Moorefield Convent

[Jann Szelpuk]

Hello, My mother and I are looking for information about Moorefield Convent. We have a postcard of the convent dated 1935. My Nanna was sent there in her early teens after her mother passed away. Her name was Mary Harriet O'Reilly. Would anyone be able to assist in firstly infomation on Moorefield Convent and secondly student lists; namely Mary Harriet O'Reilly. Thank you Jann Szelpuk of Australia.

[MaryA]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I googled and found a few references to a Moor(e)field Convent which appears to be in Preston. Does your postcard match this building? http://www.catholiccaringservices.co.uk/moorfield.htm

If this is the one I believe Lancashire Record Office would be the repository to approach, this link gives contact details, including an email address to write to ask.

[Jann Szelpuk]

Hello again and thank you for sending a link of the Moorfield Orphanage. this is an exact replica of our postcard in 1935. We are just astounded. We now wish to find out about Nanna's (Mary Harriet O'Reilly) being enrolled in the orphanage. We presume we now contact through the link you provided us. also the other link for the reocrds office, not sure what to do from there or what that will provide. Do you have any advice?
Thank you so much again, Jann (Mary Harriet's grand daughter) and her Mother Marion (Mary Harriet's daughter).

[MaryA]

I'm glad you have managed to identify which Orphanage it is, unfortunately no records for it would be held at Liverpool so I am unaware of what exactly would be available. The Lancashire Record Office which is in Preston will have whatever is available and will be able to help you.

[Hilary]

I would contact the Catholic Caring services on the link Mary gave and ask them where their records are kept (if they exist). They may still have them.

I'd email Lancashire Record Office to see if they have them.

The records if they exist are likely to be on a 100 years closer but whoever has them may be willing to extract the information on your behalf as direct descendants.

Hilary
Ed Officer

[jan44]

I don't know if this will be of any help, but in Mary's link to Moorfield Orphanage Preston, there is a paragraph that mentions that the orphanage was run by The Daughters Of Wisdom.

I found this website.

http://www.daughtersofwisdom.org.uk/gbi ... /index.htm

Jan

[Jann Szelpuk]

In 1923 Mary Harriet O'Reilly left Camden Road, London and went to Mrs Jackson, 184 Hamstead Road, Harnsworth, Birmingham 20. We would like to know why Mary left London and went to that address in Birmingham as a letter we have from Aunty Amy dated December 1939 with the same address was posted to Mary (my mother) in Australia. However, there is a 3 year gap between 1923 and 1926 when Mary Harriet O'Reilly sailed to Australia to her Sister Caroline King. Can anyone assist there? We do not know the name of the ship or the wharf that Mary sailed from to Australia.

[Jann Szelpuk]

The link for Moorfield Orphanage was very helpful. Thank you Jann44

[Hilary]

The Australian Archives will have records of incoming passengers. have you tried those?

Hilary
Ed Officer

[dickiesam]

Hi Jann,
Do you have a date/year and a place of birth for Mary Harriet O'Reilly? And was the 1935 date on that postcard a postmark? Trying to work out when she would have been a young teenager and find her age when she left the UK to go to Australia.

Was she usually known as Mary Harriet or just Mary? I haven't yet found her in the outgoing passenger lists from the UK to Australia.

Dickiesam

[Hilary]

Outgoing passenger lists are on www.findmypast.co.uk However their terms and conditions do not allow look ups so you may need to buy a few credits and look at them yourself or try the incoming lists that will exist in Australia.

To find out what the connection may be to the address in Birmingham all I can suggest is you contact Birmingham Archives to see if they hold electoral rolls for that time and then they may be willing (or may charge) to look up who was at the address at the relevant time. That would only show over 21 years old eligible to vote.

Hilary
Ed Officer

[Jann Szelpuk]

Hello, thank you for your ever efficient and very helpful replies. They really assist Mum and I in our endeavours for searching. We are quite the novices so far. Okay, answer to one question. Nanna's first name was Mary, second name Harriet. Would be known just as Mary.
Second question - we have Mary's birth certificate and her DOB is 21st April 1896. Registration district is 1896 West Derby in sub district of Waterloo in the counties of Bootle, Lancaster and Liverpool. Mary came to Australia in 1926 by ship to Melbourne. The ship berthed at Freemantle, WA, then Adelaide, SA for 4 days before Melbourne, VIC. At Adelaide Mary travelled with a family accompanying the children for this family. They took her to the hills of Adelaide for the 4 days and brought her back to the ship before she sailed to Melbourne.
Before coming to Australia Mary was at Moorfield Orphanage in 1910 and discharged January 1915. Went to the nursing College in London. Received her nursing certificate in June 1915 and went as a Head Nurse to Mrs Buchanan, Addison Lodge, Kensington, London. Then in 1920 at Lyme St 20 Camden Road, London. In 1923, C/0 Mrs Jackson 184 Handsworth, Birmingham.

[Tina]

Hi Jann
between 1910 & 1912 she's in Preston in an Insitution.
There's also a Caroline listed bn 1895.
Free BMD have a birth for Caroline Annie O'Reilly
1895 jun qtr West Derby

Tina

[Hilary]

Where Mary's parents John O'Reilly and Caroline Jackson? If so she was christened at St Francis de Salle church (from www.liverpoolhistoryprojects.co.uk)

Hilary
Ed Officer