• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Mother and Baby home Moseley

Hi - not been on this forum for a while, so only just picked up your question.

I can tell you that there was a big old staircase - very grand. I can't remember the skylight, but there may have been one. I believe the place is now an old people's home. I too would love to look round

Sorry I can't help further
 
Hello Maggie62 this was I think a bad time in our history and judging by the posts here affected many young women. My friend was there in the 60's I remember visiting her and seeing girls in tears who's babys had been taken for adoption. Thank goodness we have learned and I know a few have been able to make contact with their children.
 
Hello Wendy thank you for making contact yes this was a sad time in my life and in many other young womens lives but when I was there it was christmas time and yes it was hard but do you know what! we did have some fun with the nuns and it was not all bad. maggie
 
I was also at the Grange July/August 1966. I remember the Matron and Nurse Warburton were very nice but cookie was awful although she had a heart of gold. I also remember the staircase and the nurseries. Also the top floor dormitories where we escaped down the fire stairs sometimes.
Like yourself lots of memories some good some bad!!
 
Hi i know this is a thread dated 4 years ago..but wondered if you had found any info re..lahai - roi. mother and baby home. The home was not roman catholic.. it was run by Angican nuns.. and miss winifred hellmuth is stated on my adoption papers to identify me at court for my adoption.... there is a book at Birmingham City Archives Library written by her about the home... but im struggling to find any other information about the home and its records... they seem to have been distroyed.

Has anyone seen the book written by Miss Winifred Hellmuth that is in the Birmingham Library Archived. She also wrote her autobiograph, but i cant find that.!.. im going to see if i can upload some pics of the pages i photocopied at the library of her book
 
I've read this thread with interest about the Mother and Baby Home in moseley.
I am searching for my husband's sister, and have been for 7 years.
The family were all split up in 1950 when their Mother Gladys died.
We have found out very little about Mary Teresa (Tess) Johnson. But the one thing we do know for
sure is, she was working in a hotel on the Wake Green Road, moseley in 1961. She was then 16yrs old.
My thought is, could she by any chance have fallen pregnant around the early 1960s, and had a child in this home?
It is a possibility.
So my question is, does anyone who was in this home remember her please?
I know how difficult it is, as I had a child myself at the age of 17yrs in Bristol.
But if anyone can help please, or remembers Mary it would be so much appreciated.

My thanks
Rosy
 
Hi Rosy...ive just recieved an email about your quest to find your husbands sister... im so sorry but im unable to help . Hopefully someone else on here can remember something for you. Ive travelled to birmingham library archives again and still found nothing.... there just does not seem to be any records anywhere.. best wishes ..hope you can find answers for your questions.
 
Hi Sharon, thankyou so much for what you have done, I really appreciate it. I've been searching for records on the internet,
but there doesn't appear to be any.
Am hoping someone may read my post and be able to help.
Thankyou so much Sharon
Rosy
 
Hi Sharon
Have answered your blog but just in case this can help someone else I have also posted it here too. I believe that Miss Winifred Hellmuth was mentioned as working at the Mother and Baby home, Moseley.

The autobigraphy of Miss Winifred Hellmuth is now out of print but this is the name of the publishers and the ISBN number in case you can google it and come up with a second hand copy.

You could also try to e-mail the publisher and he may give you the contact details for the author J.G.Hinton who may have been related to Miss Hellmuth and could perhaps tell you something about the mother and baby home and the location of any records too.

Its worth a try, you dont get if you dont ask as the saying goes. Good Luck

Publishers Morleys Print & Publishing 1996

https://www.moorleys.co.uk/contact.php

The ISBN is 9780860714811
The author was J.G.Hinton

Louisa
 
Hi, Winifred, Her Story: Biography of Winifred Mary Hellmuth can be got from waterstones.com at £3.50 I do hope that this may be of help maggie62
 
Hi Maggie62 and Louisa
thank you both very much for this information, i shall try to sort it this week and hopefully get back on here with my findings . it would be wonderful to find out if any records have been kept. birmingham archives library's are very sketchy..nothing for 1955 - 59 to help me. many thanks...Sharon53
 
Hi all
My cousin fathered a child who was born at the Mother & Baby Home, Moseley in March 1965.
As his affair with the mother had ceased sometime prior to the birth and that during this time he had been advised that the mother had terminated the pregnancy, it came as a bolt out of the blue when, some eight years later, he was advised that the pregnancy had gone full term, that a baby girl had been born and that she had been adopted soon afterwards.
He discovered that, quite naturally, the mother had not included his name on the birth certificate so he has spent the last 40 years just wondering "what if......".
He registered his details with numerous official contact/adoption agencies etc but without success although he well understood all the many good reasons why nothing ever came of it.
The trials and tribulations of all who experienced the trauma of these institutions must be deeply sympathised with but, once in a while, a totally unexpected victim crops up making us realise that sadly the heartache can be far more widespread than expected.
Regards to all.
 
Lostsoul that is very sad especially as there could possibly be two people longing to meet each other. Others here may be able to give some advice on where to look.
 
Hi Wendy
Yes it's a heartache hard to come to terms with.
My cousin managed to obtain a copy of the birth certificate of his daughter but the fatal words "ADOPTED" were on it and that, as they say, was that.
Whilst there are numerous contact & enquiry agencies, etc etc it does seem a pity that some universal, FREE site cannot be established for persons wishing to contact each other & that simply requires you to enter a predetermined set of bullet points that are then filtered by a search engine that would throw up, if any, possible solutions.
Regards x
 
I don't know much on the subject but I have read posts which have said adopted children often had two birth certificates. There are people who will help but sometimes the adopted child chooses not to make contact.
 
hi i was wondering if any one was in the grange between the time march-nov(estimated)in 1970 i got told about the grange and is helping someone i love try and find young women who was there in that period of time has she is wondering how they are.
the lady i am enquiring for was one the lucky ones and left the grange to still keep her baby in which i am so glad.i got told how it was run and the young ladies had to do chores til the day they gave birth and they would ring a bell i think once for a girl n twice for a boy or vice versa
 
Hi,

Does anyone know if there are any records kept re babies born in this mother & baby home please?
If so, can i access them in some way please.
Many thanks
rosy
 
Back
Top