Sarah Emma Clarence - Genealogists' Forum

Shazza34 · #1 28-08-09, 16:38

HELP Please ! Sarah Emma Clarence is my Great grandmother. I have her birth, marrage and death certs. She was born in 1887 in The Union Workhouse in Bassingbourn Cambs. I would like to know if anybody can point me in the right direction of seeing if any records from the Workhouse are still in exsitence and if i can find out why she was born there and what happened to her parents.
Her father is named on her birth cert but marriage cert says father's name not known !
Thanks for any help you can give me.
Sharon

Mark Dudley · #2 28-08-09, 16:43

Looks like the records are at Hertfordshire Record Office

Quote:

Royston Union Workhouse, which encompassed Bassingbourn-with-Kneesworth, births 1866-1929 and deaths 1866-1915 can be found at Hertfordshire Record Office.

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/CAM...ithKneesworth/

Merry · #3 28-08-09, 19:24

Hi Sharon,

I have seen Sarah on the 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses, but she is never with any family members. I noticed her birth and marriage are the only entries for anyone named Clarence in the Royston District in over 60 years, so it would seem her mother came from another area.

Were her parents married? (or said they were!) - normally if a father is named on a birth cert and he and the child's mother are not married then there would be two references to the birth in the GRO indexes (one entry for each surname), but this doesn't seem to be the case for Sarah's birth.

If you would like to tell us her parents names and her father's occupation, then we might be able to find out more about them for you.

By the way - Welcome to GF

samesizedfeet · #4 28-08-09, 20:06

Ooooh - annoying little place Bassingbourn isn't it?

Right near the border of Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire so feasibly the family could be from any of those counties.

Although equally they could be from anywhere else as well.

And welcome on board Sharon (this is Zoe by the way)

Merry · #5 28-08-09, 22:34

I see Sarah Emma was baptised 11th Dec 1892 at Royston (extracted entry IGI, birth date recorded as 1887). Her father's name is recorded as just Clarence and no mother's name, which is definitely not normal for the date, so presumably some information about this child had been lost before her baptism.

I think it was fairly unusual for someone to have lived in the workhouse for so long (assuming she was there from birth) without being baptised. I wonder who decided she should be?

Shazza34 · #6 31-08-09, 18:57

Thank you for all your help so far. I will post all the info I have so far on Sarah in next few days when I get to the main computer.
Sharon

Nell · #7 31-08-09, 23:48

Regarding the gap between her birth and baptism, I've found a lot of similar 4 or 5 year gaps in my family.

I wondered if the child's baptism was connected with being old enough to attend a C of E church?

Shazza34 · #8 02-09-09, 15:51

As promised the following is all the info I have on Sarah so far
BIRTH CERT - 11 Nov 1887 Union Workhouse Bassingbourn.
Father named as Charles Clarence, Cabinet maker
Mother Emma Clarence formerly Smith

1891 CENSUS - described as Pauper at The Workhouse, Bassingbourn
BAPTISM - 11 Dec 1892 Royston, Herts
1901 CENSUS - described as Boarder, Reed End, Therfield with George & Mary Hagger
1911 CENSUS - described as Servant Westry, Baldock Road, Royston to Powell family
MARRIED - 7 Oct 1911 Walter Charles Worboys (26) of Royston parish of Buckland, Hertford. Father unknown (didn't have copy of her own birth cert ?)
DIED - 22 May 1979 The Hospital, Royston

1) I would like help tracing her parents on earlier census' and their births and marrage so I can look for any siblings (possibly a Selina Smith named as witness on marriage cert)

2) Would also like to find out where in Royston she was baptised as I was also baptised in Royston

3) Would be intrested to find out the circumstances of why she was born in the workhouse

I have searched for myself but with no luck. Sorry this is so long but any help would be most acceptable.

Thank you

Sharon

kiterunner · #9 02-09-09, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shazza34

2) Would also like to find out where in Royston she was baptised as I was also baptised in Royston

Clicking on the "Source" on FamilySearch it lists 3 churches but this is the only Royston one included:
Church of England. Parish Church of Royston (Hertfordshire)

Merry · #10 02-09-09, 16:19

Hi Sharon,

Can you tell me who registered the birth please? Was the only address on the birth cert the Workhouse?

Who was the other witness at Sarah's marriage?