In
my post concerning the bequests made by my late Great-Aunt Emma Jane Wray on 29
November 2016 (What can you find
out form a will?),
I made mention of the Asylum for Deaf and Dumb Poor, where her niece Elsie
Pearson was resident for a period. Aunt Emma had left an annuity for the care
of her niece which, on the face of it, was rather unusual. It turned out Elsie was
disabled and needed more care and attention than her other nieces and nephews.
I
had found Elsie on the 1911 England census, along with 414 co-residents of the
institution located in Margate, Kent. Its size alone was impressive and made me
think its importance would be worth a blog post of its own.
There
are several websites that describe the history of the asylum. Some of the
recent articles can be found at: The London
Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, John Townsend
and the London Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb and The Asylum that
changed the lives of young ‘unfortunates’. For many old photos of the
institution see this website.
Reverend
John Townsend (1757-1826) established the original school on Grange Road, in
Bermondsey, London – the Asylum for the
Support and Education of Deaf and Dumb Children of the Poor, looking after
55 children. By 1792 the school had become the London Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb. In 1807 it had been able to
move to larger premises on Old Kent Road where they had space for 200 children.
There
were some private institutions where people of means could send their children
but this was to be the first public school where deaf children could receive a
free basic education. Townsend received initial support from: Henry Cox Mason,
rector of Bermondsey; Henry Thornton, banker and philanthropist; and the Duke
of Gloucester.
Joseph
Watson, one of the early headmasters was an inspirational and dedicated
teacher, developed many techniques for instructing afflicted children and
believed they were due an education as good as any other person. He wrote that,
“Persons born deaf are, in fact, neither
depressed below, nor raised above, the general scale of human nature, as
regards their dispositions and powers, either of body or mind.”
On
the 1911 England Census, where I found my little cousin Elsie, the asylum was
referred to as the Royal Deaf & Dumb
Asylum. In later years it became known formally as The Royal School for Deaf Children, Margate.
The
school was closed abruptly in December 2015, throwing 240 staff out of work,
after the John Townsend Trust was put into administration (receivership).
On
lists such as that found on the 1911 census, as well as other schools and
institutions, one may get a better appreciation of the lives of ancestors. Such
summaries are well worth looking for, as are the histories of those
organizations.
Wayne
Shepheard is a retired geologist and active genealogist. He volunteers with the
Online Parish
Clerk
program in England, handling four parishes in Devon, England. He has published a number of
articles about various aspects of genealogy in several family history society
journals. Wayne has also served as an editor of two such publications. He
provides genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated.
