Records in Poor Relief Institutions

Asylums, Poor Houses and the like.

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KittyKat
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2016 10:39 pm

Records in Poor Relief Institutions

Post by KittyKat » Fri Feb 19, 2016 4:49 am

I just posted about my search for Caroline Reid b 1848 in the Census board. In relation to that request, I'm wondering if there are any of the poor relief institutions, particularly in Paisley area, whose records are available online. I suspect that my Caroline was in such a place in early 1871 and perhaps between 1872 and 1881, but cannot find the information in the census reports. I do notice that many of these places are included in the census, but does anyone know how complete these records are? She was a worker in the mills, listed on her child's birth record as "bleacher", but her death record in 1881 lists her occupation as "pauper, formerly washerwoman". I have read that the Women's Houses of Refuge often ran laundries to employ the women and wonder if she may have been in one of these prior to her death, but she died in Feb 1881 which was prior to the census that year. The only prior addresses for her are Collier St, Johnstone in 1861 where she was a boarder, Broadlea Banks, Neilston in June 1870 which is listed as place of birth for her son, and then Rankine St. in Johnstone was listed as her address when she was re-admitted to the poorhouse in June 1872. (A wonderful woman named Anne went to Paisley library for me and found the records for her in Abbey Poorhouse... thank-you Anne!) I'm trying to fill in the holes, especially around the time of the 1871 census in April of 1871, and also between June of 1872 when she was in Abbey Poorhouse and 1881 when she died at a boarding house in Neilston. If anyone has any ideas where I might find such records, or how I might narrow down at which institution she may have been, please let me know!

KittyKat

Falkyrn
Posts: 295
Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2005 7:04 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Records in Poor Relief Institutions

Post by Falkyrn » Tue Feb 23, 2016 3:45 pm

One problem that you have is that your lady travels between different Parishes boundaries and although the Church was no longer responsible the Civil authorities were set up on the Parish boundary system. The Parishes are Neilston (records not online), Abbey (Paisley - available at Paisley Library) and the Parish for Johnstone (not online).

Although now a suburb area and partially agricultural Neilston was at one time the industrial heart of the area with six different cotton mills operating and producing the textile which required Bleaching as part of the process. Some fields in the area are still known as Bleaching Fields. If you check the historical maps of Neilston at the National Library of Scotland ( http://www.nls.uk/) they are marked there. Unfortunately the Textile business was highly volatile and workers were often laid off if there was a downturn in business which may account for the time in the Poorhouse - although another reason may have been ill health as the only free hospital treatment was also through the Poorhouse.

Rankine Street in Johnstone is ony a few miles from Neilston (as the crow flies) with the hills of the Gleniffer Braes the main obstruction.

http://www.portaltothepast.co.uk/article/3093/Home East Renfrewshires Archive site may have some further information for you.
~RJ Paton~

carlineric
Posts: 135
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 9:29 pm
Location: West Lothian, Scotland

Re: Records in Poor Relief Institutions

Post by carlineric » Wed Feb 24, 2016 9:53 pm

Kirsty Wilkinson has a PDF file called " Records of the Scottish Poor" on her website at http://www.myainfolk.com/Resources.html which gives the details of the poor records across Scotland.

Eric
Eric

lynnbell
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 11:27 am

Re: Records in Poor Relief Institutions

Post by lynnbell » Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:03 pm

This is not really a reply, but I am also looking for poor relief records for Neilston, I have 3 children, surname Hosie, living with maternal grandparents James and Jane Moor, in the 1861 census they are living in Neilston. According to Ancestry the are living in the poor house, according to Scotland's People they are just in Neilston no address, and Find My Past gives them as living John Green House Neilston, does anyone know if John Green House was the Poor house and if so under which jurisdiction the records would now be held. Thanking you all very much
Lynnbell

nelmit
Posts: 4001
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 11:49 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Records in Poor Relief Institutions

Post by nelmit » Sun May 01, 2016 5:46 pm

lynnbell wrote:This is not really a reply, but I am also looking for poor relief records for Neilston, I have 3 children, surname Hosie, living with maternal grandparents James and Jane Moor, in the 1861 census they are living in Neilston. According to Ancestry the are living in the poor house, according to Scotland's People they are just in Neilston no address, and Find My Past gives them as living John Green House Neilston, does anyone know if John Green House was the Poor house and if so under which jurisdiction the records would now be held. Thanking you all very much
Lynnbell
Why don't you try contacting Paisley Archives - https://libcat.renfrewshire.gov.uk/igua ... rl=PoorLaw

Regards,
Annette

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