Ladies Boarding school in Chelsea - Adile Miller

[suek43]

I am trying to trace an Adile D Miller. She is listed on the 1871 census as being aged 12 DOB 1859 in Kensington. She is a boarder at Oakley Street (Ladies Boarding School), 69 Oakley Street, Chelsea

She is then listed on 1881 Census as being aged 21 and DOB 1860 in London Fitzroy Square. She is living with her Uncle George Windsor in Derby Rd Enfield, but I don't know if she is neice by marriage or birth.

I cannot find a date of birth for her and she is not listed as Adile on any other Census.

What I need to know is how can I find records for her at the Ladies Boarding school and would they list her parents and home address? I have been finding variations of the name Adile which include Adele, Adeline, Adelaide etc but I am unsure if these are really her.

There is talk in my family that this lady was put in an asylum in Surrey at a young age for falling in love with a stable hand, where she sadly lived out her days. I don't know if this is true. I have some paintings which is said to be by her and one is of a self portrait. The story goes that she was a very talented artist and all the paintings and drawings that she created, she destroyed. The only 2 drawings I have were saved by either family or staff before she could destroy them. The self portrait has the initials AM in the corner, that is why I believe that this lady (Adile) I am trying to trace is the artist.

Other people I am researching are Hammond - Ware. Atkinson - Edmonton, Enfield, Gateshead & Durham. Everill - Aston, Warwickshire. Ball - Aston, Warwickshire. Alexander - Jersey. DeBart - France. Windsor - Surrey & Chelsea. Hancock - Surrey & London. Short - Durham. Stanley - Middlesex.

[callbrian]

Hi,
What a sad tale. I found Adile with George Windsor in 1881. I then checked the 1901 census Adele Miller is wrongly transcribed, on the enumerators page it appears to be Adile. Unfortunately as you said she is in Hoxton House, Hoxton St, London, which is a Lunatic Asylum.
Maybe some further research is required, as I couldn't find a birth or death record in freebmd. A 'Google' of Hoxton House may give further clues.
Brian

[callbrian]

Hi
Since my previous reply, I have checked the 1911 census and could not find Adile, I have rechecked freebmd for a death with no result. She must have been removed from Hoxton House after the census of 1901, as it was closed in 1902. I found the following on 'Google'.
The lunatic asylums
By the end of the 17th Century the wealthy estates in Hoxton were being broken up, with many of the large houses being used as mad houses and almshouses for the elderly or infirm.

Hoxton House on Hoxton Street was turned into a lunatic asylum in 1695, becoming the biggest in Hoxton before closing in 1902. Owned by the Miles family, it had extensive grounds that stretched between Pitfield Street and Kingsland Road. The only remains of the house are at 34, close to Hackney Community College. Built on the site of the Jews' burial ground, it may mark the southern limit of the asylum at its greatest extent.

By the early 18th Century, nearly all of London's private lunatics were accommodated in Hoxton. In 1819, of 1551 certified lunatics in private housing, Hoxton House held 348, and the two other major asylums in Hoxton (Whitmore House and Bethnal Green House) held much of the remainder.

Regards
Brian

[suek43]

Thank you so much for your help. I will keep looking for a birth or Death Cert as I am trying to attach her to my family tree. George Windsor was married at least 2 times. How she is connected to him other than neice I don't know. She may be his sister or even one of his wives relatives I just don't know at the moment.

It's a nightmare sometimes when the names keep changing on census etc.

Thank you once again.

[callbrian]

Hi,
Sorry about this, I appear to be rather obsessed with this puzzle.
I have tried again to find Adile, I have tried the National archives, to see if I could trace where she could have been, after the closure of Hoxton House.
I have tried a round about way, looking at George Windsor's census results.
Looking at 1881 again, I wonder if the story relating to a stable hand, has come from the name of the lodger residing with George, Henry Sadler.
I did find a marriage for George and Jane Debart, obviously married before as the step daughter is Adelaide Trestrail Fowler Debart b Stepney Dec 1860 Vol 1c Page 501 (her father was a Simeon Debart).
George Windsor, appears as Willam G Windsor in 1871.
Doesn't help your search for Adile though.
Brian

[suek43]

It takes me over too. I have Jane Debart (from Jersey) who was married to Simeon Debart (from France). Adelaide Trestrail Fowler is the Grandmother of my cousin Michael. Micheals Mother was my Fathers cousin and her husband was my Mothers Cousin. I am presuming that in those days a lot of marriages were between distant cousins etc.

I'll still keep looking but where I am not sure. I think I have exhausted BMD as well. Still trying to find out if I can search for education records for the Oakley Street ladies school (that closed down ages ago). The problem is all the places I find my relatives in have since closed down.

It would be nice to find Adile or Adele whatever she or anyone else calls her. As you have taken the time to help me. I thought you might like to see who you have been looking for. I have attached a copy of the drawing of her self portrait. I have also attached a drawing of a Farm and one of the Two Brewers Inn. In the bottom right hand corner of the drawing of the farm you can see her initials and a date including the name of the farm. The latter drawings may have been the views she could see from the asylum or maybe it is done from memory, who knows.

Hope these come out ok.

Thanks
Sue

[callbrian]

Hi Sue,
Thanks for posting the drawings, you may have also given a new clue.
I looked for the Two Brewers, found several, the interesting one was at Kings Langley. There was a Leavesden lunatic asylum not far away. Adile could have been moved there in 1902. I will add the web address, take a look and see if anything 'rings a bell'.
http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.u ... vesden.htm
Brian

[callbrian]

Hi Sue, me again.
I have spent some time going through the 1911 census for Hertfordshire trying to find Leavesden Asylum, there are plenty of entries for asylum cottages and alike. No Two Brewers and no list that I can find, of inmates. Peter Higginbotham's wonderful 'workhouse site' has a lot of history re the asylum.
Where you can find a listing I've no idea, perhaps they were put to one side and forgotten, that's why there is no record of her death.
Let me know if you find any more.
Brian

[suek43]

Thank you for your help. I can't do anymore searching for a while as I am going into hospital on monday.

Thank you once again for you help

Sue