George St, Wick 1871

[grandma]

I have discovered in the 1871 census that my g-g-grandmother (originally from Dunbeath) was staying in a house in George St with her illigitimate children and a sister but also noticed that a lot of the other people in the street were also unmarried mothers. There were no house numbers, just the street name, so I'm not sure if they were in separate houses. Does anyone know if there was some kind of hostel for them or is it just a coincidence.
Thankyou to anyone who can clear this up for me.

[trinkie]

Hi Grandma,
This is just my personal opinion, but I feel there would certainly not have been a Hostel for unmarried mothers in Wick at that time. The area was likely of low cost houses for the women. I have a feeling the word illegitimate was not used then either, it came with the Victorians.
Children born out of wedlock were usually absorbed into the mother's family - it was not unusual and quite accepted. Before long the mother would marry the father ( in most cases. )
You say a lot of other unmarried mothers lived in that street - that's how it was at that time.
I know the church did not like that kind of thing going on....that's another story. In my gt gt g's case the father was an Elder in the Kirk !
I think you will find that in almost every family the baby came before the wedding.

Good luck
Trinkie

[grandma]

Thanks for that Trinkie. Maybe hostel was wrong word.

I was just curious as to where the houses might have been as there is no house numbers on the census. She had 2 children to different fathers' with a 10 year age difference. I can't find her on an 1861 census but she is living at Dunbeath on the 1851 and 1881 census. I would have thought her family would have helped her out but maybe a second child was too much?
Any clues on where else to look for details?

[trinkie]

This is a difficult one, as anything might have happened.
An extra child to feed would not be easy for the family, especially with grandparents getting older.
The young mother could have been off living with the child's father. Or, maybe she went into Service and the child left with the g.parents.
It could be so many things.
Have you searched in Sutherland and Ross-shire ?
Some women went to far off lands with a soldier husband - India , Java etc.
Heaven forbid, but it's possible she was in the Latheron Poorhouse.

Happy Hunting
Trinkie

[Mosser]

Thanks for that Trinkie. Maybe hostel was wrong word.

I was just curious as to where the houses might have been as there is no house numbers on the census. She had 2 children to different fathers' with a 10 year age difference. I can't find her on an 1861 census but she is living at Dunbeath on the 1851 and 1881 census. I would have thought her family would have helped her out but maybe a second child was too much?
Any clues on where else to look for details?

House numbers in Wick did not come into use until the 1890s which makes searches quite difficult and at the time the population was quite fluid. The herring fishing season was June to Sept so that would not have affected your lady as regards the census but moving into service in a different parish or as Trinkie says marrying a soldier would really disrupt your search. Try an enquiry at http://north.highlandarchive@highland.gov.co.uk

Mosser

[grandma]

Thank you for your reply.
She was marked as being a spinster when she did finally marry (at the age of 46 and to a man of 60 in Dunbeath) so think it unlikely that she went off with a soldier. Rumour in the family is that the second child was to a Wick area landowner who had a large household and was known to take advantage of the women in his employ, She would have been 34 when she had her second child. I'm glad she did because he was my g-grandfather. :lol: