Mary Stanley Maternity Home was opened 1902 to provide nursing care for the poor in their own homes and was run by volunteers until 1948.
Page 18 of Birth Registration that was removed from the original book.
The page in question is from 1947/48. I did some research on the births born in Bridgwater for those two years and found all of them, except one. This leads me to question why the page was torn out of the book.. Was someone trying to 'hide' the birth of the baby, was the baby secretly put up for adoption?
Due to data protection, no names will be published but tomorrow I will go to the Bridgwater Registration Office with the document to see what I can discover.
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29 May 2013.
I have spoken to The Somerset Heritage Centre and they are going to check to see if they have the original book. It has already been agreed by the person who contacted me that the original document will be returned to the book to which it belongs if the book is found. Hopefully The Somerset Heritage Centre can locate it and it will become whole again.
31 May 2013.
I spoke with the archivist at Somerset Heritage Centre and unfortunately they do not have the original book. The also found it very odd that this one page was removed from the original book. However, I may have found some new evidence on the 'missing' mother and child. It is possible that the child (who was born 24 December 1947) was registered in January 1948. Although by law all births (deaths and marriages) should be registered within 14 days, it is possible that the child was registered later. The archivist is going to check the birth registers with the information contained on the document and will get back to me later this week.
31 May 2013.
I spoke with the archivist at Somerset Heritage Centre and unfortunately they do not have the original book. The also found it very odd that this one page was removed from the original book. However, I may have found some new evidence on the 'missing' mother and child. It is possible that the child (who was born 24 December 1947) was registered in January 1948. Although by law all births (deaths and marriages) should be registered within 14 days, it is possible that the child was registered later. The archivist is going to check the birth registers with the information contained on the document and will get back to me later this week.
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Sounds like the page found, from the original book,, was the only evidence left of original book. Maybe the original book was disturbed, and the loose page, was overlooked.
ReplyDeleteStands to reason too, that the January registration was the Christmas baby's details. Christmas would have put a halt to office opening hours, given led way to the 14 day rule if registration. Interesting read.