Nurse child?

[margaretmarch]

Has anyone come across this before? I have a 5 year old on the 1891 census whose relationship to the head of the household is shown as 'nurse child'. In the 1901 census she assumes the name of the family so has effectively been adopted.
What does it mean?
Margaret

[Barbara Dodds]

From the Big Book of genealogical terms in the Wiki

Nurse Child A child being looked after by another family for payment

It may be that the child's mother was a relative, and the family eventually just took the child in.

[margaretmarch]

Thanks Barbara, I was thinking possibly an illegitimate child of the wife but the surname isn't the same so maybe as you say a relative's child.
Margaret

[Anne in Carlisle]

I've seen it quite often, Margaret, and sometimes there seems to be no relationship at all. On a couple of occasions the 'nurse child' is the person I was looking for so I sort of know them. I took it as being some sort of informal fostering - which could well have lead on to adopting the family name.

Anne

[Penelope]

Redacted

[margaretmarch]

Thanks Anne, I think that's the case.

Penelope, the age was 5 years so I think it's more likely to be an informal fostering/adoption.
Margaret