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was I born in Limehouse?

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  • was I born in Limehouse?

    I was born 28/03/48 in the East End Maternity Hospital, 396 Commercial Road, London E1. My birth certificate has it "Birth in the sub-district of Limehouse" & "Registration District: Stepney".
    Although born in the East End, I never lived there or hardly ever visited so I have no local knowledge of it. However, I have always used "Limehouse, Stepney, London" in the place of birth box when filling in forms. Having researched my ancestors as far as I wanted, I have belatedly turned to look at my myself, & Googled both "East End Maternity Hospital" & "Limehouse"...
    "Limehouse is bounded to the west by Limehouse Basin" (Wikipedia)- BUT the maternity hospital (now Steels Lane Health Centre) lies a further half a mile beyond (to the west of) Limehouse Basin. I cannot imagine this 21st century definition arises from boundary changes (either formal, or general informal usage) since 1948.
    So, I think I am right in in my place of birth being Stepney, but, within Stepney, was I born in Limehouse ?

  • #2
    Well, according to your birth certificate, you WERE born in Limehouse, otherwise the subdistrict would say something else!

    OC

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    • #3
      396 Commerical Road is in the old parish of St Thomas Stepney, which is in the wider Stepney reg district. I'm suprised it came under the Limehouse sub district. I wouldn't have thought of it as being in Limehouse either. It's seperated from the Limehouse parishes by Ratcliffe for a start, so way out, but how they drew up the sub registration districts is anyone's guess!

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      • #4
        But registration districts aren't made up out of parishes, they are made up out of Urban or rural districts, which aren't always the same area as a parish. A parish is an ecclesiastical measure of land, an Urban or rural district is a civil administrative area of land.

        OC

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        • #5
          Is this peace of information any use to you.

          Present name East End Maternity Hospital
          Previous name(s)
          Mothers' Lying-In Home (1884 - 1902)
          East End Mothers' Home (1902 - 1903)
          East End Mothers' Lying-In Home (1903 - 1926)

          Address: 384 - 398 Commercial Road Stepney London E1
          Previous location: 394 - 396 Commercial Road, Glanis Road, Shadwell

          Reference code(s): GB 0387 EM comprising registers of admissions, 1884-1968; registers of local bookings, recording name and trade of patients' husbands and date of marriage, 1949-1957, 1964-1968; registers of operations, 1948-1968; Midwives register of cases, 1939-1968; mothers' books, recording treatment and drugs given to patients, 1967; Night Superintendant's report books, 1963-1968. :
          Held at : Royal London Hospital -
          Full title : East End Maternity Hospital

          The East End Maternity Hospital was founded in 1884 as the Mother's Lying-in Hospital in Glamis Road, Shadwell. Its name was changed in 1928. In 1930 it had about 60 beds. During the Second World War the Hospital occupied premises at Hill Hall, Essex, and Tyringham House. With the advent of the National Health Service in 1948 it became part of the Stepney Group of Hospitals, which was merged in 1966 to form the East London Group. The Hospital was closed in 1968.

          Info taken from AIM25 Collection


          Regards Tralena

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
            But registration districts aren't made up out of parishes, they are made up out of Urban or rural districts, which aren't always the same area as a parish. A parish is an ecclesiastical measure of land, an Urban or rural district is a civil administrative area of land.

            OC
            Oh yes I realise that of course O.C, have spent many years getting my head round the changing borders of London. To answer his question simply though, as a Londoner no I'd not say he was born in Limehouse. He was born in Stepney. But technically I suppose he was, that's what the certificate says!

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            • #7
              Thank you OC, Tralena, & Richard for your contributions.
              (i) Is it possible that the birth certificate is, in fact, wrong?
              (ii) No doubt there were thousands of births at 396 Commercial Rd, & any of those reading this now might like to advise me on their own birth certificate sub-district.

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              • #8
                OC is of course right that civil and church parishes don't necessarily cover the same area but you might find the map of the boundary of Limehouse CofE parish useful http://www.rcdow.org.uk/fileupload/s...2201044114.jpg It seems to show that part of Commercial Road is in the parish, dont know whether the hospital is on that part of the road though.

                UPDATE
                I ought to be doing h*******k but this was more interesting. In 1911 the hospital was in Mile End Old Town South Western sub district, which after 1926 is listed as a sub district of Stepney, separate from the Limehouse sub district http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/reg/d...s/stepney.html so it does seem odd that your birth was listed as Limehouse.
                Last edited by JudithM; 09-06-11, 09:31.
                Judith passed away in October 2018

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                • #9
                  I would doubt very much that the birth cert is wrong. The Registrar of all people would know what the sub district was, even if no one else did, because he would be working from that office!

                  You could try phoning the local registrar. You might catch them in a bored moment.

                  OC

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                  • #10
                    Judith - thanks, the map illustrates my point: 396 lies some way off the map to the left (west)
                    OC - thanks, I assumed that one than one sub-district was administered from the same office & there was the possibility that the registrar picked up the wrong ("Limehouse") rubber stamp!? Your suggestion of contacting the registrar is a good one & also obvious (should have thought of it for myself).

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                    • #11
                      It's certainly not in a location any Londoner would recognise as part of Limehouse, but I don't doubt your certificate is correct and it was in the 'sub registration' district of Limehouse at that time. For example people born in Bow right up near Victoria Park were at one time in the Poplar registration district, and Bow is nowhere near Poplar either! Very confusing. I wouldn't get too hung up about it either way.

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                      • #12
                        I think at one time every sub district had a separate office, with its own stamp, lol. It's only lately (last 20 years?) the service has been streamlined and all the little useful local offices closed down.

                        Just a thought, but we ARE talking here about your original certificate, as issued at the time of your birth and not a later copy? I ask this because I do vaguely remember hearing/reading about the GRO using up a stock of outdated pre-printed certificates.

                        OC

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                        • #13
                          I emailed Tower Hamlets Council & have already received a reply (most impressive), as follows...
                          "between 1926-1954 the district of Stepney was divided into 4 sub-districts: Limehouse / St Geo. in the E / Mile End / Whitechapel".
                          So my birth cert. is correct.
                          However, as the familytreeforum community have ascertained that, geographically, I was not born in Limehouse, I suggest the sub-district name should be regarded as "East Stepney (adjoining Limehouse)" rather than "Limehouse". Similar interpretations could explain other London sub-district oddities (as Richard describes).
                          In future, I shall describe my place of birth as "Stepney" & never "Limehouse, Stepney".
                          Richard is right to warn me against paranoia, but I have spent my life until now thinking I ws born somewhere I wasn't ! (how odd).
                          Anyway, thanks to all contributors; case closed.

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                          • #14
                            just had a further (final) thought...
                            alternatively, sub-district "Limehouse" may, of course, geographically comprised "East Stepney AND Limehouse"

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                            • #15
                              Birth Cert

                              Hello,
                              I was born at the East London Maternity Hospital in 1951 and my certificate gives the subdistrict as Limehouse in the Mteropolitan Borough of Stepney. So I don't think this was an error

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                              • #16
                                This post has solved a mystery that I didn't know that I had!!!!!! My mother-in-law was born on 12 October 1912 at 'Mothers Home 396 Commercial Road', I have always thought that 'Mothers Home' meant that her mother had gone back to stay with her mother for the birth. They lived in Rhodeswell Road, Limehouse and the certificate has the Registration District of 'Mile End Old Town', Sub-district 'Mile End Old Town South Western in the County of London'. Incidentally the mother registered the birth and gave her address as 396 Commercial Road.

                                Margaret
                                Margaret

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