Those less fortunate ...


Coram
Prior to 1739 any 'Exposed and Deserted Children' in London took their chances on survival, and no doubt many died as a consequence. But in that year the 'Foundling Hospital' (formally named the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was established, eventually to be located in what became known as Coram's Fields in Bloomsbury, London. It was the first such establishment in Great Britain, its building commencing in 1742 although the first children were admitted into a temporary house located in Hatton Garden on 25 March 1741.

Much more of the history of the hospital, pictured to the left, can be found here.

Fortunately the Hospital's Archive contains few mentions of the name of Lovelock, and none of Loveluck, but those that do exist are detailed below.

Edward Lovelock
Edward was entrant number 21291, and he was baptised on 26 October 1868, apparently on the same day as he was received at the Hospital. His age is not mentioned in the baptism entry, but another entry in the Archive states that he was 'Sent into the Country' on 22 September 1868 and died on 27 November of that year. The death was recorded in the Chertsey Registration District and his age as 0, but there is no GRO Birth entry in 1867 or 1868 for him, so he may have been abandoned by his mother shortly after his birth and not registered by her. As a matter of interest the baptism was carried out by the Reverend Lewis Page Mercier , who was the hospital's Chaplain at the time and who later in life became the original translator into English of three works by Jules Verne.

John Lovelock
John was entrant number 21612, and he was baptised on 14 March 1876. His baptism was carried out by the Chaplain, the Reverend John Frere Langford, who was shortly thereafter to depart to become the Vicar of Bere Regis in Dorset. Like Edward, John's age is not mentioned in the baptism entry, and it is not possible to identify him amongst the many John Lovelocks recorded in the 1881 Census. However, other entries in the Archive give his date of birth as 16 May 1875, and one also informs us that on 30 August 1889 he enlisted in the Band of the 16th Lancers and died on 1 October 1899 in India. Our India records tell us that he died from Enteric Fever in Kasauli, Bengal, was buried on 2 October, and had reached the rank of Lance Corporal before he died. There is no GRO Birth entry for him, so like Edward he may also have been abandoned by his mother.

Mrs Lovelock
Mrs Lovelock was mentioned in the Minutes of a Sub-Committee, in a statement that she was 'to be allowed 10/6 per week with Wm Moore'. The Sub-Committee had met on Saturday, 16 July 1814 and had considered a letter from a Mr Julian Mariner, Apothecary, that stated 'The physicians having consulted upon Willm Moore an Invalid of the Hospital, beg leave to recommend that he be sent into the Country for the benefit of his Health, he having a spitting of Blood and Consumptive Cough'. The Hospital Matron stated that Mrs Lovelock would take him at 10/6 per week. Mrs Lovelock was clearly a foster mother known to the Hospital who lived somewhere 'in the Country'.

There had been other Lovelocks who acted as foster mothers to some of the foundlings. 'Mary Lovelock of Dogermersfield' took on 24 October 1759 one Abraham Flack, who unfortunately died on 25 December that year, although whether still in Mary's care is not stated. Martha Lovelock of Dogmersfield took Matthew Parsons on 16 January 1760, but he also died, on 15 February 1761. On 6 March 1784 Hannah Lovelock of Odiham took Ellen Standert, but like Abraham and Matthew Ellen died, on 2 May 1784. Then on 4 September 1784 'Hannah Lovelock of Crondal' took Anthony Kemble. Anthony clearly benefited from his time in the country for he returned to the Foundling Hospital on 29 September 1790. Ann Lovelock of Hannington is named as the 'Nurse' or foster mother in an entry for John Swimmer who was sent to Ewhurst in Hampshire on 19 October 1757. John was eventually apprenticed on 15 June 1768. Ann also appears in an entry for Eleanor Grange who was sent to Ann in Ewhurst, Herts (sic) on 5 July 1758 and who was apprenticed on 8 July 1767 to Francis Lovelock, 'Husbandman of Hannington in the County of Southampton'. Eleanor was to be employed in household business 'Till 21 years of age or married'. Eleanor had clearly been taken into the employ of Francis Lovelock and Anne Payne, the progenitors of the Kingsclere Line.

Elisabeth Lovlock
Elisabeth was a Petitioner to the Governors of the Hospital, and her tragic submission has fortunately been preserved. It reads as follows (complete with her spelling):
To the Honble Governors of the Fondling Hospital.
The Humble Petion of Elisabeth Lovlock of No 11 Wood Street Spa Fields in the Parish of Clerkenwell, that Haveing had the Misfortune of Haveing a Feemale Child born 16th of Novr 99 & the Father of the Same being Dead, since last August By an Accident in Sea Baything two Horses, at Southend, his name, John Page, servt at the time, to Sir Edmond Nagle, to Whoom I was to Have Bin Married, my Surcamstances not being that as Will Aney Way support my Self & Babe, Humbly Hope Your Goodness Will Consider My Distress & take my dear Babe Under Your Protection.
Your Petioner Will be Ever Bound to Pray for Your Goodness in so Great A Charity.
Your Obedt Humble Servt
Elisabeth Lovlock
Fortunately for Elisabeth and her baby the child was ordered to be admitted.

Pewsey

Another class of institution introduced to care for those less fortunate that more Lovelocks had experience of was of course the Workhouse.

The establishments at Pewsey on the left and Marlborough on the right, pictured in the 1990s (both photographs © L. Holmstadt), were two of several that housed Lovelocks from time to time. 		Marlboro

Workhouses were originally established in England in the seventeenth century. They were commonly formed in larger towns and cities and in their early form were primarily used to accommodate the sick, aged and orphaned poor, instead of the parish having to pay for their rent and food on an individual basis. Parishes sometimes combined to establish joint workhouses, especially after 1782 when parishes were formally allowed to form unions to administer the Poor Law and to employ paid guardians at the union’s workhouse. After 1834 all parishes were compelled to amalgamate into unions which were still funded by poor rates collected from local parishioners. Workhouse conditions varied from humane and clean to institutions that were little better than prisons. ‘Outdoor relief’ could still be granted to the old, the sick or to widows with dependent children. Many workhouses continued to operate until the final abolition of the Poor Law in 1948, when the modern welfare system commenced. (Adapted from 'Ancestral Trails' by Mark Herber, 1998, p. 301)

A search of this Web Site for workhouse references will return a significant number of entries from a variety of Census Returns and our collections of County records.