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The Oaklands, Hagley Road, Birmingham

M

Mrs Bear 51

master brummie
Evening all,
I wonder if anyone can throw any light on an address of The Oaklands, Hagley Road, Birmingham and tell me if it was a hospital of any sort or just a private residence - assuming anyone knows of course.

I am doing my family history and have a relative from Leicester called Lucy Fellows Postlethwaite - born in 1822 (no idea of a death date because I can't yet find it). In 1842 she married a man called Frederick Augustus Hardy who in 1853 became a Lieutenant in the 89th Regiment. They married in St Clement Danes, Westminster (it appears she was a 'minor' so not yet 21) and the suggestion is they married there because it was away from her family in Leicester and away from anybody to object. Hardy was from Bloomsbury, London.

Anyway, on 5th March 1858, Lucy Fellows Hardy had a baby daughter with the address of the birth being The Oaklands, Hagley Road, Birmingham. It appears Baby Hardy died very soon after being born and as such, was never given a name.

Frederick Augustus Hardy is a bit of a philanderer and has at least three more children, but not with Lucy and she kind of disappears, while he appears to be with a new 'wife' every 10yrs in the census records until his death in 1876. His other children are born in Kenilworth, St Johns Wood with the third being born in 'Warwickshire' which I know can cover a multitude of locations in Birmingham - not helped by the fact that I can't find any kind of birth record for him, only what is recorded in the various census returns for him.

So, my query is when she is from Leicester (although she does have a brother who moved to Aston), her husband Fredrick is from London why might she come to Hagley Road to have her baby? Which makes me wonder if there was some significance to the address.

Any suggestions would be greatly received.

Thank you.
 
The P.O.directory of 1855 lists Oaklands as the house of Frederick Rayner Esq.. It is not listed by name in Dix's 1858 directory, but Frederick Rayner is then listed in Carpenter Road and described as a corn miller.
 
mikejee said:
The P.O.directory of 1855 lists Oaklands as the house of Frederick Rayner Esq.. It is not listed by name in Dix's 1858 directory, but Frederick Rayner is then listed in Carpenter Road and described as a corn miller.
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Thank you - I'm not sure it takes me anywhere, but I'll have to look out for the name of Mr Frederick Rayner Esq - one more thing for me to furrow my brow about!
 
There may be an Oaklands and The Oaklands on Hagley Road. Oaklands at 245 and The Oaklands at 115, though they may be the same place with a number change.

Here is a map of Oaklands 1889...

0 - Oaklands.jpg

No. 115 is closer to town (according to 1950s map) five hoses from the Plough and Harrow.

Both properties (if indeed they are different) are advertised for sale as residences.
 
Lucy appears to be in Chelsea on the 1891 census and there is a death registered Mar qtr 1893 Chelsea that could be hers.
 
MWS said:
Lucy appears to be in Chelsea on the 1891 census and there is a death registered Mar qtr 1893 Chelsea that could be hers.
Click to expand...
Yes, I had her in the 1891 Census but had not found the death a few years later. I think it probably is her. Thank you.
 
Is this the same chap ?
Birth of a daughter to Captain Frederick Augustus Hardy, April 1859.

( It is as later he is mention late of 89Th !)
 
Pedrocut said:
Is this the same chap ?
Birth of a daughter to Captain Frederick Augustus Hardy, April 1859.
Click to expand...
Yes, it is... as somebody else pointed out - it says the 'lady of' not the wife of - this birth was of Edith Etheldreda Robinson (her mother was Clara Maria Robinson who was his 'wife' in the 1861 Census, but I've never found a marriage cert for them). Edith was the child born in Kenilworth.
 
He seems to have had a few more days in court!

Behaved badly at a Coventry station in 1848 and was given the highest penalty of 5 pounds, after being to see a lady off by train.
 
Mrs Bear 51 said:
Frederick Augustus Hardy is a bit of a philanderer and has at least three more children, but not with Lucy and she kind of disappears, while he appears to be with a new 'wife' every 10yrs in the census records until his death in 1876. His other children are born in Kenilworth, St Johns Wood with the third being born in 'Warwickshire' which I know can cover a multitude of locations in Birmingham - not helped by the fact that I can't find any kind of birth record for him, only what is recorded in the various census returns for him.


Thank you.
Click to expand...
If I have the right person his "wife" Clara (as per 1861 census) is actually Clara Robinson and I think the child Edith is registered as Edith Robinson.

Am adding this to check I have the right entries: Check 1851 "wife" Marianne (he is listed as being in the 89th), 1861 "wife" Clara (he is army officer), 1871 "wife" Jane.

Edith Ethelreda Robinson reg in Coventry with no mmn
1645968303932.png
 
pjmburns said:
If I have the right person his "wife" Clara (as per 1861 census) is actually Clara Robinson and I think the child Edith is registered as Edith Robinson.

Am adding this to check I have the right entries: Check 1851 "wife" Marianne (he is listed as being in the 89th), 1861 "wife" Clara (he is army officer), 1871 "wife" Jane.

Edith Ethelreda Robinson reg in Coventry with no mmn
View attachment 167948
Click to expand...
Hi,
Yes, he has a number of 'wives' according to each Census. I am yet to find any formal marriage records for any of them, only Lucy Fellows Postlethwaite. I am quite happy that Edith is his child as her birth is the subject of a number of newspaper announcements in 1859, although she is never named, nor is her mother who is just described as the 'Lady of' not the wife of.
His other two children - Charles Edward (1856 - Warwickshire) and Maria Honoria (1860 - St Johns Wood) appear to arrive without fanfare, which makes me think that Charles Edward Hardy is not his son, as if there were fanfare about a daughter, there would be even more fanfare about an heir to the name and born before the daughter.
So I think Charles Edward is Clara's son with another man as the first time I can find anything about Charles Edward is in the 1861 Census where he is named as the son to Frederick.
Charles is not in the GRO as a Hardy or a Robinson, but whatever his father's name actually was, he uses the name Hardy all his life. All Charles' Census records show him to have been born in Kenilworth (which is where Edith was born), but I've never found a birth registration for him.
It certainly is a mystery.
 
pjmburns said:
Misunderstood which child you couldn't find a registration for.
Click to expand...
It was the address (The Oaklands) of the birth of Frederick's child with Lucy Fellows Postlethwaite (his legitimate wife) that was the query - I wondered if it was a medical facility of some sort or (as it now appears) the home address of a mate.
 
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