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On the 1861 census I have 3 children living at South Metropolitan District School in Sutton (Surrey) which I think was a workhouse. Their names were Charles, James & William MCDERMOTT and they were all under 12. I believe their mother Catherine died in 1859 and their father Timothy disappeared! There were other children who I have been unable to trace but who were slightly older. Timothy seems to reappear in 1871 living in Whitchurch as a hawker! What is baffling me is what happened to the 3 little boys? Might they have been sent abroad, adopted? I cannot find them on 1871 census. Why did these fathers abandon their children after the mother died? This is the third one of my family who appears to have done just that! What a shower! Hope you can help or advise me where to look. Kind regards Evie

Do you know when they were born?

Hi Tracey The children were all born in Bermondsey, Surrey, Charles in 1850, William in 1851 and James in 1853 according to the 1851 census. The father, Timothy, came from Ireland. Regards Evie

A few possibles... you've probably already seen these though... Chas Mcdermot 20 Manchester Ordinary Vessels Devon Charles Mcdermott 22 Ireland Boarder Bradford Yorkshire James Mcdermot 18 London, England Lodger St Marylebone London William Mc Dermott 21 Ireland Private 2/2 Queen Stoke Damerel Devon

Thanks Tracy! I think that James is a possibility but not too sure about Charles & William as the places of birth are wrong. There seem to be a family of MCDERMOTTs in the Lancs area around the same time with the same first names, just to confuse me! Evie

Here's the rest... Patrick Manning 30 Ireland Lodger St Marylebone London James Mcdermot 18 London, England Lodger St Marylebone London Catharine Welsh 16 Marylebone, Middlesex, England Daughter St Marylebone London Mary Welsh 43 Ireland Wife St Marylebone London Patrick Welsh 45 Ireland Head St Marylebone London Just a thought - they could have gone to Ireland?

That is a possibility, Tracy! The problem is that the Irish census records were all destroyed I believe! How can I found out if they were sent abroad, as many 'orphans' were at this time? Did children stay in the workhouse until they were adults? What a life if that was the case! Evie

I'm not sure about anything to do with Irish Geneaolgy - having no (that I know of) Irish relatives. Perhaps someone else could better answer this?

Hi Have you checked to see if any of them died? Sam

Hi Sam Have thought of that but the problem is there are several entries for those names but none for Surrey before 1871. Another brickwall me thinks! Evie

Thanks Yvonne! Will try that! Regards Evie

As to why their father put them in the workhouse - what else could he do? In my family if a man's wife died he married another one jolly sharpish, usually within the year, as he needed someone to run the house and mind the children. nell

Please don't assume that their dad abandoned them completely. Of course he may have done so but I had a couple of similar families- children in workhouse schools, one dad also in the workhouse, the other in a lodging house on census night. When I was able to access the workhouse records in both cases I found that throughout several years either side of the census dad would arrive at the workhouse with the children, they would be sent to the workhouse schools, he would stay for a few days, then discharge himself,coming back sometimes on the same day, sometimes after a week or two. Often he took the children out of the schools when he went. I guess he was looking for work and lodgings where he could keep the children with him. In one family by the next census the boys were old enough to be working and were shown as visitors with another family, the little girl was in service and dad was settled with a new wife. Sadly the other family were still in care and dad seemed to remain in and out of the workhouse for the rest of life.