the Workhouse records), the Joseph Dumbell in West Derby Workhouse (above) fits with being my 2nd G-grandfather. Key to my argument is the fact that there are no records for an appropriate Joseph Dumbell born around 1831 prior to the 1881 Census. Once I receive his death certificate, I'll poll my various "Ancestry cousins" on this branch of the tree to see if they buy this or have any other ideas.
Grieve Family and Workhouses
My 2nd G-grandfather, Henry Grieve (1830-1894), died in the Tranmere Union Infirmary, which was part of the Birkenhead Union Workhouse. However, there is no indication that he or anyone else in this part of the family ever lived in Birkenhead Union Workhouse (they were not well off, but certainly a long way from being destitute). His death certificate shows that he died of XXXX (see below – <TO BE ADDED>) and it seems likely that he was there for the hospital facilities when he was ill (see comment in the first paragraph of this webpage).
Henry Grieve's grand-daughter, Letitia Grieve (1880-1943), was the illegitimate daughter of Agnes Hannah Grieve (1860-1926) and was born in the Liverpool Workhouse.
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Page updated 24 July 2014 |
